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Royal Mistress
From the author of A Rose for the Crown and Daughter of York comes another engrossing historical novel of the York family in the Wars of the Roses, telling the fascinating story of the rise and fall of the final and favorite mistress of Edward IV.
Jane Lambert, the quick-witted and alluring daughter of a silk merchant, is twenty-two and still unmarried. When Jane’s father finally finds her a match, she’s married off to the dull, older silk merchant William Shore—but her heart belongs to another. Marriage doesn’t stop Jane Shore from flirtation, however, and when the king’s chamberlain and friend, Will Hastings, comes to her husband’s shop, Will knows his King will find her irresistible.
Edward IV has everything: power, majestic bearing, superior military leadership, a sensual nature, and charisma. And with Jane as his mistress, he also finds true happiness. But when his hedonistic tendencies get in the way of being the strong leader England needs, his life, as well as that of Jane Shore and Will Hastings, hang in the balance.
This dramatic tale has been an inspiration to poets and playwrights for 500 years, and told through the unique perspective of a woman plucked from obscurity and thrust into a life of notoriety, Royal Mistress is sure to enthrall today’s historical fiction lovers as well.
Jane Lambert, the quick-witted and alluring daughter of a silk merchant, is twenty-two and still unmarried. When Jane’s father finally finds her a match, she’s married off to the dull, older silk merchant William Shore—but her heart belongs to another. Marriage doesn’t stop Jane Shore from flirtation, however, and when the king’s chamberlain and friend, Will Hastings, comes to her husband’s shop, Will knows his King will find her irresistible.
Edward IV has everything: power, majestic bearing, superior military leadership, a sensual nature, and charisma. And with Jane as his mistress, he also finds true happiness. But when his hedonistic tendencies get in the way of being the strong leader England needs, his life, as well as that of Jane Shore and Will Hastings, hang in the balance.
This dramatic tale has been an inspiration to poets and playwrights for 500 years, and told through the unique perspective of a woman plucked from obscurity and thrust into a life of notoriety, Royal Mistress is sure to enthrall today’s historical fiction lovers as well.
512 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2013
181 people are currently reading
3512 people want to read
About the author
Anne Easter Smith
10 books581 followersA native of the UK, Anne Easter Smith is an award-winning historical novelist who has lived in the US for more than 40 years. Her six novels about the York family during the Wars of the Roses are published by Touchstone at Simon & Schuster and others. She was the Features Editor at the Press-Republican in Plattsburgh, NY for 10 years, and her writing has been featured in a number of national magazines. Anne welcomes visitors at her website at: www.anneeastersmith.com"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
July 12, 2013
Although Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of Edward IV, is known for her perhaps unscrupulous catching of Edward’s eye; he is more so to blame if looking at his track record of sexual debauchery. Anne Easter Smith follows the course of Jane Shore, his last and possibly most well-known, concubine in “Royal Mistress”.
Immediate credit must be given to Smith’s inclusion of a list of characters forthright which clearly depicts which are true to history and which are fictional. This is quite useful for those readers new to the cast of characters and helps strongly mark the line between history and fiction.
On the flip side, “Royal Mistress” has a much too slow and flimsy start, focusing on a fictional romance between Jane Shore and Tom Grey. Approximately 60 pages are filled with her yearnings and love when they met all but two times. This becomes annoying (as the novel reads like a YA high school romance) and also bores as the plot refuses to move forward.
As more characters are introduced, “Royal Mistress” unfolds from various viewpoints and becomes more entertaining. However, the plot is still thin and focuses solely on Jane seeking (and receiving) attention from every man she encounters; while, the characters are oversimplified and lack depth. “Royal Mistress” is heavier on the fiction, using the historic figures as the character roles versus of strong historical credence.
Smith applies the tactic of each character recalling historical events or the, “As you know, Bob…” – method. At least, these portions are historically accurate, well researched, and garner more interest than the fictional plotline. Perhaps Smith would be stronger at penning nonfiction writing.
Frustratingly, Jane’s character arc doesn’t expand and both her personality and the plotline merely revolve around her being a mistress. There are no subplots concerning her role which results in the reader not learning about either Jane or history. Plus, it consequentially gives the impression that Jane was nothing more than an empty-headed whore. Often times, “Royal Mistress” simply seems pointless.
Excitement doesn’t begin to build until approximately page 250 (very late), as Smith incorporates more historical happenings to various characters. However, even here there are issues: the characters are quite stereotypical, the plot has too much foreshadowing, and some of the fluff is overly ridiculous (the murder of George, Duke of Clarence, to name one). Plus, Smith presents this fictionalized romanticism with such ease, that it will certainly cause those who are new to the topic to believe it all as fact.
As “Royal Mistress” focuses on the drama of Richard III’s reign and the Princes in the Tower; the plot is slightly thickened and has an ounce more of depth. Even Smith’s historical liberties (and there are many) are somewhat interesting at this point, as they explore theories of the events. However, Jane’s characterization is still shallow and pointless, while Richard’s is too “good”. It appears that Richard is either always a saint or sinner in novels and Smith makes her Ricardian stance clear, excusing all of this behavior to the point where even a Ricardian would his/her eyes.
A highlight of the novel is Smith using actual quoted letters and excerpts of speeches, true to text. On the contrary, the habit of Jane’s random poem/lyric writing is, bluntly: silly.
The ending of “Royal Mistress” is much too ‘cheesy’ and ‘happily ever after’ diminishing believability. However, the epilogue brought creativity to the table, exploring possibilities behind Thomas More’s written “history” of Richard III. This leads into a much appreciated “Author’s Note” in which Smith explains her motives and historic deviations.
Overall, “Royal Mistress is one-dimensional, fluffy, and more fiction than history. Yet, it is entertaining if searching for a light historical fiction ‘filler’ novel and in such a case, I would read Smith again. Just don’t expect a deep, historically accurate, literary novel.
Immediate credit must be given to Smith’s inclusion of a list of characters forthright which clearly depicts which are true to history and which are fictional. This is quite useful for those readers new to the cast of characters and helps strongly mark the line between history and fiction.
On the flip side, “Royal Mistress” has a much too slow and flimsy start, focusing on a fictional romance between Jane Shore and Tom Grey. Approximately 60 pages are filled with her yearnings and love when they met all but two times. This becomes annoying (as the novel reads like a YA high school romance) and also bores as the plot refuses to move forward.
As more characters are introduced, “Royal Mistress” unfolds from various viewpoints and becomes more entertaining. However, the plot is still thin and focuses solely on Jane seeking (and receiving) attention from every man she encounters; while, the characters are oversimplified and lack depth. “Royal Mistress” is heavier on the fiction, using the historic figures as the character roles versus of strong historical credence.
Smith applies the tactic of each character recalling historical events or the, “As you know, Bob…” – method. At least, these portions are historically accurate, well researched, and garner more interest than the fictional plotline. Perhaps Smith would be stronger at penning nonfiction writing.
Frustratingly, Jane’s character arc doesn’t expand and both her personality and the plotline merely revolve around her being a mistress. There are no subplots concerning her role which results in the reader not learning about either Jane or history. Plus, it consequentially gives the impression that Jane was nothing more than an empty-headed whore. Often times, “Royal Mistress” simply seems pointless.
Excitement doesn’t begin to build until approximately page 250 (very late), as Smith incorporates more historical happenings to various characters. However, even here there are issues: the characters are quite stereotypical, the plot has too much foreshadowing, and some of the fluff is overly ridiculous (the murder of George, Duke of Clarence, to name one). Plus, Smith presents this fictionalized romanticism with such ease, that it will certainly cause those who are new to the topic to believe it all as fact.
As “Royal Mistress” focuses on the drama of Richard III’s reign and the Princes in the Tower; the plot is slightly thickened and has an ounce more of depth. Even Smith’s historical liberties (and there are many) are somewhat interesting at this point, as they explore theories of the events. However, Jane’s characterization is still shallow and pointless, while Richard’s is too “good”. It appears that Richard is either always a saint or sinner in novels and Smith makes her Ricardian stance clear, excusing all of this behavior to the point where even a Ricardian would his/her eyes.
A highlight of the novel is Smith using actual quoted letters and excerpts of speeches, true to text. On the contrary, the habit of Jane’s random poem/lyric writing is, bluntly: silly.
The ending of “Royal Mistress” is much too ‘cheesy’ and ‘happily ever after’ diminishing believability. However, the epilogue brought creativity to the table, exploring possibilities behind Thomas More’s written “history” of Richard III. This leads into a much appreciated “Author’s Note” in which Smith explains her motives and historic deviations.
Overall, “Royal Mistress is one-dimensional, fluffy, and more fiction than history. Yet, it is entertaining if searching for a light historical fiction ‘filler’ novel and in such a case, I would read Smith again. Just don’t expect a deep, historically accurate, literary novel.
February 21, 2022
I love stories - including historical novels- about the 'whore with the heart of gold'
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
Merged review:
I love stories - including historical novels- about the 'whore with the heart of gold'
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
Merged review:
I love stories - including historical novels- about the 'whore with the heart of gold'
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
June 17, 2013
3.5 stars
Despite the fact that few details of the private life of Jane Shore are actually known, she has nonetheless been the subject of a number of plays and historical novels, including The Goldsmith’s Wife by Jean Plaidy, and now this, the latest novel from Anne Easter Smith.
Born Elizabeth Lambert, Jane was born into a reasonably well-to-do merchant’s family, and was married to William Shore, who was – like her father - a mercer by trade (and not a goldsmith as had been believed until fairly recently). She is reputed to have been very beautiful and both her father and her husband were not above exploiting this fact in order to gain custom; she was also intelligent, witty and well-mannered, her daily life in the running of her father’s business having brought her regularly into contact with well-born ladies whose behaviour and deportment she was able to observe.
Royal Mistress tells Jane’s story from just before the time of her marriage until almost the end of her life, taking as its final event, the true story of a chance meeting between Jane – now in her sixties – and Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII.
Jane is an attractive character and her story is told in a very straightforward manner. She is vivacious, generous and down-to-earth and does not take the decision to become King Edward IV’s mistress at all lightly. During her time with him, Jane earned herself the name of The Rose of London for her kindness and generosity towards those who asked for her help and the fact that she never forgot her origins or used her status as the King’s mistress to enrich herself or to ride roughshod over the people of her own class.
