What do you think?
Rate this book
Lust in the Tudor Court #2
Rebel Bride
He is under her spell...
Hugh Beaufort, favoured courtier of King Henry VIII, likes his women quiet and biddable. Susannah Tyrell is neither of these things. She is feisty, beautiful, opinionated and brave. And Hugh is fascinated by her - despite himself.
Their lust is undeniable...
When Susannah pulls her most outrageous stunt yet and finds herself lost in the wilds of England, Hugh must go to her rescue. Neither of them is prepared for the dangers that lie in wait. But most dangerous of all is their desire for one another. Alone together in the forest, far from the restraints of court...
Their passion knows no bounds
Hugh Beaufort, favoured courtier of King Henry VIII, likes his women quiet and biddable. Susannah Tyrell is neither of these things. She is feisty, beautiful, opinionated and brave. And Hugh is fascinated by her - despite himself.
Their lust is undeniable...
When Susannah pulls her most outrageous stunt yet and finds herself lost in the wilds of England, Hugh must go to her rescue. Neither of them is prepared for the dangers that lie in wait. But most dangerous of all is their desire for one another. Alone together in the forest, far from the restraints of court...
Their passion knows no bounds
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2014
76 people are currently reading
1217 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Moss
31 books142 followersI also write historicals as Victoria Lamb, romcoms as Beth Good, thrillers as Jane Holland, and NEW FOR 2016, doggy fiction as Hannah Coates, with a feel-good Christmas novel, BERTIE'S GIFT, out October 2016.
If you have enjoyed my Elizabeth Moss stories, why not try some of my other types of books? My #1 bestselling book is GIRL NUMBER ONE (did you see what I did there?) written under my real name Jane Holland. Do please give it a try if you like my other writing.
I always wanted to be a writer like my mum, Charlotte Lamb. Now I spend my life reading and writing, mostly historical romance but other books too. I live with my large family of noisy kids and animals in a rural corner of South-West England, where I'm a keen walker and gardener with VERY muddy boots. When not writing, I spend as much time as possible outdoors, often with my youngest kids, whom I enjoy home schooling.
Photo Credit: Anna Rybacka
If you have enjoyed my Elizabeth Moss stories, why not try some of my other types of books? My #1 bestselling book is GIRL NUMBER ONE (did you see what I did there?) written under my real name Jane Holland. Do please give it a try if you like my other writing.
I always wanted to be a writer like my mum, Charlotte Lamb. Now I spend my life reading and writing, mostly historical romance but other books too. I live with my large family of noisy kids and animals in a rural corner of South-West England, where I'm a keen walker and gardener with VERY muddy boots. When not writing, I spend as much time as possible outdoors, often with my youngest kids, whom I enjoy home schooling.
Photo Credit: Anna Rybacka
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
February 20, 2015
5 Words: Forbidden love, passion, history, family.
Susannah and Hugh just belong together. It's something that's obvious in the first book and only gets more certain as the series progresses.
I loved the turmoil, but DAMN Susannah was stubborn!
This was just as passionate, if not more so, that the first Tudor Court book, and the story takes place during pretty much the same time frame. You don't necessarily have to read the books in order, but it does lend a certain something to the story when you know what's happening with other characters.
Susannah and Hugh just belong together. It's something that's obvious in the first book and only gets more certain as the series progresses.
I loved the turmoil, but DAMN Susannah was stubborn!
This was just as passionate, if not more so, that the first Tudor Court book, and the story takes place during pretty much the same time frame. You don't necessarily have to read the books in order, but it does lend a certain something to the story when you know what's happening with other characters.
June 10, 2024
This Tudor Romance could have been pretty good except the hero assumed the would-be rapist was secretly Catholic. Hmmm….not a good message.
March 14, 2014
ANOTHER GREAT READ IN THIS SERIES
Following on from book one Wolf Bride, this time it's Susannah Tyrell sister to Eloise who was the heroine from the first book. Susannah's father is determined to marry her off to his old friend. But Susannah has no intention of marrying her fathers friend, he's too old. At just eighteen Susannah is desperate to escape, so she dresses as a boy and heads south to London where her sister is with her new husband Lord Wolf at court.
There are perils along the way and Susannah soon finds herself in danger. Lord Wolf has despatched Hugh Beaufort to search for her. Hugh a favoured courtier of HenryVIII, is attracted to Susannah, but she's too wild and strong willed for his liking, even so he's beginning to find her hard to resist. There's no future in that though as she's promised to another, and he has nothing to offer a woman, he's without the means to take a wife even if he wanted to.
Another hot and passionate read, that might be even better than the first book IMO. with brilliantly drawn characters and a fast moving story, this was a real page turner. Loved it.
Following on from book one Wolf Bride, this time it's Susannah Tyrell sister to Eloise who was the heroine from the first book. Susannah's father is determined to marry her off to his old friend. But Susannah has no intention of marrying her fathers friend, he's too old. At just eighteen Susannah is desperate to escape, so she dresses as a boy and heads south to London where her sister is with her new husband Lord Wolf at court.
There are perils along the way and Susannah soon finds herself in danger. Lord Wolf has despatched Hugh Beaufort to search for her. Hugh a favoured courtier of HenryVIII, is attracted to Susannah, but she's too wild and strong willed for his liking, even so he's beginning to find her hard to resist. There's no future in that though as she's promised to another, and he has nothing to offer a woman, he's without the means to take a wife even if he wanted to.
Another hot and passionate read, that might be even better than the first book IMO. with brilliantly drawn characters and a fast moving story, this was a real page turner. Loved it.
Read
September 13, 2024a really enjoyable and steamy historical romance! ;)
![Profile Image for ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1572968006i%2F3840999._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 20, 2016
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...
Mmmm, I’m fast becoming a fan of Elizabeth Moss’s writing as well as her Lust in the Tudor Court series. I love how history is melded in this series with a healthy dose of naughtiness thrown in it. I also enjoyed the day to day activities of Tudor-era England. Ohhh and the covers of this series (by Sourcebooks Casablanca) are gorgeous!!
I really enjoyed book 1, Wolf Bride. When Eloise Tyrell, lady-in-waiting of then Queen Anne Boleyn meets her future husband, Lord Wolf, she wasn’t expecting anything but a life of misery where she has to bear the expected heirs, then be cast off by her husband in favor of some more sophisticated court beauties. Either way, Wolf wasn’t a man of many words and he was more often than not curt and distant and his words could often be wrongly interpreted. Eloise was sure that she was going to spend the rest of her life managing her husband’s country estate as Wolf takes mistresses as he reside in court. Even though she herself was enamored of a young buck herself, soon Eloise realizes that love comes in many forms. Her uninhibited lust for Wolf catches Eloise off-guard as she was a virgin prior to their marriage. Wolf’s aloof mannerism would dissolve in bed and Eloise would be left to hunger for more. That hunger soon formed into something unique and true; Eloise fell in love. But what of Wolf, her aloof husband?
Wolf was simply confused. Being a hardened soldier, emotions don’t play any part in his life. But Eloise seemed to have totally turned it upside down. He saw her, wanted her, and asked for her hand to her autocratic father John. He was granted the favor because of his title, fortune, also because he’s a close companion of King Henry the VIII and has the “King’s ear” or so to speak. He knew he could bed the enchanting Eloise, get her with child that he badly wants, but not once, did he think of love. Then why does he feel so jealous when he spies her with any man? Even knowing she would never betray him? Wolf has a past with another court beauty. A young passionate affair that didn’t end well. It showed Wolf was capable of falling in love, though that taught him a lesson. He vowed never to fall again. But with Eloise, he can’t seem to keep that vow straight. It took many misunderstandings, words exchanges and hot sex ;) to prove both Eloise and Wolf that all they needed was to talk and let each-other into their hearts.
In book 1, we see some great historical figures as secondary characters like Stinky Henry aka Henry the VI and Anne Boleyn, as well as, some other notable figures were also included as a part of the storytelling. We’re also introduced to Eloise’s younger sister Susannah and Wolf’s good friend, the King’s clerk, a young man named Hugh.
Now, Rebel Bride is narrated almost simultaneously with Wolf Bride as some incidents occur in both books to connect them together. Eloise’s power hungry father John made the match with Wolf for money. Though, for her, the match turned out to be the one to last, Susannah wasn’t so lucky. In book 1, she ran away from home to save herself from an unwanted marriage to one of his father’s friend, who is as old as, if not more, her father! She met Hugh at Eloise-Wolf’s wedding and been attracted to him ever since. There was something very obvious between them and Hugh was the one to come forward to go rescue her, then bring her back to court, which he does. It was told that between both sisters, Susannah was the most beautiful. She was, apparently, also the most stubborn, as she proves over and over again which, to me, seemed like on the verge of being TSTL. I had no idea just how much of a PITA she was going to be but boy she tried my patience in her own book!
