History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII's Discarded Bride Author: Elizabeth Norton Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Amberley Publishing Release Date: 2011 Pages: 224 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: I like her not! was the verdict of Henry VIII on meeting his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time, complaining that he had been sent a Flanders mare.       Anne, having been promised the most handsome prince in Europe, was also destined to be disappointed in the elderly and corpulent king. Forced to proceed with their wedding for diplomatic reasons, Henry and Anne tried to make the best of the situation, but attempts to consummate the match were farcical.       After only seven months of marriage Henry was so desperate to rid himself of Anne that he declared himself impotent in order to secure a divorce. Anne was also eager to end her marriage and, with her clever handling of Henry, obtained one of the biggest divorce settlements in English history. Followi

Jane Seymour: Henry VIII's True Love Author: Elizabeth Norton Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Amberley Publishing Release Date: 2011 Pages: 288 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: The first ever biography of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife, who died in childbirth giving the king what he craved most - a son and heir.       Jane Seymour is often portrayed as meek and mild and as the most successful, but one of the least significant, of Henry VIII's wives. The real Jane was a very different character, demure and submissive yet with a ruthless streak - as Anne Boleyn was being tried for treason, Jane was choosing her wedding dress. From the lowliest origins of any of Henry's wives her rise shows an ambition every bit as great as Anne's.       Elizabeth Norton tells the thrilling life of a country girl from rural Wiltshire who rose to the throne of England and became the ideal Tudor woman.       My Review: Jane Seymour is usually re

Anne Boleyn: Adultery, Heresy, Desire Author: Amy License Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Amberley Publishing Release Date: 2017 Pages: 624 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Anne Boleyn’s unconventional beauty inspired poets ‒ and she so entranced Henry VIII with her wit, allure and style that he was prepared to set aside his wife of over twenty years and risk his immortal soul. Her sister had already been the king’s mistress, but the other Boleyn girl followed a different path. For years the lovers waited; did they really remain chaste? Did Anne love Henry, or was she a calculating femme fatale?      Eventually replacing the long-suffering Catherine of Aragon, Anne enjoyed a magnificent coronation and gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth, but her triumph was short-lived. Why did she go from beloved consort to adulteress and traitor within a matter of weeks? What role did Thomas Cromwell and Jane Seymour of Wolf Hall play in Anne’s demise? Was her fall

Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy Author: Andrew Morton Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Release Date: 2018 Pages: 401 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: For fans of the Netflix series The Crown and from the author of the New York Times bestseller 17 Carnations comes a captivating biography of Wallis Simpson, the notorious woman for whom Edward VIII gave up the throne.       "You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance." -Wallis Simpson      Before she became known as the woman who enticed a king from his throne and birthright, Bessie Wallis Warfield was a prudish and particular girl from Baltimore. At turns imaginative, ambitious, and spoiled, Wallis's first words as recalled by her family were "me, me." From that young age, she was in want of nothing but stability, status, and social acceptance

THE GLASS BUTTERFLY (Haunted Hearts Legacy #3) Author: A.G. Howard Pub. Date: August 15, 2018 Publisher: Golden Orb Press Formats: Paperback, eBook Pages: 278 Find it: Goodreads, Amazon All other formats and vendors will be available on the official launch date: August 15, 2018 Synopsis: For close to a decade, twenty-five-year-old Felicity Lonsdale has masqueraded as a dowager almost twice her age—selling caterpillars to butterfly consortiums—enabling her to hide an ill-fated past while raising her late brother’s daughters. Together, the three live on an isolated Irish estate bequeathed by a dying earl. When the earl’s estranged son arrives to claim his inheritance by threatening to expose Felicity’s true identity, she longs to pack up her nieces and run. But a ghostly secret within the castle’s turret holds her captive.      Nick Thornton—a Roma viscount’s heir—is also captive. After a tryst with an investor’s wife nearly destroyed his family’s holiday resort, Nick forsook