If there was one thing about this fictionalised version of Jane that didn’t ring true however, it was her nine-year infatuation with Elizabeth Woodville’s eldest son from her first marriage, Tom Grey, Marquis of Dorset. The author has him and Jane literally bumping into each other in the street at the beginning of the book; having then arranged a secret assignation in order to seduce Jane, Tom realises she is expecting declarations of love and a proposal – and he confesses that he is already married. They see each other only a very few times over the course of the book and yet Jane – even when she is happily sharing Edward’s bed – is still fixated on Tom. It’s true that Jane did become Tom Grey’s mistress after Edward’s death; and although I imagine the torch Jane carries for Grey is the author’s invention, I did find that Jane’s constant hankering for him became annoying very quickly.
Jane’s relationship with Edward seems to have been one of mutual affection. She appears to have conducted herself modestly and gained the respect of much of the court for her common sense, wit and good manners. But although Jane has always known her position to be a somewhat precarious one, it is only when Edward becomes ill suddenly and dies – aged only forty – that she realises just how precarious it is. For me, this was when the book really started to come to life as Jane’s life is turned upside down and she becomes unwittingly involved in a Woodville plot to wrest the Protectorate from Edward’s brother Richard.
It was at this point – around half-way through the book – that I thought things moved up a gear and I began to feel a greater engagement with the story than I had up until then. The pacing picks up as Jane is swept up in events she does not fully understand, and I thought the scenes in which she and Hastings say farewell for what will turn out to be the last time, were truly heartfelt.
On a personal level, I was pleased to discover that the narrative is written in the third person omniscient rather than the first person as seems to be the favoured viewpoint for so much of the historical fiction being written today. This means that the author is able to include scenes depicting events of which Jane could have no knowledge without having to resort to too much of the “as you know, Bob”, style of dialogue in having someone later recount to her in order to keep the reader informed. That’s not to say that this doesn’t happen in the book – it does. But it’s not as frequent or intrusive at it might otherwise have been.
I imagine that authors of historical fiction have a difficult line to tread when it comes to deciding on the level of detail to include. Is your audience likely to have a reasonable background knowledge of the period about which you are writing, or do you assume it knows next to nothing? I venture to suggest that if you fall into the latter category, you will find Royal Mistress to be engaging and informative; but if, like me, you are in the former group, you might find it to be somewhat simplistic in tone with a little too much repetition as to who everyone is, what is their position at court, to whom they are related and so on.
That said, I think the book does have plenty to recommend it. I found it enjoyable overall; the story is well-told, Jane is an attractive and sympathetic protagonist and some of the secondary characters - such as William Hastings and Thomas Lyneham - are very nicely drawn indeed. The historical detail has been well-researched, and even when I didn’t completely agree with the author’s interpretation of some of the historical figures (Richard of Gloucester was frequently presented as a po-faced killjoy, for example) I could understand why she had made those decisions.
I’m not sure that Royal Mistress is a book I will re-read in the near future, but I would certainly say that it is worth reading if you are interested in the tumultuous events of the latter part of the fifteenth century and in the lives of the last two Plantagenet monarchs. Ultimately, I think the degree to which you enjoy it will depend on how much you already know about the period and how annoyed you get when being repeatedly told things you already know.
Despite the fact that few details of the private life of Jane Shore are actually known, she has nonetheless been the subject of a number of plays and historical novels, including The Goldsmith’s Wife by Jean Plaidy, and now this, the latest novel from Anne Easter Smith.
Born Elizabeth Lambert, Jane was born into a reasonably well-to-do merchant’s family, and was married to William Shore, who was – like her father - a mercer by trade (and not a goldsmith as had been believed until fairly recently). She is reputed to have been very beautiful and both her father and her husband were not above exploiting this fact in order to gain custom; she was also intelligent, witty and well-mannered, her daily life in the running of her father’s business having brought her regularly into contact with well-born ladies whose behaviour and deportment she was able to observe.
Royal Mistress tells Jane’s story from just before the time of her marriage until almost the end of her life, taking as its final event, the true story of a chance meeting between Jane – now in her sixties – and Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII.
Jane is an attractive character and her story is told in a very straightforward manner. She is vivacious, generous and down-to-earth and does not take the decision to become King Edward IV’s mistress at all lightly. During her time with him, Jane earned herself the name of The Rose of London for her kindness and generosity towards those who asked for her help and the fact that she never forgot her origins or used her status as the King’s mistress to enrich herself or to ride roughshod over the people of her own class.
If there was one thing about this fictionalised version of Jane that didn’t ring true however, it was her nine-year infatuation with Elizabeth Woodville’s eldest son from her first marriage, Tom Grey, Marquis of Dorset. The author has him and Jane literally bumping into each other in the street at the beginning of the book; having then arranged a secret assignation in order to seduce Jane, Tom realises she is expecting declarations of love and a proposal – and he confesses that he is already married. They see each other only a very few times over the course of the book and yet Jane – even when she is happily sharing Edward’s bed – is still fixated on Tom. It’s true that Jane did become Tom Grey’s mistress after Edward’s death; and although I imagine the torch Jane carries for Grey is the author’s invention, I did find that Jane’s constant hankering for him became annoying very quickly.
Jane’s relationship with Edward seems to have been one of mutual affection. She appears to have conducted herself modestly and gained the respect of much of the court for her common sense, wit and good manners. But although Jane has always known her position to be a somewhat precarious one, it is only when Edward becomes ill suddenly and dies – aged only forty – that she realises just how precarious it is. For me, this was when the book really started to come to life as Jane’s life is turned upside down and she becomes unwittingly involved in a Woodville plot to wrest the Protectorate from Edward’s brother Richard.
It was at this point – around half-way through the book – that I thought things moved up a gear and I began to feel a greater engagement with the story than I had up until then. The pacing picks up as Jane is swept up in events she does not fully understand, and I thought the scenes in which she and Hastings say farewell for what will turn out to be the last time, were truly heartfelt.
On a personal level, I was pleased to discover that the narrative is written in the third person omniscient rather than the first person as seems to be the favoured viewpoint for so much of the historical fiction being written today. This means that the author is able to include scenes depicting events of which Jane could have no knowledge without having to resort to too much of the “as you know, Bob”, style of dialogue in having someone later recount to her in order to keep the reader informed. That’s not to say that this doesn’t happen in the book – it does. But it’s not as frequent or intrusive at it might otherwise have been.
I imagine that authors of historical fiction have a difficult line to tread when it comes to deciding on the level of detail to include. Is your audience likely to have a reasonable background knowledge of the period about which you are writing, or do you assume it knows next to nothing? I venture to suggest that if you fall into the latter category, you will find Royal Mistress to be engaging and informative; but if, like me, you are in the former group, you might find it to be somewhat simplistic in tone with a little too much repetition as to who everyone is, what is their position at court, to whom they are related and so on.
That said, I think the book does have plenty to recommend it. I found it enjoyable overall; the story is well-told, Jane is an attractive and sympathetic protagonist and some of the secondary characters - such as William Hastings and Thomas Lyneham - are very nicely drawn indeed. The historical detail has been well-researched, and even when I didn’t completely agree with the author’s interpretation of some of the historical figures (Richard of Gloucester was frequently presented as a po-faced killjoy, for example) I could understand why she had made those decisions.
I’m not sure that Royal Mistress is a book I will re-read in the near future, but I would certainly say that it is worth reading if you are interested in the tumultuous events of the latter part of the fifteenth century and in the lives of the last two Plantagenet monarchs. Ultimately, I think the degree to which you enjoy it will depend on how much you already know about the period and how annoyed you get when being repeatedly told things you already know.
June 2, 2013
Thing is, I really wanted to like this book. It has a lot of elements of books I enjoy: English royalty, fascinating historical period, lots of descriptions of clothing, outsider perspective (you don't get much more outsider than a commoner mistress), but it never really coalesced for me.
Jane Shore is the "favorite mistress" of King Edward IV, he of the Wars of the Roses. She rose from being a commoner, daughter of a merchant (portrayed here as running a fabric shop) as she gained the attention and affection of a string of very important, very noble and sometimes royal men. It's a great historical story, portrayed often because of the scandal and romance.
I expected to really enjoy this book, at the least to find it a light and fun summer read (ala Philippa Gregory), but the writing was still and awkward. I'd find myself drawn out of the story by the choppy sentences, awkward dialog, and overly stilted narration.
Perhaps a greater crime was that ancient trespass of "telling not showing". Over and over again we are told a characters motivation, back story, experiences, etc., but only rarely are we shown those elements and allowed to draw our own conclusions.
For example, early on in the story, Jane Shore is being berated/punished by her father and wonders at her mother not intervening for her. As she storms off there is a throwaway line to the effect of Jane not having seen the myriad ways in which her mother has been beaten down so far that she will not help her children. That's a good backstory and motivation; it's an important part of her family dynamic and the main character's personality. And it could have been handled better/more subtly/more fully then one throwaway line that gives an easy answer with no work for the reader to do.
Between the writing and the showing not telling I just kept wondering away from this book. After 5 weeks, I am going to admit, that I am not going to finish this book. I made it halfway through and have no desire to finish it.
This might just be me. Since I didn't finish the book, you are free to take my entire review with a grain of salt. The reviews so far on Goodreads are positive, but Amazon has more mixed reviews. Libraries with large paperback collections and/or previous books by this author should probably pick this book up, but I will pass on recommending it to my friends and patrons.
Review here: http://bornlibrarian.blogspot.com/201...
Jane Shore is the "favorite mistress" of King Edward IV, he of the Wars of the Roses. She rose from being a commoner, daughter of a merchant (portrayed here as running a fabric shop) as she gained the attention and affection of a string of very important, very noble and sometimes royal men. It's a great historical story, portrayed often because of the scandal and romance.
I expected to really enjoy this book, at the least to find it a light and fun summer read (ala Philippa Gregory), but the writing was still and awkward. I'd find myself drawn out of the story by the choppy sentences, awkward dialog, and overly stilted narration.
Perhaps a greater crime was that ancient trespass of "telling not showing". Over and over again we are told a characters motivation, back story, experiences, etc., but only rarely are we shown those elements and allowed to draw our own conclusions.
For example, early on in the story, Jane Shore is being berated/punished by her father and wonders at her mother not intervening for her. As she storms off there is a throwaway line to the effect of Jane not having seen the myriad ways in which her mother has been beaten down so far that she will not help her children. That's a good backstory and motivation; it's an important part of her family dynamic and the main character's personality. And it could have been handled better/more subtly/more fully then one throwaway line that gives an easy answer with no work for the reader to do.
Between the writing and the showing not telling I just kept wondering away from this book. After 5 weeks, I am going to admit, that I am not going to finish this book. I made it halfway through and have no desire to finish it.
This might just be me. Since I didn't finish the book, you are free to take my entire review with a grain of salt. The reviews so far on Goodreads are positive, but Amazon has more mixed reviews. Libraries with large paperback collections and/or previous books by this author should probably pick this book up, but I will pass on recommending it to my friends and patrons.