First, about our hero Hugh. Being one of the lesser sons of a Lord, Hugh neither had money nor a title to keep Susannah in style. So he, and the rest of them, knew that John Tyrell will never accept his offer for Susannah. But tell that to his body! It’s crazy about Susannah no matter what he does. Susannah has already made her interest known, as we learn from the part that weren’t told in book 1 is told here; from Susannah and Hugh’s POVs. Hugh firmly denies her what she wanted, knowing how big of a mess they’re going to be if they sleep together. It hurts Susannah, though she should’ve known herself that Hugh wouldn’t wanna dally with the SIL of a close confidante of the King. Besides, John Tyrell can always make trouble for Hugh. Yet after her rescue, Hugh and Susannah are thrown together in court more often than not, and there was no way they could just not deny the clamoring of their bodies, especially when Susanna was simply shameless in her pursuit in becoming Hugh’s mistress......... Er, wait a min!
Yah, you heard that right, she didn’t want marriage. She wanted to be one of those “free” women who got to do whatever they wanted and not be a chattel to a man’s whims. Susannah was sick of her father’s tyranny. But it went up a notch the moment she finds that he’s been sleeping with their elderly nursemaid ever since their mother died some 15 yrs. ago. He doesn’t even treat Morag right, who, it was very apparent, loved her lord. He has simply been taking what he deemed his to use. Yet he talks about all sorts of righteous things with pompous arrogance and expects everyone to obey him without a word. Otherwise, his anger would take over and he’d simply forcefully extract what he wanted. Such a manly man! Susannah has gotten so fed up that she thought running away was her only option. Now if she can just become Hugh’s mistress, her father can’t force her to marry anywhere as she’d be considered ‘damaged goods’. On one hand, knowing it all I couldn’t blame her entirely. John Tyrell was disgusting. On the other hand, being sheltered she had no idea what kind of a dangerous place court can be for women who has no protection of any kind, or worse yet, women who are tagged as “sluts” and “whores”, doesn’t matter the truth or the untruth.
We see the detailed attempt of Susannah’s rescue that wasn’t in book 1. We also find that Hugh finally gave into the temptation and took her virginity, which is what Susannah wanted all along. It worries Hugh what might happen if words got out. He keeps blaming himself for not strongly controlling himself, but trust me, Susannah was more than willing. She was, in fact, the instigator.
After she’s brought to court, Susannah is at first awestruck by the splendor of it. She’d always envied Eloise for, what she deemed, was her sister’s good fortune. Eloise could “see” the sophisticated world that Susannah always craved. Now she’s ever determined to stay here, and spend time seducing one Hugh Beaufort if she can. But Eloise knew the real face of court under all that glitz and glamour, so she tries her best to protect Susannah, as does Wolf and Hugh. Yet she’d find herself in one scrap or the other while trying to assuage her insatiable curiosity, more often than not, nosing where she shouldn’t have been. For all her rebellious nature and stubborn streak, she was an inexperienced girl who’d simply be devoured in the blink of an eye by the more experienced and debauched sophisticates of the court. Her openness and subtle flirtation with Hugh and a few other men was already catching unwanted attentions. Plus the tale of her rescue and a brief captivity under a vile lord had already spread. She begins hearing equally vile whispers about her reputation. It didn’t help that, knowing it all, Susannah continues to get herself in trouble.
But Susannah’s main target was Hugh, even though he was very conflicted about the whole matter of making her his mistress. As I mentioned before, he understood the severity of the ramifications way more than she did. Susannah was rash and had the temper tantrum of a teenager. She kept throwing herself at Hugh at every turn, whenever they’d get some privacy. I would say both wanted each-other so it kept happening more often than not. I don’t entirely blame her but the way she wanted the whole thing to happen (to make point to her father I’d say) was not remotely mature. After a few trysts when he began worrying about a child, Hugh naturally proposed marriage. And this ticked Susannah off totally. She.Won’t.Marry... like ever! Her reasons were childish at best, but there were some truths in it too. I could see her vulnerabilities and distrust in men where marriage was concerned and exactly why.
Funny thing was, try as she might, Susannah couldn’t make herself feel interested in any other men, and more than a few were interested in her for a tryst or two, thanks to the gossipmongers. Susannah wanted Hugh, and Hugh only. Her body would sing for him, and not for anyone else. So how as she going to make herself an independent woman in the court? What was her plan? She kept throwing out Hugh’s marriage proposal, then does her best to make him jealous by flirting with other men though she had no interest in them. Denying one such lecherous a$$hole brought both her and Hugh trouble later in the story.
Well, simply put, she had no plan but just a stubborn streak that could’ve been her asset if she used it correctly. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The only 2 places she used that streak of her was 1. Getting herself in trouble and, 2. In continuing to refuse Hugh’s marriage proposal. WOW my head hurt! It was rather a cycle; Susannah would do things to rile Hugh up, to make him jealous. Get in trouble, from where Hugh would rescue her. Then they’d end up in bed, or wherever they were... Then Hugh would propose again, she’d vehemently deny. She’d tell Hugh that she doesn’t want marriage, while on the inside she wanted more than that. After some weeks into their affair, she wanted to be Mrs. Beaufort, but the only problem was Hugh never said the words she wanted to hear.
Rinse and repeat for the rest of the story.
I know I may sound like a broken record but I lost count of how many times Susannah said “no” to Hugh’s proposal. And Hugh was nothing but chivalrous to her. He cared, there was no doubt about it. Always coming to her rescue until the end when she got herself in another scrape. This is what happens... After Susannah is sent home, Hugh goes to see her. John Tyrell found out and went on a tirade, humiliating Hugh with bitter words, especially when Susannah declares her non-virgin state. I could tell she did it just to rile her father up. Thumbing it on his face. Then she tells Hugh without any qualms that “it’s over” between them, all because he didn’t say “I Love You” first. And all this after the man once again sought her hands and got humiliated for all his troubles. Seriously?! Did you tell him you loved him, hmm Susannah? Ugh! I don’t even know why Hugh was still after her... oh wait, he was in love with her already but after so many rejections, the poor guy was pretty sure Susannah didn’t return the feelings. *SMH*
After Hugh leaves, John beats Susannah and locks her up. But she finds a way to run away... again (which was apparently her only solution when she got herself in trouble). This time, while lying in a cave in the woods, she understood what she’d done by rejecting Hugh. That, with Hugh, she could’ve been safe from her father, AND she could have had him in bed whenever she wanted to. Whatever realization came to her, I couldn’t help thinking that it was all because she was in trouble again, and Hugh had always been her savior, not because she loved him even if that’s what she claimed later. All I knew that Susannah had no idea of what ‘love’ meant. Nope. If she was indeed in love, she would’ve expressed her feelings to him first. If he denied and hurt her, I’d give that she tried. But Susannah wouldn’t budge until Hugh said the words. She didn’t till the end. Real love doesn’t work that way m’dear!
Anyhoo, Hugh is an idiot so he rides up again the next day only to hear that Susannah has ran away... again. He saves her... again. They ride to court... again. But this time, Hugh is indeed in trouble thanks to John Tyrell who accuses him of kidnapping Susannah and worse, defiling her. Poor guy hasn’t had a hint of peace since Susannah came into his life. Someone with more brains would’ve stayed away from that girl, but I guess when you’re in love, you just can’t help being an idiot. We all do idiotic things for the sake of the ones we love, don’t we? *sigh*
Some good things do happen apart from Savannah’s continuous “brush with trouble”. Eloise has her baby, strengthening her happiness with Wolf. They were some couple and it takes Susannah a long time to actually understand that her sister is extremely happy and in love with her brother in law, who returns the feelings. Since the moment she convinced herself she is indeed in love with Hugh, who was at that time languishing in Tower of London under her own father’s accusations, Susannah realized how much of an idiot she was. And that told me she was finally getting a grip of her callous behavior and that maybe, there’s some hope for her yet. Personally, I do hope she’d learned her lesson and would cherish Hugh for the rest of her life for all the trouble she’d put him through. :/
But don’t let my review put you off of. And please start with book 1 to get the most of the series. You may enjoy the story more than me (I blame Susannah for it) because the sex scenes were hot. I wish there were more of those between Wolf and Eloise. Mmmm. ;)
Throughout the story we see some very interesting developments about book 3, Rose Bride. That one’s going to be about Margery, Wolf’s first love, who returned to court suddenly and had been of tremendous help to Wolf. I won’t say how, so you gotta read to find out. I can only say that so far she’d seemed like a gracious, if a bit troubled, woman and I’d like to know more about what happened that put Wolf off so much. And what kinda sexy scrapes she gets herself into with the King’s physician. ;) For Rebel Bride, 3.5 stars.
Mmmm, I’m fast becoming a fan of Elizabeth Moss’s writing as well as her Lust in the Tudor Court series. I love how history is melded in this series with a healthy dose of naughtiness thrown in it. I also enjoyed the day to day activities of Tudor-era England. Ohhh and the covers of this series (by Sourcebooks Casablanca) are gorgeous!!