     Today I had pleasure of interviewing Helen R. Davis. Mrs. Davis is the author of Evita; My Argentina , and the alternative history novels Cleopatra Unconquered , Isaballa Unashamed , and The Most Happy about Anne Boleyn. In this interview, Mrs. Davis talks about why she went from writing a straight biography to alternative histories, how she does her research, and more importantly, what to look for in the future! Thank you, Mrs. Davis! Your first novel was about Evita. What drew you to write her story? With so many films, biographies and documentaries on such an enigmatic woman I felt one thing lacking: Evita's voice. Her autobiographies don't really tell her story other than the political aspect of it. I wanted to imagine how Evita felt growing up and struggling as an actress. Evita was a very complex woman with her charity and extravagant lifestyle. What do you readers to take away from Evita...My Argentina . That Eva Peron was a human being, not the carica

Island on Fire by Sophie Schiller Publication Date: March 15, 2018 Paperback & eBook; 270 Pages ISBN-13: 978-1986210782 Genre: Fiction/Historical/Thriller Synopsis: In the lush, tropical world of Martinique where slavery is a distant memory and voodoo holds sway, Emilie Dujon discovers that her fiancé, a rich sugar planter, has been unfaithful. Desperate to leave him, she elicits the aid of a voodoo witch doctor and is lured into a shadowy world of black magic and extortion. When the volcano known as Mount Pelée begins to rumble and spew ash, she joins a scientific committee sent to investigate the crater. During the journey she meets Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer with a mysterious past. At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure

Evita...My Argentina by Helen R. Davis Publication Date: February 10, 2017 Custom Book Publications eBook & Paperback; 228 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical Source: This novel was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis:  Evita Perón tells her own spectacular story.      Tracing her life back to her humble beginnings, when she is abandoned by her father, Evita takes the reader on her journey to become an actress and later, to the pivotal moment when she meets Colonel Juan Perón. Never content to stay in her husband’s shadow, Evita reveals how she shares his belief that Peronism will help the working class. Eventually she begins doing work on her own as the president of the Society of Benevolence, helping the poor and winning the peoples’ trust.      As the times change and women get the vote, Evita becomes even more powerful, running the Ministries of Labor and Health, sta

A Passionate Hope: Hannah’s Story (Daughters of the Promised Land #4) Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Revell Release Date: 2018 Pages: 370 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, share a deep and abiding love, for each other, for their God, and for his tabernacle at Shiloh. Greatly disturbed by the corruption of the priests, they long for restoration and pray for a deliverer. But nothing changes as the years pass. Years that also reveal Hannah to be barren.      Pressured by his family to take another wife, Elkanah marries Peninnah, who quickly begins to bear children. Disgraced and taunted by her husband's new wife, Hannah turns again to prayers that seem doomed to go unanswered. Do her devotion and kindness in the face of Peninnah's cruelty count for nothing? Why does God remain silent and indifferent to her pleas?      Travel back to the dus

Today marks five years since I began this blog! In that time, I have read a LOT of books, and it has been a tremendous honor to have readers who like my reviews! I have also had the honor to interview some of my favorite authors and host guest posts from the leaders in historical fiction. I sincerely appreciate the readers, authors, publishers, and anyone else who has helped the success of this blog. Here's to plenty more years of celebrating women in history!

One More Moon: Goodbye Mussolini! One Woman's Story of Fate and Survival Author: Ralph Webster Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Createspace Release Date: 2018 Pages: 413 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Goodreads Choice Nominee Ralph Webster tells the true story of his grandmother’s desperate journey from her life at the Pensione Alexandra in Naples to America - after Mussolini and the Fascists join with Hitler - and as countries across the world close their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing the spread of Nazi evil.      In 1934, at age fifty-one, Elsa’s comfortable life in Mussolini’s Fascist Italy changes remarkably when she and her husband, Paul, purchase the Pensione Alexandria overlooking the Mediterranean in Naples. Though German Jews, they are embraced by their Italian neighbors, and for the next several years, the pensione flourishes and becomes their perch to observe the world’s events. Travelers from a