Review here: http://bornlibrarian.blogspot.com/201...
April 23, 2013
I absolutely loved Jane! She was spunky and charming all at the same time. I could easily identify with her as a reader and wanted to read more about her love life. I was captivated by her and was rooting for her to find love especially after such a loveless marriage with William Shore.
This book stated off a little rocky for me. I felt like I was just dropped into a story without a lot of preamble. For me personally, the very beginning of the novel was a little disorientating and rough, but once I had a few chapters to orientate myself in the story I found that it was very fast paced and an enjoyable read.
It’s split into four parts, with the first two being the fastest paced. Part three was a little slow for me as it contained a lot of history of the period, but it did begin picking up toward the end and got right back into the story.
Over all this was an amusing read and full of great history….I loved all the facts mixed within the fiction. A charming and light spring read!
See my full review here
This book stated off a little rocky for me. I felt like I was just dropped into a story without a lot of preamble. For me personally, the very beginning of the novel was a little disorientating and rough, but once I had a few chapters to orientate myself in the story I found that it was very fast paced and an enjoyable read.
It’s split into four parts, with the first two being the fastest paced. Part three was a little slow for me as it contained a lot of history of the period, but it did begin picking up toward the end and got right back into the story.
Over all this was an amusing read and full of great history….I loved all the facts mixed within the fiction. A charming and light spring read!
See my full review here
December 28, 2017
3.5-4 star
December 6, 2021
2.5 Stars
This is the story of Jane / Elizabeth Shore one of the many mistresses Edward IV had, what makes her a prominent character is her participation against Richard III during the summer of 1483, this novel explores her life as the daughter of a Merchant who ends up becoming a royal mistress in the English court, Edward IV loves and treasures her but Jane Shore will have to deal with the Queen of Edward, Elizabeth Woodville and the intrigues of the court, Jane is a beautiful woman with spirit what wins several admirers including William Hastings, Edward's best friend, and Edward's stepson Thomas Gray, with whom she gets involved to some extent, the novel is told in the third person which allows us to know all the angles and the other characters such as: Cecil Neville who condemns Jane and Edward's relationship, RIII who sees Jane badly but is still decent to her at least most of the time, Elizabeth Woodville of course bad and ambitious, and many other historical characters, the fact of having such a complete image allows us to understand better especially when Edward dies and Richard III takes the crown, at that moment Jane is left with a broken heart but also marked for having been mistress, not to mention that she participated in the conspiracy against RIII which leads her to suffer a public humiliation, but her beauty and fortune lead her to marry Thomas one of RIII's men.
Historically, not much is known about Jane, which is not a surprise, few women entered the historical record at that time, even so, several episodes of her life are known and this novel recreates them correctly or at least takes paths that historians accept, but it sticks a lot to the version of events that supports Richard III which can be disputed but not refuted, so I think it's fine in the historical sense, the story is not boring, but here are my reasons to give 2.5 stars.
* Although the novel starts out being about Jane Shore, the book deviates from her to present conversations between other historical characters, at the beginning everything is connected to Jane but towards the middle the book moves further and further away from her, until at the end it seems this is Richard III's story, not Jane's.
* The romance with Edward is quite simple, they don't have a great connection or it is not reflected, the Edward IV that we have here honestly seems very little charming, he's a womanizer without very interesting characteristics, to the point I find difficult to believe that we are talking about such a charming King who was so popular as the historical records describe.
* As for Jane, she is always described as beautiful and sweet, but her personality and thought are little examined, I suppose she was beautiful but I can't imagine how many beautiful women Edward IV had and few achieved the connection that Jane had with him, and not only with him, Thomas her husband decides to take her as his wife despite Jane's bad reputation and the problem that it implied for Tomas's position in front of RIII, so the book did not seem convincing to me in terms of the question, what made her so special ?
* The book does a good job presenting Jane as a woman not only as a prostitute and avoids falling into judgments about her love or sexual life, but makes a horribly serious mistake that is comparisons, it is normal that in non-fiction books historians compare women from the same historical period, which I personally dislike, but to find it in a novel written by a woman is even more uncomfortable and sad, the men in this book keep comparing their women in such an unpleasant way that I almost abandoned this novel in a couple of times, Edward is quite cynical about his burning sexual desire and has conversations about everything related to his relationships, especially about the characteristics that Jane has and that Elizabeth doesn't have, who although being beautiful also is wicked, ambitious and cold (overall the book gives a pretty poor description of Elizabeth) Jane might be sweeter but what this novel does is that strips Elizabeth Woodville of any virtue giving everything to Jane what is false and implausible, let's not forget that Elizabeth got the crown despite being a single mother and a Lancasterian widow, and also managed to favor her entire family, yes is true Edward was not faithful but there must have been something strong between them that led her to be the center of so many problems, I doubt that the horrible woman we have here could achieve that, I understand that Edward could see his women as opposites and will appreciate characteristics in one that he didn't find in the other, but one full of virtues and the other not and said so many times I didn't like it and I felt that women were like objects being analyzed more than anything else, I am not saying that at that time it was not like that but I think it wasn't necessary do it so repetitively and banal in this book.
* Again the author brings out Kate Haute from her book "a rose for the crown", the fictional mistress of Richard III, I honestly believe that this book could well be titled "A rose for the crown 2" because of the importance of the Kate's character in this story, her addition in this story is not just weird I would describe it as clumsy, was this necessary? No, was interesting? Obviously No, Did it make any sense ? No sense at all, was believable? Hell Not!.
Jane decide to find her, soliciting an appointment and everything because she admires Kate sooooooo much, they have a conversation that only has a porpuse to expose us once again how wonderful Kate is, everyone put them in the same level because they are both beautiful and bold, I don't know how many times I read those two adjectives to refer to them especially Kate and I would like to remind the author that there are synonyms for those words, basically all historical characters idolize Kate with an incredible level of madness, they talk about her all the time as if she were a Goddess, at that level she is placed here, Edward considers her the most beautiful woman in the world, he would have liked to take her but he didn't just to respect Richard, Jane sees kate as a role model of bravery and beauty.
Richard well he's completely blind with love for her more than blind I would say sick, by God it's not normal and not in a good way, so it was like rereading "A Rose for the crown" but from another angle ,and since I hate that book, this reading was ruined, but something completely unforgivable is that again here the comparisons appear although this time they are even more degrading for the woman who is not Kate, Edward, Jhon Howard, Margaret Howard and Cecile Neville, constantly compare Kate with Anne neville type: Poor Anne Richard only take her for pity because he really loves the beautiful and unique Kate, Richard was only happy with Kate the poor man now has to settle with Anne, Poor Richard he has to be with someone so simple like Anne just because the great Kate is not of good birth (Damn fate!!) , and the worst of all is Richard he is like: Kate is beautiful while Anne has a simple almost ugly appearance, Kate is sweet and stands out while Anne is flat without grace, no one notices her presence or absence, Kate likes to bathe while Anne, well, as she is a noble from the Middle Ages, doesn't do so often (Kate apparently lives in other universe, where commoners used to bath every day and weren't afraid of diseases in which medieval people believed), Kate was uninhibited and passionate while Anne rejects the idea that Richard suggests of having sex in a public place during the day (A virtuous and appropriate behavior for a woman of the middle ages, sorry I must follow Smith's logic, Anne you are a Boring!). Anne can hardly bear the betrayals and stress of becoming queen in the midst of chaos (WEAK!) , not to mention that Richard could tell her about his problems she can't bear them because she is a fearful and silly girl (Poor Richard !) but Kate, she is brave and intelligent and a good counselor, a pity that she can't be the Queen that Richard needs and wants (to hell with the love that the north had for Anne apparently that's useless) ,in this particular case it feels even more incongruous, it is never explained, where would Kate get her knowledge or her strength? considering that she is not even involved in the events, she doesn't know the people and has never been close to the battles and betrayals.To this, let's add that for everything Anne remembers her mother's teachings, you know, women should not do this, they should do that, even the fact that Anne gets sick and passed away here is like: Anne is so fragile while Kate is healthy and strong, ( I didn't know that when you get sick , is somehow your fault). It really required courage on my part to continue reading something so cruel.
I understand that Smith loves her fictional character Kate, but is it necessary to lower another woman so much to make Kate shine? I do not think so, I found it insulting, Yes it is true not much is known about Anne Neville, but it doesn't mean she was nothing, and I doubt that a woman who had a father like Warwick, a mother-in-law like Margaret of Anjou, a first husband like Edward of Lancaster and a brother-in-law like Clarence and who didn't got broken after losing everything before having 15 years old and even found a way to preserve her inheritance and position, and by the way whose death caused Richard III to almost lose his base of support, may be the graceless and untalented woman presented in this book, and I don't think any woman from any century deserves to be compared and portrayed in this way, much less one who died at the age of 29 after having lost her entire family including her only son.
I think the author is passionate about this topic especially RIII but honestly, her obsession with Kate ruins her stories, and the Richard that she makes in her novels is unbearable, I don't hate or love him as I usually do when I read fiction about The war of the roses, I just want to punch him in the face for being so pathetic and hypocrite.
In short, it was not the best reading or the worst, which is not necessarily good, what makes it bad for me is to deviate from the main character or use it to talk about the same topics that you have dealt with in other books, it is important to know the place and time for things and knowing when was enough of your favorite even if it made you sell a lot of books in the past.
This is the story of Jane / Elizabeth Shore one of the many mistresses Edward IV had, what makes her a prominent character is her participation against Richard III during the summer of 1483, this novel explores her life as the daughter of a Merchant who ends up becoming a royal mistress in the English court, Edward IV loves and treasures her but Jane Shore will have to deal with the Queen of Edward, Elizabeth Woodville and the intrigues of the court, Jane is a beautiful woman with spirit what wins several admirers including William Hastings, Edward's best friend, and Edward's stepson Thomas Gray, with whom she gets involved to some extent, the novel is told in the third person which allows us to know all the angles and the other characters such as: Cecil Neville who condemns Jane and Edward's relationship, RIII who sees Jane badly but is still decent to her at least most of the time, Elizabeth Woodville of course bad and ambitious, and many other historical characters, the fact of having such a complete image allows us to understand better especially when Edward dies and Richard III takes the crown, at that moment Jane is left with a broken heart but also marked for having been mistress, not to mention that she participated in the conspiracy against RIII which leads her to suffer a public humiliation, but her beauty and fortune lead her to marry Thomas one of RIII's men.
