A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix by Judith Arnopp

Today I’m delighted to be introducing Judith Arnopp’s newly released novel A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. A Matter of Faith is the second book of Judith’s series, The Henrician Chronicle. Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, … Continue reading A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix by Judith Arnopp

Raleigh – Tudor Adventurer by Tony Riches

Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Tony Riches’ most recent novel, Raleigh – Tudor Adventurer, as part of a blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club. This is the third book in The Elizabethan Series. Greenwich Palace, 1584 I’d never seen the presence chamber so crowded. The queen sat on … Continue reading Raleigh – Tudor Adventurer by Tony Riches

Take the Head of a Black Sheep – Tudor Medicine at Home

Most people in the Tudor period lived in the countryside and unlike us, with our local GPs and ready access to Dr Google, they did not have doctors or apothecaries nearby, even if they could afford them. The bulk of everyday medical care took place within the home with the main practitioners the women of … Continue reading Take the Head of a Black Sheep – Tudor Medicine at Home

Random Reading – June to September 2021

More of the bits and pieces I've read while rambling around the internet over the past few months. It's not really time-wasting if you learn something, is it? From Dunluce Castle in Antrim to Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway Dunluce Castle Watch 6 Ruined British Castles Come Back to Lifeby Niall Patrick Walsh While … Continue reading Random Reading – June to September 2021

Book Review – Beware the Lizard Lurking by Vivienne Brereton

Beware the Lizard Lurking is the second book in Vivienne Brereton’s House of the Red Duke series which follows the fortunes of the House of Howard and the 2nd Duke of Norfolk, the elderly Thomas Howard. While Phoenix Rising, the first book, ranged over the years between 1497 and 1520, Beware the Lizard Lurking follows … Continue reading Book Review – Beware the Lizard Lurking by Vivienne Brereton

Author Interview – Vivienne Brereton

Today I’m delighted to be talking to Vivienne Brereton about her recently released novel, Beware the Lizard Lurking. This is the second book in Vivienne’s series, The House of the Red Duke, which follows the fortunes of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, his family and those within his orbit. Vivienne, tell us a little … Continue reading Author Interview – Vivienne Brereton

Book Review – A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe

A Murder by Any Name is set in 1585, a time when England was providing arms and support to the Dutch in their fight against Spain, the King of Spain had already begun building his great armada and the English government was ever alert to plots against the life of Queen Elizabeth I. The story … Continue reading Book Review – A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe

The Devil’s Dye by Jeni Neill

Today, I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Jeni Neill's debut novel, The Devil's Dye which is set in and around Norwich in the 1560 and 1570s and follows the fortunes of a family of Strangers, Protestant refugees escaping persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Excerpt Apprenticing the two Wright boys to Jowan has been … Continue reading The Devil’s Dye by Jeni Neill

Drake – Tudor Corsair by Tony Riches

Today, I'm delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Tony Riches' new book Drake - Tudor Corsair as part of his blog tour with the Coffee Pot Book Club. This is the first book in his new Elizabethan Series. Excerpt Gorhambury Manor, home of the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon, May 1577 … Continue reading Drake – Tudor Corsair by Tony Riches

Early Modern Women – Sabine Johnson (c1521-1597?)

There is no known portrait of Sabine Saunders.This portrait is of Jane Pemberton (1518–1602) whose life bears some similarities to Sabine's, She was the daughter of Christopher Pemberton, a Northamptonshire gentleman and married Nicholas Small, a London cloth merchant, probably in about 1540.Hans Holbein c1540 / Public domain Sabine Saunders was the daughter of Thomas … Continue reading Early Modern Women – Sabine Johnson (c1521-1597?)