I really enjoyed book 1, Wolf Bride. When Eloise Tyrell, lady-in-waiting of then Queen Anne Boleyn meets her future husband, Lord Wolf, she wasn’t expecting anything but a life of misery where she has to bear the expected heirs, then be cast off by her husband in favor of some more sophisticated court beauties. Either way, Wolf wasn’t a man of many words and he was more often than not curt and distant and his words could often be wrongly interpreted. Eloise was sure that she was going to spend the rest of her life managing her husband’s country estate as Wolf takes mistresses as he reside in court. Even though she herself was enamored of a young buck herself, soon Eloise realizes that love comes in many forms. Her uninhibited lust for Wolf catches Eloise off-guard as she was a virgin prior to their marriage. Wolf’s aloof mannerism would dissolve in bed and Eloise would be left to hunger for more. That hunger soon formed into something unique and true; Eloise fell in love. But what of Wolf, her aloof husband?
Wolf was simply confused. Being a hardened soldier, emotions don’t play any part in his life. But Eloise seemed to have totally turned it upside down. He saw her, wanted her, and asked for her hand to her autocratic father John. He was granted the favor because of his title, fortune, also because he’s a close companion of King Henry the VIII and has the “King’s ear” or so to speak. He knew he could bed the enchanting Eloise, get her with child that he badly wants, but not once, did he think of love. Then why does he feel so jealous when he spies her with any man? Even knowing she would never betray him? Wolf has a past with another court beauty. A young passionate affair that didn’t end well. It showed Wolf was capable of falling in love, though that taught him a lesson. He vowed never to fall again. But with Eloise, he can’t seem to keep that vow straight. It took many misunderstandings, words exchanges and hot sex ;) to prove both Eloise and Wolf that all they needed was to talk and let each-other into their hearts.
In book 1, we see some great historical figures as secondary characters like Stinky Henry aka Henry the VI and Anne Boleyn, as well as, some other notable figures were also included as a part of the storytelling. We’re also introduced to Eloise’s younger sister Susannah and Wolf’s good friend, the King’s clerk, a young man named Hugh.
Now, Rebel Bride is narrated almost simultaneously with Wolf Bride as some incidents occur in both books to connect them together. Eloise’s power hungry father John made the match with Wolf for money. Though, for her, the match turned out to be the one to last, Susannah wasn’t so lucky. In book 1, she ran away from home to save herself from an unwanted marriage to one of his father’s friend, who is as old as, if not more, her father! She met Hugh at Eloise-Wolf’s wedding and been attracted to him ever since. There was something very obvious between them and Hugh was the one to come forward to go rescue her, then bring her back to court, which he does. It was told that between both sisters, Susannah was the most beautiful. She was, apparently, also the most stubborn, as she proves over and over again which, to me, seemed like on the verge of being TSTL. I had no idea just how much of a PITA she was going to be but boy she tried my patience in her own book!
First, about our hero Hugh. Being one of the lesser sons of a Lord, Hugh neither had money nor a title to keep Susannah in style. So he, and the rest of them, knew that John Tyrell will never accept his offer for Susannah. But tell that to his body! It’s crazy about Susannah no matter what he does. Susannah has already made her interest known, as we learn from the part that weren’t told in book 1 is told here; from Susannah and Hugh’s POVs. Hugh firmly denies her what she wanted, knowing how big of a mess they’re going to be if they sleep together. It hurts Susannah, though she should’ve known herself that Hugh wouldn’t wanna dally with the SIL of a close confidante of the King. Besides, John Tyrell can always make trouble for Hugh. Yet after her rescue, Hugh and Susannah are thrown together in court more often than not, and there was no way they could just not deny the clamoring of their bodies, especially when Susanna was simply shameless in her pursuit in becoming Hugh’s mistress......... Er, wait a min!
Yah, you heard that right, she didn’t want marriage. She wanted to be one of those “free” women who got to do whatever they wanted and not be a chattel to a man’s whims. Susannah was sick of her father’s tyranny. But it went up a notch the moment she finds that he’s been sleeping with their elderly nursemaid ever since their mother died some 15 yrs. ago. He doesn’t even treat Morag right, who, it was very apparent, loved her lord. He has simply been taking what he deemed his to use. Yet he talks about all sorts of righteous things with pompous arrogance and expects everyone to obey him without a word. Otherwise, his anger would take over and he’d simply forcefully extract what he wanted. Such a manly man! Susannah has gotten so fed up that she thought running away was her only option. Now if she can just become Hugh’s mistress, her father can’t force her to marry anywhere as she’d be considered ‘damaged goods’. On one hand, knowing it all I couldn’t blame her entirely. John Tyrell was disgusting. On the other hand, being sheltered she had no idea what kind of a dangerous place court can be for women who has no protection of any kind, or worse yet, women who are tagged as “sluts” and “whores”, doesn’t matter the truth or the untruth.
We see the detailed attempt of Susannah’s rescue that wasn’t in book 1. We also find that Hugh finally gave into the temptation and took her virginity, which is what Susannah wanted all along. It worries Hugh what might happen if words got out. He keeps blaming himself for not strongly controlling himself, but trust me, Susannah was more than willing. She was, in fact, the instigator.
After she’s brought to court, Susannah is at first awestruck by the splendor of it. She’d always envied Eloise for, what she deemed, was her sister’s good fortune. Eloise could “see” the sophisticated world that Susannah always craved. Now she’s ever determined to stay here, and spend time seducing one Hugh Beaufort if she can. But Eloise knew the real face of court under all that glitz and glamour, so she tries her best to protect Susannah, as does Wolf and Hugh. Yet she’d find herself in one scrap or the other while trying to assuage her insatiable curiosity, more often than not, nosing where she shouldn’t have been. For all her rebellious nature and stubborn streak, she was an inexperienced girl who’d simply be devoured in the blink of an eye by the more experienced and debauched sophisticates of the court. Her openness and subtle flirtation with Hugh and a few other men was already catching unwanted attentions. Plus the tale of her rescue and a brief captivity under a vile lord had already spread. She begins hearing equally vile whispers about her reputation. It didn’t help that, knowing it all, Susannah continues to get herself in trouble.
But Susannah’s main target was Hugh, even though he was very conflicted about the whole matter of making her his mistress. As I mentioned before, he understood the severity of the ramifications way more than she did. Susannah was rash and had the temper tantrum of a teenager. She kept throwing herself at Hugh at every turn, whenever they’d get some privacy. I would say both wanted each-other so it kept happening more often than not. I don’t entirely blame her but the way she wanted the whole thing to happen (to make point to her father I’d say) was not remotely mature. After a few trysts when he began worrying about a child, Hugh naturally proposed marriage. And this ticked Susannah off totally. She.Won’t.Marry... like ever! Her reasons were childish at best, but there were some truths in it too. I could see her vulnerabilities and distrust in men where marriage was concerned and exactly why.
Funny thing was, try as she might, Susannah couldn’t make herself feel interested in any other men, and more than a few were interested in her for a tryst or two, thanks to the gossipmongers. Susannah wanted Hugh, and Hugh only. Her body would sing for him, and not for anyone else. So how as she going to make herself an independent woman in the court? What was her plan? She kept throwing out Hugh’s marriage proposal, then does her best to make him jealous by flirting with other men though she had no interest in them. Denying one such lecherous a$$hole brought both her and Hugh trouble later in the story.
Well, simply put, she had no plan but just a stubborn streak that could’ve been her asset if she used it correctly. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The only 2 places she used that streak of her was 1. Getting herself in trouble and, 2. In continuing to refuse Hugh’s marriage proposal. WOW my head hurt! It was rather a cycle; Susannah would do things to rile Hugh up, to make him jealous. Get in trouble, from where Hugh would rescue her. Then they’d end up in bed, or wherever they were... Then Hugh would propose again, she’d vehemently deny. She’d tell Hugh that she doesn’t want marriage, while on the inside she wanted more than that. After some weeks into their affair, she wanted to be Mrs. Beaufort, but the only problem was Hugh never said the words she wanted to hear.
Rinse and repeat for the rest of the story.
I know I may sound like a broken record but I lost count of how many times Susannah said “no” to Hugh’s proposal. And Hugh was nothing but chivalrous to her. He cared, there was no doubt about it. Always coming to her rescue until the end when she got herself in another scrape. This is what happens... After Susannah is sent home, Hugh goes to see her. John Tyrell found out and went on a tirade, humiliating Hugh with bitter words, especially when Susannah declares her non-virgin state. I could tell she did it just to rile her father up. Thumbing it on his face. Then she tells Hugh without any qualms that “it’s over” between them, all because he didn’t say “I Love You” first. And all this after the man once again sought her hands and got humiliated for all his troubles. Seriously?! Did you tell him you loved him, hmm Susannah? Ugh! I don’t even know why Hugh was still after her... oh wait, he was in love with her already but after so many rejections, the poor guy was pretty sure Susannah didn’t return the feelings. *SMH*
After Hugh leaves, John beats Susannah and locks her up. But she finds a way to run away... again (which was apparently her only solution when she got herself in trouble). This time, while lying in a cave in the woods, she understood what she’d done by rejecting Hugh. That, with Hugh, she could’ve been safe from her father, AND she could have had him in bed whenever she wanted to. Whatever realization came to her, I couldn’t help thinking that it was all because she was in trouble again, and Hugh had always been her savior, not because she loved him even if that’s what she claimed later. All I knew that Susannah had no idea of what ‘love’ meant. Nope. If she was indeed in love, she would’ve expressed her feelings to him first. If he denied and hurt her, I’d give that she tried. But Susannah wouldn’t budge until Hugh said the words. She didn’t till the end. Real love doesn’t work that way m’dear!
