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!

Review: The King's Mistress

Book Blurb:
Alice Perrers scholar Campion debuts with a dynamic fictionalization of the life of Alice Salisbury, who, at 14, leaves family and best friend Geoffrey Chaucer behind to marry Janyn Perrers, a prominent merchant who has the patronage of Isabella, the Queen Mother. Alice accustoms herself to the royal lifestyle, grows close to her husband, and bears a daughter. Her happiness is destroyed when royal fortunes shift, Janyn disappears, and Alice is summoned to court by Queen Philippa. To secure her daughter's safety, Alice complies and is quickly drawn into the machinations and extravagance of Edward III's mid-14th-century court, where she captures the king's interest. Campion stays true to the facts of Alice's life as the mistress of Edward III, the mother of his son John, and a successful businesswoman. This is a detailed rendering of Edward III's court, one that provides an empathetic but realistic portrait of a colorful and, if Campion is to be believed, misunderstood woman.



My Review:
The King's Mistress tells the story of Alice Perrers, Mistress to King Edward III. I can honestly say that I had never heard of Alice before reading this book, but apprently her love affair with the King was something of a scandal! When the King took a Mistress from a lower merchant class , his fellow nobles felt insulted and betrayed. They felt it was a slight to the Queen for him to do this. Alice in history, has been portrayed as a conniving harlot bent on gaining wealth and fame from her position (ahem) with the King.

Now whether or not she was or wasn't the gold-digging whore that historians believe she was is not the point of Emma Campion's book. She shows Alice as a woman thrown in marriage at a young age and widowed also at a young age. In her time, women couldn't be independent of men. They had to be attached in some way either to their father or a husband. Alice was thrust into court pretty much unprepared for what she was to expect. Her choices were limited and when the King showed interest in her she used this to her advantage. In Campion's book, she is not an evil woman but one trying to protect herself and her future.

This was a great book and a wonderful story. I really felt for Alice and had a lot of sympathy for her situation. Emma Campion has taken a thread of history and woven it into a beautiful story! I'd definitely suggest you pick up this book!