Blog Tour: The Most Happy by Helen R. Davis: A Book Review

The Most Happy by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: July 25, 2017

Callipe Editorial

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction

Source: This book was given to me by Historcal Fiction Book tours in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Anne Boleyn is known throughout the world as the beheaded wife of King Henry VIII, a woman for whom Henry discarded a Spanish princess and who was later discarded for the woman who gave Henry his longed-for son. Love her or hate her, it cannot be denied her romance with Henry VIII changed the course of English and European, and perhaps World History, forever.

This is a novel that imagines Anne Boleyn giving Henry a son and taking the reins of power as Regent of England when Henry VIII perishes in a jousting accident.

Told in the voice of the infamous Anne Boleyn, we are treated to the 16th century world that has recently become famous through programs such as The Tudors. We meet Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, and many of the personalities of the mid-16th century albeit in an altered setting.

How would this era and time, a pivotal one in Western Civilization, have changed if one of the movers and shakers of the period, Anne Boleyn, had not been struck down in her prime by the man who once adored her?

    My Review: Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Anne boleyn gave birth to a healthy son and was never beheaded? Well, The Most Happy seeks to answers these questions in the alternative history novel. Anne Boleyn has borne twins, Elizabeth and Edward. Right after she bears another son, Henry, Henry VIII has died leaving Anne Boleyn as regent. When Anne Boleyn is regent, people gradually begin to accept her because she is the mother of their king. Anne Boleyn governs the realm, but she faces many problems; the enmity of Spain, her alliance with France, and ensuring the Tudor dynasty.

If Anne Boleyn had lived, The Most Happy portrays her to be a wise ruler. She is a woman who was a Catholic, but was also for reform. She bestowed mercy to Katherine of Aragon’s supporters. She inspired her people in battle. Thus, Anne is portrayed as a politically capable woman. This does not mean that Anne did not have her faults. She could be very temperamental and ruthless at times. I did not like how she treated Princess Mary. Despite these flaws, Anne was still a likable character. She always tried to do the right thing.

Overall, this was a very intriguing and imaginative account of what would happened had Anne survived. The characters seemed very realistic and complex. Throughout the short read, I was spellbound wondering how events would have played since Anne survived. It was very fascinating, and the ending was very satisfying. The only thing that I did not like about the novel was that it was a bit repetitive sometimes, with Anne constantly defending herself that she had no choice but to supplant Katherine. Personally, I believed she did have a choice. I was also a bit disappointed that a lot of Anne’s followers are not mentioned or seldom appear in the story, for instance Thomas Wyatt and George Boleyn. Still, The Most Happy was an enjoyable and satisfying read, and is a must-read for Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth fans. I recommend this novel for fans of The Boleyn King, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, and Threads.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Amazon

About the Author

Helen R. Davis is an American author. Her first novel, Evita: My Argentina was previously published as Evita: My Life and republished with Custom Book Publications in Hong Kong. Her second novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED, which is the first in a series, imagines a world in which Antony and Cleopatra, rather than Augustus Caesar, are the victors of the Battle of Actium. the sequel, CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS, will be released soon, followed by the titles CLEOPATRA MAGNIFICA and CLEOPATRA TRIUMPHANT. Her third novel, or at least, her third historical novel/alternate history, THE MOST HAPPY, will be published with Callipe Editorial, based out of Madrid Spain, on July 25th, 2017. 

For more information, please visit Helen Davis' website. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away eBooks of Cleopatra Unconquered & Evita…My Argentina & a paperback of The Most Happy! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.