Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue

Book Review: Light on Lucrezia

2011-03-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ahh... those Borgias-Everywhere you read about them, it’s one scandal after another. As for Lucrezia, she’s dumped right in that whole mess. But seriously, how much of that was actually true? How easy is it to believe that Lucrezia really was a devious, incestuous, poisonous murderess? But if you expect to read any of that in Light on Lucrezia, you will be disappointed. Or-should I say; like in my case, delightfully surprised.

Perhaps Lucrezia will appear differently in Madonna of the Seven Hills (hoping to read this one very soon too)- but not in Light on Lucrezia. In this novel, Lucrezia is, yes, a devoted Borgia first; meaning she thinks the world of both her father, Pope Alexander, and Cesare, her brother; However, Lucrezia is determined to live a different life from the debauche family she grew up in. She does want to be happily married. She wants children and is devastated when they are taken from her. She was defintely the Borgia pawn.

Beautiful and serene, Lucrezia was very much loved by her family. Plaidy often refers to this as a very strong love-passionate love- yet she never alludes to anything incestuous. Throughout the book this is more of hearsay and gossip about the evil family by others. The reality was that poor Lucrezia was married off three times; grieved the loss of both her lover and loving husband (both slain), had her children taken from her and then was sent to a new husband whose family hated her. Throughout it all, Lucrezia held her head high. Even through the most devastating moments she kept her cool. Lucrezia found solace in poetry and her great friend Strozzi. But- this being a Borgia story...without telling you more- there is of course infidelity and forbidden love...

This is an excellent novel and a great introduction to the Borgias through the life (albeit condensed) of Lucrezia. I especially appreciated Jean Plaidy’s Author’s Note at the beginning of the book where Plaidy specifically says she wrote this book to shed light on all the controversy surrounding Lucrezia. She also lists the works she used for her research; something I’ve not yet encountered in her other novels. Being a great fan of Plaidy, I loved reading this introduction where I felt that Plaidy personalized this particular book by this time presenting it not only through historical fiction, but by actually taking a stand in her perception of the history.

Can’t wait to read more about Lucrezia!

Starting a new Plaidy read...

2011-01-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

I've just opened up Light on Lucrezia and am actually on the first chapter. So far, not knowing that much about Lucrezia herself (except that she's from an incredibly horrible family..)I'm curious to see how this one turns out. I know there's mostly negative stuff written about her by other authors. But after reading Plaidy's foreword where she talks about seeing Lucrezia from another perspective- well, that kind of got me very interested. Isn't that so very Plaidy-like to capture the reader even before the book is even opened...

Looking forward to another exceptional read- let you know more along the way...

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2011-01-10T04:48:00.001-08:00

If you haven't seen it yet, Royal-Intrigue.net (our main website) has been completely revamped! We've also made a Facebook Fan Page and have a Twitter account. Please join!

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2010 Jean Plaidy Challenge Winners!

2011-01-01T11:26:00.001-08:00

The winners of the 2010 JP Challenge are Christina, Holly and Lizzy! Prizes this year are either:

1 copy of a brand new UK reprint from the list

2 copies of used paperbacks from the list

First to respond gets first choice! Please send an email to Arleigh at arleighjohnson(at)gmail(dot)com!

New UK Reprints

The Prince of Darkness

The Star of Lancaster

The Sun in Splendour

The Queen’s Husband

The Italian Woman

Queen Jezebel

Madame Serpent (claimed)

Light on Lucrezia

Defenders of the Faith

The Revolt of the Eaglets

The Red Rose of Anjou

The Heart of the Lion

The Hammer of the Scots

Castile for Isabella

Spain for the Sovereigns

The Vow on the Heron

The Battle of the Queens

The Follies of the King

Used paperbacks

The Goldsmith’s Wife

Louis the Well Beloved (claimed)

The Prince and the Quakeress

Victoria in the Wings

The Queen and Lord M

The Captive of Kensington Palace

The Murder in the Tower

The Queen’s Favorites (claimed)

Daughter of Satan

The Haunted Sisters

The Widow of Windsor

The Three Crowns

Beyond the Blue Mountains

The Plantagenet Prelude

The Lion of Justice

The Queen’s Devotion

Queen of This Realm

We've not scheduled a 2011 Challenge, but plan to revamp the site soon with more Plaidy fun! We hope everyone has a great 2011 with lots of Jean Plaidy books!

Book Review: The Road To Compiegne

2010-12-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Road to Compiegne

This one is the second in the Revolution Series by Jean Plaidy- and I absolutely loved it! Moving on from the first book, (Louis the Well-Beloved- see my review here), which portrays Louis from birth to the beginning of his relationship with La Marquise de Pompadour- in this volume, Louis goes from well-beloved by his people, to completely loathed. Hunger is prevalent and the country is in turmoil, but Louis rather than owning up to his responsibilities, lives in complete denial while alienating himself all the more. He can no longer travel to Paris due to the extreme danger it poses him. The people are enraged and blame his excessiveness and abiding loyalty to La Pompadour for their misery. He is considered a weak ruler that takes counsel from his mistress to reign over the country.

La Pompadour certainly had her say in politics and did advise Louis on all matters of state, however, much of her say was based on how Louis felt- literally. When Louis was down and feeling horrible about himself, Madame la Pompadour would do anything in her power to make him feel as though it wasn’t his fault- this set her in an advantageous position: She became the person he most wanted to be with- his true friend and confidante...someone he would always want around him.

For La Pompadour, Louis meant everything. She needed to keep him happy and content in all ways...BUT- there was one area where she just could not keep up with him. Louis was an insatiable lover and La Pompadour, who was rather frail in health, could not deliver...so, she thought of a little solution. In order to keep Louis ‘content’ she provided him with young (but not particularly bright or ambitious) young girls to service him. Meanwhile, she strategically moved out of Court to her own place, in order to offer the people a diversion- Now no one could say that she was coercing the King in matters of politics or as a ‘mistress’. She would now be known as his ‘good friend’. This way she covered her reputation, kept the King by her side for all emotional comfort (which he constantly needed) and gave him his pleasurable diversions.

This plan would go on until the very end. When La Pompadour died, in came La Du Barry; A complete turn-around in terms of class and composure. Yet, Louis was bewitched by her to his very last days. The book also brings us Louis’ daughters and the longing, yet never fulfilled relationship they so needed with their dad. There was much competition, slyness and direct confrontations all for the love of their father. It was a constant trial to rid him of his mistresses (they never succeeded). Marie Antoinette also appears by the end of the novel.

Excellent book about a period I am most fascinated by- so I’m now really looking forward to reading Extravagant Queen.

I love this series!

The World’s a Stage by Kathleen Kellow (Jean Plaidy)

2010-10-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

It seems Jean Plaidy has surprised me once again!

I’ve been wrapped up in a novel by Ciji Ware titled Wicked Company, which features fictional characters for the most part, but also touts a host of real historical figures. One such is the 18th century actor/playwright/theater manager David Garrick, who is also one of my favorite personalities in the novel. He is kind and understanding of Sophie’s struggles and helps her by encouraging and employing her talents at Drury Lane.

Reviewing some of Plaidy’s older (mostly unavailable) titles, I found that she published a novel based on David Garrick (1960)!

The World’s a Stage: The true story of the eighteenth century British actor David Garrick and his lover, Peg Woffington

I can’t find a description, unfortunately. I think I will start a petition to get all of JP’s older novels reprinted! It’s very discouraging to find gems like this but no way to order them.

new Plaidy reprints!

2010-10-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Next year Random House is breaking out of the Queens of England and Tudor series (finally) and publishing reprints of Madonna of the Seven Hills and Light on Lucrezia! They will be available to purchase January 18, 2011.

Somehow I think the new HBO Borgia show has something to do with the decision to print these, but whatever the reason we here at Royal Intrigue are glad to know they are continuing to reprint Plaidy books. We are crossing our fingers that they don't use 1/3rd portion of a period lady in the wrong era dress! Bring back the portrait covers, please!!!!

We're Back! Happy Birthday Jean Plaidy!!

2010-08-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, etc)
September 1, 1906 - January 18, 1993

What is it about Jean Plaidy that has millions of readers so fascinated by her writing? Obvioiusly her prolific style and impeccable historical accuracy are major reasons why so many people love her books- BUT, there’s something more than just that...if you’re hooked on Plaidy like we are here at Plaidy’s Royal Intrigue, you’ll get what I mean...don’t you find that her characters literally come to life...almost like spirits telling their own story? I always get that feeling. It’s almost as though the characters had some private meeting with her where they shared a real heart-to-heart and then Plaidy got privy to writing all about it. Another thing that always seems to amaze me, is that (in my experience) I’ve yet to read a book of hers that I didn’t get totally sucked into-Yes- her books capture my entire attention and set me off to the very time and place-always!

It’s all so mysterious. And while we’re on the topic of mysterious; what about the Plaidy Lady herself...I believe she’s the most mysterious yet! I wish I could come across some bit of biography or tip on how she lived her life- something (besides the only source we have on her so far- read it here) that would shed some light on how she went about her writing and life.

So, Arleigh and I thought how nice if we could honor her Birthday with an improvisation interview (a mock interview if you like;)- Just to get a feeling of what a conversation with her might sound like.

Let’s see..what would Plaidy say...

Let us know if you thimk she waould have said it diffefrently! Join in the fun!

1. Is there a particular period that fascinates you most? Which one and why?

I think it's apparent that I prefer writing based on my own country's history, though I cannot claim a particular favorite era. I enjoy giving voice to the misunderstood and there are very many among the British royalty and nobility who fit into that category.

2. Of all the novels you’ve written, which is your favoirite- why?

I quite enjoyed exonerating both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard in Murder Most Royal, before writing their own individual stories in The Lady in the Tower and The Rose Without a Thorn. Henry VIII was a most interesting character to develop owing to his need to quell his conscious yet follow his desires. The careful reader will pick up on my disdain for the man, though I feel I did him justice.

3. Favourite character? Favourite royal?

I heartily enjoyed writing the witticisms and jolly nature of Charles II in my trilogy: The Wandering Prince, A Health Unto His Majesty and Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord. You can also find quips from him in related novels on his wife, brother and nieces. Charles is my favorite royal for his humor, courage and loyalty. He charmed the people, walked among them and helped extinguish the Great Fire with his own hands. He did not discard his wife, though she was barren and Catholic. Oh yes, he was unfaithful, but respectfully so and never did he dishonor her as Queen. He may have been lackadaisical in the political and religious arenas, but we see with his brother, James, how being otherwise cost the throne.

4. Is there any historical figure that you have not written about that you wish you had?

Many, but a writer has to tell the stories that demand to be told. Fifty years of writing is a wonderful gift and I have done with my time as well as I could. I'm sure my readers would have appreciated more novels set on the Continent, but it cannot be denied that the British monarchy is full of tales enough to busy any writer. I did, however, venture from England under my nom de plume Victoria Holt; places such as Italy, Southern France, Australia and the Orient.

5. We know that you typed away diligently at your typewriter on a daily basis. What was your source of inspiration? a particular muse perhaps? And what special advice can you give aspiring historical fiction writers?

I love to travel and discover new places, which leads to fantastical story lines and wonderful characters. I've spent my later years on cruise ships exploring the world, and it's all the muse one needs! As for advice: read as much as you can. Reading is experience. Had I not had so much free time in my youth I do not know if my love of history would have been established.

6. Lastly, Ms. Plaidy is there anything you would like to share with us regarding your private life…(some of us would love to know your favourite colour, if you own a pet, had a best friend…?)

I am not overly fond of animals, except perhaps the exotic birds I have encountered on my travels. Sadly my solitary lifestyle does not afford me the opportunity to confide in any one special person, but I have many friends with whom I correspond regularly. My favourite colour is Royal Blue.

And we end this BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION with a gift to you Plaidy lovers! One brand new Arrow reprint (UK version) of Madonna of the Seven Hills to a lucky winner! This giveaway is open worldwide and ends September 13th.

"In a castle in the mountains outside Rome, Lucrezia Borgia is born into history's most notorious family. Her father, who is to become Pope Alexander VI, receives his first daughter warmly, and her brothers, Cesare and Giovanni, are devoted to her. But on the corrupt and violent streets of the capital the Borgia family is feared, and Lucrezia's father causes scandal, living up to his reputation of 'most carnal man of his age'. As Lucrezia matures into a beautiful young woman, her brothers are ever more protective and become fierce rivals for her attention. Amid glorious celebrations their father becomes Pope, and shortly after Lucrezia is married - but as Borgias the lives of the Pope's children are destined to be marred by scandal and tragedy, and it's a fate that Lucrezia cannot hope to escape."

For those who may be wondering just where in the heck Lucy & Arleigh have been... well, it's been a very busy summer! We plan to be more active so look for new reviews and posts soon! The Jean Plaidy Challenge is still open and the pages will be updated shortly. Thank you all for visiting!

review: A Favorite of the Queen

2010-06-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

A Favorite of the Queen

By Jean Plaidy

Also printed as Gay Lord Robert and Lord Robert

The story begins with Robert Dudley’s father at the execution of his father, Edmund Dudley, who had been used as an example to the people that the new King Henry VIII would please his people. The elder Dudley was Henry VII’s cruel tax collector and as such deserved to die a traitor’s death. John Dudley grew up to regain both his family fortunes and titles, though it was hard-won through battle and diplomacy. He formed the right connections at court, married his children off well and set them on the path to prosperity. Unfortunately for the Dudleys, their reins on the government ended when they supported Lady Jane Grey instead of Mary Tudor on Edward VI’s death.

Elizabeth and Robert met in childhood through the royal children’s classroom. He found her haughty, yet fascinating and she found him too outspoken for someone she deemed beneath her. They next meet at the Tower when each is imprisoned by Queen Mary. Elizabeth is free to walk the grounds and soon finds a way to communicate with Robert, which soothed them both during those perilous months.

As promised, Robert was the first to inform Elizabeth of her sister’s death and she instantly made him Master of the Horse. From here the story is less detailed and moves swiftly through Elizabeth’s reign with Robert at her side. One of the most impressive parts of this novel is the descriptions of Elizabeth’s mindset. For example:

Pages 241-242

“To England the Queen was a symbol. She gathered handsome and chivalrous men about her; they must be gallant and adventurous. She wished to be to them a fair ideal, the mistress they all wished to serve because they were in love with her perfections; yet she was the mother, and their welfare was the clearest concern of her life. She was Woman, warm and human, yet because she was an anointed Queen, she was invulnerable and unassailable. She wanted her men to be bold, to perform feats of courage and adventure for her sake; these she rewarded with her smiles and favors. She was a spiritual mistress; they must be faithful to her; they must perpetually seek to please her, their thoughts of her, must be the words and thoughts of lovers. They must all be in love with her; to them she must be the perfect woman. But they must never forget that she was mistress of them all. And while to her handsome and gallant courtiers, to her statesmen and soldiers, she was the queenly mistress and beloved woman, they must constantly remember that to her people she was Mother—the all-embracing Mother-and her thoughts and her energies were directed toward the good of her people. She wished England to be a happy home for her people—a prosperous home—and as, to her belief no home could be happy and prosperous unless it were peaceful, she abhorred war.”

The book description of the reprint puts emphasis on the death of Robert’s first wife, Amy Dudley, which is understandable even though that particular event was not the basis of the story. Plaidy wrote an Author’s Note to explain her thoughts on the mysterious death and why she came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a murder arranged by her husband. However, Amy death continues to haunt Robert throughout his life and in this sense Amy’s story is one of the main focuses.

This is not an amazing read for the Tudor expert, or really even the casual historical fiction fan with knowledge of the Elizabethan times. I cannot claim one event from the book was new to me, but then I have also read Queen of This Realm and My Enemy the Queen, which are both detailed reads on Elizabeth, Leicester and Lettice by Jean Plaidy. It was a good refresher, especially with the Queen’s martial issues, foreign relations and much philosophizing on her thoughts and behavior. Overall, I count it as an enjoyable read, but not one of my favorite Plaidy novels.

Author's Note: A Favorite of the Queen

2010-05-30T18:46:00.001-07:00

Jean Plaidy says:

In writing of what is undoubtedly one of history's most puzzling relationships, it is perhaps advisable to add a few remarks in order to justify the conclusions to which I have come. This is particularly the case with regard to the mysterious death of Amy Robsart.

All that happened on that Sunday morning at Cumnor Place will never be known. Was Amy's death due to accident, suicide, or murder? After studying available records my verdict cannot be anything but murder.

Consider the facts: The Queen was being pressed by her ministers to marry. She could not bear to forgo the attentions of Robert Dudley, and Robert could not give up the hope of sharing the throne. Thus Robert's wife Amy stood in the way of the two ruthless personalities. The Queen, in politics the soul of caution, had always been reckless in love. Scandal was circulating throughout the country concerning the relationship of Elizabeth and Robert Dudley. People remembered Thomas Seymour. Before Amy died there was a strong rumor that her death was being planned; and when it was said that Amy was suffering from a fatal malady, many believed that to be a false rumor set in motion to explain the death which was to follow. So persistent were the rumors, that a physician refused to attend Amy, fearing to be accused of administering poison should she die. This was the state of affairs when her minister, Cecil, returning from Edinburgh, found the Queen strained and nervous, and, to his astonishment, heard from her lips that Amy would soon be dead. Cecil, appalled, hurried from the Queen, and was so distraught that, coming face to face with the Spanish ambassador, he could not keep his suspicions to himself. "The Queen and Lord Robert Dudley are scheming to put Lord Robert's wife to death!" is what he said--according to the Spanish ambassador. And a few hours later Amy was found dead.