Anyhoo, Hugh is an idiot so he rides up again the next day only to hear that Susannah has ran away... again. He saves her... again. They ride to court... again. But this time, Hugh is indeed in trouble thanks to John Tyrell who accuses him of kidnapping Susannah and worse, defiling her. Poor guy hasn’t had a hint of peace since Susannah came into his life. Someone with more brains would’ve stayed away from that girl, but I guess when you’re in love, you just can’t help being an idiot. We all do idiotic things for the sake of the ones we love, don’t we? *sigh*
Some good things do happen apart from Savannah’s continuous “brush with trouble”. Eloise has her baby, strengthening her happiness with Wolf. They were some couple and it takes Susannah a long time to actually understand that her sister is extremely happy and in love with her brother in law, who returns the feelings. Since the moment she convinced herself she is indeed in love with Hugh, who was at that time languishing in Tower of London under her own father’s accusations, Susannah realized how much of an idiot she was. And that told me she was finally getting a grip of her callous behavior and that maybe, there’s some hope for her yet. Personally, I do hope she’d learned her lesson and would cherish Hugh for the rest of her life for all the trouble she’d put him through. :/
But don’t let my review put you off of. And please start with book 1 to get the most of the series. You may enjoy the story more than me (I blame Susannah for it) because the sex scenes were hot. I wish there were more of those between Wolf and Eloise. Mmmm. ;)
Throughout the story we see some very interesting developments about book 3, Rose Bride. That one’s going to be about Margery, Wolf’s first love, who returned to court suddenly and had been of tremendous help to Wolf. I won’t say how, so you gotta read to find out. I can only say that so far she’d seemed like a gracious, if a bit troubled, woman and I’d like to know more about what happened that put Wolf off so much. And what kinda sexy scrapes she gets herself into with the King’s physician. ;) For Rebel Bride, 3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2021
2.6/5 stars, full review to come! imagining writing what is basically a retelling of the taming of the shrew and then unironically being like “and then he calls her a slave and she loves it”
tw: attempted rape (multiple), general misogyny
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
tw: attempted rape (multiple), general misogyny
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
January 3, 2017
This book was received free via Netgalley for an honest review. My review is below.
This was a bit of a disappointment. The plot felt thin and mostly as a vehicle for sex scenes. Aside from looks and the lure of the forbidden (and that Susannah was easy), it was hard to tell what was drawing Hugh back to her. Sure, she was argumentative and fiery but she was also an idiot. He seemed a bit too smart for her. Susannah felt divorced from her time period. Her lack of any filters and complete disregard for any rules, propriety, or anything "worthy" in Tudor England was disconcerting.
The characterization was thin too: the bad guys were typically bad (mean father, rape-y bad guys, horny King Henry VIII), Hugh and Susannah and returning Wolf and Eloise werebarely cardboard cutouts. There were brief flashes from Eloise but for the most part it felt like someone dropped 21st century people into Tudor England.
This would have been a opportunity to explore what it meant to be a woman at Court, especially since there was so much political upheaval centered around women. But aside from some generic fear and sadness on the part of Eloise, there was nothing. Wolf and Eloise (from book 1 of this series) are fairly prominent here as Hugh's friend and Susannah's sister but even they can't make this story better.
This was a bit of a disappointment. The plot felt thin and mostly as a vehicle for sex scenes. Aside from looks and the lure of the forbidden (and that Susannah was easy), it was hard to tell what was drawing Hugh back to her. Sure, she was argumentative and fiery but she was also an idiot. He seemed a bit too smart for her. Susannah felt divorced from her time period. Her lack of any filters and complete disregard for any rules, propriety, or anything "worthy" in Tudor England was disconcerting.
The characterization was thin too: the bad guys were typically bad (mean father, rape-y bad guys, horny King Henry VIII), Hugh and Susannah and returning Wolf and Eloise werebarely cardboard cutouts. There were brief flashes from Eloise but for the most part it felt like someone dropped 21st century people into Tudor England.
This would have been a opportunity to explore what it meant to be a woman at Court, especially since there was so much political upheaval centered around women. But aside from some generic fear and sadness on the part of Eloise, there was nothing. Wolf and Eloise (from book 1 of this series) are fairly prominent here as Hugh's friend and Susannah's sister but even they can't make this story better.
July 13, 2014
A really enjoyable caper through Tudor life in and out of court. Our heroine is a strong willed 18 year old intent on maintaining her freedom in a man's world with a man she can't get out of her head. She manages to fight to be free from his dominance while enjoying the joys he provides her eager body. He however isn't easily put aside. All this as others vie for her body, and threats of blackmail create tension all around. A book which has a feminist in search of herself in a man's world with the back drop of a king freeing himself from his queen through a tyrant's mastery of his land and it's law. We see the old theme of a waning noble family demanding the younger daughter be married off to an old man for the good of the family name and estate. A good story!
A good chunk of sex with more passion and hunger than sleaze make this story roll along at full speed. It may be set in the sixteenth century but the tone is unrepentantly twenty-first century. Having finished reading the Rebel Bride I look forward to the rest of the series!
Thank you Elizabeth Moss.
A good chunk of sex with more passion and hunger than sleaze make this story roll along at full speed. It may be set in the sixteenth century but the tone is unrepentantly twenty-first century. Having finished reading the Rebel Bride I look forward to the rest of the series!
Thank you Elizabeth Moss.
May 13, 2016
3.75 stars!
The name of this series is Lust in Tudor Court and that is certainly the truth! I was looking forward to Susannah's book after reading about her a little in her older sister Eloise's book, Wolf Bride. I had high hopes for this book. While the book certainly provided a lot of heat, I felt like there was more sex (hot, dangerous, raunchy sex) than plot.
I would've loved to have experienced more of the intrigues of the court. Don't get me wrong, there was some, and it was very well written, but I felt like Susannah's need to rebel and Hugh's need to have Susannah overpowered everything else.
That being said, I'm glad Elizabeth Moss stayed relatively true to the dangers and intrigue of the Tudor Court, especially at a time when things were precarious for everyone except the king. I'm interested in reading the third book and intrigued to find out who it will feature and what new plots will appear.
The name of this series is Lust in Tudor Court and that is certainly the truth! I was looking forward to Susannah's book after reading about her a little in her older sister Eloise's book, Wolf Bride. I had high hopes for this book. While the book certainly provided a lot of heat, I felt like there was more sex (hot, dangerous, raunchy sex) than plot.
I would've loved to have experienced more of the intrigues of the court. Don't get me wrong, there was some, and it was very well written, but I felt like Susannah's need to rebel and Hugh's need to have Susannah overpowered everything else.
That being said, I'm glad Elizabeth Moss stayed relatively true to the dangers and intrigue of the Tudor Court, especially at a time when things were precarious for everyone except the king. I'm interested in reading the third book and intrigued to find out who it will feature and what new plots will appear.
January 8, 2016
I gave this one a little higher rating than the first book Wolf Bride because the plot was a bit more interesting and intense. Susannah Tyrell gets herself into a lot of trouble while trying to make her way to Court and to her sister Eloise. The sex scenes were not necessarily hotter. It's just that her relationship between Hugh is different than Eloise and Wolf's because they are not married so the forbidden romance adds to the intensity.
Overall: 4 stars
Recommendation: Possibly. This is a romance/erotica novel so be warned there are some very descriptive sex scenes.
Overall: 4 stars
Recommendation: Possibly. This is a romance/erotica novel so be warned there are some very descriptive sex scenes.
May 18, 2016
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
5 page-turning stars.
Last night, I had planned to read Rebel Bride for review, and ended up reading through the night into this morning and finishing Rose Bride as well. To say this series is a page-turner would be an understatement.
Backtracking through events during Wolf Bride at court, Rebel Bride was quite a treacherous time to live in, during the beheading of Anne Boleyn and the reign of Jane Seymour.
I just want to mention a few things about the author. Ms. Moss has the ability to make me an emotional wreck while reading. To say I believe in equality would be an understatement- not where you tear down a group to bring down the playing field to your level, but to truly be equal in all ways. So this series, set in this era, with its lack of women's rights, leaves me feeling powerless as I turn the pages. Powerless is not an emotion I enjoy, but one must feel discomfort in order to truly empathize.
In all three books in this series I've read, I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would send their daughter to court, nor why they would raise their sons to behave in such a matter. (I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, but I'm actually terrified to find it valid) Powerless prey vs empowered predators. Know there is a constant fear of the characters being taken against their consent on every page, then being blamed for it. It's very stressful. I'm not saying this lightly. This level of fear is on every page.
Susannah was a strong character, who fought all societal rules, wishing to have the rights of a man when she was a woman in the man's world. The thought that she would be owned by a man from birth to death rankled her. Her father was abusive by today's standards, but the norm back then. It was a bitter pill to swallow as I read to see how no matter what, the girl was at fault.
