BOOK REVIEW - The King's Sister by Anne O'Brien

Pages: 560

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Date: November 2014

Purchase this novel at AMAZON

Book Blurb

One betrayal is all it takes to change history

1382. Daughter of John of Gaunt, sister to the future King Henry IV, Elizabeth of Lancaster has learned the shrewd tricks of the court from England’s most powerful men.

In a time of political turmoil, allegiance to family is everything. A Plantagenet princess should never defy her father’s wishes. Yet headstrong Elizabeth refuses to bow to the fate of a strategic marriage. Rejecting her duty, Elizabeth weds the charming and ruthlessly ambitious Sir John Holland: Duke of Exeter, half-brother to King Richard II and the one man she has always wanted.

But defiance can come at a price.

1399. Elizabeth’s brother Henry has seized the throne. Her husband, confidant to the usurped Richard, masterminds a secret plot against the new King. Trapped in a dangerous web, Elizabeth must make a choice.

Defy the King and betray her family. Or condemn her husband and send him to his death.

Sister. Wife. Traitor.

She holds the fate of England in her hands.

My Review 

Anne O’Brien is by far one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I am reminded of why this is after reading “The King’s Sister”. I can honestly say that I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster while reading this novel. I laughed, cried, felt angry, shocked, and sad as I completely lost myself in this book due to Anne O’Brien’s superb writing skills. Prior to reading “The King’s Sister” I knew very little about Elizabeth of Lancaster. She has always been a minor character who I “met” in passing as I read novels about King Henry IV or her famous father the Duke of Lancaster. However, after reading this book, I honestly felt as though I knew her. Ms. O’Brien really has a way of bringing her characters to life for readers. I’ve read several of her novels, and I’ve loved every one. The way that the author describes the everyday lives of her characters makes them seem so real. Obviously Elizabeth of Lancaster truly was a real person hundreds of years ago, but there was very little that was known about her. As with many important women from history, their importance was overshadowed by whatever the men at that time were doing. However, the way that the author portrays Elizabeth of Lancaster feels right, and it is easy to picture her just as described. Since I knew so little about her life, I was shocked when certain events happened, and I actually got teared up towards the end. To be able to really connect with a character, to me, is a priority when I read a novel. I want to love, and sometimes even hate, the character. I want to feel like I KNOW the character by the time I finish the novel. Nothing is more disappointing than reading a novel and being unable to understand the main character or to have any type of strong emotions for the character.

“The King’s Sister” had my interest right from the beginning, and when I closed the book at the end, I wanted it to keep going. I have nothing but positive feelings and glowing praise for this novel, and it is a solid FIVE out of FIVE stars for me!

Praise for Anne O’Brien

‘The gripping tale of Elizabeth of Lancaster, sibling of Henry IV. Packed with love, loss and intrigue’ - Sunday Express S Magazine

‘Her writing is highly evocative of the time period… O’Brien has produced an epic tale’    - Historical Novel Society

‘Anne O’Brien’s novels give a voice to the “silent” women of history’ - Yorkshire Post

‘This book is flawlessly written and well researched, and will appeal to her fans and those who like Philippa Gregory’s novels’ – Birmingham Post

‘A brilliantly researched and well-told story; you won’t be able to put this book down’ - Candis

About Anne O'Brien

Anne was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a B.A. Honours degree in History at Manchester University, a PGCE at Leeds University and a Masters degree in education at Hull University, she lived in the East Riding as a teacher of history. Always a prolific reader, she enjoyed historical fiction and was encouraged to try her hand at writing. Success in short story competitions spurred her on.

Leaving teaching – but not her love of history – she wrote her first historical romance, a Regency, which was published in 2005. To date nine historical romances and a novella, ranging from medieval, through the Civil War and Restoration and back to Regency, have been published internationally.

Anne now lives with her husband in an eighteenth century timber-framed cottage in the depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire, a wild, beautiful place on the borders between England and Wales, renowned for its black and white timbered houses, ruined castles and priories and magnificent churches. Steeped in history, famous people and bloody deeds as well as ghosts and folk lore, it has given her inspiration for her writing. Since living there she has become hooked on medieval history.