Why should the Spanish ambassador have written those revealing dispatched if the contents were untrue? Spain was no enemy of Robert's at that time, and Robert had won Philip's approval at St. Quentin.

An accident to Amy resulting in her death at such a time so convenient to Elizabeth and Robert is surely too incredible a coincidence to be accepted.

As for the suggestion of suicide, if Amy had wished to kill herself would she have chosen a method which, she must have known, might not result in death, but merely add acute pain and misery to her remaining years? Would any woman destroy herself in such a painful way in order to avoid being murdered?

Everything points to murder, apart from Amy's strange conduct on that Sunday morning in sending all her servants to the Fair. Why did she--in perpetual fear of murderers--clear the house of all the servants on that day which was to prove so tragic to her?

I have looked to her maid Pinto for the explanation, because from her first came the suggestion of suicide. It seemed that this suggestion came simply and unwittingly from Amy's maid; but was Pinto such a simpleton? What if the suggestion were not rung from her, but deliberately given? Might she not have known the true reason why the house was deserted on that Sunday morning? Let us consider what a woman would do when the whole country was hinting that she was about to be murdered. How would a devoted maid behave? As for my interpretation of Pinto's feelings for Robert, it must be remembered that, during his two and a half years' exile, he had lived in Norfolk and would have come into continual contact with Pinto; and if we can discover little of Pinto's character, we know much of Robert's.

It is the novelist's task to present a convincing story and, when the characters actually lived, to adhere to facts obtained by research, only diverging from them with good reason, e.g., when they are unknown, and then only making careful and responsible deductions as an aid to the completion of the story. Therefore I offer my views of what happened at Cumnor Place in the summer of 1560.

A Favorite of the Queen was also published as Gay Lord Robert and Lord Robert.

Plaidy Ladies in Louis The Well Beloved...

2010-05-06T07:47:00.003-07:00

Here are are a few special Plaidy ladies in Louis XV’s life. These can all be found in Louis The Well Beloved, Jean Plaidy (see my review here).

All of these dames affected the King's life in particular ways. I loved that Plaidy includes them all with so much detail revealing their very personal nature and relationship with the king.

Here they are:

Duchesse de Ventadour

The very first love of Louis’ life was la Duchesse de Ventadour. This lady who gave herself completely to the upbringing, educating and raising of baby Louis, was in fact his governess. La Duchesse de Ventadour was like his mother for the young king, since she took over his charge from the moment his whole family died (one after the other parcticallly)...The King would remember no other ‘Maman’ in his life than the adoring Duchesse de Ventadour. One can only imagine if Louis would have ever survived the disease that afflicted his whole family, had it not been for Maman Ventadour. After seeing what little use the doctors had been to the dauphine, dauphin and older brother of the king- the governess would not let any of these men near the little guy. She nursed him back to health herself. What a grand lady indeed.

Marie Victoire, Comtesse de Toulouse

Another adoring female in Louis XV’s life was Marie Victoire, Comtesse de Toulouse, the only family member to be closest to Louis after the death of his family. The Comtesse was married twice and both times to a descendant of Madame de Montespan (mistress of Louis’ great-grandfather, Louis XIV)...First to Montespan’s grandson and subsequently, to her son (sired by Louis XIV- such an intricate connection- ahh those royals!). So, back to her relationship with Louis; The Comtesse de Toulouse lived in Versailles and ws very close to Louis- like a mother to him. She never needed to make appointments to see the King and was allowed to attend many of his meetings. The King also shared with her his private documents, news and private affairs.

Infanta Mariana of Spain

She was brought to France as Louis’ betrothed when she was just a little girl of 3 and Louis was but eleven. Needless to say, the young king was NOT interested in this puny little child. The Infanta however charmed everyone with her beauty and innocence. She was infatuated by the King and hung on every moment hoping he would utter even just one word to her. Sadly, when she was sent back to her country (the political arrangement having changed route), she was devastated (and Louis honestly could not care less). But, life goes on and the Infanta later married Joseph I of Portugal.

Madame de Prie ( Jeanne Agnès Berthelot de Pléneuf

The infamous Madame de Prie (read my previous post on her here), needed to find a suitable wife for Louis- one that would not jeopardize her own powers at court...The best possible choice was:

Marie Leszczyńska

Marie Leszczyńska, was the daughter of the exiled King Stanislaw of Poland. She was by no means pretty, nor exceptionally bright, she was older than Louis by at least 5 years; her family did not have any power politically; practically a non-candidate in the eyes of France. So why her? Basically, Marie the Dauphine was a threat to no one(and that suited Madame de Prie just fine). But, lo and behold, Louis fell madly in love with her! For ahile they lived a life of marital bliss…until the Queen became overly religious to the point of abstaining from her marital duties on every Saint’s day on the calendar. What lent to this diminishing and downright avoidance of ‘love’ can certainly be attributed to the almost yearly pregnancies (they had 12 children together!)- And as mentioned in a previous post; Louis’ voracious and lusty appetite was insatiable…basically, the Queen was exhausted by him.

Enter the Mistresses:

Now, the King was not at the time a filanderer of any sort. Louis, although insatiable, was also very loyal. There had never really been time to initiate the King in the ways of ‘Courtly Love’...but once it was made known that the King had had enough of the Queen’s refusals...the initiation quickly took place.

Louis was practically thrown into the arms of one of the Nesle sisters (from this family, there would be more than one...). Enter the very willing; yet very shy...

Louise Julie de Mailly

Louise Julie de Mailly, Comtesse de Mailly soon became Louis’ inseparable partner. She was sweet, gentle and never demanding. In fact, the first time she ever met the King, she became competlely overwhelmed and could barely speak to him. Their meeting was a fiasco. When finally they were reunited (by the powers who put this duo together), de Mailly showed less resistance, and much more willingness- this in itself paved the way for Louis to satiate his desires. Together they enjoyed a rather peaceful time...too peaceful perhaps; for the moment de Mailly’s younger sister, Pauline Felicite, demanded that she be brought to court, everything changed. Ousted, yet by another sister-mistress, the subdued Comtesse de Mailly was expulsed from court and ended up in a convent.

Pauline Felicite de Mailly

Pauline Felicite de Mailly, Comtesse de Ventimille, soon ousted her own sister to become the King’s favourite. She caught his attention through her wit. Outspoken to the max, the King was in awe with her- and madly in love to boot. Never had he encountered such a feisty lady. She was fun, strong, smart and could hold her own against any man. A sweetheart, though, she was not. Ruthless in her ways, she liked to dabble in the King’s politics and this did not please the people. Comtesse de Ventimille died when giving birth to Louis’ son. Louis mourned her to no end. He was inconsolable...until of course, he met yet another Nesle sister:

Marianne de Mailly, Duchesse de Charteroux

This sister was the most beautiful. Her trick to win the King’s heart was her approach in consoling Louis in the death of her sister- his deceased mistress. She conned him into believing that they shared a love for Ventimille. Eventually, this so-called friendly relationship, switched gears to end up in, where else but; the King’s bed. La Duchesse de Charteroux appeased the King’s sensuality while invigorating his sense of battle. Off to war went the King, pushed by the Duchess’s behind- the- scenes politics. It was only when the King became suddenly ill that all his guilt broke loose. To absolve himself of all sins, repentance was necessary – the mistress had to go. When the people heard this, they were ecstatic! But on her way out, the Duchess was nearly mauled to death. This is not what killed her; death became her suddenly not too long after leaving the king. There is some speculation that the King did spend some time forgetting her by being entertained by yet another of the sisters (the last one, thankfully), but not for long. Madame de Lauragais was but a mere note in passing for the King already had his eye on the notorious...

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson: Madame de Pompadour

What a beauty! At the age of nine, a gypsy predicted that she would one day become the King’s Mistress. With that foretelling, her mother made it her purpose in life to have the young Jeanne Antoinette receive the highest education and training in becoming the perfect young lady fit for a king. That she became, and the King quickly took notice of her. Although he had once stayed as a guest at her chateau a while back while on a hunting trip(really- that was the extent of that unexpected visit), they met again much later during a masked ball given at the Court. Louis was immediately enthralled by her. She left her husband (after all, she only got married because it was proper formality that a King’s mistress be married-imagine!) to move in at Court. There she was primed and propped for etiquette and the ways of the Court. Never leaving his side, Madame de Pompadour delighted and entertained the King in every way. Could this enchantress keep up with the King’s insatiable lust? How long would her grasp hold onto Louis XV?

Enough of these Plaidy Ladies for now...We will see more in the sequel: The Road to Compiegne.

Stay Tuned!

Book Review: Louis The Well Beloved

2010-04-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

This deliciously French historical on Louis XV, the Well- beloved (le bien aimé) just led me to further embrace my passion for reading Plaidy. Simply put: History at its best. Yes, I did say history, because no matter that Plaidy’s novels classify as HF, you just need to read one to immediately understand that this is an accurate version of the past retold in its best form.

Louis The Well Beloved, Jean Plaidy

The story begins with the Sun King, Louis XIV (Louis XV’s great grandfather) on his death bed, his life imminently ending. From the moment the Sun King holds his little great grandson and tells him that he will be his successor, I fell in love with the little guy who would become the Well beloved of all of France.
If it weren’t for his great grandfather and uncles, Little Louis was left practically an orphan after the sudden deaths of both his parents and older brother. The only one left to mother him was his governess, whom he became completely and totally attached to (in my opinion, this in itself probably set the stage for loving in a grand way, all the subsequent ladies in his life).

It was incredibly interesting to read about Louis’ coming of age as a Little King admired by all. From the beginning we sense his kind nature and desire for closeness and intimacy (with the privileged few, mind you). Even more important, Louis stands out as one whose great aversion to any type of conflict or breach of etiquette was mega- or borderline insane.

Louis The Well Beloved takes us through Louis ’life, his reign and his loves...and of these, there were quite a few. Louis, in his all consuming passion for the ladies, was, believe it or not, incredibly faithful (especially for those times...and in France!). Without going into too much detail, I will mention the obvious Mistress, Madame de Pompadour; notorious for winning the King’s heart (she wasn’t the first nor the last though...). I love the way Plaidy portrays her in this novel. It’s a refreshing look at someone whom I thought to have been quite the opposite (well at least in this first book of this series).

Plaidy also brings in Louis’ children (mostly daughters) and shows us the King as an overly protective, doting
- father. we get a good taste of what the princesses were like as well. Louis was also a most loving husband. Yes, another surprise, this Queen was blessed with Kingly love. Too much love, in fact- Louis was insatiable. Sadly we see how their love slowly digressed- but the respect remained and neither was really to blame. Louis really tried.

As far as the country went, France loved her King. Louis could do no wrong. It was all the fault of either his ministers, tutors, queen or mistresses. Louis was their hero, but how long could they sing that tune? The seeds of the Revolution were slowly taking root. For how long could Louis remain The Well Beloved?

I f you love French history, and all the eccentricities of etiquette taken too far, along with a good dose of rapturous forbidden love- this Plaidy is for you. I absolutely must read 'Road to Compiegne' next- which is the sequel to this one.

Excellent !

Detrimental Plaidy Lady: Madame de Prie...

2010-04-20T08:00:00.001-07:00

I’m presently reading Louis The Well Beloved and could not wait for the end of the book, or my review before bringing up one very influential woman of the court at the times (not in a good way though..)

Jeanne Agnès Berthelot de Pléneuf- better known as: Madame de Prie

by Jean-Baptiste Van Loo (1684-1745)

Madame de Prie (1698- 1727) was very present in the life of the young Louis XV. As mistress of his uncle Louis Henri, Duc of Bourbon, she had a say in everything. The latter was the grandson of Louis XIV (through his legitimized daughter... but that’s another story). Anyhow, the Duc of Bourbon was legally in charge of the country and of the young King Louis XV for awhile...but his guidance and ruling were all under the influence of the grand ruler herself- Madame de Prie.

She was only 21 when she actually set foot as a predominant figure in the French court. Nonetheless, this dame was experienced anD ruthless to the max. The whole country hated both her and the Duc for rising prices and all that was spent on lavish extravagances to benefit the two of them. Advancement is what it was all about for her. She wished to rule France this way forever- and the best way to do that was for her to choose a rather seemingless, harmless and totally banale bride for the King-This way she could go on her merry way of ruling with her lover along the sidelines and reaping the benefits as the true queen 'herself'.

Who better to suit the situation than Marie Leczinska, whose father was nothing more than an exiled king of Poland? You couldn’t get any lower. Plus, the queen-to-be was more than a few years older and, not that pretty at all. Yet- Lo and behold, when the 16 year-old Louis first set eyes on her, he became totally infatuated by her. Love, love, love. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage...

This could have been all fine and dandy, except that Queen Marie felt completely in debt to Madame de Prie and the Duc, so she of course was duped into believing and also being part of their scheming- a total naive. The main plot was to rid themselves of Fleury, the King’s beloved Tutor. The Duc and Company thought he was too close to ruling supreme because of his influence on the king...so, they needed to get rid of him.

Needless to say, the king caught on and that was the end of all of Madame de Prie’s scheming. Exiled to Courbepine, the grand lady sipped her own poison and committed suicide the following year.

Note: Throughout my read, I may be posting more villain laides- leading to my book review. Stay tuned. Louis VX’s life was filled with ladies and vixens it seems..

my newest Plaidy: Milady Charlotte

2010-04-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

Milady Charlotte (originally published under Kathleen Kellow)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Based on fact this is the dramatic story of Charlotte Walpole, who left her comfortable Norfolk home to act at Drury Lane, married Sir Edward Atkyns, and attempted to rescue Marie Antoinette from the guillotine.

It is also the story of Homer, the passionate, impulsive girl from the Cornish parsonage who, unwanted in her own home, joins her distant relation, Charlotte, in London.

Involved with the are Richard Danver, in the service of the British government; Jean Pierre de la Vaugon, serving the French government, the aristocrat who cannot hope to escape the attentions of the mob; the lecherous Sir Edward; and Sophie, the young girl for whom the guillotine is waiting.

The story, moving swiftly from the Cornish parsonage to London, Norfolk, Lille and Paris, tells of the loves and adventures in the lives of two very brave women. It will delight all readers of Jean Plaidy's memorable novels.

Jean Plaidy non-fiction

2010-03-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Jean Plaidy wrote several non-fiction books on the Spanish Inquisition and I found that A Triptych of Poisoners is also non-fiction. I just received a 1971 Hale edition of the book and after perusing it for a while and looking it up online I finally came to the conclusion that it's not fiction. It's so funny that it's hard to tell the difference! The cover looks like her other Hale covers and the description on the book jacket does not specify that the book is not fiction, but there are illustrations and photos. Perhaps the biggest clue is that there is no dialog. Anyway, here is the book description.

Description:

What makes men and women commit murder? Is it environment and upbringing? Or is it some characteristic unaffected by surroundings and contacts? In this triptych, the author has sought to answer these questions by an analysis of the lives of three notorious poisoners, each guilty of more than one murder, and living in different periods of time.

First is Cesare Borgia, most notorious of all poisoners, who among his many crimes was suspected of the murder of his brother, and was the self-confessed murderer of his brother-in-law. Sadistic and sinister, even for fifteenth-century Italy, his brief life was one of the most evil ever lived. Was he to blame for his sins? Or does the blame lie with an indulgent parent and a barbaric age?

Second is Marie d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvillers--beautiful, reckless poisoner of seventeenth-century Paris. Marie and her lover Sainte-Croix sought to discover the lost secrets of the Borgias, that she might remove those who stood between her and her family fortune. Visiting the Paris hospital as a Sister of Mercy, experimentally trying out her concoctions on the patients, Marie was indifferent to the sufferings of others. Was she to blame?

Last comes Edward Pritchard, the Glasgow doctor. Living mid-way through the Victorian era, the doctor was as knowledgeable in the art of poisoning as his predecessors and had no compunction in removing any who stood in his way.

In these studies Jean Plaidy discloses the similarity in all three and asks: Whose is the guilt?

book review: The Three Crowns

2010-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

*The above edition will be released November 2, 2010

This is one of the Plaidy novels that has several mini-stories, though mostly focuses on the upbringing of Mary, daughter of the Duke of York and future Queen of England, and William of Orange. I’ve read The Queen’s Devotion (a reprint of William’s Wife) and had found it to be one of my least favorite Plaidy reads because she was not a strong protagonist. Had I known this one was mainly about her I may not have been so eager to read it.

It starts out with a lot of Charles II, so if you’re a fan you will enjoy his personality and witticisms. Jemmy, the Duke of Monmouth is a main character, and one of Mary’s favorite companions. The Duke of York, of course, plays a major role, at first with his Duchess, Anne Hyde, and then the story of Mary of Modena is expanded on from her early life.

One of the characters Plaidy surprised me with was a friend of William of Orange when they were children. They were thrown together with an idea of a possible future marriage (which did not end up happening). The lady turned out to be Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, who later married Louis XIV’s brother, Philippe, who had been married to Charles II’s favorite sister, Minette. I have read of her in a couple of books, so it was fun to see her as a sort of wild child in this novel.