Misguided, Susannah believed a mistress had more freedom of choice, which we learn during Margerie's perils in book 3 is not a wise idea. After being struck by her father, who promised her elderly fiance would 'take her in hand', she ran away, doing many, many stupid things along the way. Not damsel in distress stupid, just tstl stupid. I appreciated how she dressed as a boy and preferred to be dressed that way for the freedom it offered. Her reasons for running were not unfounded, as the dogs were treated with more respect.
Hugh was a strong character, yet he was also still a male who acted as his peers, blaming Susannah for making him feel as he did, for being in situations she was in, for even the King finding her 'interesting', all situations that were created by men as traps for the women.
As I said, this is a page-turner filled with court intrigue to a beyond stressful level. Ladies were fragile beings meant to be protected and never left alone to their own devices, yet they were preyed upon constantly at court, which was a contradiction that I am sure was a true reality. One character was arrested for seducing a maid, which I found odd since no one batted an eyelash against attempted rape or actual rape, or seduction actually. It was like the book should have had a tagline: protect your daughters from the likes of us, but know we will use this against you at any time, and only arrest those that suit our agenda. As I said, stressful.
Stress aside, it was also a hot book- erotic level scorching heat.
Recommended to fans of historical romance, but realize this is not a light and fluffy read. Darker, with more steam.
5 page-turning stars.
Last night, I had planned to read Rebel Bride for review, and ended up reading through the night into this morning and finishing Rose Bride as well. To say this series is a page-turner would be an understatement.
Backtracking through events during Wolf Bride at court, Rebel Bride was quite a treacherous time to live in, during the beheading of Anne Boleyn and the reign of Jane Seymour.
I just want to mention a few things about the author. Ms. Moss has the ability to make me an emotional wreck while reading. To say I believe in equality would be an understatement- not where you tear down a group to bring down the playing field to your level, but to truly be equal in all ways. So this series, set in this era, with its lack of women's rights, leaves me feeling powerless as I turn the pages. Powerless is not an emotion I enjoy, but one must feel discomfort in order to truly empathize.
In all three books in this series I've read, I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would send their daughter to court, nor why they would raise their sons to behave in such a matter. (I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, but I'm actually terrified to find it valid) Powerless prey vs empowered predators. Know there is a constant fear of the characters being taken against their consent on every page, then being blamed for it. It's very stressful. I'm not saying this lightly. This level of fear is on every page.
Susannah was a strong character, who fought all societal rules, wishing to have the rights of a man when she was a woman in the man's world. The thought that she would be owned by a man from birth to death rankled her. Her father was abusive by today's standards, but the norm back then. It was a bitter pill to swallow as I read to see how no matter what, the girl was at fault.
Misguided, Susannah believed a mistress had more freedom of choice, which we learn during Margerie's perils in book 3 is not a wise idea. After being struck by her father, who promised her elderly fiance would 'take her in hand', she ran away, doing many, many stupid things along the way. Not damsel in distress stupid, just tstl stupid. I appreciated how she dressed as a boy and preferred to be dressed that way for the freedom it offered. Her reasons for running were not unfounded, as the dogs were treated with more respect.
Hugh was a strong character, yet he was also still a male who acted as his peers, blaming Susannah for making him feel as he did, for being in situations she was in, for even the King finding her 'interesting', all situations that were created by men as traps for the women.
As I said, this is a page-turner filled with court intrigue to a beyond stressful level. Ladies were fragile beings meant to be protected and never left alone to their own devices, yet they were preyed upon constantly at court, which was a contradiction that I am sure was a true reality. One character was arrested for seducing a maid, which I found odd since no one batted an eyelash against attempted rape or actual rape, or seduction actually. It was like the book should have had a tagline: protect your daughters from the likes of us, but know we will use this against you at any time, and only arrest those that suit our agenda. As I said, stressful.
Stress aside, it was also a hot book- erotic level scorching heat.
Recommended to fans of historical romance, but realize this is not a light and fluffy read. Darker, with more steam.
November 3, 2015
Rebel Bride by Elizabeth Moss is book two in the Lust in the Tudor Court series that began with Wolf Bride. Rebel Bride tells the tale of Susannah Tyrell, the younger sister to Eloise, new bride to Lord Wolf. It takes place during the early years of Eloise's marriage as Susannah finds herself promised in marriage by her father to a much older man who can provide for her and enrich her father. An arrangement that Susannah is determined to make sure never comes to fruition.
Hugh Beaufort, a favorite of the court of King Henry VIII and Lord Wolf enjoys his women and likes that quiet and manageable. The young Susannah Tyrell is nothing like any woman Hugh has ever meant. Spoiled and opinionated, she is high above Hugh's station and promised to a elderly knight of the court. To lay his hand upon her is to invite his own destruction. But Hugh finds himself driven to obsession and when Susannah goes missing Hugh goes into pursuit.
Susannah has decided she would rather run away than be married to a man fifty years her senior no matter how much gold he has. Cutting her hair she rides off into the night only to be captured by a rogue of a knight and held captive in her estate. Hugh finds her and in a bitter fight he rescues her. But they are lost in the woods and forced to spend the night alone.
That one powerful night of lust and desire seals their fates. Susannah's reputation is ruined and Hugh must stand aside as she suffers the rumors and lies of the King's court. He begs her to marry him but she refuses. Susannah does not want to live by the rules of the court or the times. She wants to be her own woman, at a time that being a woman has no value. Will the love between Hugh and Susannah save them or destroy them both?
What made Wolf Bride, book one, such a good erotic novel is that the characters were well developed and the life and intrigue of King Henry's court was a powerful part of the novel. In book two much of what takes place happens far from the court of King Henry. As such it lacks the palace intrigue of the time and instead is more a tale of one young girls fight for her own sense of independence. Only with Susannah you can never tell if its a noble fight for women's rights or her own petulant spoiled little rich girl desire to get her own way. This comes with great cost. People die rescuing her but she hardly seems to care. She is pretty unlikable and as such it is difficult to want to see her free. As for Hugh, for the hero here he is pretty much a wienie. Finally when they are lost to one another, Hugh imprisoned and Susannah banished it is more by accident than by some great act.
Rebel Bride is a step back from the good writing and plotting that was Wolf Bride.
Hugh Beaufort, a favorite of the court of King Henry VIII and Lord Wolf enjoys his women and likes that quiet and manageable. The young Susannah Tyrell is nothing like any woman Hugh has ever meant. Spoiled and opinionated, she is high above Hugh's station and promised to a elderly knight of the court. To lay his hand upon her is to invite his own destruction. But Hugh finds himself driven to obsession and when Susannah goes missing Hugh goes into pursuit.
Susannah has decided she would rather run away than be married to a man fifty years her senior no matter how much gold he has. Cutting her hair she rides off into the night only to be captured by a rogue of a knight and held captive in her estate. Hugh finds her and in a bitter fight he rescues her. But they are lost in the woods and forced to spend the night alone.
That one powerful night of lust and desire seals their fates. Susannah's reputation is ruined and Hugh must stand aside as she suffers the rumors and lies of the King's court. He begs her to marry him but she refuses. Susannah does not want to live by the rules of the court or the times. She wants to be her own woman, at a time that being a woman has no value. Will the love between Hugh and Susannah save them or destroy them both?
What made Wolf Bride, book one, such a good erotic novel is that the characters were well developed and the life and intrigue of King Henry's court was a powerful part of the novel. In book two much of what takes place happens far from the court of King Henry. As such it lacks the palace intrigue of the time and instead is more a tale of one young girls fight for her own sense of independence. Only with Susannah you can never tell if its a noble fight for women's rights or her own petulant spoiled little rich girl desire to get her own way. This comes with great cost. People die rescuing her but she hardly seems to care. She is pretty unlikable and as such it is difficult to want to see her free. As for Hugh, for the hero here he is pretty much a wienie. Finally when they are lost to one another, Hugh imprisoned and Susannah banished it is more by accident than by some great act.
Rebel Bride is a step back from the good writing and plotting that was Wolf Bride.
December 22, 2015
original post at: http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspo...
I’ve been wanting to read Elizabeth Moss since I heard of the first book in this series “Wolf Bride.” Although I didn’t get around to reading the first book, I saw wonderful reviews for it and also for “Rebel Bride.” This was my first time reading Elizabeth Moss so I was not sure what to expect but since I enjoy historical romances I was looking forward to this story.
I have to say that the story fell short for me. I really wanted to like and it seemed to me that the story sounded great. Susannah Tyrell sounded like the perfect heroine. She wanted to live by her own rules and did not want an arranged marriage. Hugh Beaufort also sounded interesting. He seemed the perfect opposite to Susannah’s impulsive nature. Where Hugh was dedicated to his duties Susannah made her own rules and wanted to be in charge of her future. Also, the historical back drop during the reign of Henry VIII sounded fascinating. The author included some fun and action filled scenes that made for perfect knight in shining armor scenario.