Sometimes she escapes from writing. She enjoys her garden, a large, rambling area where she grows vegetables and soft fruit as well as keeping control over herbaceous flower borders, a wild garden, a small orchard and a formal pond. With an interest in herbs and their uses, Anne has a herb patch constructed on the pattern of a Tudor knot garden and enjoys cooking with the proceeds. Gardening is a perfect time for her to mull over what she’s been writing, as she wages war on the weeds.

Learn more about Anne and her fantastic novels on her website:  http://www.anneobrien.co.uk/

BOOK REVIEW: A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman

Publication Date:
March 4, 2014

Blurb:

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Lionheart comes the dramatic sequel, telling of the last dangerous years of Richard, Couer de Lion’s life.


This long-anticipated sequel to the national bestseller Lionheart is a vivid and heart-wrenching story of the last event-filled years in the life of Richard, Coeur de Lion. Taken captive by the Holy Roman Emperor while en route home—in violation of the papal decree protecting all crusaders—he was to spend fifteen months imprisoned, much of it in the notorious fortress at Trefils, from which few men ever left alive, while Eleanor of Aquitaine moved heaven and earth to raise the exorbitant ransom.


My Review:

“A King’s Ransom” by Sharon Kay Penman is an exceptional work of historical fiction. Of course, I didn’t expect any less given who the author is! I’ve read several of Penman’s  novels and I’m never disappointed. Penman has an amazing knack at bringing a period of history to life for the reader. Every detail is covered, all while keeping the reader interested and guessing as to what will happen next. She takes history and really breathes life into it.

The character’s are well-rounded and the writing style is smooth, easy to read, and interesting. Every one of the characters bring something different to the table and add to the story. They’re well developed and you really get to know Richard and those he surrounds himself with.

I was on the edge of my seat as soon as the novel began with Richard’s adventures and brushes with death. The novel does slow down a little while he’s in captivity, but Penman somehow manages to make reading about getting a king ransomed from prison interesting. I really felt that I got to know the characters in this novel, Penman did an excellent job of really bringing them to life for me. The amount of research that went into this novel is obvious. Even though the author stays true to history, the novel doesn’t read like a history book. It definitely  keeps the feel of an adventure novel, and it keeps the reader interested throughout.

You can tell Penman thinks very highly of King Richard I. It’s obvious that she has spent a lot of time researching him, and bringing him to life for her readers. It’s impossible not to admire him with how Penman portrays him, he’s the epitome of what a hero was thought to be during that time period.

I absolutely loved this novel, and I would definitely recommend it to any fan of historical fiction. I honestly don’t think it’s possible for Penman to write a ‘bad’ historical fiction novel.  From great adventures, well written characters, and developed research, this novel has it all.

I give “A King’s Ransom” FIVE out of FIVE stars.


Praise for A King’s Ransom 

“A King’s Ransom [is] historical fiction of the first order, a narrative synthesis of the royal marriages and petty rivalries, the personal slights and gestures of loyalty, the grand deeds and simple twists of fate that shape events . . . Instead of history that reads like a novel, Penman achieves something greater: a novel that reads like history.”—Willamette Week

“Penman’s long-awaited sequel to her book Lionheart covers the last seven years of Richard’s life. There’s betrayal, war, illness and intrigue….She includes everyday details that get you right into the story . . . once you start reading you won’t want to stop.”—British Weekly

“A panoramic retelling of the tumultuous last years of Richard the Lionheart’s life . . . Penman has absorbed herself so fully into the heart and mind of her protagonist that an undeniably flawed but refreshingly human Richard virtually walks off the pages. This atmospheric fictional biography showcases the author’s mastery of all things medieval while providing some refreshingly new twists on the life and times of a hallowed hero.”—Booklist

“Detailed down to the last flagon of wine, Penman’s work will please serious fans of historical fiction. . . Characters rise from the pages—Richard, brave warrior, skilled diplomat; Heinrich, "If he were cut, he’d bleed ice"; the mercenary Mercadier; and multitudes more. Seven years of sieges and battles, confrontations in castles and on horseback are lovingly detailed. . . Penman’s latest is a massively entertaining work of historical fiction for dedicated fans.” —Kirkus Reviews


Purchase "A King's Ransom" Here!