I was not looking forward to reading about Elizabeth Villiers, who was jealous and catty toward Mary from the start, because I knew she’d end up William’s mistress and I had enough of her from The Queen’s Devotion, but she wasn’t part of the main story. William’s personality was explained in much more detail and this is where Plaidy’s psychology background really shows. He is absolutely deplorable, yet you understand why he is this way. Mary, however, is a bit harder to figure out. My 21st century mind boggles at her meekness toward William; you just want to rebel for her.

The Three Crowns refers, not to the three candidates for the throne when Charles dies as I thought, but to a prophesy at William of Orange’s birth. The candles gutted out and when the midwife held him up in the air, she saw a light over his head that looked like to her three crowns. This was interpreted as England, Scotland and Ireland.

cover deja vu

2010-03-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

First of all, 'The Complete Tudors' is in ebook format and I don't really blame them for recycling the cover.

But this I don't agree with:

I mean, there is a century between Mary Queen of Scots and William of Orange and Mary. Not that I am an expert on dress, but if you have these two books on your shelf it just seems silly to have identical covers.

And below (I could not get the full size image to come up) replaces one of my favorite Plaidy covers.

I wished I were more of a fan of the new covers, but I'm just not. I appreciate that they are still reprinting my beloved Plaidy, but the portrait covers were fabulous... why change them? Marketing I suppose.

It's not just with the new Plaidy covers, but historical fiction in general. I really love Elizabeth Chadwick's covers; they show enough of the cover model to get a good visual and they are all very different. But, in general, I don't much like photographs of models in period dress. I like paintings, portraits and vector art (Victorian, paisley and elegant swirls).

What do you like in a cover?

What's wrong with this picture?

2010-03-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

Someone, please reassure me, but I thought the Regency era started in 1811. This novel covers the end of Charles II's reign through William and Mary.

Author's Note: Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord

2010-03-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

***Plaidy left a handful of Author's Notes among her many books, and as they are well-worded and enlightening I thought I would post them here occasionally. This has been typed from the 1973 Putnam hardcover edition.***

It is so generally believed that Charles died a Catholic that I feel I must explain why I do not hold that belief. The deathbed scene has always worried me a great deal because I have felt it to be out of line with Charles' character. Therefore I was anxious to find a convincing explanation.

It is true that Father Huddleston came to him on the night before he died, and that Charles made no protest when it was suggested that he be received into the Catholic Church; but when all the facts are considered I think there is a viewpoint, other than the accepted one, which serves to explain his acquiescence.

On that Sunday, the 1st February, 1685, he ate little all day; he passed a restless night and next morning, while he was being shaved, fell down 'all of a sudden in a fit like apoplexy'. He never fully recovered, although he had periods of consciousness during the next five days which were spent in great pain aggravated by the attention of his physicians who, not knowing what remedies to use, applied most of those which they had ever heard. During those five days, hot irons were applied to the King's head, pans of hot coals to all parts of his body, and warm cupping glasses to his shoulders while he was bled. Emetics, clysters, purgatives, blistering agents, foul-tasting drugs, and even distillations from human skulls, were given to him - not once but continually. Spirit of sal ammoniac was put under his nose that he might have vigorous sneezing fits, and when he slipped into unconsciousness cauteries were applied to revive him. So that in addition to the pain of his illness he had these tortures to endure.

He knew that he was dying on the Monday, yet he made no effort to see a priest. When Bishop Ken begged him to receive the rites of the Church of England he turned away; but this was a natural gesture, for he was suffering great pain and discomfort, and he had never been a religious man. All through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday he had been , as he said, 'an unconscionable time a-dying', and on Thursday night the Duke of York and the Duchess of Portsmouth (who both had their reasons) brought Huddleston to his bedside; and at this late hour, according to those few people who were present, Charles joyfully received Huddleston's ministrations.

I believe that Charles was too ill to resist the importunings of his brother and his mistress. I believe that in that easygoing manner which had characterized his entire life he gave way as he had so often before. That is if, after four days of acute agony, discomfort, and intermittent unconsciousness, he was even aware of what he was doing.

According to Burnet. Ken pronounced the absolution of his sins over the King's bed, and in his last hours Charles said that he hoped he should climb to Heaven's gate; 'which', goes on Burnet, 'is the only word savouring of religion that he was ever heard to speak'.

Charles' attitude to religion had always been constant. He had modelled himself on his maternal grandfather, Henri Quatre, who had ended religious strife in France when he changed from Huguenot to Catholic, declaring that Paris was worth a Mass. Charles believed that religious toleration was the way to peace. He was tolerant to Catholics, not because he was a Catholic, but because they were being persecuted. He had said of Presbyterianism: ''Tis no religion for gentlemen.' This was during his stay in Scotland when he had been forced to hear long prayers and sermons every day, and repent of so many sins that he said: 'I think I must repent that I was ever born.' He had declared: 'I want every man to live under his own vine and figtree.' But this did not mean he was Catholic.

His attitude to the Church was often frivolous. He had in his youth been hit on the head by his father for smiling at the ladies in church; and as Cunningham says, 'he had learned to look upon the clergy as a body of men who had compounded a religion for their own advantage'.

To his sister Henriette he wrote: 'We have the same disease of sermons that you complain of. But I hope you have the same convenience that the rest of the family has, of sleeping lost of the time, which is a great ease to those who are bound to hear them.' He greatly regretted that he had not been awake to hear delivered to Lauderdale a reproof from the pulpit: 'My lord, my lord, you snore so loud you will wake the King.' Burnet, who was a large and vehement man, had once when preaching thumped his pulpit cushion crying: 'Who dares deny it?' to which Charles answered audibly: 'Nobody within reach of that devilish great fist.'

It was Charles' belief that God would never damn a man for a little irregular pleasure; and he had declared his conviction that the greatest sins were malice and unkindness. Such a man would, in my opinion, never 'play safe' at the eleventh hour. He had borne great pain with immense courage and patience which astonished all who beheld it. He was not afraid of death. If he believed that malice and unkindness were the greatest sins he must also have believed that he had sinned less than most men of his age.

New cover for Royal Road to Fotheringhay

2010-03-04T04:48:00.001-08:00

"Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland at the tender age of six days old. Her French-born mother, the Queen Regent, knew immediately that the infant queen would be a vulnerable pawn in the power struggle between Scotland’s clans and nobles. So Mary was sent away from the land of her birth and raised in the sophisticated and glittering court of France. Unusually tall and slim, a writer of music and poetry, Mary was celebrated throughout Europe for her beauty and intellect. Married in her teens to the Dauphin François, she would become not only Queen of Scotland but Queen of France as well. But Mary’s happiness was short-lived. Her husband, always sickly, died after only two years on the throne, and there was no place for Mary in the court of the new king. At the age of twenty, she returned to Scotland, a place she barely knew.

Once home, the Queen of Scots discovered she was a stranger in her own country. She spoke only French and was a devout Catholic in a land of stern Presbyterians. Her nation was controlled by a quarrelsome group of lords, including her illegitimate half brother, the Earl of Moray, and by John Knox, a fire-and-brimstone Calvinist preacher, who denounced the young queen as a Papist and a whore. Mary eventually remarried, hoping to find a loving ally in the Scottish Lord Darnley. But Darnley proved violent and untrustworthy. When he died mysteriously, suspicion fell on Mary. In haste, she married Lord Bothwell, the prime suspect in her husband’s murder, a move that outraged all of Scotland. When her nobles rose against her, the disgraced Queen of Scots fled to England, hoping to be taken in by her cousin Elizabeth I. But Mary’s flight from Scotland led not to safety, but to Fotheringhay Castle..."

Challenge Update!

2010-03-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Happy March everyone! We currently have 14 challengers in the 2010 Jean Plaidy Reading Challenge and here are the stats so far:

Arleigh - 2

Christina - 4

Lizzie - 3

Susie - 1

Good work everyone, and those of you who have yet to pick up a Plaidy this year... what are you waiting for??? Okay, I know we're all busy and have huge TBR stacks, so you're forgiven :) Please remember to email us when you've finished a book, and we would also love to link to your reviews! royalintrigue @ gmail . com

What Plaidy novel do you plan to read next? I'm up for just about anything, but have been eying my Stuart saga: The Three Crowns, The Haunted Sisters, The Queen's Favorites

March 2 (Tuesday) reprints!

2010-02-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry about the lack of updates here. This has been a very busy month with reading and writing. I've had my nose in quite a lot of non-fiction lately, and mostly just chapters here and there in books, so I can't even claim an entire book on my list. Amy alerted me to the publishers *finally* releasing the cover of A Favorite of the Queen. I'm not a fan of these covers at all... I liked the ones with portraits so much better... but I am am pleased that Plaidy continues to be released. If you are not very familiar with her old titles, please take a close look so that you're not running out and buying one you already have.

A Favorite of the Queen has been published as Gay Lord Robert and Lord Robert.

For a Queen's Love has been published as The Spanish Bridegroom.

"Torn between her heart’s passion and duty to her kingdom, a young queen makes a dark choice…

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was the most powerful man in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. Handsome and clever, he drew the interest of many women—but it was Elizabeth herself that loved him best of all. Their relationship could have culminated in marriage but for the existence of Amy Robsart, Robert's tragic young wife, who stood between them and refused to be swept away to satisfy a monarch’s desire for a man that was not rightfully her own. But when Amy suddenly dies, under circumstances that many deem to be mysterious at best, the Queen and her lover are placed under a dark cloud of suspicion, and Elizabeth is forced to make a choice that will define her legacy."

"Power-hungry monarch, cold-blooded murderer, obsessive monster—who could love such a man?

Set against the glittering courts of sixteenth-century Europe, the Spain of the dreaded Inquisition, and the tortured England of Bloody Mary, For a Queen’s Love is the story of Philip II of Spain—and of the women who loved him as a husband and father.

Philip was a dark and troubled man, who, like many royals, had been robbed of his childhood. His first marriage, a romantic union with childlike Maria Manoela, brought him tragedy and a troublesome son, Don Carlos. Then followed marriage with the jealously possessive Mary Tudor, a political union that ultimately failed to bring Philip an heir that would solidify the unified power he so deeply desired. And finally, marriage again to a young bride Philip stole from his unbalanced son, sowing the seeds of brutal murder. But history is seldom what it seems, and in the hands of beloved author Jean Plaidy, we hear another side to the story of Philip II—the most powerful of kings who was at once fanatic, murderer, husband, father, and lover."

The Bastard King, Part 2

2010-02-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

Harold Godwin had landed in Normandy, though he was aiming for Flanders to negotiate the return of his brother and cousin (who had been taken prisoner in the place of Earl Godwin) and to gauge the atmosphere concerning the upcoming accession of the English crown. Edward the Confessor was ailing, and whether intentional or not, he had let more than one man think he had chosen him as his successor. As the Count of Flanders, Baldwin, was both powerful and wealthy, he made a good ally. Harold’s brother, Tostig, was married to the Count’s eldest daughter, while William of Normandy was married to the younger, Matilda.

But Harold was in William’s hands, and though treated with due respect, was nevertheless a prisoner. Matilda decided it would be best to betroth him to their eldest daughter, a girl of 10 and thirty years his junior. Unable to protest, Harold accepted outwardly, but knew in his heart that his long-time mistress and children were his true family and he would not take this child as his bride if he could get back to England. William had other demands: Harold must send his unmarried sister to Normandy to marry as William pleased and he must swear to help William to the throne of England when King Edward died. If he would swear these things, Harold would be allowed to return to England. This Harold agreed to do and the oath took place in Bayeux.

In front of a large company, Harold placed his hand on a chest draped with cloth of gold and once he made his promises the cloth as removed and the chest opened to reveal the relics of saints. Harold was none too pleased at this bit of deceit, and though he loathed breaking promises made over the relics, he did so under duress, and so believed he would be forgiven. William and Matilda did not believe he would break his promises easily and so they allowed him to return to England.

Soon after his return, King Edward died and the people accepted Harold with alacrity. He was officially crowned and when William heard of this he seethed with anger. He would set forth to England, but needed time to prepare, and while this was being done, he sent Harold a letter allowing that perhaps Harold took the crown because the people asked it of him, though he must move aside (of course) and he asked him to keep to his other promises, of marriage to William’s daughter and to send his sister to Normandy.

The said sister had died, and so Harold jauntily offered to send her body to William, and he added that he had already wed, and so he could not take William’s daughter, nor would he forfeit his crown to William. No, Harold had not married his mistress, but the sister of a couple of troublesome Earls in the north (Northumbria and Mercia) to stop an invasion from that part of the country, which was more willing to take a Viking (Hardrada of Norway) rather than a Saxon.

Of course William was frothing at the mouth at this point. His ships readied, he was only waiting for a fair wind to take them across the channel. Tostig, who had been in Flanders with his wife’s family, decided to stake his claim as well and the best way to do this was to back the Norseman, Hardrada.

Hardrada, attacking the north, found it was ready to fall into his hands. At nearly 7’ tall he was like a god at the head of his army. However, he was defeated by Harold when an arrow went through his neck. With their mighty leader down, the Danish army withdrew and Harold hastened to the south to meet William of Normandy. Because his men were tired and exhausted, William had the upper hand and won the battle, killing not only Harold, but all of his brothers. Both Harold’s mother and mistress came before William and begged for his body and a proper burial, but William sent them away. He wanted no martyred saints to mar his claim to the English throne.

William finally had his prize: England, but not security or peace. The people of England accepted him, but did not like him. He had harsh laws, especially those of hunting in the king’s forests. Soon he sent for Matilda and she was crowned Queen of England. The royal family was looked on fondly once the children were visible to the people. There were uprisings, but William dealt with them quickly enough. His major problem became his oldest son, who wanted his due: the Dukedom of Normandy. This part of the story reminded me so much of Henry II and his sons, as they too fought their father for his lands while he still lived.

Matilda had captured all the events from the Norman Conquest in an exquisite tapestry (now known as the Bayeux Tapestry). Even the comet in the sky (Haley’s Comet), which struck fear into the hearts of many, is depicted on it. Historically, Matilda has been ruled out as the maker of the tapestry, but it fit nicely in the story and gave her a purpose for the times William was away. Even so, she still harbored hate for the Saxon who spurned her and after she became queen, she found a way to get revenge. William had given her permission to build a castle in England on the land of her choice, and so she took Brihtric’s home and had him imprisoned and then killed. William found out the details of this little debacle and took his own revenge on Matilda. He had loved her and been completely faithful, and that she thought of this Saxon all the years of their marriage upset him mightily. So he did as kings will, and took a mistress.

The mistress ended up murdered and, of course, Matilda had arranged it. She and William had a lover’s quarrel and then got over it, as if the murders were of no matter. They then had fights over their sons. Robert, the eldest, was keeping unsavory company just to enrage his father. He then became friendly with the French king. William traveled often to Normandy to take back his castles and strongholds, but Matilda was secretly sending their son funds to keep his army going. This was the final rift between William and Matilda.

During one of these squirmishes with Robert and his vassals, William was injured and fell from his horse. Strangely enough Robert saved his life and they made a truce. Because of this, Matilda died happy, but it did not last. William was later headed to war against the French king and Robert did not show. William died with a prophecy on his lips: though his son Rufus would follow him as King of England, his youngest son, Henry would be greatest of all.

The Bastard King, Part 1

2010-02-09T08:50:00.001-08:00

This is the earliest century Jean Plaidy ever published: 11th century France & England and, as an era I am currently researching, I felt the need to write a detailed synopsis of the book, to help myself better remember the events that took place. While this is not exactly a review, I thought I would post it and it comes in two parts. Part 2 will be posted in a few days. I would give a spoiler warning, but the book is written in such a way that it is mostly facts and will only be surprising to those unfamiliar with the time period. The interesting part of the writing is, of course, the personalities and motives she puts to her characters.

The Bastard King covers the life of William the Conqueror, also known as William the Bastard, as he was the bastard son of Robert, Duke of Normandy circa 1027-1035. The story begins in 1026, when Robert spies a beautiful young woman doing laundry in a stream near his castle. He must have her and her only concession is that she be brought on a horse in plain daylight as his official mistress. This is Arlette, daughter of a tanner, and she gives birth to William and a daughter. Though Robert was married to highborn lady, he did not live with her and produced no legitimate children. Feeling the need to expiate his sins, as many did during this time, he decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Before he left, he went through the rituals of bestowing the Dukedom on his son, bastard though he may be, and had the vassal lords swear to uphold their promise to obey him. He then made his farewells to Arlette and deposited his son with the King of France, to further his education and to serve as his protector in his father’s absence.

Many times, those who made the arduous trip to Jerusalem never returned, and this is what happened to Robert of Normandy. Per Robert’s prearrangement Arlette married a lord, of whom she grew fond and had more children. William, a boy of 7, stayed with the King of France for a while longer, but returned to his lands when disquiet among his vassals demanded it. During his adolescence there were attempts on his life and many who thought that if a bastard son could inherit, well, there were many such in the land and they all had equal claim. Thus William the Bastard spent his life, from a very young age, fighting for his rights.

