TheTudor Book Shop Blog

Available as: Paperback

Amazon Blurb: Is love strong enough to save a kingdom and stop history from repeating itself?

Goldfinch in the Thistle follows the lifelong love story of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress, Maggie Erskine.

Marriage is impossible, even after Maggie gives birth to a royal son. Margaret Tudor, the king’s mother, longs to bring her son and her brother Henry VIII into an alliance with a marriage to an English noble or princess and fulfill her promise to her father to join Scotland and England together. Meanwhile the King’s secretary, Thomas Erskine, who has a salacious secret, encourages a royal French marriage. Both James and Maggie know that a royal marriage—something which Maggie cannot provide—will bring much needed money to build Scotland and keep the King’s uncle from subsuming it under England’s cloak.

But when the new Queen of Scots finally arrives at Stirling Castle, what will it mean for Maggie and her son?

Set in sixteenth century Scotland against the background of the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance in northern Europe, and the reign of Henry VIII, Goldfinch in the Thistle is a story of unfulfilled promises, loyalties, and shifting perspectives.

Available as: Kindle

Amazon Blurb: A Spanish Armada sailor’s quest for survival turns into an epic battle for love, freedom, and justice in this gripping reimagined legend of the Tudor era.

The coast of Ireland, 1588: Aboard a lone galleon, part of what once was the mighty Armada, Inyo Fernández has barely survived weeks of starvation and harrowing sea battles, when his vessel is far off course, heading straight into a catastrophic storm.

In Ireland, the O’Malley chieftain’s granddaughter, Finley, has only recently discovered how badly her world is broken. And now, she and the entire clan are about to be plunged into a desperate struggle against foreign domination. So much is already at stake, and hiding someone hunted by the English will endanger everyone’s lives even more. Finley, however, is inexplicably drawn to the stranger and can’t shake the feeling that she knows him. But how?

Amid uncertain days, a spark ignites between Finley and Inyo, a growing flame that outshines the darkness around them. Yet both know that inevitable heartbreak looms because Inyo simply has to flee.

When Finley’s kin are ambushed and captured, facing the gallows, Inyo and Finley unexpectedly find themselves catapulted into untold dangers across the sea.

Available as: Kindle

Amazon Blurb: 1602. Change is in the air as rumours of Queen Elizabeth’s failing health spreads throughout England. Determined to start a new chapter Frances, now an impoverished widow, is eager to help her friend celebrate the Christmas season. Far more surprises are in store for her and a reunion with a man she never expected to see again…

Available as: Kindle, Paperback

Amazon Blurb: Two powerful women are vying for the king’s attention…

1528

Escaping from her family’s scandalous involvement with Anne Boleyn’s circle, Thomasin Marwood is beginning a new life in the service of Queen Catherine of Aragon.

Thomasin is trying to forget Rafe Danvers, the man who stole her heart and then betrayed her, and when a group of Venetians arrive at court, she is drawn to the sophisticated Nico.

But a great danger is lurking. The dreaded sweating sickness has returned, which claimed the life of Catherine’s first husband, Prince Arthur, many years ago.

Catherine and her ladies are forced to flee, and their shared isolation with King Henry brings the couple closer again.

But Anne Boleyn will not let herself be forgotten.

Thomasin finds herself torn between new friends and old loyalties as Rafe comes back into her life.

Who will win Thomasin’s heart? Will she survive the dreaded sickness?

And will Anne Boleyn become victorious in her quest for the throne?

TROUBLED QUEEN is a page-turning historical drama set at the court of King Henry VIII and featuring Anne Boleyn. It is the second book in the Marwood Family Tudor Saga Series.

Available as: Kindle, Paperback and Hardcover

Amazon Blurb: The Roseland Peninsula, 1513. A child born during an eclipse.

Constance believes the timing of the birth is a bad omen and her grandchild will bring misfortune and shame to the family. Sparing no affection for the sweet little girl, Constance blames her for every mishap the family endures.

When a disaster strikes, Mawde ignores her spiteful grandmother’s pleas for help. The consequences are catastrophic.

Mawde has no choice but to leave Cornwall and enter a life of kitchen service. The work is gruelling, but Mawde has a goal – to return to her mother in Roseland. First, she must find a way to save enough money, and that requires more than her servant’s wage.

Such ambition comes at a price. But is it a price Mawde is willing to pay?

A page-turning tale set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Available as: Paperback and Kindle

Amazon Blurb: 1584, London

When Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster to the Tudor Queen Elizabeth, learns of a Jesuit assassin landing on England’s shores, he’s determined to go to any lengths to protect his Protestant Queen. His protégé, Kit Scarlett, discovers a letter revealing the name of the assassin – Gregorio Luca. Together with Scottish agent, Iomhar Blackwood, Walsingham sends them on a mission to track Luca down. It is clear Luca is only coming with one task in mind – to kill. But is his target the English queen?

Kit and Iomhar must scour the coast, keeping an eye on the beaches and searching for priest holes to stop Luca before he gets any further. But when Kit is attacked, they realise they are the ones in grave danger. Why is Kit being targeted? Does Luca know they are tracking him? And can he be stopped before he completes his deadly mission…?

This novel is a thrilling historical espionage adventure set in Elizabethan London with a feisty female lead and is a sequel to:

Available as: Kindle

Amazon Blurb: When one deadly plot is foiled, another begins. England, 1583. Tom Walsingham is back in London, being groomed for intelligence work by his spymaster cousin, Sir Francis. An anonymous informer has started sending letters from the French ambassador’s residence, claiming to have bribed the man’s secretary to pass on information.The informer has discovered messages between the French and Mary, Queen of Scots, which could harm the English Queen Elizabeth.

When someone who works for the French Ambassador is killed in suspicious circumstances, Sir Francis sends Tom to investigate the matter – and to uncover the identity of the informer. Tom must find a way into the French Ambassador’s good graces and make friends within his retinue without giving himself away. And as the news from Scotland grow more and more alarming, it becomes imperative that Tom unveils the identity of the secret informer and exposes the intrigues at play.

Can Tom unravel the mystery and protect the Queen? Will he unmask the killer? Or could he find himself the target of a deadly plot…?

This book is a sequel to the first in the series:

Available as: Paperback and Kindle

Amazon Blurb: When twenty-year-old history student, Beth Wickers starts her second year of university, she has no idea that her whole world is about to be turned upside down.

Beth’s favourite lecturer gives Beth a box of books on Tudor history to borrow, and nestled among them is an ornate cypher ring with the letters ‘AB’ inscribed onto it.

When Beth tries the ring on, the unimaginable happens.

It carries her back through time to Hever Castle in 1521. And she is no longer in her professor’s office, but in the bedroom of none other than Lady Anne Boleyn.

Beth quickly becomes enchanted by Tudor England and is captivated by Anne. But she knows she can’t leave her loved ones behind forever.

Tormented by the knowledge of what will happen to Anne in the future, can Beth stop herself from intervening and rewriting history? Can she use the cypher ring to return home?

Or will Tudor life be too hard to leave behind…?