Unfortunately, the story did not work for me. Although the Tudor court is one of my favorite topics and it did affect Susannah’s relationship with Hugh because he is fiercely loyal to the king and his responsibilities. He, however, can’t deny what he feels for Susannah which proves to be a struggle for him. He is attracted to Susannah but he tries to be noble and respect the marriage that has already been arranged for her. One aspect of the story that I did not care for was the heroine. I didn’t like her and she seemed so flighty instead of strong and determined. She seemed to be all over the place. It seemed that every time she made a decision it landed her in situations where she needed rescuing. Also, although she kept rejecting Hugh’s marriage proposal for altruistic reasons I wasn’t really buying her story. Hugh was ok but he seemed as wishy washy as Susannah. He was supposed to be a strong and noble knight but he kept flipping back and forth he tells her if she doesn’t accept his marriage proposal he is gone for good-then he returns. Finally, I didn’t think they had great chemistry. I think that the author threw them together too quickly and I wasn’t overly invested in their story even though they did have huge hurdles to overcome. I know that a big theme of this story is the sex but even that seemed boring and not enough to keep me invested in the story. In truth I found it overly dramatic and the main characters not developed enough to make their struggles and their love story memorable, I felt very detached and at times bored.
I’ve been wanting to read Elizabeth Moss since I heard of the first book in this series “Wolf Bride.” Although I didn’t get around to reading the first book, I saw wonderful reviews for it and also for “Rebel Bride.” This was my first time reading Elizabeth Moss so I was not sure what to expect but since I enjoy historical romances I was looking forward to this story.
I have to say that the story fell short for me. I really wanted to like and it seemed to me that the story sounded great. Susannah Tyrell sounded like the perfect heroine. She wanted to live by her own rules and did not want an arranged marriage. Hugh Beaufort also sounded interesting. He seemed the perfect opposite to Susannah’s impulsive nature. Where Hugh was dedicated to his duties Susannah made her own rules and wanted to be in charge of her future. Also, the historical back drop during the reign of Henry VIII sounded fascinating. The author included some fun and action filled scenes that made for perfect knight in shining armor scenario.
Unfortunately, the story did not work for me. Although the Tudor court is one of my favorite topics and it did affect Susannah’s relationship with Hugh because he is fiercely loyal to the king and his responsibilities. He, however, can’t deny what he feels for Susannah which proves to be a struggle for him. He is attracted to Susannah but he tries to be noble and respect the marriage that has already been arranged for her. One aspect of the story that I did not care for was the heroine. I didn’t like her and she seemed so flighty instead of strong and determined. She seemed to be all over the place. It seemed that every time she made a decision it landed her in situations where she needed rescuing. Also, although she kept rejecting Hugh’s marriage proposal for altruistic reasons I wasn’t really buying her story. Hugh was ok but he seemed as wishy washy as Susannah. He was supposed to be a strong and noble knight but he kept flipping back and forth he tells her if she doesn’t accept his marriage proposal he is gone for good-then he returns. Finally, I didn’t think they had great chemistry. I think that the author threw them together too quickly and I wasn’t overly invested in their story even though they did have huge hurdles to overcome. I know that a big theme of this story is the sex but even that seemed boring and not enough to keep me invested in the story. In truth I found it overly dramatic and the main characters not developed enough to make their struggles and their love story memorable, I felt very detached and at times bored.
February 20, 2018
Trigger warning: Attempted rape
The best thing about this book is the cover. Look at this cover. It is GORGEOUS. Look at the lush detail of the clothing and the way the light plays across the heroine’s skin. LOOK AT IT.
I give major props to the artist here because that’s straight-up what drew me to the book and then made me buy it.
If only the book had been as good as its cover.
We’re in Tudor England and our heroine is rebellious, independent Susannah Tyrell. She doesn’t want to marry an ugly, old dude. Our hero is court clerk Hugh Beaufort – and he’s pretty dreamy. Susannah doesn’t want to marry Hugh either, but she does want to sleep with him.
Susannah, after having a fight with her dad, runs away from her family farm on a horse. Disaster ensues. She’s nearly raped multiple times and held captive in a nobleman’s home. She escapes again and finds Hugh on a horse! He protects her from the horrible man.
Then Susannah goes off to Henry VIII’s court. But not before she consummates her relationship with Hugh – even though there were totally people coming after them both and Susannah just escaped a man who wanted to rape her.
It gets worse.
Susannah doesn’t want to be married or beholden to any man. She wants to keep having no-strings-attached sex with Hugh, too. Neither of those things are terrible – but Susannah doesn’t even think to find a means of supporting herself and you know, figure out a birth control method. She’s pretty blasé about getting pregnant.
Hugh doesn’t think to go “Hey, maybe you don’t want to have a baby? Here’s how you do it.” In fact, his solution is “Yeah, just let me marry you” to a woman who doesn’t want to get married at all. They never even have a real conversation the entire book. But noooo they need each other and can’t keep their hands off one another – which if they’d just been patient they could have avoided a lot of trouble.
Susannah doesn’t seem to realize how her actions could affect the people around her, like her sister, who lives at court. And you know there are spies and they’re constantly being watched!
Most of the issues in this book could have been resolved if Hugh and Susannah actually had a real conversation and a lick of common sense between the two of them.
“Rebel Bride” has a big sticker on it advertising it as “Fifty Shades of Tudor sex.” To me that means, “Hot, kinky sex in the Tudor era.” The sex wasn’t kinky. Susannah and Hugh have sex a few times outdoors, he spanks her once and refers to her as a “slave” another time, but really it’s very vanilla.
“Rebel Bride” was a frustrating read.
The best thing about this book is the cover. Look at this cover. It is GORGEOUS. Look at the lush detail of the clothing and the way the light plays across the heroine’s skin. LOOK AT IT.
I give major props to the artist here because that’s straight-up what drew me to the book and then made me buy it.
If only the book had been as good as its cover.
We’re in Tudor England and our heroine is rebellious, independent Susannah Tyrell. She doesn’t want to marry an ugly, old dude. Our hero is court clerk Hugh Beaufort – and he’s pretty dreamy. Susannah doesn’t want to marry Hugh either, but she does want to sleep with him.
Susannah, after having a fight with her dad, runs away from her family farm on a horse. Disaster ensues. She’s nearly raped multiple times and held captive in a nobleman’s home. She escapes again and finds Hugh on a horse! He protects her from the horrible man.
Then Susannah goes off to Henry VIII’s court. But not before she consummates her relationship with Hugh – even though there were totally people coming after them both and Susannah just escaped a man who wanted to rape her.
It gets worse.
Susannah doesn’t want to be married or beholden to any man. She wants to keep having no-strings-attached sex with Hugh, too. Neither of those things are terrible – but Susannah doesn’t even think to find a means of supporting herself and you know, figure out a birth control method. She’s pretty blasé about getting pregnant.
Hugh doesn’t think to go “Hey, maybe you don’t want to have a baby? Here’s how you do it.” In fact, his solution is “Yeah, just let me marry you” to a woman who doesn’t want to get married at all. They never even have a real conversation the entire book. But noooo they need each other and can’t keep their hands off one another – which if they’d just been patient they could have avoided a lot of trouble.
Susannah doesn’t seem to realize how her actions could affect the people around her, like her sister, who lives at court. And you know there are spies and they’re constantly being watched!
Most of the issues in this book could have been resolved if Hugh and Susannah actually had a real conversation and a lick of common sense between the two of them.
“Rebel Bride” has a big sticker on it advertising it as “Fifty Shades of Tudor sex.” To me that means, “Hot, kinky sex in the Tudor era.” The sex wasn’t kinky. Susannah and Hugh have sex a few times outdoors, he spanks her once and refers to her as a “slave” another time, but really it’s very vanilla.
“Rebel Bride” was a frustrating read.
December 30, 2015
Vikki’s Musings
Rating 3.5 Gold Crowns
I read Wolf Bride about six months ago and totally fell in love with that book. When I saw Rebel Bride was available on Net-Galley, I immediately requested it in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as I did Wolf Bride. While the story is as well-written as Wolf Bride, I did not like Susannah very much. One of the things I liked most about the first book was the intrigue within the Tudor court. That was another thing missing in Rebel Bride.
When Susannah finds out her father is determined to marry her off to his elderly friend, she runs away and becomes lost in the woods. When two men discover her and take her to their overlord, he is determined to take her virtue, which puts her in a very dangerous situation.
Hugh Beaufort, a courier for Henry VIII, is sent by Lord Wolf to find his wife’s unruly sister. He had recently met Susannah under less than desirable circumstances. But, nonetheless, he would do his duty.
When he finds Susannah, he does not know whether to spank her for her willfulness or love her for her feistiness.
The pacing is steady and the vivid descriptions of the scenery and the court are well done. The story line is interesting and the sexual scenes are definitely erotic. If I had liked Susannah’s character, I would have enjoyed this story more.
Susannah’s character is willful, immature and cannot make up her mind. One minute she wants Hugh and then the next she does not. I find it difficult to believe that a genteel young woman would make the choices Susannah makes. She is her own worst enemy. I became quite irritated with her throughout most of the book.
Hugh’s character also had some issues. While I did like him, I had a difficult time with the way he took her during their first sexual encounter. The scene seemed forced by the BDSM element, and while I do realize this is supposed to be erotic, for me I like a bit more emotion written into the sexual scenes. I will say, Hugh had the patience of a saint with Susannah, not sure why he fell in love with this extremely immature young lady.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy the historical detail, just would have enjoyed a bit more of it. This is an okay read, just not riveting like Wolf Bride was. That book may have set the bar very high. I am glad I took a chance on this one because I got to see more of Wolf and Eloise. Happy reading!