William had come to hate the word ‘bastard’. Once, during a siege, the occupants of the castle threw hides over the side and beat them with stick. This, they implied, was to ridicule William for his maternal grandfather, the tanner. He heard their chant of ‘bastard’ and this incensed him. When the castle finally surrendered, he had the men horribly disfigured, cutting off their hands and feet. Normally a fair ruler, this act of horror would be noted by future conspirers, though there were several to come.

As a young boy, William had met and befriended the two sons of Emma and King Ethelred of England, Edward and Alfred, who were in exile in Normandy, as Emma’s second husband, the Danish Canute, had won the throne of England. It was her wish (and that of Canute) that her son from her second husband, Harthicanute, would be the King of England. As events progressed in England, a certain Earl who had come from humble beginnings began to rise: Earl Godwin. This earl married into royalty and affianced as many of his children as possible likewise; he clearly had his eyes on the throne of England, and as he was a Saxon, born and breed, the people liked him better than the Danes or the Normans who held the throne. This ‘kingmaker’ was much like the 15th century Warwick.

On the inside cover of the book (at least if you have the Fawett Crest paperback) you can read an excerpt which details the meeting of William the Bastard and his future bride, Matilda of Flanders. Matilda, smarting from being spurned by a handsome Saxon ambassador, decided the next man to ask for her hand would likewise be spurned, and this happened to be William. She called him a bastard and said that she, as a granddaughter of the King of France, was too high for the Duke of Normandy, owing to his illegitimacy. William then did the most uncouth thing: he rode to Flanders, found Matilda on her way to mass, pulled her from her horse by her hair and beat her. “I received your reply,” he said, “This is mine.” He then rode away, later to feel ashamed of his behavior and complete attraction to the beauty he had abused.

Matlida, amazingly, decided this proud, determined man was the one for her, and the two did have similar ambitions. Though the King of France, disliking William for his vast strength in combat, set the Pope against the marriage, as he felt it would make William much stronger. However, the excommunicated couple happily wed and started a family. William sent a mediator to Rome to work for his cause, as an excommunicated Duke found his underlings begin to revolt with just cause.

An interesting fact about Matilda: until 1954, she was thought to have only been 4’ 2” tall through various historical reports. Her grave was exhumed (in 1954) and her skeleton found to be about 5’. Her stature wasn’t mentioned by Plaidy until her first son was born with extremely short legs (compared to his very tall father). She uses this as one of the reasons Richard, their second son and the one who most favored his father, was William’s favorite, while Robert is Matilda’s. This preference will come to play later in the book, as the happy couple begin to side with one child over the other.

William found he had a claim to England, as his friend, the once-exiled Edward, was now restored to the throne as Edward the Confessor, thanks to the mighty Earl Godwin. As Edward took a vow of celibacy, no heirs were to be born and he chose William to follow him (of course William had royal blood through his father and a stronger claim through his wife Matilda). Godwin, however, had other plans. He had several sons and one was married to Matilda’s sister. Through this link William was kept informed of the Godwin clan, including the most likely to usurp, Harold. As it happens, when old Godwin died (an interestingly supernatural death) and Harold, meaning to visit the Count of Flanders to raise support for his claim, washed up on the banks of Normandy (as Plaidy puts it, “a valuable piece of flotsam”). The two rivals for the English throne had finally met.

This completes Part 1 of the story… come back for Part 2 soon!

Currently on Paperback Swap!

2010-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

The Jean Plaidy novels on PBS right now are:

The Lady in the Tower
The Rose without a Thorn
Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord
The Queen and Lord M
The Queen's Confession (Holt)
A Health Unto His Majesty

There are also several Holt and Carr novels. Just a heads up for those who use the service!

Plaidy Challenge update & Giveaway winner!

2010-02-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

So far we have 12 challengers for the 2010 Plaidy Challenge with a total of 4 books read! Keep up the good work :) To view the members just follow this link:

http://royal-intrigue.net/challenge.php

What Plaidy novel are you reading next? I really NEED to read The Bastard King because it's a time period I am researching (late Anglo-Saxon to the Conquest), but I just love the Georgian series! I have a couple of books before I get to read another Plaidy, so I'll decide between now and then.

The newest Three Rivers Press reprints are coming out right around the corner! For a Queen's Love is a reprint of The Spanish Bridegroom (which I have already in HC) and A Favorite of the Queen is a reprint of Gay Lord Robert (which I also have through Arrow in a reprint titled Lord Robert). These come out March 2, 2010!

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF FLAUNTING EXTRAVAGANT QUEEN: Felicia J.! Congratulations Felicia and thank you all for participating!

Review: Victoria in the Wings

2010-01-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Victoria in the Wings is not, in fact, about the girl who became Queen Victoria, but of how she became the heir apparent when there were so many in the running. The story begins with the death of Charlotte, the Regent’s daughter, and the unrest it caused the royal family, as she had been the only legitimate grandchild of King George III. Two of the sons were prevailed upon to marry and produce heirs: William, Duke of Clarence and Edward, Duke of Kent. Protestant German wives were provided and the race began!

Lurking in the background, however, was the fifth son, Ernest, the Duke of Cumberland and his wife, who was not accepted into the family, though she was of noble birth. Both had a reputation for ambition and a cloud of suspicion over mysterious deaths. Though they had a son, he had little chance at the throne as long as Clarence and Kent provided heirs.

We are introduced to Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence, who is the gentlest woman imaginable, and Victoria, Duchess of Kent, who is like a lioness with her cub (the future Queen Victoria). Every member of the royal family seems to quietly watch the others for news of pregnancies and unfortunate failed attempts. As you may imagine, there wasn’t an abundance of good cheer among the Hanovers.

Adelaide, however, was a joy to read about! She was the only person among the entire family who loved all children and was completely sweet without a jealous bone in her body. She insisted the Duke’s children by Dorothy Jordan live with her and their mother’s portrait stay in the family home, looking down on their happy arrangement. That she eventually became Queen is my only consolation for what she endured – the failed pregnancies, calming of her husband’s sometimes eccentric nature and the rivalry with his brothers. The book ends at George IV’s death, though we get a feel for the new reign of King William IV and his gentle Queen Adelaide.

As for Victoria, it is the beginning of her imprisonment in Kensington Palace. While it was necessary to keep her confined and watched throughout George IV’s reign (as he kept the murderous Duke of Cumberland close at hand) her later confinement is an attempt by her mother, along with her comptroller (and perhaps lover) Sir John Conroy, to subdue her so they could be the power behind the throne when the time came. The next book in the series is The Captive of Kensington Palace.

This is one of my favorite Plaidy novels! There is so much intrigue and plenty of personalities are represented: those to love and those to hate. The Duchess of Kent shows many negative qualities and it is very apparent that she would become overbearing toward her daughter. It is said that King William IV purposely lived until her 18th birthday so that she would be of an age to rule without a regent (her mother).

George IV is to be pitied, as he is old and very sick, and wants his Maria, but is still too proud to recall her. He hangs on to his last mistress even though he has no love for her, or even a wish to have her around for company, as she is a selfish, stupid woman. He simply doesn’t want to be ridiculed or die alone. And though George is in such a condition, he is still the most elegant man in the country and can charm those around him effortlessly. Such complexity is the magic of Plaidy!

2010 Jean Plaidy Challenge & Giveaway Alert!

2010-01-15T17:13:00.001-08:00

The New Year is here with a Bang! Plaidy’s Royal Intrigue is announcing our Challenge for 2010!!

Arleigh and Lucy have planned a GRAND Plaidy Lady Challenge!

Last year, we had a wonderful turnout for our reading challenge and so we’ve decided to go on a grander scale and make it official!

Challenge will begin January 15, 2010 and end on Dec. 15, 2010.

Please Note: You must have a blog to participate. If you don’t have one, you can sign up very quickly and easily at Blogger.com and at least post what books you’re reading, if not reviews.

Place this button on your sidebar and post about it- then use the linky to tell us who you are.

You can choose a level now – or just pick as you go along.

LEVELS:
Ms. Carr: read 6 Books
Ms. Holt: read 8 Books
Grand Plaidy Lady: Over 12 books

At the end of the year, 1 winner will be picked from each level.

ALSO…if you would like to see your reviews posted on our blog, please send them to : royalintrigue@gmail.com

Once a month we will randomly pick reviews to post on our blog. All you have to do is email us your review and once it’s up you blog about it with a link back to us.

So, let the fun begin!

*******************************************************************

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY FOR THOSE WHO SIGN UP CORRECTLY FOR OUR 2010 CHALLENGE!

1. Put our challenge button on your sidebar, linking back here.

2. Comment here saying it's up and leave the link.

3. Send an email to royalintrigue@gmail.com with the following info: first name and blog/website address. **Please send an email each time you finish a Plaidy novel so we can keep our list updated**

Once I get your email, your name goes into a drawing for a brand new copy of Flaunting Extravagant Queen! Open to US, Canada & International (no exclusions on mailing). This giveaway ends January 31st, 2010.

At the age of fifteen, Marie Antoinette, beautiful and charming bride to the impotent Dauphin, is plunged into the intrigue of Versailles. Frivolous and reckless, she flouts the strict and demanding etiquette of the glittering court, and discovers the true nature of love, hate and jealousy.

But the clouds of revolution are overhead, and Marie Antoinette, who only wishes to enjoy life, learns too late that the price of her enjoyment is very high...

Rare Plaidy Children's book! Meg Roper 1961

2010-01-12T16:37:00.001-08:00

Meg Roper is a very hard to find Children's book by Jean Plaidy and there is a copy on eBay currently. The asking price is about $65, which is not bad considering it's obscurity. Follow the link to learn more!

http://cgi.ebay.com/JEAN-PLAIDY-MEG-ROPER-1ST-EDITION-H-B-1961-DW-UNCLIPPED_W0QQitemZ280450464414QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAntiquarian_Books_UK?hash=item414c267a9e#ht_916wt_939

Jean Plaidy Challenge results!

2010-01-01T08:43:00.001-08:00

First of all, feel free to take the appropriate image and proudly display it on your blog!

Here are the official numbers, as I have been given by members via email:

Amanda - 19
Mog - 13
Holly - 11
Arleigh - 11
Lucy - 10
Marie - 6
Dani - 6
Felicia - 5
Judy - 5
Lizzy - 5
Susie - 5
Alaine - 4
Heather - 4
Jenny - 2
Christy - 1

Congratulations to the book winners (you will be notified via email) and I would like to send some bookmarks as a Thank You to everyone who entered, so if you have not done so, please send me a mailing address to royalintrigue@gmail.com for that purpose.

Yes, we are hosting a 2010 challenge!! The official graphics and page will be up shortly...

Happy reading to everyone and here's to a PLAIDY filled 2010!

upcoming release: The Murder in the Tower

2009-12-13T14:01:00.001-08:00

COMING JULY 13, 2010!

I was just browsing Random House to see if there were any updates to their Jean Plaidy page, and lo and behold... another reprint! I read this one not even a year ago, and thought it was not one of her best, but a good read on the court of James I (there aren't too many out there). The cover sure is pretty!

My review is here.

Can you guess + giveaway!

2009-11-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

The following sentences are the beginning of a Jean Plaidy book. If you can guess which one you will get:

To Hold the Crown, previously published as Uneasy Lies the Head

Now, to the fun part... which Plaidy novel starts with:

'A King cannot have too many children, if they be bastards,' mused the King. 'It is only the legitimate ones with which he should be sparing. Too many legitimate sons can cause friction, as in my own family. But bastards can be thrown a castle or two, honours, titles and they may boast throughout their lives of their royal connection, and be loyal often, for a man will be loyal to that of which he is proud. But even so a King should have more than one legitimate son, for in what sad case he is if by evil fortune he should lose his heir.'

**Please, if you already have To Hold the Crown and do not need to be entered in the contest, do not guess and ruin it for the others :) Thank you!

Book Review: Myself My Enemy

2009-11-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Myself My Enemy is a terrific account of Henriette-Marie’s life by my very favourite author, Jean Plaidy! This novel is told in the first person and so vividly described and filled with emotion that it definitely has become another of my preferred reads.

In Myself My Enemy, you inmmediately get the feeling of what this loyal- to her- king –lady is all about. Henriette-Marie was first and foremost, the great King Henri IV de Navarre’s last daughter. As a daughter of France by blood and by right, she is sent to marry Charles I of England. Wanted and chosen by Charles-The Queen of France relinquishes her daughter in the hopes of reuniting differences amongst not only the French and the English, but especially the religions (Protestant and Catholic).

From the very beginning we get to see that this fine Queen Consort of England is no push-over. She stands firm for her beliefs and choices when it comes to religion, friends, principles and ideas…unfortunately for her, this tenacity sometimes borders big time stubbornness. Such defiance is not always pleasing to the King; yet, he loves his Henriette dearly and although it would seem that they were opposites- in terms of sticking to their own point, they were actually quite similar.

Their relationship becomes one of give and take in where they both need it most. As time goes on, they develop a strong love and bond that will keep them faithful and caring deeply for eachother until the very end.

I really wanted to read this one in particular, especially becauseI'm way gaga over Charles II and so it was only right that I read Plaidy’s novel on his mother. I’m so glad I did! Reading Myself My Enemy gave me an inside look on Charles as a youngster seen through the eyes of his mother as well as his siblings and their situation amidst the terrible fate of Charles I. What I enjoyed mostly though was getting in closer on Henriette Marie’s last child, and Charles II’s favourite sibling- the absolutely delightful and charming young Henriette, or Minette, as her big brother called her. (see my post on her here).

The book is filled with a lot of the history and turmoil of the time period and makes no excuses for Charles I ‘s somewhat lacking traits for a King…The details are incredible and although I did get a very good sense of his leadership weakness, I did see the magnitudes of his strength in character when it came to love for his wife, family, and England (as he saw it), as well.

Henriette Marie loved her husband and did all she could to help him. After her escape to England (to save her pretty head), she and Minette lived in almost utter poverty without ever giving up hope. Her biggest wish was for Charles II and all her children to turn to the Catholic faith- and this she struggled towards achieving right up to the end. Minette, her favourite child would live her life taking on this role as crusader for the faith as well. Strange coincidence how both mother and daughter of the same name were both born by Kings who never got to see them into their childhood and on…

Excellent Book! I strongly recommend it.

Sidenote: Charles I was a one-woman-man. On this aspect, Charles II absolutely did not take from his dad. But if we can base ourselves on the positive way his dad treated and loved his strong-character mom, then it’s fair to say that it’s no wonder Charles the Rake was an absolute fine and understanding man when it came to treating the ladies; making him an absolute gentleman.

Jean Plaidy autographed items

2009-11-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've stumbled across an auction site that has some Jean Plaidy items for bid and thought I'd share. My husband recently bid for an autographed photo like the one below (though I have not yet received it).

A beautiful color photograph, autographed.

You can bid on it here.

A note card thanking the recipient for birthday wishes:

You can bid on it here.

A typed letter with signature:

You can bid on it here.

A handwritten letter:

You can bid on it here.

And on eBay I found a SIGNED 1959 copy of The Road to Compiegne for $142 am was set to buy it (after begging the hubby) and when I went back they had upped the Buy It Now cost to $489! I was very upset, but then the hubby told me I can buy the remaining Arrow reprints I needed for my collection (a total of $190) for my Christmas present. So, either way, it's a Plaidy Christmas for this fan! I now have 81 of 94 single Plaidy novels!

review: The Shadow of the Pomegranate

2009-11-03T18:28:00.001-08:00

The Shadow of the Pomegranate

This is my first Jean Plaidy audiobook and the fact that I had already read the book (more than 3 years ago) did not diminish my enjoyment of the story. I’ve been reminded why Plaidy’s version of the Tudors is my favorite, and for the same reason I like all of her books: they mix political intrigue perfectly with the character’s personalities and offer excellent explanations as to the thoughts and actions of those characters.

The Shadow of the Pomegranate is the middle book in the Katharine of Aragon trilogy, the first being Katharine the Virgin Widow and the last The King’s Secret Matter. Though it is in a trilogy it reads as a stand-alone, beginning shortly after the marriage of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon. The foundation of Katharine’s relationship with Henry is laid, while she watches him slowly change from petulant boy to tyrannical man. She holds her place firmly in his affection until the perfidy of her father – using Henry to pay for his wars, while promising him conquest for England – and, of course, her many failures at producing the male heir Henry so greatly desires.

This novel covers the European powers of the time, from the Emperor Maximilian, Ferdinand of Spain and Louis XII of France to Charles V and Francois I of France. Henry’s disastrous early campaigns to gain territory in France and Katharine’s great defeat of the Scots are expanded upon, but there is also much intriguing in the court between courtiers , statesmen (like Cardinal Wosley) and the foreign ambassadors trying to rise in favor and in the process degrade one another. I really enjoy a book that can tie all of these together to make an intriguing story.

As usual there are mini-stories happening in the background to explain the actions of the main characters. A relationship between a peasant woman and one of the King of Navarre’s secretaries claims a chapter of the book in order to explain how his schemes were found out by Ferdinand and thus a war was started which robbed Henry of his desired campaigning on the continent. I marvel at small details like this because it is the product of such immaculate research.

As for the format, I really enjoyed listening to this book being read on my commute to and from work. Anne Flasnik is an excellent narrator and I plan to buy more Jean Plaidy audiobooks read by her. She can flawlessly execute a different voice for each character – so feminine for the ladies and a deeper tone for the men. She also has a gift with pronunciation and foreign accents.