Historically, not much is known about Jane, which is not a surprise, few women entered the historical record at that time, even so, several episodes of her life are known and this novel recreates them correctly or at least takes paths that historians accept, but it sticks a lot to the version of events that supports Richard III which can be disputed but not refuted, so I think it's fine in the historical sense, the story is not boring, but here are my reasons to give 2.5 stars.
* Although the novel starts out being about Jane Shore, the book deviates from her to present conversations between other historical characters, at the beginning everything is connected to Jane but towards the middle the book moves further and further away from her, until at the end it seems this is Richard III's story, not Jane's.
* The romance with Edward is quite simple, they don't have a great connection or it is not reflected, the Edward IV that we have here honestly seems very little charming, he's a womanizer without very interesting characteristics, to the point I find difficult to believe that we are talking about such a charming King who was so popular as the historical records describe.
* As for Jane, she is always described as beautiful and sweet, but her personality and thought are little examined, I suppose she was beautiful but I can't imagine how many beautiful women Edward IV had and few achieved the connection that Jane had with him, and not only with him, Thomas her husband decides to take her as his wife despite Jane's bad reputation and the problem that it implied for Tomas's position in front of RIII, so the book did not seem convincing to me in terms of the question, what made her so special ?
* The book does a good job presenting Jane as a woman not only as a prostitute and avoids falling into judgments about her love or sexual life, but makes a horribly serious mistake that is comparisons, it is normal that in non-fiction books historians compare women from the same historical period, which I personally dislike, but to find it in a novel written by a woman is even more uncomfortable and sad, the men in this book keep comparing their women in such an unpleasant way that I almost abandoned this novel in a couple of times, Edward is quite cynical about his burning sexual desire and has conversations about everything related to his relationships, especially about the characteristics that Jane has and that Elizabeth doesn't have, who although being beautiful also is wicked, ambitious and cold (overall the book gives a pretty poor description of Elizabeth) Jane might be sweeter but what this novel does is that strips Elizabeth Woodville of any virtue giving everything to Jane what is false and implausible, let's not forget that Elizabeth got the crown despite being a single mother and a Lancasterian widow, and also managed to favor her entire family, yes is true Edward was not faithful but there must have been something strong between them that led her to be the center of so many problems, I doubt that the horrible woman we have here could achieve that, I understand that Edward could see his women as opposites and will appreciate characteristics in one that he didn't find in the other, but one full of virtues and the other not and said so many times I didn't like it and I felt that women were like objects being analyzed more than anything else, I am not saying that at that time it was not like that but I think it wasn't necessary do it so repetitively and banal in this book.
* Again the author brings out Kate Haute from her book "a rose for the crown", the fictional mistress of Richard III, I honestly believe that this book could well be titled "A rose for the crown 2" because of the importance of the Kate's character in this story, her addition in this story is not just weird I would describe it as clumsy, was this necessary? No, was interesting? Obviously No, Did it make any sense ? No sense at all, was believable? Hell Not!.
Jane decide to find her, soliciting an appointment and everything because she admires Kate sooooooo much, they have a conversation that only has a porpuse to expose us once again how wonderful Kate is, everyone put them in the same level because they are both beautiful and bold, I don't know how many times I read those two adjectives to refer to them especially Kate and I would like to remind the author that there are synonyms for those words, basically all historical characters idolize Kate with an incredible level of madness, they talk about her all the time as if she were a Goddess, at that level she is placed here, Edward considers her the most beautiful woman in the world, he would have liked to take her but he didn't just to respect Richard, Jane sees kate as a role model of bravery and beauty.
Richard well he's completely blind with love for her more than blind I would say sick, by God it's not normal and not in a good way, so it was like rereading "A Rose for the crown" but from another angle ,and since I hate that book, this reading was ruined, but something completely unforgivable is that again here the comparisons appear although this time they are even more degrading for the woman who is not Kate, Edward, Jhon Howard, Margaret Howard and Cecile Neville, constantly compare Kate with Anne neville type: Poor Anne Richard only take her for pity because he really loves the beautiful and unique Kate, Richard was only happy with Kate the poor man now has to settle with Anne, Poor Richard he has to be with someone so simple like Anne just because the great Kate is not of good birth (Damn fate!!) , and the worst of all is Richard he is like: Kate is beautiful while Anne has a simple almost ugly appearance, Kate is sweet and stands out while Anne is flat without grace, no one notices her presence or absence, Kate likes to bathe while Anne, well, as she is a noble from the Middle Ages, doesn't do so often (Kate apparently lives in other universe, where commoners used to bath every day and weren't afraid of diseases in which medieval people believed), Kate was uninhibited and passionate while Anne rejects the idea that Richard suggests of having sex in a public place during the day (A virtuous and appropriate behavior for a woman of the middle ages, sorry I must follow Smith's logic, Anne you are a Boring!). Anne can hardly bear the betrayals and stress of becoming queen in the midst of chaos (WEAK!) , not to mention that Richard could tell her about his problems she can't bear them because she is a fearful and silly girl (Poor Richard !) but Kate, she is brave and intelligent and a good counselor, a pity that she can't be the Queen that Richard needs and wants (to hell with the love that the north had for Anne apparently that's useless) ,in this particular case it feels even more incongruous, it is never explained, where would Kate get her knowledge or her strength? considering that she is not even involved in the events, she doesn't know the people and has never been close to the battles and betrayals.To this, let's add that for everything Anne remembers her mother's teachings, you know, women should not do this, they should do that, even the fact that Anne gets sick and passed away here is like: Anne is so fragile while Kate is healthy and strong, ( I didn't know that when you get sick , is somehow your fault). It really required courage on my part to continue reading something so cruel.
I understand that Smith loves her fictional character Kate, but is it necessary to lower another woman so much to make Kate shine? I do not think so, I found it insulting, Yes it is true not much is known about Anne Neville, but it doesn't mean she was nothing, and I doubt that a woman who had a father like Warwick, a mother-in-law like Margaret of Anjou, a first husband like Edward of Lancaster and a brother-in-law like Clarence and who didn't got broken after losing everything before having 15 years old and even found a way to preserve her inheritance and position, and by the way whose death caused Richard III to almost lose his base of support, may be the graceless and untalented woman presented in this book, and I don't think any woman from any century deserves to be compared and portrayed in this way, much less one who died at the age of 29 after having lost her entire family including her only son.
I think the author is passionate about this topic especially RIII but honestly, her obsession with Kate ruins her stories, and the Richard that she makes in her novels is unbearable, I don't hate or love him as I usually do when I read fiction about The war of the roses, I just want to punch him in the face for being so pathetic and hypocrite.
In short, it was not the best reading or the worst, which is not necessarily good, what makes it bad for me is to deviate from the main character or use it to talk about the same topics that you have dealt with in other books, it is important to know the place and time for things and knowing when was enough of your favorite even if it made you sell a lot of books in the past.
February 18, 2022
I love stories - including historical novels- about the 'whore with the heart of gold'
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
From Rahab, the harlot to heroine who hid the Hebrew spies in Jericho to Julia Robert's Pretty Woman. I have long loved Mistress Jane Shore, described as 'the merriest whore in court' the beloved mistress of Edward IV
Jane Shore appears in the 1955 Laurence Olivier of Shakespeare's Richard III , played by Pamela Brown, in a role where she appears but only speaks one line 'Good morrow'
Jean Plaidy's The Goldsmith's Wife featuring Jane Shore is a rewarding read, and I mistress Shore also appears in The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman, figures in Silk by Vanora Benett and the White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Royal mistress is compelling and engaging, well researched and I found myself sustaining a strong sympathy for Jane Shore from beginning to end.
she is portrayed as beautiful and sexy, good hearted, intelligent and fun.
During her period as Edward IV's favoured mistress she used her position to go great things for the poor of London earning herself the name the 'Rose of London '
The book begins in 1475 with Jane Lambert as a 22 year old unmarried daughter of a mercer, who is an uncaring and abusive father.
she begins a romance with the dapper son of the queen Elizabeth Woodville, Earl Thomas Grey, who declines to commit to her as he is already married. And she is forced by her father to marry the older mercer William Shore who is not just austere and cold but is actually impotent, can cannot give her love or children. It is clearly the lack of love from her father and her first husband that leads Jane to seek it elsewhere.
The novel then moves to her discovery by Edward IV's leading advisor William Hastings who introduces her to the king, leading her to become the favourite mistress of the king, and giving her an eye on the court, including the rebellion by the kings brother George, Duke of Clarence and his death by drowning in a butt of malmsey!
She also gains the enmity of the Queen. Elizabeth Woodville, and the kings younger brother Earl Richard of Gloucester.
On Edward's death she finds love with William Hasting who is soon after executed on orders of the by the regent Richard, who as Richard III has Jane thrown into the hellish Ludgate prison for 'harlotry' and allegedly consorting with Elizabeth Woodville.
She is forced to do a cruel penance on Richard's orders of being paraded through London's streets, waering only her kirtle before prostrating herself before the kings priests in the cathedral.
After being thrown into prison a second time, she is rescued by the king's solicitor Thomas Lyneham, who falls in love with her, and despite King Richard's disapproval has Jane released and marries, her giving her f happiness and contentment after so much hardship. The author though a Ricardian writes from the perspective of someone who had eevry reason to hate Richard III.
She also like most historical novelists of today absolves Richard of the death of the princes in the tower, having it done by his advisor, without the king's knowledge.
The book ends with the meeting of a widowed Jane , a widow, now an old woman in her late 60s having been reduced to beggary, and her meeting with Sir Thomas More.
I enjoyed this book, the author's craftsmanship with words, the identification of the lead character and window into history of the time
July 7, 2019
This was a well written, fascinating look at a woman caught between powerful men at a very tumultuous time in history. Ms. Easter Smith knows how to draw her reader into her characters’ worlds so you almost feel as if you are right there with them.
August 20, 2016
Again, Anne Easter Smith has written an entertaining and engaging novel set during The War of the Roses, 15th century England. Jane Shore was King Edward IV's most famous mistress and she is portrayed in a favorable light. She does make some immature decisions but I'm aware that in this time in history if a King or highly placed Nobleman showed an interest in a young lady she usually could not refuse their romantic advances without grave consequences for herself and her family. The novel follows Jane though her life and affairs with Edward, Will Hastings and Queen Elizabeth's brother. If you have the time, I would also recommend reading The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman for a more in depth read of events during The War of the Roses.
March 22, 2013
I loved this novel... very sad it's over!!!
February 21, 2020
It has been a while since I read a book by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about Mistress Jane Shore. I have read quite a few other books about Edward, Elizabeth and even other mistresses. This was great historical fiction and I really loved the character Jane. She was extremely likeable and I really felt for her. My only complaint would be the end. The author made sure the book was based on research but I wish the ending was a little different.