Rating 3.5 Gold Crowns
I read Wolf Bride about six months ago and totally fell in love with that book. When I saw Rebel Bride was available on Net-Galley, I immediately requested it in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as I did Wolf Bride. While the story is as well-written as Wolf Bride, I did not like Susannah very much. One of the things I liked most about the first book was the intrigue within the Tudor court. That was another thing missing in Rebel Bride.
When Susannah finds out her father is determined to marry her off to his elderly friend, she runs away and becomes lost in the woods. When two men discover her and take her to their overlord, he is determined to take her virtue, which puts her in a very dangerous situation.
Hugh Beaufort, a courier for Henry VIII, is sent by Lord Wolf to find his wife’s unruly sister. He had recently met Susannah under less than desirable circumstances. But, nonetheless, he would do his duty.
When he finds Susannah, he does not know whether to spank her for her willfulness or love her for her feistiness.
The pacing is steady and the vivid descriptions of the scenery and the court are well done. The story line is interesting and the sexual scenes are definitely erotic. If I had liked Susannah’s character, I would have enjoyed this story more.
Susannah’s character is willful, immature and cannot make up her mind. One minute she wants Hugh and then the next she does not. I find it difficult to believe that a genteel young woman would make the choices Susannah makes. She is her own worst enemy. I became quite irritated with her throughout most of the book.
Hugh’s character also had some issues. While I did like him, I had a difficult time with the way he took her during their first sexual encounter. The scene seemed forced by the BDSM element, and while I do realize this is supposed to be erotic, for me I like a bit more emotion written into the sexual scenes. I will say, Hugh had the patience of a saint with Susannah, not sure why he fell in love with this extremely immature young lady.
Nonetheless, I did enjoy the historical detail, just would have enjoyed a bit more of it. This is an okay read, just not riveting like Wolf Bride was. That book may have set the bar very high. I am glad I took a chance on this one because I got to see more of Wolf and Eloise. Happy reading!
May 15, 2014
Having read Wolf Bride which is the first in the Lust in the Tudor Court Series, I could not wait to read the second one. The second instalment revolves around Susannah, Eloise's sister who was featured in the first book, but this time she has her own story in the Tudor Court. With Susannah and Eloise's father being a Sir, he wants to marry her off to the person who is willing to give him the most in return, just like he did with Eloise.
Although, Susannah doesn't want that, so she takes matters into her own hands and decide to escape from her home, though it was not a easy task having to dress as a member of the opposite sex. She decides to go to her sister, who is married to Lord Wolf and is living in the court in London. Susannah is nothing like her sister, Eloise is very reserved but Susannah is more wild and free in the way that she lives.
It doesn't take long before she catches the eye of Lord Wolf's friend, Hugh who is drawn to Susannah and even though he must not want her, he finds himself drawn to Susannah. Though, he can't have her as his own, her father has promised his youngest daughter to someone that he has chosen. Although, he may not have much to give Susannah but he may have something that no one else would be able to have, her heart.
Rebel Bride is a amazing addition to this wonderful series that expanded on the beautifully written first book that I loved so much. It has passion, lust, wildness and sexual tension, I can't wait for the next book in the series.
If I had to sum this book up in three words, they would be Passionate, Exciting and Incredible.
Although, Susannah doesn't want that, so she takes matters into her own hands and decide to escape from her home, though it was not a easy task having to dress as a member of the opposite sex. She decides to go to her sister, who is married to Lord Wolf and is living in the court in London. Susannah is nothing like her sister, Eloise is very reserved but Susannah is more wild and free in the way that she lives.
It doesn't take long before she catches the eye of Lord Wolf's friend, Hugh who is drawn to Susannah and even though he must not want her, he finds himself drawn to Susannah. Though, he can't have her as his own, her father has promised his youngest daughter to someone that he has chosen. Although, he may not have much to give Susannah but he may have something that no one else would be able to have, her heart.
Rebel Bride is a amazing addition to this wonderful series that expanded on the beautifully written first book that I loved so much. It has passion, lust, wildness and sexual tension, I can't wait for the next book in the series.
If I had to sum this book up in three words, they would be Passionate, Exciting and Incredible.
December 4, 2015
Rebel Bride is the second book two in Elizabeth Moss's Lust in the Tudor Court series. This time the story follows Susannah Tyrell (Eloise's sister from Wolf Bride). Susannah faces a forced marriage to a much older ally of her manipulative and controlling father. Susannah has no intention of being married off and tries to escape by going on the run.
The book is set in and around the court of King Henry VIII (after Anne Boleyn's downfall). Hugh Beaufort is a favoured steward to the King and friend of Lord Wolf. He finds himself tasked with finding Susannah before the court discover she's missing.
I liked Susannah and her antics made me laugh. I appreciated how she wasn't prepared to be controlled by any man and challenges the gender roles of the time. It took me longer to warm to Hugh but I think this was largely because he wanted Susannah, but was convinced he only wanted a malleable and quiet wife.
As with Wolf Bride there's lots of action and drama, and of course, sexy times. But my highlight was Susannah's spirit and sauciness. If you like your historical fiction with a lot of Tudor action and naughty times, then I think you'll enjoy Rebel Bride.
4 Stars in my Sky!
I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!
More at Zili in the Sky
November 26, 2015
This the second book in the Lust in the Tudor Court series. I had not read the first book and I didn't need to as this can be read very much as a stand alone.
I had not read any of Elizabeth Moss's books before but this wont be the last, this is the first historical that i've ever read with as much passion and lust between its pages as I would call this an erotic novel and I loved every bit of it.
Susannah Tyrell is a willful young woman that runs away from home as her father is trying to force her into a marriage with a man as old as himself, she falls into the arms of Hugh Beaufort who is sent to find her, where she rather than he, seduces him to take her virginity in the forest during a stormy night. He decides next morning to take her to King Henry VIII court to her sister and her husband Lord Wolfe.
Lots of twists and turns happen in the story and featuring in the background is the execution of Anne Boleyn and the marriage of King Henry to Jane Seymour, with no spoilers the story is very fast paced very well written and will make you not want to put this book down.
Excellent book I would recommend it to anyone would likes to read a story that is more on the steamy side but is still tastefully well written.
I had not read any of Elizabeth Moss's books before but this wont be the last, this is the first historical that i've ever read with as much passion and lust between its pages as I would call this an erotic novel and I loved every bit of it.
Susannah Tyrell is a willful young woman that runs away from home as her father is trying to force her into a marriage with a man as old as himself, she falls into the arms of Hugh Beaufort who is sent to find her, where she rather than he, seduces him to take her virginity in the forest during a stormy night. He decides next morning to take her to King Henry VIII court to her sister and her husband Lord Wolfe.
Lots of twists and turns happen in the story and featuring in the background is the execution of Anne Boleyn and the marriage of King Henry to Jane Seymour, with no spoilers the story is very fast paced very well written and will make you not want to put this book down.
Excellent book I would recommend it to anyone would likes to read a story that is more on the steamy side but is still tastefully well written.
October 14, 2015
Ugh. I was SO looking forward to reading this after falling in love with Wolf Bride earlier this year and this was just such a dud. The beginning of the story was extremely far-fetched and eye roll worthy. I felt no chemistry between Hugh and Susannah and just couldn't understand her rationalization of pushing Hugh away when CLEARLY she wanted to be with him and he with her. It made no sense and add into it the scenes at court also being completely over the top, unbelievable, and ridiculous. Le sigh. Until this point I had yet to meet a Tudor book I haven't liked and sadly, that day has come.
October 6, 2015
I was thrilled to see this book rise above the prior novel!
The first book, which I read and reviewed had many issues. But this book is much cleaner, and more consistent.
Tudor England is still expressed in a very accurate and very gritty way, but the characters are engaging and the story line more romantic.
A huge improvement and a well deserved 4 stars!
Hugh is a shy and conservative clerk even if he does serve the king.
Susannah is a young and impulsive woman trying to flee an arranged marriage.
They fall in love and save each other from a horrific fate!
The first book, which I read and reviewed had many issues. But this book is much cleaner, and more consistent.
Tudor England is still expressed in a very accurate and very gritty way, but the characters are engaging and the story line more romantic.
A huge improvement and a well deserved 4 stars!
Hugh is a shy and conservative clerk even if he does serve the king.
Susannah is a young and impulsive woman trying to flee an arranged marriage.
They fall in love and save each other from a horrific fate!
October 7, 2014
I love books about the Tudor Court. Some are better than others. This book REBEL BRIDE is one of my favorites. I really like Susan and how she just draws you in. Hugh isn't bad either. This book offers a little bit of everything. History,action,suspense, romance,and although it's a story about history it seems current. I couldn't put this book down. Absolutely love,love,loved it.
December 2, 2015
Exciting and full of Tudor court politics. I loved seeing King Henry and his wives from a different perspective.