I have nothing but praise for this book and hope to own more Plaidy on audio soon!

Did you know?

2009-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

When I first discovered Jean Plaidy, apart from being overwhelmed at the number of books she published, I noticed many had strange titles. To name a few: The Vow on the Heron, The Passage to Pontefract, Health Unto His Majesty, The Rose Without a Thorn, Epitaph for Three Women; some are not so strange, but have a special meaning pertaining to the main character in the book and are sometimes from a poem or an unofficial title. I’ve enjoyed finding out the meanings behind the titles. Here are a few examples:

Revolt of the Eaglets – Henry II had a painting of himself as an eagle and his four sons as eaglets. Three of the eaglets are attacking the eagle while the fourth eaglet is waiting, watching. Historically, his three older sons spent their lives battling against him and John, the youngest, waited in the shadows and just before Henry’s death he found his ‘loyal’ son had gone over to the other side as well.

Uneasy Lies the Head – The story of Henry VII, though ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’ is from Shakespeare’s play, Henry IV, it still fits the story well. Henry Tudor may have won the crown on the battlefield, but he is plagued with potential usurpers who may have a better claim than himself. He spends his reign rebuilding a broken country and firmly planting his house of Tudor as the rulers of England.

In the Shadow of the Pomegranate – Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII, was perpetually pregnant, but had trouble producing a full-term, healthy male child. It was customary for the queen to have an official symbol, and unfortunately for Katherine, hers was a pomegranate fruit – the symbol of fertility. This inability was ultimately her downfall, for if she had a son Henry never would have divorced her.

St. Thomas’s Eve – This is the story of Sir Thomas More, writer, humanitarian and unwilling Chancellor of England. He was beheaded on orders from Henry VIII on the eve of St. Thomas (Catholic Saint Day).

The Lady in the Tower – Anne Boleyn signed her last letter to Henry VIII ‘The Lady in the Tower’.

Here Lies Our Sovereign Lord – An outrageous poem of Rochester, daringly nailed to King Charles II’s bedchamber door (who thought it was quite witty, though banished him for a while anyway):
Here lies our Sovereign Lord,
the King whose word no man relies on:
He never said a foolish thing
nor ever did a wise one

review: Goddess of the Green Room

2009-10-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

Dorothy Jordan, actress extraordinaire and royal mistress, was unlike most woman in her position: she was honest, loyal and completely selfless. She always used her pay to take care of her loved ones, and was devoted to one man at a time, even if he didn’t deserve her.

The daughter of an affluent, Irish actress, Dorothy was born for the stage. When her father left and her mother was too ill to work, she made the money the family needed to survive. So much they depend on her that she had to do things that were against her better judgment (and her values) to keep the bills paid. One of such was becoming the mistress of a selfish and vindictive theater manager.

She finally had enough of that scene and moved to England to try her luck, and became an instant hit. A few years acting in the provincial theaters and she received an offer from London: Richard Sheridan and Drury Lane! She became the most popular comedy actress and continued to be adored by the public throughout her acting career.

Perhaps the most notorious scandal Mrs. Jordan was involved in is her role as the Duke of Clarence’s mistress. They lived together for 20 years and had 10 children before he left her to pursue various young heiresses, as he was deep in debt and perhaps going through a mid-life crisis as well.

Dorothy is a very likable character, but she gives too much and it’s heartbreaking to see all of the bad things that happened to her. This is a great story and covers much on the actors and actresses of the time, as well as, the politics – especially between Pitt and Fox. Even so, I didn’t enjoy reading about Dorothy’s problems and I wish she had had something to hold on to at the end.

The Prince Regent is tolerable in this novel, which is a complete change from a Plaidy novel I read earlier this year, Indiscretions of the Queen (Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales). It is strange that she could write a character with so many facets that he is likable in one scenario and detestable in another – and it still makes sense. Jean Plaidy was such a clever writer and her early studies in psychology really show in her novels.

Incidental…or not so Incidental, Lady Rosamund Clifford

2009-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Lady Rosamund Clifford (?- 1176)

In reading the Plantagenet Prelude, we come across more than just a passer-by incidental type of lady; this one happened to be a favourite mistress of Henry II, or so I beleive...

I was intrigued by this mistress who was most probably a total change of pace for Henry, when compared to Eleanore. Wherever you read about her there’s this sense of Rosamund bringing peace, joy and love in a warm, gentle and feminine haven for the rambunctious king to be enveloped in; extremely the opposite, when compared to the very intense, passionate and sporadic Eleanore (hey, even a king needs his respite;)

Whatever opinion I may have concluded to, the fact remains that there is little more than legend attributed to this fair lady. There are so many stories that make for interesting reading and this is especially true of the books written about Eleanore. The one that prevails is the one of a very jealous Eleanore poisoning Rosamund at the Woodstock lodge that Henry put her up in. And, still in others, she was murdered, tortured, or even roasted by the evil Eleanore- ahh!

It’s believed that Henry met Rosamund around the time that Eleanore was pregnant to their last child. Henry apparently met her during one of his campaigns on one of his stop-overs. She was a young maiden, daughter of a lord (marcher) and had several siblings as well. Henry was taken by her beauty and she was to become his lover until death- or almost. Two years before passing, Rosamund took up the veil, putting an end to their ‘grand’ love affair- she died two years later.

And so, how many heirs did the affair produce? This too is all based on legend and hearsay. It’s speculated that she may have bore Henry at least one child, but no records can even prove that. The story that she gave birth to Geoffrey Plantagenet and William Longespee would both prove wrong as well; Geoffrey was apparently born before the couple ever met and William was born four years after Rosamund died. Historians claim that the two sons were born by two other different mistresses- but that’s another story.

Rosamund Clifford, Henry’s great love, with no facts and no records to substantiate the stories…was she merely but a passing concubine of the times or is there more to her story?

Here is a beautiful painting of Eleanore and Rosamund

The Wandering Prince- Reading Group Discussion Continued...

2009-10-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the 2 last questions for our September read: The Wandering Prince (First volume of - The Love of Charles II).

3. Louis' love for Henriette is increasingly tainted by his jealousy over her relationship with her brother. At what point does his obsession turn threatening? Does Henriette recognize the shift? How does Anne of Austria's death affect Louis' attitude toward leadership and love?

4. Why does Henriette consent to a rigorous Catholic education, when she knows it is against the express wishes of her late father and most of her siblings?

Please let us know what you think:)

-

Reading Discussion- the Wandering Prince (The Loves of Charles II)

2009-10-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I’m happy to inform you that Arleigh is slowly settling back to some sort of normalcy in her life- Thank God she and her family are doing well and are nicely settled in a temporary new home. Arleigh we’re all glad you’re doing fine!

So then, on with the blogging as usual…

Since some of us did participate in our monthly reading of The Wandering Prince (embarrassed to say…not me..)- we do have some Discussion Questions pertaining to the read. Please join along if you’ve read this book last month or ever before that. We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions:)

Questions for The Wandering Prince (stand alone or included in omnibus The Loves of Charles II)

(taken from guideline questions in Plaidy’s omnibus)

1. Henriette is introduced as a garrulous, opinionated, two-year-old political refugee masquerading as the son of a peasant. That feisty personality does not reemerge until page 216, when Henriette exiles La Valliere in a vociferous fit of rage over the girl’s dalliance with Louis. In between these episodes, Henriette cuts a meek and tolerant figure, mild and forgiving even in the face of her husband’s flagrant indiscretions, her mother’s ruthless political ploys, and her lover’s repeated infidelities. Is Henriette a wimp, or does she display control over her emotions? Either way, is, she likeable?

2. The long suffering Henrietta Maria plays both the tragic figure and the villain throughout this novel. Do her constant harangues intensify-or offer comic relief from- the relentless tension of the story? Do any of her wishes for her children come about?

Serious Alert and Giveaway Update

2009-09-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

NOt the usual historical posts you're used to...

I just wanted to let our readers know that our Plaidy site will be temporartily suspended due to a devastating circumstance.

Arleigh's home has been seriously affected by the horrendous floods in Georgia. Her family has been evacuated from the place. So, in terms of giveaways, they may altogether be cancelled- all depending on the status of the books, as they may have been ruined.

Needless to say, that's the least of problems. Let's just hope that everything turns out fine for Arleigh and her family- that's the main concern. I will keep you posted as best I can within the limits of privacy.

Your thoughts and prayers are welcome.

-

Lucy

Another Book Review - And - GIVEAWAY for HF Bloggers Round Table Event!!!

2009-09-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com/2009/09/announcing-grand-historical-fiction.html

Goddess of The Green Room, by Jean Plaidy-Victoria Holt

Let me just start by saying that I’ve moved this book way up my list of favourite Plaidys. In fact, right now it stands as number 1.
Goddess of The Green Room is about the life of the famous 18th century actress, Dorothy Jordan and her eventual long-lasting relationship to George III’s third son, William.

As a very young girl, born and raised in Ireland, Dorothy started out her acting career in order to help support her family. Her father had left the family, and her mother, who was once a well-known actress, could no longer provide for them due to illness. Their only choice for survival was for Dorothy to find work and bring home the bread.

Fortunately, Dorothy had an amazing talent for comedy. She was blessed with a tiny and very swift body, which initially helped her attain roles which were written mainly for boys. Dorothy dressed up in ‘breeches’ or types of tights for these particular roles and this proved to be deliciously comical and enticing to watch. The audiences loved her and propelled her to the status of, much- in- demand- and adored celebrity.

However, Dorothy did not attain this high status easily. She worked incredibly hard and had to endure abuse, rejection, failed loves, a failed marriage, being the sole provider for numerous children and other family members (including the men in her life)…- and lastly, a royal yet, shaky love relationship that would in the end, vanish.

Although some would say that her role as mistress to William put her in the same category as courtesans or as one who claimed several lovers; In reality, Dorothy was a one-man woman throughout. She was loyal to love and never made any demands- nor was she ever a ‘kept’ woman. In terms of her relationship with William, Dorothy really made him wait. He courted her incessantly- and she consistently resisted. It was a very long and platonic courtship. Finally when she consented, the two went on to have a long and loving relationship that produced ten children; which Dorothy financially supported throughout.

What was most interesting in this delectable read was to find, weaved into the story, the unraveling lives of that colorful George III’s dynasty. Goddess of the Green Room combines all the bits of notable history involving the individual monarchs and other noteworthy figures of the times. For instance, we get a glimpse of George IV’s failed marriage to Caroline of Brunswick, his Maria, all of his glamour and obsessions, George III’s illness and disappointment with his sons, (we also discover why the famous ‘eh’ at the end of his sentences)- and there’s even a section with Perdita. We experience it all as the pieces of the puzzle come together perfectly.

Not only is this an engaging read, its brilliant storyline is inviting with historical accuracy and colorful characters. Goddess of the Green Room exceeded all my expectations. This is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

Interesting Tid-bit: I was intrigued by Plaidy’s dedication at the beginning of the book:

‘For William’s and Dorothy’s Great-Granddaughter, HERBE ELSNA - With great admiration for her work, gratitude for her friendship and love for herself’

This inscription is what actually led my curiosity- and I just had to read the book.
Excellent!

And now, to wrap up the HF Bloggers Round Table Event...here's another Plaidy GIVEAWAY!!!

THE MIRACLE AT SAINT BRUNO'S, by Philippa Carr (Plaidy pseudoname)

How to Enter:

1 Chance…leave a comment and tell us which is your favorite Plaidy book.

2 Chances…Tweet, or post about this mentioning HFB Round Table Event.

3 Chances...Become a follower.

This giveaway is open to international and ends September 21st.

Good Luck!!

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The Round Table Event & giveaway # 1

2009-09-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Plaidy’s Royal Intrigue is joining in on the excitement of the Historical Fiction Blogger Round Table Event!

In the wonderful spirit of historical fiction blogging and to be part of this great book blogging community, here at Jean Plaidy’s Royal Intrigue we’re joining in with our own giveaways, posts and reviews that we will be linking back to the HFB Round Table Event.

Without further ado, we present you today with Arleigh’s review of Revolt of the Eaglets.

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This novel begins exactly where The Plantagenet Prelude left off. The aftermath of Thomas a Becket’s murder was still plaguing Henry II, while Eleanor was planning to urge her sons into revolt. Kings die, sons die, Eleanor is imprisoned for many years, but still she lives and is the ripe old age of 67 when she is finally released from her prison.

This book expands upon Richard’s dukedom of Aquitaine, while his brothers Henry and Geoffrey scheme and intrigue endlessly and to their detriment. They just cannot take empty titles from their father. In a way, I felt sorry for Henry. He did love his sons and wanted very much for them to work for him and be on good terms, with himself and one another. He saw that together they could be all powerful and rule a great part of Europe. But he would not relinquish one piece of land – one castle – to any of them, except in name. He had the final word on the managing and holding of these possessions.

On the other hand, his fits were shameful and childish, he treated Eleanor horribly and he had a really scandalous relationship with a very young girl, a princess of France and his son Richard’s betrothed. He was a good ruler; a very smart statesman and never loath to look after his dominions. These were his strengths, but the previous attributes mentioned make it very hard to like him as a person. Near the end, when he is so very desperate for the love of his family, one does wish he had it easier. But, as Eleanor continually tells him: the fault is his own. He was selfish and thought of his own desires, not allowing Eleanor her freedom or their sons leave to govern their small territories.

This novel ends with Henry’s death, Eleanor’s freedom and John waiting in the wings. You get a very sickly feeling from John in this novel and I am sure we will read more of him in The Heart of the Lion and most assuredly in The Prince of Darkness. I look forward to continuing on with the Plantagenet saga!

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And to further our celebration, we are GIVING AWAY:

1 paperback copy of William's Wife by Jean Plaidy.

How to Enter:

1 Chance…leave a comment and tell us who your favorite Stuart monarch is.

2 Chances…Tweet, or post about this mentioning HFB Round Table Event.

3 Become a follower.

This giveaway is open to international and ends September 18th.

Day 4 Reading Group Discussion on The Plantagenet Prelude

2009-09-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Lucy asks:

7. Why do you think Eleanore and Henry treated Richard, their son, so differently.

Arleigh asks:

8. What is your opinion on Henry bringing 'Bastard Geoffrey' into the royal nursery?

Day 3 Reading Group Questons for The Plantagenet Prelude

2009-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Lucy asks:

5. Discuss the relationship with her uncle...What do you think was more controversial back then: The relationship being incestual- or that she was cheating on her husband?

Arleigh asks:

6. The Pope is more or less a statesman rather than a churchman. Discuss his various decisions related to Eleanor's divorce proceedings.

Day 2 Reading Group Questions on The Plantagenet Prelude

2009-09-07T08:33:00.001-07:00

Lucy asks:

3. How did you feel about Louis? Was Eleanore right in treating him the way she did to build him up to be a strong king?

Arleigh asks:

4. Do you think Louis and Eleonore were right in going on crusade in the fashion that they did (i.e. brining ladies with expensive clothes and all the comforts they could carry)?

The Plantagenet Prelude : Discussion Questions 1 & 2

2009-09-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hello readers! Today begins a week long of discussions on The Plantagenet Prelude, our August 2009 read. For more information on joining our discussion group, visit our website. And, of course, everyone who has read this book - or even if you haven't but wish to make a comment - may join in these discussions!

Lucy asks:

1. What was your opinion on Eleonore from begining to end? Did your views on her change along the way? (compare with any other books you might have read on her)

Arleigh asks:

2. How did you view Eleonore's Courts of Love compared with Louis's court and then Henry's? Why was it such a important part of her life that she constantly compared other places with her dear Aquitaine?

Giveaway winner and Reading Group Info!

2009-09-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Marie on winning The Reluctant Queen. My question had a really lame 'all of the above' answer, but I really just wanted to let everyone know that we have been updating and changing things around. I really appreciate all who checked it out and left nice comments. I am slowly but surely adding book descriptions and cover photos for all of the books (and there are A LOT of them). First, I am going off of my own Plaidy books I have here on my bookshelf. I chose not to copy and paste from other websites because I want to put my own hard work into it. I will probably be scanning my own photos, as well, for the ones that are out of print.

It's already September 4th and we have not yet posted questions for our August read: The Plantagenet Prelude. Lucy and I plan to take the entire week next week (starting Sunday) and posting questions 7 days straight. This is not to say we will do it this way every month, but we wanted to start with a bang and see how it works out. Those who have read The Plantagenet Prelude previously may also join in the fun!

Our September read is The Wandering Prince. Just a note for any who may be having a problem locating a copy, it is included in the omnibus The Loves of Charles II, which is IN PRINT by Three Rivers Press. I have also seen it on Paperback Swap, for those of you who use this service.

Mystery Lady # 3

2009-09-02T20:10:00.001-07:00

Because of my extraordinary resemblance to the Queen, I became involved in the hoax that brought her downfall. I was unaware of the deceitful nature of my adventure. I merely put on a beautiful gown and had my hair dressed, exactly as the Queen had the week before, and waited on the grounds of the palace to say five simple words to a grand gentleman. It was playacting. I was told the Queen would be watching and would be pleased if I did my part well. I lived in a dream that night… I had pleased the Queen! To my horror, a year later I was arrested for playing a part in an elaborate scheme to steal a great diamond necklace, which the jewelers thought they had sold to the Queen. I was sent to prison, but thankfully freed soon after, as I had no knowledge of the true nature of my crime.