May 7, 2013
Summary:
Jane Lambert is the daughter of a textile mercer. At age 22 she is unmarried. Her parents, especially her pious and controlling father wants her to be married and out of his home. Any sexuality in his view is despicable and sin. When he looks at his daughter his eyes show hatred. On the other hand Jane's younger sister Isabel is the father's darling. Jane is happy to be unmarried; although she pines for love, or rather a lover who will sweep her off her feet and out of the controlling home of her father. Jane's romantic nature, coupled with her sensual and beautiful body, as well as her charming personality, makes her intoxicating to any virile man.
Jane's father arranges a marriage for her. Her new husband is also a mercer, William Shore. Jane is prompt in the duties of working in a mercer's trade. She is appalled at being married to a dour-faced icy-cold man. Their union is a mistake for both.
Edward IV is King of England, his wife is Elizabeth Woodville, they have a large family. Edward IV, as typical of king's takes a mistress. His choice is Jane. The beginning of their relationship is lust, but love takes root.
My Thoughts:
I kept having to tell myself while reading this story that Jane was very young and naive. She was also a bit full of herself---because she was a natural beauty, and added to her nature a sensuality that oozed Marilyn Monroe. Men naturally fell in lust with her and tried to bed her.
She thought as a young woman that lust and sex equaled love. Not.
Lesson #1. Lust and sex is not love in and of itself. Sex should be an expression of love, or at least it shouldn't be confused as love itself.
Jane hadn't learned this life experience, yet.
What I liked about this story.
I knew little about Jane Shore. Recently I've read books about Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, Richard III. Yet, when Jane was mentioned it was as the kings whore. Such a tart name.
Jane's character has a transformation.
It was difficult to not like her. I could identify with her naiveness in her youth, and having a realization of how life really is as I grew older. She is a likable person. She has a great love for the down-trodden---for those in need, and she gave graciously. Her gracious giving left her with an additional reputation that helped.
There is a bit of symbolism in this story which I didn't expect. Often rats were seen scurrying. Rats are opportunists, scavengers, they eat whatever they can devour. This idea carried over to the people in royal court. Opportunists and scavengers, wanting to devour any person that outshone them, was a hindrance to or a threat, or was in their way of advancement.
I learned about the mercer's trade, court life, the life of a mistress, 15th century England, culture of women both in the royal court and in civilian life.
Richard III is not displayed as a complete villain.
What I disliked about this story.
One thing that I thought could have been written more tastefully is the sex scenes. I felt they were sensationalistic------over-done and annoying. I'm aware that other reader's will love this, but I didn't.
Over-all I gave this story 4 stars. Even with my one dislike, I recommend this story!
Thank you to Touchstone and Simon and Schuster for my free review copy!
Jane Lambert is the daughter of a textile mercer. At age 22 she is unmarried. Her parents, especially her pious and controlling father wants her to be married and out of his home. Any sexuality in his view is despicable and sin. When he looks at his daughter his eyes show hatred. On the other hand Jane's younger sister Isabel is the father's darling. Jane is happy to be unmarried; although she pines for love, or rather a lover who will sweep her off her feet and out of the controlling home of her father. Jane's romantic nature, coupled with her sensual and beautiful body, as well as her charming personality, makes her intoxicating to any virile man.
Jane's father arranges a marriage for her. Her new husband is also a mercer, William Shore. Jane is prompt in the duties of working in a mercer's trade. She is appalled at being married to a dour-faced icy-cold man. Their union is a mistake for both.
Edward IV is King of England, his wife is Elizabeth Woodville, they have a large family. Edward IV, as typical of king's takes a mistress. His choice is Jane. The beginning of their relationship is lust, but love takes root.
My Thoughts:
I kept having to tell myself while reading this story that Jane was very young and naive. She was also a bit full of herself---because she was a natural beauty, and added to her nature a sensuality that oozed Marilyn Monroe. Men naturally fell in lust with her and tried to bed her.
She thought as a young woman that lust and sex equaled love. Not.
Lesson #1. Lust and sex is not love in and of itself. Sex should be an expression of love, or at least it shouldn't be confused as love itself.
Jane hadn't learned this life experience, yet.
What I liked about this story.
I knew little about Jane Shore. Recently I've read books about Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, Richard III. Yet, when Jane was mentioned it was as the kings whore. Such a tart name.
Jane's character has a transformation.
It was difficult to not like her. I could identify with her naiveness in her youth, and having a realization of how life really is as I grew older. She is a likable person. She has a great love for the down-trodden---for those in need, and she gave graciously. Her gracious giving left her with an additional reputation that helped.
There is a bit of symbolism in this story which I didn't expect. Often rats were seen scurrying. Rats are opportunists, scavengers, they eat whatever they can devour. This idea carried over to the people in royal court. Opportunists and scavengers, wanting to devour any person that outshone them, was a hindrance to or a threat, or was in their way of advancement.
I learned about the mercer's trade, court life, the life of a mistress, 15th century England, culture of women both in the royal court and in civilian life.
Richard III is not displayed as a complete villain.
What I disliked about this story.
One thing that I thought could have been written more tastefully is the sex scenes. I felt they were sensationalistic------over-done and annoying. I'm aware that other reader's will love this, but I didn't.
Over-all I gave this story 4 stars. Even with my one dislike, I recommend this story!
Thank you to Touchstone and Simon and Schuster for my free review copy!
May 20, 2013
Royal Mistress is an absorbing tale about Jane Lambert, the daughter of a mercer who becomes the mistress of King Edward IV and other noblemen in the fifteenth century. Born with the gift of beauty, Jane easily turns heads and attracts the attention of every man she encounters. When she meets Thomas Grey, the Marquess of Dorset, Jane falls irretrievably in love. He betroths her to William Shore, a much older, but wealthy merchant. Jane soon discovers her husband is impotent and her eye begins to wander as she contemplates seeking an annulment. When she catches the eye of William Hastings, the king’s own chamberlain, he recommends her to the king, a man with a voracious sexual appetite. Jane willingly becomes his mistress until his death. Years later, when Richard III ascends the throne, he is determined to cleanse the depraved court and Jane is one of the first to be accused.
This novel is well researched, full of historic characters, places, and items, and the story compelling. There is plenty to entertain; betrayal, suspense, and plenty of romance. The vivid prose evokes strong images, making the story engrossing and colored with the sights and smells of the 16th century. Jane Shore is presented as a bold, spirited woman, witty and confident in all she does and says. How else could she have caught the discerning eye of so many men of lofty rank. A very entertaining novel!
This novel is well researched, full of historic characters, places, and items, and the story compelling. There is plenty to entertain; betrayal, suspense, and plenty of romance. The vivid prose evokes strong images, making the story engrossing and colored with the sights and smells of the 16th century. Jane Shore is presented as a bold, spirited woman, witty and confident in all she does and says. How else could she have caught the discerning eye of so many men of lofty rank. A very entertaining novel!
April 13, 2013
This is the story of Jane Shore, Edward IV's mistress. Told from her perspective, we get to see down and dirty how difficult it was for a woman of intelligence, wit, and beauty to survive on her own. Does Jane set out to be a concubine to the king? No, she wants what others have - an adoring husband, and children. But her father marries her off to a much older man who is anything but lusty! There are few choices in Jane's era, and when she catches the eye of one of Edward's closest advisors, as well as his step son, Jane's life changes dramatically.
Beautifully researched and written, I highly recommend this excellent book - due to come out on May 7.
Beautifully researched and written, I highly recommend this excellent book - due to come out on May 7.
October 13, 2013
Typical AESmith. This was about Jane Shore...the famous mistress of Edward who had to walk through the streets of London in her undergarments as punishment for being a whore. I enjoyed some pages and skimmed some pages. It dragged on. AES is an author who proudly supports Richard III and she doesn't hide those feelings. Overall ehhh.
June 8, 2013
Nope, not a winner in my books. I didn't like Edward in this, and despised Richard. Author tried a bit too hard to make sure Jane was the plucky heroine.
October 18, 2015
The problem with movies like Minions or Penguins of Madagascar is that as awesome as these characters are, they just can’t carry a whole story by themselves. As side characters, they bring an excellent amount of spice to the overall plot, but make them the main characters, and it starts to feel like eating an entire cup of powdered sugar straight.
I think Jane Shore might fall into the same category. As excellent an addition she makes to your average War of the Roses story as a side character, making her the main character of her own full length novel is a tricky feat to pull off. Even Shakespeare knew to hold back, using her to establish King Edward’s licentious character trait in Act 1 what with her “passing, pleasing tongue” and all that, but that’s the extent of her appearance in Richard III.
Here, even Easter Smith can’t get Jane to carry the whole story, constantly switching the third person POV to get inside everyone’s head, and with narration that annoyingly tells us when a character is forgetting something about current or past events.
It takes a good first quarter of the book to solidly establish the time and place. The book starts out in just a vaguely medieval setting that doesn’t properly convey the anxiety of a city in the middle of a civil war and it lacked just that little bit of grit to texture the setting with a sense of realism.
The whole first half of the book, unfortunately, reads like the kind of fanfiction written by someone who ships two characters so hard that she sits down and writes a piece of fanfiction where her two characters get together, all obstacles are easily overcome, they coo their love at each other, loll around in beautiful homes wearing beautiful clothes, and unicorns prance around farting rainbows.
(Yes, I wrote one of these when I was 15. No, I will not tell you which copyrighted characters were involved.)
But the plot picks up when Edward IV dies, as all the characters go into defensive mode, drawing lines in the sand, with everyone convinced that everyone else is out to get them.
Here we see some very fine writing as Easter Smith lays out the tangled knot of court factions into a clear series of Venn diagrams, making a very good case for how Hastings went from an ally to and enemy of Richard III. It was a brilliant use of misunderstandings gathered together and given a malicious twist by someone eager to stab Hastings in the back. The time period of April to September of 1483 is a murky one, and Easter Smith does a good job of both showing the confusion, anxiety, fear and anger people felt while still making events clear tot eh reader.
And, of course, we reach the Princes in the Tower. In this version Buckingham kills the boys because he thinks that’s what the king wants. Richard throws a royal fit, both on a how-could-you-kill-little-kids? level and this-is-so-bad-for-me-politically level.
Meanwhile, Jane has been bracing herself for her fortune’s wheel to go from pinnacle to nadir, but even then she’s surprised by the malicious prudishness of Richard as he lashes out at her, determined to stamp on those he deems ‘immoral.’ There’s a hilarious scene where she is formally charged with having sex and she basically responds with “yes, and?”
Once she does her famous Walk of Shame, (Take that Ceresi! That is how you do that!) she quickly hooks up with her long time crush, and her life turns into a Lifetime movie real quick, complete with jealous fits and theft.
Luckily, a second accusation of treason turns out to be the Best Thing Ever since it leads to one of the most hilarious marriage proposals in all of legal history.
The rest of the book takes a little too long to wrap things up from there, establishing in rather too much detail how happily-ever-after things worked out for Jane.
End of the day, the tension points make for the best reading, while the good times tend to be just too sugary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2014
Anne Easter Smith has done it again.
As a huge fan of Anne Easter Smith’s, I eagerly looked forward to reading “Royal Mistress” after thoroughly enjoying each of her previous novels. I have yet to come across an author who makes history and its characters come alive the way she does.
This is the story of Jane Shore, the favored mistress of Edward IV. It is a compelling story about not just the mistress of a king, but much more than that. It is the story of a multi-faceted and intriguing woman who learns that there are many facets to love. She learns about courtly love, intense and passionate love, and the love of family and friends. Jane takes away a valuable lesson from each relationship she has, from her father to the king, to the love of her life. And each of these relationships contributes to the strong and independent woman she finally becomes.
If you’ve enjoyed her previous novels, you will love this one as well. It does not disappoint. One thing that I particularly enjoyed, is how she bridges each of her novels with the previous ones, tying her stories together like a tapestry or mosaic, yet you do not necessarily have to have read them to fully appreciate any given novel. For example, Edward IV makes reference to his mother, Cecily Neville, as “Proud Cis” and also refers to her as “queen by right”, the title of her novel about Cicely.
Moreover, there are several references to Kate Haute (Richard III’s mistress to whom we are introduced in “A Rose For The Crown”) and the protagonist of this novel, Jane Shore, even meets up with Kate on a London street and the two women have an entertaining bit of conversation. There is also a passage where Edward compares his relationship with Jane to his brother Richard’s relationship with Kate. It is also worth noting that these references are skillfully woven into her story and do not seem contrived or irrelevant.
By her own admission, the author is a staunch Richardian and reflects and upholds the belief in this book that Richard III was not directly responsible for the disappearance of his nephews, “the princes in the tower”. The Richard the author depicts is not an evil or conniving power-hungry king (as others, such as Shakespeare, have depicted him); rather, he is a rather sympathetic character with flaws as well as strengths.
All in all, a wonderfully written story, which both educates and entertains.
As a huge fan of Anne Easter Smith’s, I eagerly looked forward to reading “Royal Mistress” after thoroughly enjoying each of her previous novels. I have yet to come across an author who makes history and its characters come alive the way she does.
This is the story of Jane Shore, the favored mistress of Edward IV. It is a compelling story about not just the mistress of a king, but much more than that. It is the story of a multi-faceted and intriguing woman who learns that there are many facets to love. She learns about courtly love, intense and passionate love, and the love of family and friends. Jane takes away a valuable lesson from each relationship she has, from her father to the king, to the love of her life. And each of these relationships contributes to the strong and independent woman she finally becomes.
If you’ve enjoyed her previous novels, you will love this one as well. It does not disappoint. One thing that I particularly enjoyed, is how she bridges each of her novels with the previous ones, tying her stories together like a tapestry or mosaic, yet you do not necessarily have to have read them to fully appreciate any given novel. For example, Edward IV makes reference to his mother, Cecily Neville, as “Proud Cis” and also refers to her as “queen by right”, the title of her novel about Cicely.
Moreover, there are several references to Kate Haute (Richard III’s mistress to whom we are introduced in “A Rose For The Crown”) and the protagonist of this novel, Jane Shore, even meets up with Kate on a London street and the two women have an entertaining bit of conversation. There is also a passage where Edward compares his relationship with Jane to his brother Richard’s relationship with Kate. It is also worth noting that these references are skillfully woven into her story and do not seem contrived or irrelevant.
By her own admission, the author is a staunch Richardian and reflects and upholds the belief in this book that Richard III was not directly responsible for the disappearance of his nephews, “the princes in the tower”. The Richard the author depicts is not an evil or conniving power-hungry king (as others, such as Shakespeare, have depicted him); rather, he is a rather sympathetic character with flaws as well as strengths.
All in all, a wonderfully written story, which both educates and entertains.
May 30, 2013
Anne Easter Smith writes fascinating historical fiction about some of the most intriguing characters. People that you only read about in history books beautifully come to life in the pages of her books, and her newest, Royal Mistress, is no exception!
Royal Mistress mainly follows Jane Shore, a simple merchant's daughter who catches the eye of the Queen's son, Tom Grey. They are both married (or are about to be married) and Jane doesn't want to stoop to being his mistress, so they part ways. Several years later, after Jane's divorce (something that was a HUGE deal in this period of time), she this time catches the eye of Tom's stepfather, Edward, the King of England. Jane is older now and realizes that being a mistress to a high ranking man has many advantages. She becomes Edward IV's final and most beloved mistress, staying by his side for eight years until his death. Edward's brother, Richard, then claims the throne, and as a very moral man, he heartily disapproves of Jane and her background. Jane must struggle to survive using her wits in this turbulent and unstable time in England's history.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this period of time. I usually like to jump ahead and read about Henry VIII, but it's always great to come back to his ancestors. Edward IV and his family drama is more entertaining that any show on television. So much betrayal, jealousy, murder, secrets, and, depending on who you ask...incest. I liked that Royal Mistress told us this story through the eyes of several key players, though mostly through Jane, who was a fascinating woman. She truly did care for Edward, but she states that she never really loved him, as she truthfully had no choice in the relationship. It's such a realistic look at how mistresses felt. No romantization here, just reality. The only problem I had with the story was Jane and Tom's relationship: they meet two times before they part ways and see each other maybe another two times in the following ten years - yet Jane is forever hung up on how he is her "true love" and is convinced they could live happily ever after if only they could be together. She hardly knew him! I know their relationship is historically accurate but it just seemed so far fetched here. Still, overall, this was a fascinating read, not just for historical fiction buffs, but lovers of drama, romance, and books that keep you intrigued every page.
Royal Mistress mainly follows Jane Shore, a simple merchant's daughter who catches the eye of the Queen's son, Tom Grey. They are both married (or are about to be married) and Jane doesn't want to stoop to being his mistress, so they part ways. Several years later, after Jane's divorce (something that was a HUGE deal in this period of time), she this time catches the eye of Tom's stepfather, Edward, the King of England. Jane is older now and realizes that being a mistress to a high ranking man has many advantages. She becomes Edward IV's final and most beloved mistress, staying by his side for eight years until his death. Edward's brother, Richard, then claims the throne, and as a very moral man, he heartily disapproves of Jane and her background. Jane must struggle to survive using her wits in this turbulent and unstable time in England's history.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this period of time. I usually like to jump ahead and read about Henry VIII, but it's always great to come back to his ancestors. Edward IV and his family drama is more entertaining that any show on television. So much betrayal, jealousy, murder, secrets, and, depending on who you ask...incest. I liked that Royal Mistress told us this story through the eyes of several key players, though mostly through Jane, who was a fascinating woman. She truly did care for Edward, but she states that she never really loved him, as she truthfully had no choice in the relationship. It's such a realistic look at how mistresses felt. No romantization here, just reality. The only problem I had with the story was Jane and Tom's relationship: they meet two times before they part ways and see each other maybe another two times in the following ten years - yet Jane is forever hung up on how he is her "true love" and is convinced they could live happily ever after if only they could be together. She hardly knew him! I know their relationship is historically accurate but it just seemed so far fetched here. Still, overall, this was a fascinating read, not just for historical fiction buffs, but lovers of drama, romance, and books that keep you intrigued every page.
May 9, 2013
This is my second novel by Anne Easter Smith, the first being Queen by Right. In this tale Ms. Easter Smith tells the story of Jane Shore, Edward IV's last mistress. Jane was the daughter of a mercer (basically a fabric seller) who was apparently beautiful, smart and born into the wrong time. Smart women were not fully appreciated in a time that saw them as not much more than brood mares. Her father married her off to another mercer but they were not well matched and she soon caught the eye of the King's chamberlain, Will Hastings. This led to her being seen by the King and well - what choice did she really have?
The period of time covered during the life of Jane Shore is well trodden history for those of us that read a lot of historical fiction so it is somewhat refreshing to view the well known events through the eyes of a character of which I knew very little. To pass through the death of Edward IV, the protectorate and then reign of Richard III through a commoner's eyes was interesting. Richard was, at least as drawn in this novel, a bit of a stick in the mud and he perceived Jane as the ruin of his brother. As if, as I wrote above, she had any choice when a King comes calling.
This was a well written, fascinating look at a woman caught between powerful men at a very tumultuous time in history. She remained true to herself and to the people from where she came in spite of being cared for by the King. Ms. Easter Smith knows how to draw her reader into her characters' worlds so you almost feel as if you are right there with them. I can't wait for her next book!
4.5
The period of time covered during the life of Jane Shore is well trodden history for those of us that read a lot of historical fiction so it is somewhat refreshing to view the well known events through the eyes of a character of which I knew very little. To pass through the death of Edward IV, the protectorate and then reign of Richard III through a commoner's eyes was interesting. Richard was, at least as drawn in this novel, a bit of a stick in the mud and he perceived Jane as the ruin of his brother. As if, as I wrote above, she had any choice when a King comes calling.
This was a well written, fascinating look at a woman caught between powerful men at a very tumultuous time in history. She remained true to herself and to the people from where she came in spite of being cared for by the King. Ms. Easter Smith knows how to draw her reader into her characters' worlds so you almost feel as if you are right there with them. I can't wait for her next book!
4.5
May 23, 2013
------ I received this book from Edelweiss and the publisher for my honest review-----
I have eagerly read all of Anne Easter Smith’s books. Ever since I found and read The King's Grace I jump at any chance to read one of her books. And I have to say that Royal Mistress was a joy to read. Once I started I couldn't stop till I finished the book. I like learning about Jane Shore, after all I have known of this lady from reading other books about King Edward and so I knew who she was but not really her whole story. I found her to be a girl that while pretty smart was very naive and tended to think mainly of herself and of her wants and needs in the beginning of the book. She recognized that men fell for her beauty and she wasn't above flirting with them, but I like that especially when she was the youngest with Tom Grey she didn't just give herself away to him. It wasn't till she was married and her husband wasn't living up to her dreams and when the King approached her that she gave herself to him. I like that even when she was with Edward she kept true to herself, she kept doing her best to help those in need. Jane is a character that many people will like and be able to relate to in at least some way. Which I think is very important and makes the story that much better and worth while reading. If you enjoy historical fiction books, or if you like any other books by Anne Easter Smith then you will definitely like this book too.
I have eagerly read all of Anne Easter Smith’s books. Ever since I found and read The King's Grace I jump at any chance to read one of her books. And I have to say that Royal Mistress was a joy to read. Once I started I couldn't stop till I finished the book. I like learning about Jane Shore, after all I have known of this lady from reading other books about King Edward and so I knew who she was but not really her whole story. I found her to be a girl that while pretty smart was very naive and tended to think mainly of herself and of her wants and needs in the beginning of the book. She recognized that men fell for her beauty and she wasn't above flirting with them, but I like that especially when she was the youngest with Tom Grey she didn't just give herself away to him. It wasn't till she was married and her husband wasn't living up to her dreams and when the King approached her that she gave herself to him. I like that even when she was with Edward she kept true to herself, she kept doing her best to help those in need. Jane is a character that many people will like and be able to relate to in at least some way. Which I think is very important and makes the story that much better and worth while reading. If you enjoy historical fiction books, or if you like any other books by Anne Easter Smith then you will definitely like this book too.
June 9, 2013
Jane Shore lived a harsh life! Rejected by her father, married to an impotent mercer, loved by many men but chosen by King Edward, she was grateful for the favors of her King. Londoners and members of the Court grew to respect her because of her many acts of charity and care for those far less fortunate. Jane is not one to involve herself in the political intrigues and betrayals of the Court, but she does relate them without bias. After Edward's untimely end due to his own decadent lifestyle, Jane is accused of crimes that force her to undergo public penance; the accuser is Edward's brother, Richard, first Protector of the heir and then King after Edward's children are proven to be illegitimate. Richard is given an interesting portrayal in this novel; determined to "clean up" the Court he is extremely harsh. We also get an interesting take on the "disappearance" of the two Princes and an amazing execution ordered without the granting of a trial to Jane's second lover. Yes, everything herein has been presented in other novels, but Anne Easter Smith's comprehensive depiction of all the significant characters and their alliances and betrayals is fascinating and unique. Very, very well written and presented! Highly recommended!
December 23, 2020
Posted first on my blog The Purple Booker
I have read quite a few of Anne Easter Smith's books. I have enjoyed them and I will probably try again at some point. This book however, yikes. The start on this one was an absolute slog. It really just goes on and on for so long about a fictional romance between Jane Shore and Tom Grey. I mean yes Jane is key to this story of course, being that she is perhaps the most well known Mistress of Edward VI, but wow that slog was just to much. Even for me, and I can respect a slow burn sometimes. I can. Not this time though, frankly I found it unforgiveable.
Follow up the next sin of Jane just not growing at all as a character. She spends the whole book just needing and getting the attention of every man she comes across. It is just like, wow. Okay, doesn't she learn from anything? I understand she ends up being a royal Mistress and all of that but honestly I expected more. There was so much material to work with that could have given us a better understanding of Jane. Or at least made her somewhat likeable. In the end she just wasn't and for me when I read a book and cannot connect with the main character, it becomes a misery for me. This one gets a skip from me.
I have read quite a few of Anne Easter Smith's books. I have enjoyed them and I will probably try again at some point. This book however, yikes. The start on this one was an absolute slog. It really just goes on and on for so long about a fictional romance between Jane Shore and Tom Grey. I mean yes Jane is key to this story of course, being that she is perhaps the most well known Mistress of Edward VI, but wow that slog was just to much. Even for me, and I can respect a slow burn sometimes. I can. Not this time though, frankly I found it unforgiveable.
Follow up the next sin of Jane just not growing at all as a character. She spends the whole book just needing and getting the attention of every man she comes across. It is just like, wow. Okay, doesn't she learn from anything? I understand she ends up being a royal Mistress and all of that but honestly I expected more. There was so much material to work with that could have given us a better understanding of Jane. Or at least made her somewhat likeable. In the end she just wasn't and for me when I read a book and cannot connect with the main character, it becomes a misery for me. This one gets a skip from me.
May 25, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
Tales of Jane Shore abound; Mistress to King Edward ,and Lord Hastings, scorned harlot who, under Richard III was forced to walk through London in her chemise holding a candle in repentance of her harlotry, but aside from Vanora Bennet's 2009 e"Figures In SIlk", the life of Jane Shore has not been the subject of much attention by writers. Perhaps that's because of the dearth of extant records about this fascinating woman, but in "Royal Mistress" Anne Easter Smith manages to provide an excellent idea of how Ms. Shore life may have lived.
This book flows well, and I was loathe to put it aside when staying up any later would make my performance at work the next day suffer! The author bases her portrayal on historical records, and she weaves a very realistic tale of what the life of this silk merchant's daughter might have been like. Historical figures breath with life ! In addition, the book provides a realistic 'feel' for what sort lives the merchant class of this time might have lived.
This book should please anyone historical history fan - as well as readers of very well written general fiction.
It's a keeper!
Tales of Jane Shore abound; Mistress to King Edward ,and Lord Hastings, scorned harlot who, under Richard III was forced to walk through London in her chemise holding a candle in repentance of her harlotry, but aside from Vanora Bennet's 2009 e"Figures In SIlk", the life of Jane Shore has not been the subject of much attention by writers. Perhaps that's because of the dearth of extant records about this fascinating woman, but in "Royal Mistress" Anne Easter Smith manages to provide an excellent idea of how Ms. Shore life may have lived.
This book flows well, and I was loathe to put it aside when staying up any later would make my performance at work the next day suffer! The author bases her portrayal on historical records, and she weaves a very realistic tale of what the life of this silk merchant's daughter might have been like. Historical figures breath with life ! In addition, the book provides a realistic 'feel' for what sort lives the merchant class of this time might have lived.
This book should please anyone historical history fan - as well as readers of very well written general fiction.
It's a keeper!
October 29, 2020
When I was reading the early modern text A Mirror for Magistrates*, I became interested in reading about the figure of “Shore’s Wife” – Elizabeth Lambert, alias Jane Shore, who was famed as Edward IV’s mistress and perhaps involved in resistance to Richard III’s reign. I immediately started looking for novels about her.
I chose Anne Easter Smith’s Royal Mistress to start with because it was readily available and, to be perfectly honest, I was curious to how a Ricardian author was going to tell Jane’s story because there’s no way to get around the fact that Richard III treated her badly.
Because of that, I didn’t expect a lot from Royal Mistress. I’m not a Ricardian – I believe Richard III was probably not as bad as all that but I don’t find many Ricardian talking points that credible – and the reviews on GoodReads weren’t that promising, talking about a sappy romance, my least favourite thing. But I was surprised how much I enjoyed Royal Mistress.
The novel is nuanced – in her author’s note, Smith talks about how a significant number of her characters have no reason to like to Richard and in the narrative, she lets them dislike him and lets their dislike be justified. Sure, all the usual Ricardian theories are there – Edward IV definitely married Eleanor Talbot, Elizabeth Woodville was a bitchy harridan, Woodvilles are always plotting against the poor, innocent Richard III, Richard is a real nice guy and definitely didn’t kill the Princes in the Tower – but for characters like Jane and Hastings, they were allowed to disagree with and hate Richard without being made to be “evil” or “wrong” about their notions. In fact, I didn’t really like Richard III in this, which I’m sure wasn’t intended but oh well. I found him insufferable and hypocritical and the whole minor subplot about his mistress was nauseating.
And while I say that the characters were nuanced, I found they lacked growth. I wanted to see them grow and change from the start of the novel to the end. How does Jane feel about being a mistress and how does she feel about going from being a silk merchant’s daughter to being at the very highest levels of society? What changes for her when Edward IV dies and her place is suddenly uncertain? When she is gaoled or performs through her penance walk? What does she learn? How does she change – does she grow more bitter or always hopeful?
While other reviewers have decried the “sappy romance” between Jane and Tom Grey, I didn’t find it too sappy – I could have easily done without it since its premise is so flimsy but the conclusion of that plotline undercut the idea that it really was a romance. I appreciated that Smith let Jane be sexual and enjoy sex with multiple partners without condemning her for it (though, Richard III, apparently more priggish than how pop historians have reimagined Henry V as, does condemn her for it).
I didn’t enjoy the cameo of the protagonist of one of Smith’s earlier novels, the mistress of Richard III, either. Maybe I’m not a very romantic person on top of not being a Ricardian but, yeah, that left me cold with the immense sappiness for a relationship that, when reduced to its bare components, didn’t seem that romantic or loving (abandoning your mistress when you have to have marry a noblewoman and never contacting her again until you take your children from her is… pretty damn awful.)
The prose is strong and though some of the dialogue leans towards an attempt to sound very “historical”, it didn’t annoy me as much as other authors’ historical dialogue have (but certes, if I ever see an author using “certes” again, it will certes be too soon – sorry, Anne Easter Smith and others authors, reading Sharon Penman’s The Queen's Man where “certes” is overused left me a deep aversion to seeing the word “certes” ever again.)
I’m not going to talk too much about the historical accuracy because the Wars of the Roses isn’t a period that I have extensive knowledge of – though I have a lot of opinions about what I do and don’t like in historical fiction. Obviously, one of the biggest accuracy issues here is Jane’s name – the historical Jane was actually named Elizabeth and the name “Jane” was first attached to her in the 16th or 17th centuries. I don’t blame Smith for continuing to use “Jane” – not only is it so closely associated with her heroine, it also avoids having too many Elizabeths on the page. Another accuracy issue was having Jane perform her penance walk in her shift, instead of her kirtle (which is not underwear but a gown to be worn over the shift and under a surcoat or over-gown). Again, this change is understandable – it’s hard for modern readers to really understand what a kirtle was, let alone the humiliation in being made to appear in just that so swapping it out for a shift makes the intention clear. I did wish Smith had not opted for Jane to pee herself though.
For me, what was most disappointing was the characterisation of Elizabeth Woodville. Maybe I’ve been spoilt by being told that Thomas Heywood’s play Edward IV, Part 2 has Elizabeth Woodville being like, “Jane’s hot as shit” (to paraphrase the friend who has read it, it’s on my to-read pile) but yeah, I was hoping for more depth and more solidarity between women.
So in short, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would but I wished it was better.
* a collection of poems in which various historical personages, namely from the reigns of Richard II through to Richard III, tell of their lives and tragic ends. It’s awesome. But yes, Ricardians probably shouldn't read it.
I chose Anne Easter Smith’s Royal Mistress to start with because it was readily available and, to be perfectly honest, I was curious to how a Ricardian author was going to tell Jane’s story because there’s no way to get around the fact that Richard III treated her badly.
Because of that, I didn’t expect a lot from Royal Mistress. I’m not a Ricardian – I believe Richard III was probably not as bad as all that but I don’t find many Ricardian talking points that credible – and the reviews on GoodReads weren’t that promising, talking about a sappy romance, my least favourite thing. But I was surprised how much I enjoyed Royal Mistress.
The novel is nuanced – in her author’s note, Smith talks about how a significant number of her characters have no reason to like to Richard and in the narrative, she lets them dislike him and lets their dislike be justified. Sure, all the usual Ricardian theories are there – Edward IV definitely married Eleanor Talbot, Elizabeth Woodville was a bitchy harridan, Woodvilles are always plotting against the poor, innocent Richard III, Richard is a real nice guy and definitely didn’t kill the Princes in the Tower – but for characters like Jane and Hastings, they were allowed to disagree with and hate Richard without being made to be “evil” or “wrong” about their notions. In fact, I didn’t really like Richard III in this, which I’m sure wasn’t intended but oh well. I found him insufferable and hypocritical and the whole minor subplot about his mistress was nauseating.
And while I say that the characters were nuanced, I found they lacked growth. I wanted to see them grow and change from the start of the novel to the end. How does Jane feel about being a mistress and how does she feel about going from being a silk merchant’s daughter to being at the very highest levels of society? What changes for her when Edward IV dies and her place is suddenly uncertain? When she is gaoled or performs through her penance walk? What does she learn? How does she change – does she grow more bitter or always hopeful?
While other reviewers have decried the “sappy romance” between Jane and Tom Grey, I didn’t find it too sappy – I could have easily done without it since its premise is so flimsy but the conclusion of that plotline undercut the idea that it really was a romance. I appreciated that Smith let Jane be sexual and enjoy sex with multiple partners without condemning her for it (though, Richard III, apparently more priggish than how pop historians have reimagined Henry V as, does condemn her for it).
I didn’t enjoy the cameo of the protagonist of one of Smith’s earlier novels, the mistress of Richard III, either. Maybe I’m not a very romantic person on top of not being a Ricardian but, yeah, that left me cold with the immense sappiness for a relationship that, when reduced to its bare components, didn’t seem that romantic or loving (abandoning your mistress when you have to have marry a noblewoman and never contacting her again until you take your children from her is… pretty damn awful.)
The prose is strong and though some of the dialogue leans towards an attempt to sound very “historical”, it didn’t annoy me as much as other authors’ historical dialogue have (but certes, if I ever see an author using “certes” again, it will certes be too soon – sorry, Anne Easter Smith and others authors, reading Sharon Penman’s The Queen's Man where “certes” is overused left me a deep aversion to seeing the word “certes” ever again.)
I’m not going to talk too much about the historical accuracy because the Wars of the Roses isn’t a period that I have extensive knowledge of – though I have a lot of opinions about what I do and don’t like in historical fiction. Obviously, one of the biggest accuracy issues here is Jane’s name – the historical Jane was actually named Elizabeth and the name “Jane” was first attached to her in the 16th or 17th centuries. I don’t blame Smith for continuing to use “Jane” – not only is it so closely associated with her heroine, it also avoids having too many Elizabeths on the page. Another accuracy issue was having Jane perform her penance walk in her shift, instead of her kirtle (which is not underwear but a gown to be worn over the shift and under a surcoat or over-gown). Again, this change is understandable – it’s hard for modern readers to really understand what a kirtle was, let alone the humiliation in being made to appear in just that so swapping it out for a shift makes the intention clear. I did wish Smith had not opted for Jane to pee herself though.
For me, what was most disappointing was the characterisation of Elizabeth Woodville. Maybe I’ve been spoilt by being told that Thomas Heywood’s play Edward IV, Part 2 has Elizabeth Woodville being like, “Jane’s hot as shit” (to paraphrase the friend who has read it, it’s on my to-read pile) but yeah, I was hoping for more depth and more solidarity between women.
So in short, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would but I wished it was better.
* a collection of poems in which various historical personages, namely from the reigns of Richard II through to Richard III, tell of their lives and tragic ends. It’s awesome. But yes, Ricardians probably shouldn't read it.
September 2, 2013
Lately I've immersed myself in the Wars of the Roses period of English history, and this was another informative and enjoyable read. In her Author's Note, Smith writes, "From mid-April to July 1483 are four of the most confusing and puzzling months in English history," and this period continues to fascinate. Novels about it that I've read are Daughter of Time (a classic by Josephine Tey) and A Rose for the Crown (also by Smith), as well as the nonfiction book Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses (historian Sarah Gristwood).
Royal Mistress brings to life Jane Shore, a fabric merchant's daughter whose beauty and wit captivated King Edward IV. He kept her as his mistress for years until his untimely death, never tiring of her as he had of his other women. She was known to use her wealth and influence to help many of the poor and sick who came to her for aid.
Royal Mistress brings to life Jane Shore, a fabric merchant's daughter whose beauty and wit captivated King Edward IV. He kept her as his mistress for years until his untimely death, never tiring of her as he had of his other women. She was known to use her wealth and influence to help many of the poor and sick who came to her for aid.
March 4, 2025
1. This book is just not clicking for me. I wasn't too excited, but I wasn't too bored, either, so I was going to continue reading until I got to reason number three.
2. The author's obsession with "certes". I thought it was an affectation on Cecily's part in Queen By Right? Nope. It's all over this book, too. 🤦🏼♀️
3. The queen's house. No explanation for why Queen Elizabeth is staying in a random house that isn't one of the palaces like she's a civilian, just that she has this house and her son is visiting here there.
4. The Margaret conversation. Super cringe.
[Major paraphrasing]
Hastings: Anthony it totally bonking your sister!
Edward: Yup. Absolutely bonking my sister.
WHAT?!
First of all, the casualness of this conversation is off the charts.
Second, with a lack of dialogue tags and the way things were written, I thought Will was saying Anthony was screwing Elizabeth and I was like, "Oh, what the hell no!"
Third, if the Queen of England's brother was screwing the Duchess of Burgundy, it wouldn't be some backroom theory, it would be all over the damn court!
And finally, what was Anthony doing taking the Duchess of Burgundy as a mistress when her husband was still very much alive? Sure, he was off at war probably a lot of the time near the end of his life, but don't you think rumor of her infidelity would reach the front lines and he'd do something about it?
Nope. Sorry. This book is a total turnoff.
2. The author's obsession with "certes". I thought it was an affectation on Cecily's part in Queen By Right? Nope. It's all over this book, too. 🤦🏼♀️
3. The queen's house. No explanation for why Queen Elizabeth is staying in a random house that isn't one of the palaces like she's a civilian, just that she has this house and her son is visiting here there.
4. The Margaret conversation. Super cringe.
[Major paraphrasing]
Hastings: Anthony it totally bonking your sister!
Edward: Yup. Absolutely bonking my sister.
WHAT?!
First of all, the casualness of this conversation is off the charts.
Second, with a lack of dialogue tags and the way things were written, I thought Will was saying Anthony was screwing Elizabeth and I was like, "Oh, what the hell no!"
Third, if the Queen of England's brother was screwing the Duchess of Burgundy, it wouldn't be some backroom theory, it would be all over the damn court!
And finally, what was Anthony doing taking the Duchess of Burgundy as a mistress when her husband was still very much alive? Sure, he was off at war probably a lot of the time near the end of his life, but don't you think rumor of her infidelity would reach the front lines and he'd do something about it?
Nope. Sorry. This book is a total turnoff.
September 8, 2024
Certes, but this book is tiresome. Sweet Jesu and Christ's bones, there are other "appropriate" exclamations to use. Or maybe omit them in some places altogether.
I did finish this book, only because I find it incredibly stressful to put down a book without finishing it, but it is a TIRING and demanding, and quite frankly, boring and exasperating read.
Most of the characters are incredibly flat, one-dimensional beings. Jane Shore pines for a man she met in person ONCE, and is actually and GENUINELY surprised when, once they're together, he turns out to be not what she thought. He, in turn, appears to be quite clear in his goals for this entanglement from the beginning. He wants "to bed her." Even when he finds her after the Edward dies, and she's blushing and flushing, he is only interested in a hiding place. "Hey, you're now single, right? Can I come crash at your place for a bit?" The perfect example of a people user. And Jane is "in love." Come on. She appears to be the dumbest woman alive. ...or dead.
People who are sobbing and slobbering out of fear one second "have had enough" the next, which isn't how human psychology works. Which, now that I think about it, the whole book is NOT how human psychology works. The husbands seek wives' opinions one second and dismiss them with "go do your women's work" the next.
I do not recommend this book. The writing wrung me out, it is entirely TOO long, and GODDAMN IT FIND ANOTHER EXCLAMATION. CERTES!
I did finish this book, only because I find it incredibly stressful to put down a book without finishing it, but it is a TIRING and demanding, and quite frankly, boring and exasperating read.
Most of the characters are incredibly flat, one-dimensional beings. Jane Shore pines for a man she met in person ONCE, and is actually and GENUINELY surprised when, once they're together, he turns out to be not what she thought. He, in turn, appears to be quite clear in his goals for this entanglement from the beginning. He wants "to bed her." Even when he finds her after the Edward dies, and she's blushing and flushing, he is only interested in a hiding place. "Hey, you're now single, right? Can I come crash at your place for a bit?" The perfect example of a people user. And Jane is "in love." Come on. She appears to be the dumbest woman alive. ...or dead.
People who are sobbing and slobbering out of fear one second "have had enough" the next, which isn't how human psychology works. Which, now that I think about it, the whole book is NOT how human psychology works. The husbands seek wives' opinions one second and dismiss them with "go do your women's work" the next.
I do not recommend this book. The writing wrung me out, it is entirely TOO long, and GODDAMN IT FIND ANOTHER EXCLAMATION. CERTES!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2023
"Royal Mistress" by Anne Easter Smith was overall a decent read. The plot follows the life of Jane Lambert, the smart and attractive daughter of a silk merchant. It's obvious that Jane's father is closer and favors Jane's younger sister, Bella. So, when Jane's father finally finds her a match, she feels obligated to marry the very boring, older silk merchant, William Shore. Her marriage did not turn out the way that she had hoped. By chance, she meets the King and begins a long term affair as his mistress. Jane's life has its ups and downs. She finds herself in numerous relationships as a mistress to several men, to the dismay of her father. The history portion of this novel is well written and held my interest. Jane's life was a bit tedious to follow at times, and the ending was too predictable. Due to the history portrayed in the plot, I would recommend adding this novel to your "tbr" list.
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