Review: The King's Damsel

Blurb:
Handmaid. Spy. Mistress. Anxious to secure his own success at the glittering court of Henry VIII, heiress Tamsin Lodge’s ambitious guardian obtains her a position as maid of honor to young Princess Mary Tudor. Tamsin soon comes to love the neglected child, but in the Tudor court, not even a princess is secure. Mary’s father is besotted with the lovely Anne Boleyn, and the girl’s future has grown perilous. Plotting to be Mary’s eyes and ears, Tamsin joins Anne’s service, but the handsome silk worker who is her co-conspirator may be her undoing. While marriage with a merchant is unthinkable, she cannot resist Rafe Pinckney’s embraces. When Tamsin also attracts the lusty Henry, she must choose between loyalty and desire. . . . With Anne’s jealousy growing dangerous, can Tamsin survive the schemes and seductions that surround her?

My Thoughts: 
I have to say that this book was a fun quick read. Very predictable, but not in a super annoying way. Yes, it's a tale of "King Henry the VIII was an asshole, all the ladies loved him and he used them horrifically!" It's not groundbreaking work, but Tamsin is a great character. She saved the show by not being the typical love interest of these kind of novels. I enjoyed her wit and her intelligence. She wasn't a boring stereotype.

Like I said this was a quick read, the story flows quite nicely. Even with the rather quick pace, there is quite a good chunk of characterization and plot development that occurs. It's hoenstly very hard, in my opinion to come out with any groundbreaking ideas or facts about King Henry VIII or any of his Queens, so don't go into this expecting anything of the sort. This isn't going to win awards, BUT it is very fun to read. I have to give Kate Emerson credit for that!

Great writing, strong characters, and a nice quick pace makes this a juicy read!