Who am I?

review: The Plantagenet Prelude

2009-08-31T08:48:00.001-07:00

The Plantagenet Prelude was published 11 years before her autobiographical novel on Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Courts of Love, and focuses on the men in Eleanor’s life rather than Eleanor herself. I wasn’t expecting this proud, selfish woman that Plaidy portrays, as she was so much more likable in The Courts of Love. We get a better understanding of Louis, king of France and Eleanor’s first husband, and a much more intimate view of Henry, Duke of Normandy and later king of England.

First the book follows Eleanor from a 14 year-old bride, crusader, and several years of marriage to Louis that only produces 2 daughters. She then meets Henry and is determined to obtain a divorce (which she had been planning for years anyway) and marry the Duke, 12 years her junior.

Meanwhile, there is another relationship expanded upon – that of Henry and his Chancellor, Thomas Beckett. I really enjoyed the story of how his parents met. I believe that was my favorite part in this novel. I don’t know why I was expecting not to like Thomas (perhaps I had him mixed up with Bernard of France), but it has to be something I’ve read of him in the past, some other characterization. He was a very good and likable man in this book, and became a saint and martyr. He reminded me a lot of Thomas More, as he had like ideals and convictions.

A few years and many kids later, Henry and Eleanor find themselves king and queen of England, holding vast lands in France – but there is no longer a romantic bond between them. Henry has his Fair Rosamund and Eleanor begins to see where the true power lies… with her children.

The next book in this saga is Revolt of the Eaglets, where Henry comes up against his sons. It should prove interesting and I cannot wait to get through the entire Plantagenet saga.

Friday Fan Question & giveaway

2009-08-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Question: What is the newest thing added to our website?

a. new layout
b. magazine and newspaper reviews
c. Plaidy quotes
d. mini-bio
e. all of the above

You don't have to answer correctly to enter the draw (but you should!!) I know many of you already have this one, as it's listed on so many of your lists on the Challenge page. But, I'm sure there are some out there who need this one...

The Reluctant Queen

"In 1470, a reluctant Lady Anne Neville is betrothed by her father, the politically ambitious Earl of Warwick, to Edward, Prince of Wales. A gentle yet fiercely intelligent woman, Anne has already given her heart to the prince’s younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Unable to oppose her father’s will, she finds herself in line for the throne of England—an obligation that she does not want. Yet fate intervenes when Edward is killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Anne suddenly finds herself free to marry the man she loves—and who loves her in return.

The ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey, and the duke and duchess make a happy home atMiddleham Castle, where both spent much of their childhood. Their life is idyllic, until the reigning king dies and a whirlwind of dynastic maneuvering leads to his children being declared illegitimate. Richard inherits the throne as King Richard III, and Anne is crowned queen consort, a destiny she thought she had successfully avoided. Her husband’s reign lasts two years, two months, and two days—and in that short time Anne witnesses the true toll that wearing the crown takes on Richard, the last king from the House of York."

Giveaway ends September 4, 2009 and is open to everyone!

Wednesday's Riddle-Me-Who?

2009-08-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

Had a sweet little sis
Who’s hubby should have been ‘Miss’,

My couisin’s French court is no fun,
Too pious for a King who’s called Sun.

My court, on the contrary,
is wonderfully merry.

I am the one ladies adore,
For assuredly, I'm in no way a bore

They come one and all
To enjoy my grand ball.

I revel in their splendor
For I love their soft gender.

Call me a lover, call me a rake
I'm King of Love’s give-and-take.

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Teaser Tuesdays from the Plaidy Ladies...

2009-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

TEASER TUESDAYS is hosted by ShouldBeReading and asks you to:
♠Grab your current read.
♠Let the book fall open to a random page.
♠Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
♠You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
♠Please avoid spoilers!

Arleigh and I thought that Plaidy should enter the fun too! So here are a couple of Teasers that are Plaidy-Only:)

Arleigh's Teaser: From The Haunted Sisters, page 24

'When Rochester had made his famous quip pointing out that he never
said a foolish thing and never did a wise one, Charles had retorted
with customary wit that his words were his own, and his action his
ministers'.

Lucy's Teaser: From Goddess of The Green Room, page 242

'Perdita gave one of her theatrical shrugs. 'You know how it is with us theatre folk. We learn to be extravagant and then we find ourselves alone, in debt. She shivered. 'I feel I can confide in you, Mrs. Jordan...because I was once on the stage.''

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How much?

2009-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

How much would you pay for a rare Plaidy novel? I think I would go up to $100, if it were for my birthday or Christmas. Searching amazon I found one under the pseudonym Elbur Ford for..........

$1,046.73

Are they serious??? Wow. Here's the link.

Guess the Plaidy novel!

2009-08-19T15:48:00.001-07:00

Based on fact this is the dramatic story of Charlotte Walpole, who left her comfortable Norfolk home to act at Drury Lane, married Sir Edward Atkyns, and attempted to rescue Marie Antoinette from the guillotine.

It is also the story of Homer, the passionate, impulsive girl from the Cornish parsonage who, unwanted in her own home, joins her distant relation, Charlotte, in London.

Involved with them are Richard Danver, in the service of the British government; Jean Pierre de la Vaugon, serving the French government, the aristocrat who cannot hope to escape the attentions of the mob; the lecherous Sir Edward; and Sophie, the young girl for whom the guillotine is waiting.

The story, moving swiftly from the Cornish parsonage to London, Norfolk, Lille and Paris, tells of the loves and adventures in the lives of two very brave women. It will delight all readers of Jean Plaidy's memorable novels.

Touch Base Thursday

2009-08-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Who's reading The Plantagenet Prelude this month? I haven't started it yet, but as it is a smaller one I think I can get it in right at the end of the month. I have one more book to read before it.

We've decided on our September & October reads:

Sept. - The Wandering Prince (stand-alone or included in The Loves of Charles II trilogy). The trilogy is currently in print and available through Amazon, The Book Depository or any of the chain stores.

Oct. - Miracle at St. Bruno's (Philippa Carr) Out of print. I am going to see if I can get some copies from the used bookstores for those of you who can't find it.

Lucy is dying to read Plaidy's version Charles II & Louis XIV, so this is perfect! I read it a few years ago, so this is a refresher for me. Miracle at St. Bruno's is a nice introduction to her 'romance' pen name. I am curious to see just how romantic she gets.

Charles II, the most fascinating rake in England's history. The story of the years he spent in exile as a young man is seen through the eyes of two women.

Charles' sister Minette and his mistress Lucy Walter are brought vividly to life in this enthralling story of romance, escape and the youth of a king for whom love always came first.

Damask Farland

"I was born in the September of 1523, nine months after the monks had discovered the child in the crib on that Christmas morning. My birth was, my father used to say, another miracle: He was not young at the time being forty years of age . . . My mother, whose great pleasure was tending her gardens, called me Damask, after the rose which Dr. Linacre, the King's physician, had brought into England that year."

Thus begins the story narrated by Damask Farland, daughter of a well-to-do lawyer whose considerable lands adjoin those of St. Bruno's Abbey. It is a story of a life inextricably enmashed with that of Bruno, the mysterious child found on the abbey altar that Christmas morning and raised by the monks to become a man at once handsome and saintly, but also brooding and ominous, tortured by the secret of his origin which looms ever more menacingly over the huge abbey he comes to dominate.

This is also the story of an engaging family, the Farlands. Of a fathr wise enough to understand "the happier our King is, the happier I as a true subject must be," a wife twenty years his junior, and a daughter whose intelligence is constantly to war with the strange hold Bruno has upon her destiny. What happens to the Farlands against the background of what is happening to King Henry and his court during this robust period provides a novel in which suspense and the highlights of history are wonderfully balanced.

As Damask and her two cousins, Kate and Rupert, pass from childhood into adolescence, the peace that has lain for years over the big gabled Farland house as over England is shattered. At home the restless Kate has found the ivy-covered door in the abbey wall, and inevitably, curiosity leads to a confrontation with the mysterious boy Bruno and the knowledge of the perilous secret of the hidden treasure of the abbey. And beyond the Farland gates England's King has cast his covetous eyes on Anne Boleyn, and soon Sir Thomas More's severed head adorns London Bridge and a power-hungry Cromwell covets the abbey's riches.

The disappearance of Bruno and the treasure of the abbey and the betrayal of Damask's father to a hostile crown set forces in motion that threaten tragedy as Damask finds herself impelled by a force she cannot recognize, let alone cope with, to discover the secret of the missing abbey treasure and the truth surounding the handsome, almost mesmeric man whom she has always loved.

Damask and Bruno's story, the story of a questionable birthright, of the abbey and it's coveted treasures, The Miracle at St. Bruno's is also the story of sixteenth-century England - - an era of vicious corruption and deep tenderness, when periods of violent brutality follow a time of deep contentment, presided over by one of England's most colorful rakes and rulers, Henry VIII.

This long and richly entertaining novel is written with power and clarity and a superb sense of the suspenseful and dramatic.

Wordy Wednesday

2009-08-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts and updates, but Lucy and I have both been really busy lately. Here are some words:

assailing - to attack vigorously or violently.

caustic - severely critical or sarcastic

debarred - to hinder or prevent

lassitude - a condition of indolent indifference

noisome - harmful or injurious to health

opined - to hold or express an opinion

peremptory - leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal

pithily - brief, forceful and meaningful in expression

repertoire - the entire stock of works existing in a particular artistic field

sidled - to edge along furtively

Wednesday's Riddle-Me-WHO??

2009-08-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

Riddle Me- WHO?

First the brave King’s Head,
Then ‘off’ with hers, they said…

Young, beautiful and kind,
Yet, fault they needed to find

‘What have I done
Other than love and have fun?

They say I am to blame
For France’s great shame

My pious devotion
Causes such a commotion

My rosary I pray
Until my doom's day

When onto that block
My head I will lay’.

Then after that day,
Many would say:

France will never have seen
A kind and more gentler Queen.

In the streets all could hear:
Adieu La Reine Martyre!

Book Review: The Thistle and The Rose

2009-08-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

This Plaidy novel begins with Margaret Tudor as a young girl. She is portrayed as strong-minded and very defiant, yet close to Henry, her brother. I love the way from the very beginning the two of them go at it in terms of who will rule first. Margaret is so intent on getting married and when all of a sudden it’s decided that she is to be wed to the King James IV of Scotland, although she is somewhat reluctant, she’s also extremely delighted.

From the moment she meets him, she becomes totally enamored with the King, whom she thought to be the handsomest man ever. Margaret is but a young girl, but being a Tudor in every way, her appetite for love is strong and her passions difficult to curb. The King enjoys his young bride and the marriage is seemingly perfect. It’s only when Margaret discovers that the formidably charming and irresistible James is also very much the ladies’ man…her heart is shattered.

King James is a kind man at heart, and although he cannot refute his passions, he still makes sure that his Queen never goes amiss of anything. He respects and nurtures her, and also takes care of her every need. They go through much hardship as the Queen suffers many miscarriages and deaths of their children. Finally, she bears him two sons; future heirs of the Scottish throne.

The happily-ever-married does not last forever…Margaret is terribly hurt from James affairs and she seeks her own adventures. When James dies, she goes on to marry the Lord Angus, to the dismay of all of Scotland. He was a Douglas, and thought to be extremely detrimental for the fate of their country. Nonetheless, Margaret made the terrible decision to marry Angus, for she cold not bear to not live out her lusty passions.

A tragedy suddenly hits when the youngest of her two sons, while under the guidance of the Duke of Albany (brother to the former King James) dies from the pox. Margaret is convinced that Albany wants to be rid of the boys to conquer the throne himself. She compares him to the late Richard III and the boys in the tower. A love-hate relationship begins…

The story unfolds with Margaret in continuous struggle to be back with her son, the King, and rid herself of Albany. But in the meantime, she also discovers Angus to be unfaithful. This leads her to having another affair and then again another marriage…another bad choice. Henry VIII, her brother, who is now King of England, is always in communication with his sister. Many a times, she finds refuge and assistance by his side- except when he does not want to acknowledge her divorce from Angus…for religious purposes (suitable to him until he seeks similar cause with his own once-beloved Anne…)

This story is continuously on the move. Margaret, who is so much like Henry in so many ways, is always ruled by her heart and passions rather than by logic. A Tudor weakness that is too often the blame.

I really enjoyed this novel especially because of the history. From the beginning, right up to the end, starting with Elizabeth of York, all the way to James V’s first wife and Henry’s Jane Seymore, the novel, through its historical figures and happenings, pieces the puzzle of this wonderful time in history.

I totally enjoyed reading about this feisty lady who loved passionately- all she wanted was to find someone who loved her deeply in return...The characters, the history, everything was incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend The Thistle and The Rose to anyone who’d love to read a great summary of what happened back in Scotland, England and France in the times of Margaret and Henry. It’s all Tudors and Stuarts. Loved it!

NOTE: I must also mention that this novel is filled with 'Incidentals'- so you can be sure I'll be writing a few posts on these as well. It's just too juicy.

Reading Group Discussion for July

2009-08-01T19:23:00.001-07:00

As you may have read via email, we are no longer using the Message Board layout for our Reading Group Discussions. We've decided it is easier and more convenient to post our discussions here. As July was Pick Your Own Plaidy month, it will be even simpler! All you need to do is REPLY TO THIS POST and tell us about your July choice. You can also link to your review (if you posted one). We may reply to your comment, so check back to 'discuss' the books on this thread.

Lucy read The Thistle and the Rose. Her review is in the works.

I read The Goldsmith's Wife and you can read my review here:

http://royalintrigue.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-goldsmiths-wife.html

What did you read?

Friday Fan Question

2009-07-31T13:37:00.001-07:00

Is there any particular novel you are just dying get? I cannot find Rochester, the Mad Earl (Katheen Kellow) anywhere and I want this one badly. Rochester is one of the most interesting people from the court of Charles II and I really, really want to read Plaidy's take on him.

This is the true story of John Wilmott, Earl of Rochester, a poet and libertine who lived at the time of King Charles II.

Touch Base Thursday

2009-07-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 1st we will post about our July reads, so please check back! We want to hear about everyone's choice and get links to your book review (if you wrote one).

Our August pick is The Plantagenet Prelude.

Book Description:

"The King, the Queen and the archbishop who dominated the dawn of the Plantagenet epoch.

Eleanor of Aquitaine -- romantic and beautiful Queen of the 'Courts of Love', scandalizing Christendom by her infidelity to her husband the King of France.
Henry, Duke of Normandy and great-grandson of William the Conquerer. When Eleanor saw him, twelve years her junior, she was determined that Henry should be her husband.

Thomas a Becket, the merchant's son, who rose to become a saint and a martyr. Beloved and hated in turn by Henry his king, Becket's course moved inexorably toward the tragedy of blood and steel before the high altar at Canterbury."

Wordy Wednesday

2009-07-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here are our words this week. I need help with a couple of them!

cessation (n) temporary or complete stopping

gourmand (n) a person who is fond of good eating

louring (adj) to be dark and threatening

palatable (adj) acceptable or agreeable

equivocation (n) a fallacy caused by the double meaning of a word

panegyrie CAN YOU TRANSLATE THIS ONE, LUCY?

pettishly (adj) petulantly peevish

stultifying (v) to cause to appear foolish

panche ?? Also not in the dictionary.

tocsin (n) a bell used to sound an alarm

Friday Fan Question

2009-07-24T19:43:00.001-07:00

What is your latest Plaidy purchase?

I just ordered the Last of the Stuarts trilogy: The Three Crowns, Haunted Sisters and The Queen's Favorites. Some of these are going for a lot on different websites. The omnibus of all three in one is very expensive. I happened to find them for $2 each (plus shipping) from Alibris and Amazon. I now only lack 32 books to complete my Plaidy collection!

Touch Base Thursday

2009-07-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed we skipped Wordy Wednesday this week as I decided to post my latest book review instead. How are you doing on your July Plaidy read? I finished The Goldsmith's Wife in record time because it was so good I couldn't put it down!

Message Board news... we have decided that it's just not working. Not only am I getting loaded down with spam accounts, which I have to sift through to try and find the real accounts, but it just seems to be a bit much to go back and forth between website, blog and message board. And so, we will be posting Reading Group news and questions here from now on. When August 1st rolls around we'll have something special up for our July reads!

I've updated the Plaidy Challenge numbers on the website and Mog is leading with 9 books read! I announced this in an email, but just a reminder:

1st place prize = 2 Plaidy novels of your choice from The Book Depository
2nd & 3rd place = 1 Plaidy novel of your choice from The Book Depository

The Reviews page has also been updated with new reviews by several members!

review: The Goldsmith's Wife

2009-07-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

Jane Shore, notorious mistress of King Edward IV, is a refreshingly honest person. She is a beauty and knows her charms, but she is also very moral, but not overly religious. She always wants to do what she feels is right and stands by her convictions even at her own peril.

Jane unwillingly enters a marriage with one of her merchant father’s connections, a goldsmith named William Shore. She wanted to marry for love, but found being a young, wealthy and beautiful woman attracted too much attention from men who wanted other than honorable marriage. Running from a particular stalker, she thought she would be safe with a ring on her finger.

Marriage to Will was nothing like her romantic dreams and she found herself susceptible to the charms of other men. She soon came to the notice of the King and against her better judgment moved to court to play the role of favorite mistress. Never asking for anything for herself, she used her influence for the good of others and became a fast favorite of the people. She was even on friendly terms with the Queen, who was grateful King Edward had such a selfless mistress who didn’t get involved in politics or empty the royal coffers.

Near the end the story turns from Jane’s unfortunate fall from grace to the story of the Princes in the tower. I’ve read so many takes on this particular part of history and didn’t think I would be surprised, but Plaidy actually had a little spin on the conspiracy that I haven’t read before. It also seems very plausible.

I enjoyed Jane’s ending (as an old woman), even though it is different from what I’ve read before. Even Wikipedia has her ending her days with Thomas Lynom and the birth of a daughter. A book I read earlier this year, Figures in Silk, also had her marry Lynom and have a child. I do wonder why Jean Plaidy decided to write the story a bit differently, but I am not unhappy with the ending she created. It seemed to compliment the personality that she gave to Jane.

I really enjoyed this book very much and now count it as one of my favorite Plaidy novels (of the 30+ I have read).

I thought I would include the Author’s Note that Plaidy wrote for this book, as I agree wholeheartedly with her opinion.

“It is unfortunate that Shakespeare’s play, Richard III, with its misstatements and distortions and exaggerated character-drawing of the central figure, should be generally accepted as history. But such is the case, so that if Richard is written about from any other angle an explanation seems advisable.

Handicapped as he was by living under Tudor rule, Shakespeare naturally dared not contradict the historians of the day, whose concern it was to vilify Richard in order to applaud the Tudor usurpation, and in so doing lay the blame for the foulest crimes of the period upon Richard.

Since the Tudors guiltily destroyed any state papers which might confound their falsehoods, it is not easy to discover the truth of what happened during Richard’s brief reign. The evidence obtainable has been sifted and analyzed, and I am sure that the fair-minded will agree that the picture of Richard as presented in The Goldsmith’s Wife is a balanced one.

As for Jane’s discovery of Anne Neville, that is entirely fictional. How Richard discovered his future wife is a mystery; but, taking into consideration Jane’s adventurous and warm-hearted nature, together with the fact that, owing to her upbringing in Cheapside, it is more likely that she, rather than any other at court, would have been in touch with the humbler citizens of London, my theory of Anne’s rescue seems plausible.“

Dragging in Touch Base Thursday...

2009-07-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

So far this book (The Thistle and the Rose) has all in the making for it to be great…so what’s my problem? Don’t know about you, but it seems that my reading is on snail pace. And, it’s not that I haven’t been interested, or that the book is boring in any way…what is going on?

As I slowly turn to page 85...here’s an excerpt from The Thistle and The Rose:

'If she could only have been sure of producing a healthy child and did not suffer sickness and disabilities which were always her lot at such times, those would have been the happiest moments of Margaret’s life. Never since those early days of her marriage had James been so completely hers'.

Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling the drag?

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Wordy Wednesday & some announcements

2009-07-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

Announcement # 1 : This is our 100th post!

Announcement # 2 : Dolleygurl won The Silk Vendetta!

Announcement # 3 : The Plantagenet Prelude is our book for August!

Now that's out of the way, let's get onto our words for this week.

1. chary - cautious or careful, shy or timid
2. voluble - fluent, talkative
3. asperity - hardship, difficulty
4. farcical - ludicrous, absurd
5. jocularly - suited to joking, jesting

review: My Enemy the Queen

2009-07-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Lettice Knollys, the Countess of Leicester, because of her beauty and attractiveness, was a constant rival to Queen Elizabeth I. A Boleyn relation, she was summoned to court to attend the queen at an early age, and the Queen recognized her right away as one of those young women she would have to watch closely, less they become ‘wanton’ and stir up gossip in her court. Queen Elizabeth is described as coquettish towards the male favorites, but stern and strict with the ladies. Though she liked having beauties surrounding her, she always wanted to think of herself as the most beautiful of all. And so, she became jealous and angry if any of her women had lovers or wed secretly.

Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, was the favorite among favorites and could do no wrong (at least in the long run). The Queen would reprimand him again and again, but always took him back into favor. The worst offense, according to the Queen, was his secret marriage to Lettice. Once it was known they had wed, the Queen went into a rage and refused to have Lettice, newly dubbed The She-Wolf, at court ever again. Robert, however, was allowed back into her good graces after a while and returned to favor.

This story is from the perspective of Lettice, who is not exactly an admirable character – she is vain, selfish and overly ambitious. She is, however, a good mother and the choices she makes are justifiable for the most part. I quite enjoyed reading about her extremely long life (94 years!) and her complex relationships. I was not impressed by her attraction to Leicester, but I think it was depicted in a way that allowed her to be human - a woman with a weakness who made mistakes and admitted such.

I’ve read several accounts of Robert Dudley from different authors, and I have to point out that this one is the most unflattering. It is insinuated that he poisons anyone who gets in his way, though never stated as absolute fact. In this novel he is sinister and his only goal in life is climbing his way to the throne, no matter by what means. In Lettice he sees an ambitious woman who also matches his amorous appetites, and once he is certain the Queen will not marry him she is settled on as his partner in life. The fact that she had a husband did not stop him, and one more person conveniently died a suspicious death, making Lettice available for a second marriage. Unfortunately for her, this was her ticket to a life in the country, never to be admitted to court again. It wasn’t long before she began to realize that perhaps Robert wasn’t worth the trouble.

This is a wonderful account of the happenings at court not directly related to politics – Elizabeth’s shortcomings, gossip and scandals. While it’s not entirely fair to the Queen, as it mostly shows her weaknesses, it does give a sense of that other side of her – the coquettishness and aversion to marriage. Though she was not at court to witness everything, Lettice had friends and relatives close to Queen at all times, including her son, Essex, who was a great favorite. As such, she had firsthand accounts of everything and was able, in a way, to be involved even if Elizabeth would not see her face to face.

Elizabeth’s death came 30 years before her own, though because she was impoverished by Leicester’s debts she remained in the country caring for her grandchildren.

Friday Fan Question

2009-07-10T09:40:00.001-07:00

What is the ugliest Plaidy cover you own or have seen elsewhere?

Without a doubt the ugliest one I have is the Omnibus of St. Thomas's Eve, Royal Road to Fotheringay, The Goldsmith's Wife and Perdita's Prince. It has a photo of a couple, with 1980's hairstyles, clasping hands under a castle window or door, the walls of which are crumbling (so it can't have been the time period they are supposed to be from). The other colors on the book are an ugly beige and red/blue/white band across the middle. The text is black and goes over the photograph so that you cannot see parts of it that are in the dark areas of the photo. I'm honestly thinking about chucking the cover because underneath is a nice red (imitation) leather with gold text. I'll be reading The Goldsmith's Wife from this volume soon!

Overwhelmed! ...on this Touch Base Thursday...

2009-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Don't know about you, but in this corner of the world someone is slowly getting swallowed up by a pile of TBR books...

Yet somehow, Plaidy usually gets priority around here. So for this month I'm reading (trying to) The Thistle and The Rose.

I haven't really got a feel for it yet- but I'm counting on it being promising (Hey-the lady's got a great record...)

So...I'm waaaaaay into page...37 (lol!)

'All marveled at her beauty and charm, her brilliant Tudor coloring, her vitality, good health and high spirits...All the worthies of the district who must come and pay homage to the daughter of their King...The trumpets sounded and minstrels sang to welcome her.'

What's your read this month? We'd love to read a few lines...

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Wordy Wednesday Giveaway

2009-07-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today we are giving away a copy of The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt via a draw. To be entered you must list ONE Plaidy word and its definition.

*For any newbies, Plaidy words are uncommon, intellectual or archaic words you find in her novels (there are lots!!)

"The majestic Silk House stands as a testament to the Sallonger family's time-honored tradition of exquisite silk making. Home to the spirited Lenore Cleremont and her grandmother, who works as a designer for the legendary silk firm, the young Lenore is educated with the wealthy Sallonger children. As the girl matures, her charm and beauty win the hearts of both Sallonger sons. But Lenore cannot foresee that this exciting newfound love will bring both tragedy and peril.

For after she chooses a husband, Lenore's happy life is shadowed by a succession of violent and mysterious acts that point to an inexplicable vengeance. Fleeing, she and her grandmother begin anew as couturiers to the haute monde in Paris. The business prospers but a malevolent fate pursues her still. Born of a generations-old rivalry and nurtured by years of deceit, it threatens now to destroy all that Lenore values. Only when an ancient family feud is unraveled, and an arrogant French count reveals the dark secrets of the past, will Lenore escape forever the menace of the silk vendetta."

GIVEAWAY ENDS WEDNESDAY JULY 15th!

INCIDENTAL PLAIDY LADY: Amy Dudley

2009-07-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Fictitious portrait called Amy Robsart (Amy Dudley (née Robsart), Lady Dudley)
by Edward Scriven,

Can you hear the whispering around this lady’s ‘accidental’ death? For the longest time there was (and historians are still not settled on this one), doubt on how Amy Robsart Dudley died.

She and Robert Dudley (the then future Earl of Leicester) were both married around the age of eighteen. Dudley was a busy guy even back then, when his father took him often to Court with him. When Edward VI died, Dudley was part of the plan to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne and was consequently sent to ther Tower. Amy visited him there regularly.

When he was released, Dudley led a very eventful life in Court and this was even more so when Elizabeth reigned. Amy began to feel neglected and often depressed. The rumours of her husband being the Queen’s favourite and having an alleged affair, along with the suspicions of him marrying Elizabeth upon her death, nearly drove her mad.

There’s another side to this however…Amy was also known to suffer from what we now know as breast cancer (possibly causing debilitating pain and an associated depressive state- leading to suicide). It’s also speculated that she may have suffered from osteoporosis (which could explain her fragile neck easily breaking from the fall). Other thories have given light to the possibility of Amy having had an aneurysm (which either caused the fall –or happened immediately after)…

Nevertheless, on a Sunday in 1560, Amy decided that her servants, despite their contrarity to this, should go to the Fair. She remained at home with Lady Owen. When the servants returned they found Amy dead at the bottom of the staircase.

Did she have a stroke? Was she depressed enough to finally end it all? Was she pushed down the stairs? Was this a contracted hit? Or had she simply slipped down the stairs? History still isn’t clear on any of it. Without alluding to any partaking of sides in this very shady situation, the fact still remains that Robert Dudley never ran to the fatal scene to be by Amy’s side; nor did he even attend her funeral…

Any idea as to what really might have happened?
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Friday Fan Question

2009-07-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Scenario:

You're sitting in your favorite reading spot devouring a Plaidy novel, when you see a glowing light seemingly coming from the mirror in the bedroom. You get up to investigate and words appear on the mirror:

"Touch the glass and you will be taken back to in time to live the life of any character from a Jean Plaidy novel, if only for a short time. You can touch the glass on a mirror from that time to get back."

Life has been pretty boring lately, and you decide that it would be fun and adventurous to live in the past for a while. If you decide you don't like it, you can easily return as the mirror said.

Who do you choose?

You gingerly take a step nearer and stretch out your hand toward the glowing light and say, "I want to be..."

Touch Base Thursday & new discussion board!

2009-07-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

For everyone who has finished My Enemy the Queen, and those who had read it previously, please head on over to our new discussion board and let's talk about this book!

http://royal-intrigue.net/mb

All of the archives from our first 2 discussions have been moved over and are open to further comment!

Now, onto our July reads! This is Pick Your Own Plaidy month! What do you plan to read?

Wordy Wednesday - AND - Riddle-Me Who?

2009-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

These Wordy Words are from: My Enemy the Queen

Prevarication: To deviate from the truth

Abstemiousness: Refraining from consumption of food or drink

Uxorious: excessively fond of or submissive to a wife

(to) Broach : to open up a subject

Panegyric: Formal or elaborate praise

Riddle-Me Who?

This man had done bad
The Queen was so sad

“My favourite before
But now no more”

“Mercy!” Mom plead,
“Enough!” The Queen said,

Too pompous, too proud
Attracted wrong crowd

The Queen felt cheated
He must be defeated

Bess thought she had reason
So she tried him for Treason

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BOOK REVIEW: My Enemy the Queen, by Victoria Holt

2009-06-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

Here’s a story that webs the lives of Elizabeth I, Lettice Devereux (granddaughter of Mary Boleyn), the Earl of Leicester and finally the Earl of Essex (Lettice’s son)…

In reading this novel, it would seem that Elizabeth had few other interests besides the Earl himself firstly, other young gents, and finally, power. She was portrayed as being ruthless, self-centered, vain, quite nasty, frivolous, superficial and vehemently jealous and possessive. Gee what wonderful traits for a monarch.

Lettice, was actually not any better. This one was portrayed as scheming, devout of morals, sexually insatiable and having very few other interests at heart. Boy did this one need a hobby!

The Earl of Leicester was a man hungry for power, endowed with incredible chameleon prowess when it came to keeping himself latched onto the Queen. Oh, yes, and if one can get past his penchant for murder- I suppose you can call him quite gallant.

The Earl of Essex, being another bird of a feather, had noone else in mind but himself. Totally arrogant, unyielding, a womanizer and royal disturber- this Earl totally enraptured the Queen.

What can I say… absolutely irresistible characters! Talk about an entertaining read. I especially enjoy when Plaidy, oops, Victoria Holt, uses the first person. It’s carried superbly in this novel. There were times when I thought the story dragged a bit (I mean how many shallow details can you read about in just one paragraph?)

So what made this book so interesting for me? Basically, there wasn’t much to the story except the intricacies of the characters’ relationships towards eachother. In one way or another they were all linked like a magnet to the Queen. Despite the fact that I loathed her completely in this novel, in the end, Elizabeth still shone majestically.

Lettice only began to grow on me towards the end, where I finally sensed she could actually care for someone other than herself. Before that I couldn’t quite understand her love-hate need for the Queen.

The Earls were quite secondary in this novel. Their representation only strengthened their humiliating choices to serve and revel in foreplay to an end they could never attain. The ultimate prize for all those concerned : Queen Elizabeth; magnificently unattainable to all.

Another enjoyable read.

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Friday Fan Question: Who's your Movie Star?

2009-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Ok…On today’s Friday Fan you get to pick your favourite Plaidy novel and –
Hollywood is ready to shoot a movie based on this very book, so you get to pick the actors!

Tell us Which book and Who’s your pick for the Plaidy Lady, Detrimental Lady and Plaidy Hunk??

Not too long ago we read the King’s Confidant…who do you see as Sir Thomas More? (Is Tom Hanks too Da Vinci?)

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Touch Base Thursday

2009-06-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

I'm almost finished: page 389 of 441!

Here's my excerpt:

"... Gloriana, as the poet Spenser had called her. It was her victory. She was England."

How is your reading going?

Wordy Wednesday- and- Mystery Birthday!

2009-06-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

Wordy Wednesday is about the extraordinarily strange, difficult, no longer used or never-even-heard-of words found in Plaidy novels…

Today, rather than post some of these I just wanted to ask your opinion on 2 (of the many) that I found in My Enemy the Queen.

Dysentery; I did not know that this was used to refer to severe diarrhea(sorry)…even after having had a few children. Just wondering if this is now a medical term- or if it’s even used nowadays…

Also, I haven’t been able to find a definition for this one: Noble Impe. Anyone have any idea? It’s on page 295.

NOW- Back to having some fun…

On this WORDY WEDNESDAY Can you guess the Birthday Boy WHO had a WINNING –WORTHY WAY WITH WORDS?

Guess the Plaidy novel!

2009-06-23T09:25:00.001-07:00

"From his earliest boyhood, John Smith wanted to go adventuring over the sea. He followed his dream through Europe, even to fighting the Infidel and serving a cruel Turk as a slave. Yet all that time he knew that something else awaited him, over the seas yet again. This destiny led Captain John Smith to the new colony of Virginia, where he was to find joy and bitterness, fulfillment and disaster, where he was to be a distrusted Paleface and a demigod, and where he was to be saved from death by the beautiful, half-wild Pocahontas."

Can you name the title of this Plaidy novel?

Friday Fans

2009-06-19T11:45:00.001-07:00

Friday Fans want to know:

Where does Jean Plaidy fall on your list of favorite authors? Is she your absolute favorite, top 3 or perhaps one you read only occasionally?

Touch Base Thursday!

2009-06-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for posting this so late...my Internet was down the wohole day:(

But it's not all bad- something good did come out of it...I finished My Enemy the Queen!!

I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but it took me a while to get into this one. That's maybe because I've been so busy these past couple of weeks that I just kept stealing a page here and there. And, with me, that's never a good thing when I start off a book this way. But I finished it!

But now, honestly, I'm all Henry-Elizabethed-out...I've got to read something different.

How about you...how's your reading going?

Wordy Wednesday Wordsearch

2009-06-17T17:37:00.001-07:00

We have a little puzzle for this Wordy Wednesday! See how many words you can find, and then see if you can find the secret word. The first person to name the secret word wins a copy of Lilith by Jean Plaidy!

Word List:
ascendant
chilblain
discernment
escritoire
magnamious
martinet
noisome
pestiferous
repertoire
sycophant

secret word hint: means enthusiastic expression of approval

Detrimental Plaidy Lady: Lady Jersey

2009-06-15T17:54:00.001-07:00

So here’s the story of another detrimental lady that takes almost center stage in Plaidy’s ‘Indiscretions of the Queen’. This detrimental was no other than the conniving Lady Jersey, born Frances Twysden (1753 – 1821).

If we stick to the saying that ‘the apple doesn’t fall...,’ I guess it would be no shock to learn that she was the daughter of a disreputable bishop- or that at the young age of seventeen she eagerly married Georges Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, who was twenty years her senior. And- that throughout her marriage, Lady Jersey kept herself quite busy flaunting and romancing with numerous members of the English aristocracy.

Her affair with the Prince of Wales began when she was almost thirty years-old, but she would only become Senior royal mistress some twelve years later (by then she was also a grandmother). In the meantime though, she opened her home as the meeting place for high society gambling and her salon was renowned for being the ‘in’ place for social rendez-vous; such a classy gal!

Lady Jersey was quite the schemer as well. She was personally responsible for encouraging the Prince of Wales to marry Caroline of Brunswick. Knowing very well that Caroline would never appeal to George, Lady Jersey was in fact securing her place at Court. She had even managed to lure George from his ‘supposed’ wife Maria Fitzherbert.

Lady Jersey kept her position and the right to run the Prince’s life as she pleased. Her sole purpose was retaining position as she destroyed everyone else’s. Her scheming was such that she even managed to win Queen Charlotte’s favour and trust (convincing the Queen that anyone was better than Caroline-gasp!)

Finally in 1803, she was replaced by a new grandmotherly figure in George IV’s life. But this did not limit Lady Jersey; she found great pleasure in pursuing her lurid diversions which continued even after the death of her husband. According to her, she had had a wonderful marriage producing ten children. Lady Jersey really did live a ‘fruitful’ (or should we say, detrimental) life.

Book Review: Indiscretions of the Queen

2009-06-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Poor Caroline of Brunswick! Did she really not know any better? Could she have maybe toned things down a notch…be a little less eccentric maybe? Regardless, I doubt that would have changed George’s mind in any way…Caroline was doomed from the beginning.

The story of Caroline of Brunswick and her sad marriage of convenience to George, the Prince of Wales- later King George IV of England, could not have joined two of the most mismatched people ever. The very eccentric Caroline was loved by the people of England, while the ever-so- perfect George despised and rebutted. All that the princess ever wanted was a loving family with lots and lots of children. The prince, on the other hand, was totally into himself and all he wanted was fame and to conquer every grandmotherly figure he set eyes on; at the exception of his loving Maria (the poor thing)!

Well, as it seems neither got their way as Caroline gave birth to a precious daughter which she was barely allowed to see- and George, after much ado, managed to lose Maria altogether.

I felt so much compassion for this kind princess and her overly loving ways with people. At the beginning I thought she was very odd, and frankly her issues with hygiene were a bit overwhelming…But after living through her story, I began to feel that there was so much more to this lady. Within that flamboyant self, there actually thrived a simple and pure soul. There was no malice in this lady who used humor to hide her sorrow.

I was particularly touched by the way she helped poor families and how she loved the children so. She built a school for disadvantaged children and opened up her home to all. It’s no wonder that everyone who got to know her on a more personal level also appreciated her goodness. People were able to accept her unusual ways in exchange for her company and friendship.

Although I found the book stalled a bit towards the middle, some of the outrageously funny scenes made up for the anticipation of wondering where all this would result.

I enjoyed reading about Caroline’s life- what a strange royal indeed! And George III is one character I’m not about to forget any time soon. His kindness towards Caroline (the only Royal who actually displayed some compassion) was a times very touching. He was very endearing and sincere in his concern about his family as well. Although he was portrayed as being some sort of an outcast for being unpredictable due to his bouts of mental illness, George was a vivid character who livened up much of the court scenes with his unusual ways and manner of speech.

Indiscretions of the Queen touches on very real basic human issues that are still important today: acceptance, image, deception and mental and emotional suffering…Much to ponder on, yet presented in a very light and uplifting read. Very enjoyable.

Friday Fan Question

2009-06-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

Which Plaidy series is your favorite?

Norman, Plantagenet, Tudor, Mary Stuart, Charles II, Stuart Saga, Georgian, Queen Victoria, Queens of England, Ferdinand and Isabella, Lucrezia Borgia, de'Medici, French Revolution or Spanish Inquisition

For a full list of titles, go here.

Touch Base Thursday...So far??

2009-06-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just read:

“Walter,” I said, “you know this to be false. I know it to be false. If you make a great noise about it, it will come to the Queen’s ears and she would blame you. You know how she will hear no ill of Robert Dudley.”

So this is where I’m at…and to be honest, I’m finally getting into it. Now I really want to know what will happen to Lettice and what did she mean about that day with her son meeting the Queen? I’m dying to find out how this will be relevant (if at all). Wonder what she was alluding to? Can’t wait to find out!

And you…Smartie (P)Ladies, where are you at?

Wordy Wednesday giveaway results and this week's words

2009-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lucy and I were able to get 2 more used copies of The Queen's Confession and so we've randomly picked (random.org) 3 winners!

1st - Carmela (the version advertised)
2nd - Dar
3rd - Susie Tudor Daughter

Ladies, please send your mailing info to Arleigh at arleighjohnson@gmail.com and I will try to get those mailed ASAP!

Now, on to this weeks words, which are all from The Queen of Diamonds, also about Marie Antoinette...

Subversive - tending to subvert or advocating subversion, esp. in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constituted government.

Berline - an automobile with the front and rear compartments separated by a glass partition, as some limousines.

Modiste - a female maker of or dealer in women's fashionable attire.

Flunkeys - a male servant in livery.

Coquette - a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.

Capering - to leap or skip about in a sprightly manner; prance; frisk; gambol.

Perforce - of necessity; necessarily; by force of circumstance: The story must perforce be true.

Transmute - to change from one nature, substance, form, or condition into another; transform.

Postilion - a person who rides the left horse of the leading or only pair of horses drawing a carriage.

Superimposed - to impose, place, or set over, above, or on something else.

INCIDENTAL PLAIDY LADY: Augusta Caroline Frederika Louise of Brunswick

2009-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Duchess Augusta Caroline Frederika Louise of Brunswick – Wolfenbüttel (Dec. 3, 1764- Sept. 27, 1788)

What a short tragic life this German princess led…Seems like the Brunswick sisters had the worse of luck when it came to marriage.

Augusta, Caroline of Brunswick's eldest sister ( often called ‘Zelmira’ by her family), is mentioned early on in ‘Indiscretions of the Queen’. Her upcoming marriage to Prince Frederick Wilhelm Karl of Würtenburg and the exciting notion of having a husband was a thrilling event. Caroline especially aspired to this and couldn’t wait to be the next one in line for marriage. Little did she know that her sister’s marriage would be doomed right from the start.

And, if you think Caroline had it bad- Augusta’s fairytale, (if one can even call it that) was a horrible nightmare. Prince charming turned out to be a brutal man who was repeatedly violent towards her. He made her life so unbearable that she escaped to find refuge within the realm of Empress Catherine II. To rid herself of the rogue, Augusta seeked help from the Empress because going to her family was useless. Her father could not understand her situation and refused her from getting a divorce.

The desolate Princess confined herself to the estates where she was placed in the custody of Wilhelm von Pohlman. Compare one brute to the other, this man was no different. Taking advantage of his position, he apparently forced himself upon her repeatedly- she soon became pregnant with his child.

Poor Augusta went into premature labor and suffered severe complications…The coward, for fear of letting out his secret of having fathered and illegitimate child, left her to die without providing her with medical care. She hemorrhaged to death. Her family was notified of her death and told that she died from a bursting blood vessel. The truth only came out later when her eldest son had the whole mystery investigated.

Here ends the tragic life of another ‘injured’ princess of Brunswick.

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review: The Queen of Diamonds

2009-06-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Queen of Diamonds

By Jean Plaidy

The affair of the diamond necklace rocked the monarchy of France and precipitated the French Revolution. The insanely gaudy and expensive diamond necklace was originally intended for Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, but his death came before the completion of the necklace. At almost 2,000,000 livres, the cost was more than anyone could afford -- apart from royalty. The jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge had hoped the new Queen, Marie Antoinette, would buy it and save them from bankruptcy, but she refused stating that the money was better used to equip the military.

Cagliostro, a charlatan working for a secret society, finds himself traveling to Paris on a mission. On the way he meets the Cardinal de Rohan who, out of favor at court, dreams of being a political power behind the throne as well as a favorite of the Queen, for whom he harbors tender feelings. In a series of events that seem to come together almost as if there was divine intervention, a couple joins the party of conspirators, and each participant has his or her own intentions of advancement.

Jeanne de la Mott-Valois is descended from an illegitimate son of Henri Deux, and this she flaunts to any who will listen. As a result she earns a small pension from the crown, but she craves much more. She is a very clever con artist who dominates her soldier husband and schemes to turn their existence from poor plebeians to high society. She becomes the Cardinal’s mistress with extortion in mind, and soon a seed is planted in her mind by Cagliostro: Why shouldn’t she become friends with the Queen, or appear as though she has? Together, with the jewelers who are near ruin because of the diamond necklace, they could convince the Queen to buy the necklace.

With tempers in France running high against the monarchy, the King and Queen cannot afford a fresh assault on their reputations, but this is exactly what happens when it is known that there was a plot involving the Queen. Through no fault of her own, Marie Antoinette loosened the stone that toppled the monarchy of France.

With each character with his or her personal agenda in mind, this is truly a historical mystery and the first I’ve read of Jean Plaidy written in this fashion. Even so it is no less historically accurate and even more verbose than usual.

Friday Fan Question

2009-06-05T17:44:00.001-07:00

Q: Are there any historical figures that you wish Jean Plaidy would have written about?

For me it is Lady Godiva. I am writing about her and would love to read her take on the 11th century countess.

It's Touch Base Thursday! Where Are You At?

2009-06-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! How are you enjoying My Enemy the Queen? Personally, I haven’t gotten that far. Here’s where I am:

‘I would, of course, never have dared to bring Lady Dudley to Court. There would be more than a slap on the cheek if I did. I could see myself returning to Rotherfield Greys never to emerge again.’

(I suppose she meant the old tower that’s still there…?)

So far, I’m feeling a lot of anticipation…I want her to really get to the good part. But in a way I’m glad she’s explaining everything in such detail- slowly edging me on to read more…I’m getting hooked though.

What about you- how’s the read going?

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Wordy Wednesday Giveaway!

2009-06-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

This week we are giving you a chance to enhance your vocabulary and your bookshelf! To be entered into a drawing for a (used) copy of The Queen’s Confession by Victoria Holt (Plaidy), you must list 5 words from a Plaidy novel that are uncommon, archaic or otherwise ‘literary’ to us language lovers.

The draw will be announced next week on our Wordy Wednesday post. Open to everyone!
More about The Queen’s Confession:

This is one of my favorite ‘Plaidy’ novels (yes, I know it was written under Holt). I felt it really allowed me to get to know Marie Antoinette as she may have been. It is written as though she is looking back on her life, and she admits that she was naïve and ignorant in a lot of ways, though she did strive to do right by her husband and the people of France. I highly recommend this book for Marie Antoinette and French History fans!

This is not the same cover as the giveaway copy – it is a small (mass market size) hardcover. I’ve never seen another Holt/Plaidy novel like it. It does, of course, have a man and woman embracing. Funny there is nothing of that sort going on in the book!

“The unforgettable story of Marie Antoinette, from her pampered childhood in imperial Vienna, to the luxury and splendor of her days as Queen of France, to her tragic end upon the scaffold in the bloodbath of the Revolution . . .”

review: Indiscretions of the Queen

2009-06-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

I began this book slightly biased against Caroline of Brunswick, as I’ve read of her in other books and articles. Leave it to Jean Plaidy to turn one’s opinions around completely, and simply by telling the facts in an amusing and straightforward manner. I had a similar experience with her novel Madame du Barry.

Caroline’s life started in Brunswick, Germany where her father was Duke and mother was King George III of England’s sister. She and her elder sister were not brought up properly, mostly due to her mother’s negligence owing to her own sadness: a home where her husband’s mistress reigned supreme and several of the royal children had disabilities. Caroline grew to be wild, completely extroverted and indiscreet. She did, however, have a very kind heart and was not purposely hurtful toward others.

Once she became betrothed to the Price of Wales, she began to look forward to a new, exciting life in England. It was not to be; the Prince disliked her on sight and showed it in the most humiliating ways possible. As soon as Caroline carried the heir to the throne, he separated from her and tried his best to make her life miserable.

George IV was a despicable character in this book! He was completely selfish, taking and discarding mistresses (and wives) at his whim and thinking of nothing but fashion, etiquette and where he can find money to live his extravagant lifestyle. Marriage with a lady who was not Catholic was a necessity for both his popularity and his pocket, as well as the getting of an heir to the throne. Though he had 12 siblings, none of his brothers had produced legitimate children and his sisters mostly remained unmarried, and so he felt he must do his duty to further his dynasty. Unfortunately for Caroline, George chose his bride blindly.

Even though life had dealt her a bad hand, she made the most of her situation, entertaining friends and endearing herself to the English people through her charity and genuine affection for all children. The old King, George III, was her friend and many political figures flocked to her, as she was the future queen and much more popular than her husband. If only the Prince would have let her alone she would have been content with life.

Caroline’s story is uproariously funny at times and quietly sad at others. Her character is one who can inspire both exasperation and adoration – a strange combination. She was truly an admirable Queen of England.

Friday Fans Want to Know: Who would you want?

2009-05-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Set back the clock a few centuries…You’ve been banished to the tower and are in desperate need of Prince charming to save you from it all …which Plaidy Hunk would you want as your champion?

Touch Base Thursday

2009-05-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

'He will try to divorce me, dear Lady Anne. He's going to try to prove adultery and he'll fail. I'll tell you a secret. I did commit adultery once. Shall I tell you with whom?'

Lady Anne looked startled and Caroline burst into loud laughter. 'It was with Mrs. Fitzherbert's husband.'

Is everyone finished reading? We are having a discussion over at the message board: http://plaidygroup.aimoo.com Come join!

Oops! It’s Wordy Wednesday again!

2009-05-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Wordy Wednesday is hosted by Plaidy's Royal Intrigue

To join in this wordy activity on your own blog, paste this text and instructions on your site with a link back to Plaidy's Royal Intrigue.

But play along here first!

What to do:

Every Wednesday, choose 5 or more strange or difficult words from the book you're reading and post them.

Now to have some fun, or just for information, you can do any of the following, or all of the following, or invent your own activity!:

some examples:

1) give a brief definition
2) Play match game
3) fill in the blanks
4) ask your readers to guess the definition
5) Play a meme
6) invent your own thing
Use your imagination and get creative- Have fun!

Here we go:

Impecunious: penniless

Erudite: learned; scholarly

Peremptorily: arrogant; insolent

Voluptuary: chief interests are luxury and self gratification

Apace: (grow) swiftly

Profligate:(habits) wildly extravagant

Now, have fun finishing some or all of this meme:

1)The impecunious_________ thought that________________...

2)He was not an erudite____________________________

3)Such peremptorily_______________was not_______________

4) He was nothing but a voluptuary________________________

5) With such apace ______________________________

-

Plaidy Mystery Lady # 2

2009-05-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

If I had lived, I would have been Queen of The UK. Things were different for me from the very beginning though. You could say I had a wild streak…probably from my mother’s side. It seems my father loved me at the beginning…but then things changed. He never let my Mom mother me the way she should; heaven knows he certainly seemed to be in constant search of a motherly figure himself! Ahh the perils of being kept from your eccentric, yet loving mother- especially when I needed her most! How terribly sad for both of us… Things could have been different if my dad would have given the marriage a chance….

Do you recognize who I am?

-

Incidental Plaidy Lady: Elizabeth Barton

2009-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Barton (circa 1506 – 1534)

Such controversy about this lady! She’s referred to briefly in Plaidy’s St. Thomas’s Eve (The King’s Confidante) as one of the voices against King Henry’s right to divorce.

The ‘Nun of Kent’, as she was otherwise known, was against Henry’s religious reform (in order to permit his divorce to Queen Catherine and proceed to marry Anne Boleyn) and prophesized that if the King were to marry Anne, he would die right after, along with other doom and gloom events that were sure to happen in consequence…

When she was about fifteen and working as a servant in Kent, she became very ill and often fell into trances after that. Her visions were of a religious nature. Elizabeth became a Benedictine nun shortly after having the religious authorities verify the validity of her predictions and seeings. She had great credibility among the faithful who believed and were inspired by her prophesies.

This posed a great problem for Henry VIII, since he feared (not only the nun’s predictions) but also the people’s opinions. The King need not have anything encumber his way. So by Henry’s orders, off went the non of Kent.. executed for treason and hanged at the Tyburn gallows in Westminster.

So, for some Elizabeth was an imposter and for others a saint; a debatable issue on the side of both Catholics and Protestants alike.

What is your opinion on Elizabeth Barton?