Heroine was my shero! I loved her devil may care attitude and fierce will to own her own destiny. Even in her folly she was brave and not just a prop for an exceptionally well crafted hero to hump up against.
Dude. Read.
Heroine was my shero! I loved her devil may care attitude and fierce will to own her own destiny. Even in her folly she was brave and not just a prop for an exceptionally well crafted hero to hump up against.
Dude. Read.
June 26, 2017
I had a really difficult time with this book. This is just my opinion, but for me, the heroine was so unrealistic in her opinions..."I'm going to be an INDEPENDENT WOMAN!" ...and so impetuous and naive that I couldn't like her at all. I'm also seeing in this series that much of the tension between the couples comes from suspicion of cheating (ick!).
November 24, 2018
Didn’t like this one as well as the first. King Henry is cruel and sociopathic. The female protagonist, Susannah is an immature brat. The only person’s feelings she considers are those of her father, who cares nothing for her own feelings. Susannah cares nothing of the consequences or her actions. I don’t think she has ever learned anything from her bad behavior.
December 14, 2015
Loved it! Omg great characters and story and holy cow some hot scenes! Whew! I won this book from a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
March 23, 2025
I really hated the heroine in this romance and it ruined the entire story. Susannah behaves like a woman living in the present, even though it was 1536. She did not heed any rules or customs, even though she did not have a viable alternative plan. Like I can sometimes get behind an independent heroine - maybe one who is independently wealthy or has a job to sustain herself - but not behind a stupid girl who just does not want the status quo, but does not WANT anything either.
Susannah was to be married to a 60 year old man, so she runs away from home. She is so dumb that she fails to bring even food as she attempts to travel to the court of Henry VIII in order to meet up with her sister. There is no plan after that. Anyway, she is kidnapped by some ruffians who talk about raping her, but instead take them to their "lord" - an impoverished baron living in obscurity. Her brother-in-law's friend, Hugh Beaufort goes in search of her on the behest of his friend. The two have met up before and have flirted with each other. While Susannah is interested in more, Hugh will not make a move as she is promised to another man.
Susannah escapes the bad guy and runs into Hugh in the forest. He fights off the baron, maybe even killing him, in order to save Susannah. They then need to bed down for the night in the forest. He tries to resist her, but they end up having sex. Hugh promises to marry her, but she does not want to hear anything about it. She is determined to not be shackled to any man. When Hugh tries to tell her that there is no way for a gently bred lady to be without protection, she is offended that he is insinuating that she will be a mistress.
She kept insisting that she did not care if her reputation was ruined, but that was not how it worked in the Tudor time period. Hugh and her sister kept trying to tell her that she not only risked her reputation, but that of them as well. Her brother-in-law, a higher up at court, could have his position in jeopardy. So even if she did not care about herself, how could she be so selfish and totally disregard what could happen to Hugh or her family.
I wish that there were descriptions about court life and the politics of the time. This book took place around Anne Boleyn's execution and the raising up of Jane Seymour. It was such a fraught time at court and yet Susannah is just doing whatever the hell she wants. Also, Hugh and Susannah did not have a relationship beyond sex. It was boring.
Susannah was to be married to a 60 year old man, so she runs away from home. She is so dumb that she fails to bring even food as she attempts to travel to the court of Henry VIII in order to meet up with her sister. There is no plan after that. Anyway, she is kidnapped by some ruffians who talk about raping her, but instead take them to their "lord" - an impoverished baron living in obscurity. Her brother-in-law's friend, Hugh Beaufort goes in search of her on the behest of his friend. The two have met up before and have flirted with each other. While Susannah is interested in more, Hugh will not make a move as she is promised to another man.
Susannah escapes the bad guy and runs into Hugh in the forest. He fights off the baron, maybe even killing him, in order to save Susannah. They then need to bed down for the night in the forest. He tries to resist her, but they end up having sex. Hugh promises to marry her, but she does not want to hear anything about it. She is determined to not be shackled to any man. When Hugh tries to tell her that there is no way for a gently bred lady to be without protection, she is offended that he is insinuating that she will be a mistress.
She kept insisting that she did not care if her reputation was ruined, but that was not how it worked in the Tudor time period. Hugh and her sister kept trying to tell her that she not only risked her reputation, but that of them as well. Her brother-in-law, a higher up at court, could have his position in jeopardy. So even if she did not care about herself, how could she be so selfish and totally disregard what could happen to Hugh or her family.
I wish that there were descriptions about court life and the politics of the time. This book took place around Anne Boleyn's execution and the raising up of Jane Seymour. It was such a fraught time at court and yet Susannah is just doing whatever the hell she wants. Also, Hugh and Susannah did not have a relationship beyond sex. It was boring.
June 30, 2017
You don’t need to have read the first book in the series to thoroughly enjoy REBEL BRIDE. This installment of Elizabeth Moss’s sexy Tudor trilogy features Susannah Tyrell (sister to Eloise from the first book) and Hugh Beaufort (a friend of Lord Wolf, Eloise’s husband). And if you read the first book and thought Eloise was a stubborn heroine, well that’s only because you haven’t read about Susannah! She puts a mule to shame – but in a delightful, sexual tension-building sort of way.
Susannah is desperate to escape her father’s plans to marry her off to an old (read that literally) friend of his. In a mad-cap plan, she dons boy’s clothing and runs off to seek shelter with her sister in London. Of course, things don’t go according to Susannah’s plan and soon she needs rescuing. Enter Hugh Beaufort, sent to find Susannah by Lord Wolf. The two immediately clash – Hugh likes his women pliable and obedient, but Susannah is anything but! However, they cannot deny the lust they feel for one another and their forbidden romance soon puts them at odds with society’s expectations.
Overall, I’d describe this book as a guilty-pleasure read. This is an erotica novel, so the sex is scorching hot, almost to the point where the plot is secondary. But placed within the context of the Tudor period (one of my favorites!) and juxtaposed against a decidedly feminist heroine, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and can’t wait for the next book!
Plot Twist Reviews [dot] Com
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Susannah is desperate to escape her father’s plans to marry her off to an old (read that literally) friend of his. In a mad-cap plan, she dons boy’s clothing and runs off to seek shelter with her sister in London. Of course, things don’t go according to Susannah’s plan and soon she needs rescuing. Enter Hugh Beaufort, sent to find Susannah by Lord Wolf. The two immediately clash – Hugh likes his women pliable and obedient, but Susannah is anything but! However, they cannot deny the lust they feel for one another and their forbidden romance soon puts them at odds with society’s expectations.
Overall, I’d describe this book as a guilty-pleasure read. This is an erotica novel, so the sex is scorching hot, almost to the point where the plot is secondary. But placed within the context of the Tudor period (one of my favorites!) and juxtaposed against a decidedly feminist heroine, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and can’t wait for the next book!
Plot Twist Reviews [dot] Com
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
November 24, 2018
The Tyrell sisters seem to be good at running into and causing trouble. In Rebel Bride we meet Susannah Tyrell who is determined not to marry the man her father has said she will marry. When she somewhat unsuccessfully tries to seduce Hugh Beaufort, a favored courtier of Henry VIII, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
When Hugh is sent to track her down and bring her back to be married as her father wishes, he finds himself falling hard for the stubborn woman. But they will have much to overcome.
This was more of a traditional historical romance without as much of the Tudor legacy running through the plot. There is still danger all around, but we just don't see quite as much of the court intrigue as we did before.
I found this to be a better read than the first, and I really enjoyed the way the characters grew toward each other.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*
When Hugh is sent to track her down and bring her back to be married as her father wishes, he finds himself falling hard for the stubborn woman. But they will have much to overcome.
This was more of a traditional historical romance without as much of the Tudor legacy running through the plot. There is still danger all around, but we just don't see quite as much of the court intrigue as we did before.
I found this to be a better read than the first, and I really enjoyed the way the characters grew toward each other.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*
July 12, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this story as much as the first book. Susannah gets ideas in her head but doesn’t think them through….
She wants to avoid an arranged marriage so she runs away from home… with no food or plan on where to go
She wants to have sex with Hugh…. But doesn’t care about pregnancy or her reputation
She doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence… but she has no plan of how she will support herself
On a positive note, she does manage to get herself out of plenty of precarious situations with her quick thinking!
Hugh on the other hand doesn’t seem to have much motivation other than to keep asking her to marry him…
Their chemistry was pretty scorching tho so I’ll round up from 2.5 stars!
She wants to avoid an arranged marriage so she runs away from home… with no food or plan on where to go
She wants to have sex with Hugh…. But doesn’t care about pregnancy or her reputation
She doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence… but she has no plan of how she will support herself
On a positive note, she does manage to get herself out of plenty of precarious situations with her quick thinking!
Hugh on the other hand doesn’t seem to have much motivation other than to keep asking her to marry him…
Their chemistry was pretty scorching tho so I’ll round up from 2.5 stars!
January 10, 2019
Just listened to an NPR interview - there are a lot of feminist dystopian novels out there. I feel like my interest in this series is a bit the same. Women were definitely not equal to men at this time. There were lots of ways to navigate and manipulate this reality, that in some ways mirrors our own. The reality is more stark and up-front than now, but a many of the issues are the same.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews