What do you think?
Six of A Tudor #2
Seven Will Out: A Renaissance Revel
If you thought "Six of A Tudor Riff" was the most fun you could have with your nightdress on, wait until you see what "Seven Will A Renaissance Revel" has in store. Get ready for one 'ruff' night! Tudorphile Dolly thought that the night she spent on an astral plane with Henry VIII's six wives, learning their heretofore unknown secrets, was a one-time thing. Not so! In "Seven Will Out", Dolly finds herself back in the ether with the women of later Tudor Elizabeth I, ‘Bloody’ Mary, Bess of Hardwick, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Anne Hathaway Shakespeare, to name a few. They too have secrets that will turn history on its head, and comic sass that will keep you laughing. You've read all of the traditional, serious and romantic takes on the legendary Tudors. Why not try your Tudors with a new and different twist?
529 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2015
About the author
JoAnn Spears
3 books44 followersJoAnn Spears couldn't decide whether to major in English or History in college. Life stepped in, and she wound up with a Master's Degree in Nursing instead.
A twenty-five year nursing career didn't extinguish that early interest in books and history-especially Tudor history. It did, however, stoke a decidedly gallows sense of humor. Eventually, JoAnn read just about every spin there was on the stories of Henry VIII and the extended Tudor family. Every spin, that is, except the one with the gallows humor. The Tudors certainly qualified for it, but it just wasn't out there.
JoAnn decided that with gallows humor to spare, she would do her best to remedy the Tudor comedy gap. A little inspiration from the classic "Wizard of Oz" showed her the way to go, and "Six of One", a new kind of Tudor novel, was born.
JoAnn thought “Six of One”, her story about Henry VIII’s six wives, would be an only literary child. Then, two years after its birth, she was caught by surprise with the idea for a sequel. In October, 2015, “Seven Will Out” made its debut and bought the latter-day Tudors into the comedy mix.
JoAnn enjoys writing but maintains her nursing license because a) you never stop being a nurse and b) her son thinks she should be sensible and not quit her day job. She also enjoys life in the beautiful mountains of northeast Tennessee, where she gardens, embroiders antique reproduction samplers, and teaches yoga in her Methodist church basement. JoAnn shares her home with three cats and the works of Jane Austen, Barbara Pym, Louisa May Alcott, and of course, Alison Weir.
A twenty-five year nursing career didn't extinguish that early interest in books and history-especially Tudor history. It did, however, stoke a decidedly gallows sense of humor. Eventually, JoAnn read just about every spin there was on the stories of Henry VIII and the extended Tudor family. Every spin, that is, except the one with the gallows humor. The Tudors certainly qualified for it, but it just wasn't out there.
JoAnn decided that with gallows humor to spare, she would do her best to remedy the Tudor comedy gap. A little inspiration from the classic "Wizard of Oz" showed her the way to go, and "Six of One", a new kind of Tudor novel, was born.
JoAnn thought “Six of One”, her story about Henry VIII’s six wives, would be an only literary child. Then, two years after its birth, she was caught by surprise with the idea for a sequel. In October, 2015, “Seven Will Out” made its debut and bought the latter-day Tudors into the comedy mix.
JoAnn enjoys writing but maintains her nursing license because a) you never stop being a nurse and b) her son thinks she should be sensible and not quit her day job. She also enjoys life in the beautiful mountains of northeast Tennessee, where she gardens, embroiders antique reproduction samplers, and teaches yoga in her Methodist church basement. JoAnn shares her home with three cats and the works of Jane Austen, Barbara Pym, Louisa May Alcott, and of course, Alison Weir.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 15, 2017
This author is a genius! I love Engish history and at first thought this was a time traveling novel but how wrong I was. The idea of having a castle in an alternate reality where Amy Rosbart, Lettice Knollys, Catherine DeMedici, Douglas Sheffeld, Bess Hardwick and her grand daughter Arabella plus a host of other Tudor royalty/nobility can hang out together is fabulous. Add to that mix an modern day history major and you have a great combination. I love the explanation of Amy's death. I love the idea that each of these women were somehow connected by more than just blood.
If there was one thing that bugged me though it's the authors constant use of the heroine's name when someone is talking to her! I'm sorry but most of us reading a book would know who the person was talking too without always constantly putting her name in the sentence. This is the only fault, I have with this book and one that can be easily corrected.
Other than that small problem...I LOVED this book. Unfortunately this book was offered for free from Amazon while the first book in the series wasn't. :( So next month I will order the first book and then highly anticipate the next one in the series.
I absolutely LOVED this book!
If there was one thing that bugged me though it's the authors constant use of the heroine's name when someone is talking to her! I'm sorry but most of us reading a book would know who the person was talking too without always constantly putting her name in the sentence. This is the only fault, I have with this book and one that can be easily corrected.
Other than that small problem...I LOVED this book. Unfortunately this book was offered for free from Amazon while the first book in the series wasn't. :( So next month I will order the first book and then highly anticipate the next one in the series.
I absolutely LOVED this book!
February 6, 2021
It has to be a really awful book for me to abandon it. This one was definitely awful. The idea behind it was intriguing enough, but it was so slow it moved backwards and nothing seemed to actually happen. The worst part for me was that it devolved into a Renaissance fashion show, with lengthy descriptions/discussions of who was wearing what and why. I would not have marked this "read" but even though I marked it abandoned, Goodreads still listed me as currently reading it. So I marked it both abandoned and read to get Goodreads to let go of it. 1. It was awfully boring 2. I abandoned this title 3. I would not have given it even 1 star if left to my own devices.
May 27, 2020
I seem to be going through a Tudor phase that is lasting several years and figured something "light and frothy" would be a nice change. Whilst this is certainly that I'm not too sure how nice a change it was.
Let me start by saying that one of the three stars given to this book is solely for the descriptions of the fashion of the time - from the wonderfully named Farthingale through to the undergown and exceedingly opulent overgown. The clothing descriptions were sumptuous and never felt extraneous to the tale, they even managed to give a fairly realistic interpretation of the perils of dressing in Tudor times if you were of the nobility and had certain Courtly Standards to meet.
Unfortunately, this means that the story itself only gets two stars. Here's why:
The modern day instance of our heroine (whose name I cannot remember but seeing as I finished the book 7 weeks ago it's to be expected) just had nothing going for her. I really couldn't get my head around who she was supposed to be - yes, I get she was a History Professor but her polymath husband got in the way at every turn. The ludicrous conceit of her doing the presentation in her academic gown with nothing underneath almost made me stop reading right then and there. I was already becoming infuriated by every "close relative" being named after a Tudor and startlingly sharing their broadest personality traits as passed to us through historical documents (not entirely to be trusted but all we have).
Oh, was she called Kat? I want to say she was called Kat - I could be wrong and I can't honestly be bothered checking the blurb to find out.
My second sticking point came with the Shakesperian stuff.
When the first revelation comes that some of Shakespeare's plays were written by this person of the Tudor Nobility I sort of went with it (I think the first one was Lady Jane Grey). However, as the book progresses and more and more of the women take responsibility for writing some of the plays it began to really niggle with me. Especially as in the timeline of the book some of these plays were gifted to Shakespeare to pass as his own after the death of Elizabeth I and yet they were reputedly played at court in front of her. It also became extremely repetitive and boring with only the name of the play and the chosen quotes altering - virtually every interaction between our heroine and a new Tudor Noble Woman went the same way with "Oh, I wrote X of the Shakespeare Plays", "No, really. Well I suppose that makes sense knowing what happened in your life" and then proceeding to use cherry picked quotes to prove the relevance of those plays to that persons life.
Honestly drove me round the twist and I was so glad when morning came and she had to return to real life - as unrealistic as her life actually is.
In fact, looking back on the 9th April when I completed this book I think 3 Stars is overly generous. The distaste I can feel as I recall the events in the book makes me think 2 Stars would be much fairer - and that includes the 1 Star for the clothing!
Let me start by saying that one of the three stars given to this book is solely for the descriptions of the fashion of the time - from the wonderfully named Farthingale through to the undergown and exceedingly opulent overgown. The clothing descriptions were sumptuous and never felt extraneous to the tale, they even managed to give a fairly realistic interpretation of the perils of dressing in Tudor times if you were of the nobility and had certain Courtly Standards to meet.
Unfortunately, this means that the story itself only gets two stars. Here's why:
The modern day instance of our heroine (whose name I cannot remember but seeing as I finished the book 7 weeks ago it's to be expected) just had nothing going for her. I really couldn't get my head around who she was supposed to be - yes, I get she was a History Professor but her polymath husband got in the way at every turn. The ludicrous conceit of her doing the presentation in her academic gown with nothing underneath almost made me stop reading right then and there. I was already becoming infuriated by every "close relative" being named after a Tudor and startlingly sharing their broadest personality traits as passed to us through historical documents (not entirely to be trusted but all we have).
Oh, was she called Kat? I want to say she was called Kat - I could be wrong and I can't honestly be bothered checking the blurb to find out.
My second sticking point came with the Shakesperian stuff.
When the first revelation comes that some of Shakespeare's plays were written by this person of the Tudor Nobility I sort of went with it (I think the first one was Lady Jane Grey). However, as the book progresses and more and more of the women take responsibility for writing some of the plays it began to really niggle with me. Especially as in the timeline of the book some of these plays were gifted to Shakespeare to pass as his own after the death of Elizabeth I and yet they were reputedly played at court in front of her. It also became extremely repetitive and boring with only the name of the play and the chosen quotes altering - virtually every interaction between our heroine and a new Tudor Noble Woman went the same way with "Oh, I wrote X of the Shakespeare Plays", "No, really. Well I suppose that makes sense knowing what happened in your life" and then proceeding to use cherry picked quotes to prove the relevance of those plays to that persons life.
Honestly drove me round the twist and I was so glad when morning came and she had to return to real life - as unrealistic as her life actually is.
In fact, looking back on the 9th April when I completed this book I think 3 Stars is overly generous. The distaste I can feel as I recall the events in the book makes me think 2 Stars would be much fairer - and that includes the 1 Star for the clothing!
March 26, 2019
I like the premise of this book. A modern-day woman gets to travel to the afterlife with a bunch of famous Tudor women. Also, I liked how they linked famous Shakespearean plays with real-life people from that time period. However, the book dragged in too many characters, some of whom seemed to serve little to no purpose to the story. Also, there was a weird balance of common, slangy language with fancier, uncommon words. It felt a bit like students trying to cram in a list of vocabulary words into their sentences. Also, it just really bothered me when the historical characters spoke with modern phrases.
February 25, 2020
I can’t even really believe I read the second one of these after the first, but it was free on kindle....
It’s....well....I have now been reminded of the plot of literally every single Shakespeare play. Because all of them are summarised. Easily 350, maybe 400, of the 500 pages in this book are basically summaries of Shakespeare. Another 20 are the protagonist misattributing everything from the bible to Dorothy Parker to Shakespeare and being corrected by the tudors. A further 25 or so are various Tudors getting angry at her, or each other, and smacking one another, drinking wine, or discussing farthingales.
The ending is left in such a way that there’s sure to be another book.
So.......I’ll give this the same 2.5 I gave the other one, and most of those are honestly for the clever way she sees Tudor women’s stories hidden in classic plays. Part of a star is for using vocabulary I haven’t seen since I was studying for the GRE.
It’s....well....I have now been reminded of the plot of literally every single Shakespeare play. Because all of them are summarised. Easily 350, maybe 400, of the 500 pages in this book are basically summaries of Shakespeare. Another 20 are the protagonist misattributing everything from the bible to Dorothy Parker to Shakespeare and being corrected by the tudors. A further 25 or so are various Tudors getting angry at her, or each other, and smacking one another, drinking wine, or discussing farthingales.
The ending is left in such a way that there’s sure to be another book.
So.......I’ll give this the same 2.5 I gave the other one, and most of those are honestly for the clever way she sees Tudor women’s stories hidden in classic plays. Part of a star is for using vocabulary I haven’t seen since I was studying for the GRE.
February 25, 2020
Absolutely captivating
I couldn't put it down. I loved every second of it. The twists and turns, the revelations..... I truly loved all the women and their stories of How their stories came to be. The true characters of each woman and their admiration of each other. Mostly I loved every time Dolly did a faux pas and Elizabeth 1 reprimanded her. It made me laugh and cry and squeal with joy. The commonality of these women that came to life during their tales was refreshing encouraging!!! The revelation of the stories of a writer I have admired since I was a child was shocking and exemplary at the same time. I am truly hoping there will be a next book showing how Dolly reveals the truth to the world and the journey she accomplishes bringing it forth. Loved it!!!!
I couldn't put it down. I loved every second of it. The twists and turns, the revelations..... I truly loved all the women and their stories of How their stories came to be. The true characters of each woman and their admiration of each other. Mostly I loved every time Dolly did a faux pas and Elizabeth 1 reprimanded her. It made me laugh and cry and squeal with joy. The commonality of these women that came to life during their tales was refreshing encouraging!!! The revelation of the stories of a writer I have admired since I was a child was shocking and exemplary at the same time. I am truly hoping there will be a next book showing how Dolly reveals the truth to the world and the journey she accomplishes bringing it forth. Loved it!!!!
April 28, 2020
Dolly, who made her historian’s name on information provided to her on a visit to an alternate reality, is pulled back to that alternate reality as guest of another set of Tudor women. The stories of these women are clever but overloaded with heavy-handed humor. While I was slogging through the first few chapters, only the determination not to quit kept me reading.
A comedy-satire of the search for the author of Shakespeare’s plays. This theory, frivolous as it is, has the refreshing advantage that it doesn’t take Shakespeare’s plays away from him on the supposition that no one could have written as much as he did, and assign their authorship to a writer already busy with his own, acknowledged writing.
A comedy-satire of the search for the author of Shakespeare’s plays. This theory, frivolous as it is, has the refreshing advantage that it doesn’t take Shakespeare’s plays away from him on the supposition that no one could have written as much as he did, and assign their authorship to a writer already busy with his own, acknowledged writing.
May 29, 2020
Much Ado
I read the first book about the 6 wives of Henry VIII. The subjects of that book are referenced quite a bit in this book. This one is sort of Tudors: The Next Generation. The premise about the real author(s) of Shakespeare's plays is unusual. Since I don't want to give out any spoilers, I suggest you just read the book. The historical facts are the best part, especially if you're not familiar with Tudor characters.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that, while the chapters are short, there are a lot of them. I think But I would read another in this series if there is one. The writing is good and it ends with an interesting twist.
I read the first book about the 6 wives of Henry VIII. The subjects of that book are referenced quite a bit in this book. This one is sort of Tudors: The Next Generation. The premise about the real author(s) of Shakespeare's plays is unusual. Since I don't want to give out any spoilers, I suggest you just read the book. The historical facts are the best part, especially if you're not familiar with Tudor characters.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that, while the chapters are short, there are a lot of them. I think But I would read another in this series if there is one. The writing is good and it ends with an interesting twist.
July 9, 2020
For Tudor and Shakespeare fans
I loved loved loved the Six Wives book but trying to explain ALL of Shakespeare's plays in one go really started to drag on... I also didn't remember that Dolly was such a... Well, I had her fixed in my mind as Nurse Phyllis from Call the Midwife--stodgy, humourless, and a bit of a know-it-all. Of course, this is a bit incongruent, given Dolly's "surprise" (I guessed it quite early) at the end, but academicians do tend to be a bit... focused and awkward.
Was it too long? Yes, but I supposed better than splitting it up with a cliffhanger (pet peeve).
I loved loved loved the Six Wives book but trying to explain ALL of Shakespeare's plays in one go really started to drag on... I also didn't remember that Dolly was such a... Well, I had her fixed in my mind as Nurse Phyllis from Call the Midwife--stodgy, humourless, and a bit of a know-it-all. Of course, this is a bit incongruent, given Dolly's "surprise" (I guessed it quite early) at the end, but academicians do tend to be a bit... focused and awkward.
Was it too long? Yes, but I supposed better than splitting it up with a cliffhanger (pet peeve).
August 1, 2018
I enjoyed this second book in the series about Dolly, a History Professor with a special interest in the Tudors and their families. Dolly is somehow transferred again to an alternate space to meet and speak with several of the Tudors. This time she is tasked with letting the world know the real authors of the plays claimed by Shakespeare (he is still to be credited with his sonnets). These books are fun, light and an easy read - but with a strong historical grounding.
June 29, 2025
So awful
I had to give it a one because there is nothing lower. Truly one of the most awful books I have ever read, and I'm an avid reader. If it was supposed to be funny, it failed. If it was supposed to be serious, it reads like an assignment from a British Lit class. And to bring in Lucille Ball??? Have to admit, though I kept trying, once I got past 55 %, I skimmed the rest. Too awful to really read to the end.
I had to give it a one because there is nothing lower. Truly one of the most awful books I have ever read, and I'm an avid reader. If it was supposed to be funny, it failed. If it was supposed to be serious, it reads like an assignment from a British Lit class. And to bring in Lucille Ball??? Have to admit, though I kept trying, once I got past 55 %, I skimmed the rest. Too awful to really read to the end.
October 30, 2016
This is one of my favorite historical time periods and I love to read anything I can get my hands on about it. So, when I was offered the chance to read this book, I was thrilled to say yes.
The fact that a bit of the supernatural allows a modern day woman to engage in conversation with the women of the Tudor/Stuart families just adds to the fun of this story. I love the author's writing style, and her ability to capture the varying personalities of the historic figures.
The book is full of puns, jokes, and just plain fun. The idea of the Tudor/Stuart women sharing their secrets (no spoilers...you have to read to find out) with Dolly easily lends itself to presumptions, misunderstandings, and heated discussions.
I was unaware there was a book which came before this one, and now I want to go back and read it as well.
The fact that a bit of the supernatural allows a modern day woman to engage in conversation with the women of the Tudor/Stuart families just adds to the fun of this story. I love the author's writing style, and her ability to capture the varying personalities of the historic figures.
The book is full of puns, jokes, and just plain fun. The idea of the Tudor/Stuart women sharing their secrets (no spoilers...you have to read to find out) with Dolly easily lends itself to presumptions, misunderstandings, and heated discussions.
I was unaware there was a book which came before this one, and now I want to go back and read it as well.
March 2, 2020
Very clever and entertaining book
This is a very clever book, but is captivating with it. I'd give it 5 stars but I think to really appreciate it you need an above average knowledge of both the Tudors and Shakespeare's plays. Without that you can still find it highly enjoyable. I recommend it.
This is a very clever book, but is captivating with it. I'd give it 5 stars but I think to really appreciate it you need an above average knowledge of both the Tudors and Shakespeare's plays. Without that you can still find it highly enjoyable. I recommend it.
March 5, 2020
What fun! I do love the idea of all the Tudor women getting together in the after-life to gossip/compare notes/settle misunderstandings - and to then be able to reveal all to Dolly, our 21st century historian.
As for who wrote the plays generally accepted to be by one William Shakespeare... it seems a perfectly reasonable chain of events to me :P
As for who wrote the plays generally accepted to be by one William Shakespeare... it seems a perfectly reasonable chain of events to me :P
March 5, 2020
Suspend disbelief to travel back in time with a Tudor scholar prone to communicate in sitcom patter. Readers who have wondered where to weigh in on the question whether Shakespeare was the author of the plays will enjoy this lively reconstruction from the astral plane. Guest appearances from the way-back machine are dressed to the hilt. Makes interesting history fun to read.
March 30, 2020
What another marvellous jaunt with the Tudor’s this time with the children of the previous escapade. What a great story Dolly is to write this time. Will she find lol the pieces of the puzzle that is needed to reveal to the world all she has learnt. Grab a copy and lose yourself in this awesome story. Highly recommended.
April 7, 2020
Well
Any time any one utters the word "golly" I am.astute enough to understand that person (and in this case, the reading material) is not for me. I tried to persevere, but when someone thinks almost exclusively in medieval quotes, it's distinctly off putting. Nothing shows academic arrogance, quite like it. I tried, but, no thanks.
Any time any one utters the word "golly" I am.astute enough to understand that person (and in this case, the reading material) is not for me. I tried to persevere, but when someone thinks almost exclusively in medieval quotes, it's distinctly off putting. Nothing shows academic arrogance, quite like it. I tried, but, no thanks.
February 25, 2020
Tantalizing historical novel
Fiction poses history disposes.I have no idea if th main theme is totally historically correct or only just fction materfully told Either one makes it a five star read
Fiction poses history disposes.I have no idea if th main theme is totally historically correct or only just fction materfully told Either one makes it a five star read
March 8, 2020
Interesting Concept
It could have been a good yarn but turned out to be boring. Was sick of the Shakespeare and inaccurate quotes about half way through. Considered not finishing, but soldiered on and completed the read.
It could have been a good yarn but turned out to be boring. Was sick of the Shakespeare and inaccurate quotes about half way through. Considered not finishing, but soldiered on and completed the read.
March 11, 2020
Amazing!
And a bit overwhelming when having to face reality. This book is a genuine piece of art. Most enjoyable through its daunting research and creativity. Quite imaginative. #buckroth
And a bit overwhelming when having to face reality. This book is a genuine piece of art. Most enjoyable through its daunting research and creativity. Quite imaginative. #buckroth
April 5, 2020
This book is a great read for someone who is really into Tudor/Elizabethan history and doesn't mind the casual tone with which this story is told. For me, it was trite and not interesting. Just gossipy.
Did Not Finish
May 23, 2021I couldn’t finish it. It was too much of a slog through historical details, maybe if I were really into the period but as it was nothing about it made me want to open it and read it, it took me months to get to 50%, and I’m still giving up.
March 2, 2025
Hmm, interesting but not my kind of book. Just over 500 pgs about Dolly, a Tudor style enthusiast who spends the night interviewing the wives of Henry VIII and those associated with them and giving their point of view. It is filled with Shakespearian humor and sassiness between them all.
February 29, 2020
Quite the romp for those who know and love Tudor history with quotes and quips galore as the MC listens to the stories of queens and those who lives were molded by queens.
April 23, 2020
The only reason for the average rating is that the subject matter was just not my cup of tea. Book is well written just didn’t draw me in
June 23, 2020
So entertaining and original. If you like Tudor history, Shakespeare and The Wizard of Oz this is right up your street.
October 31, 2020
Uneven comedy
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if my knowledge of Tudor history or Shakespeare was better, but it really dragged. I struggled to keep reading.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if my knowledge of Tudor history or Shakespeare was better, but it really dragged. I struggled to keep reading.
December 2, 2020
A Tudor wizard of oz! Brilliant, witty, Shakespeare ( or is it?) romp
September 18, 2021
Complete rubbish!
September 24, 2021
Can't say enough bad things about this.pretentious excuse for a novel. The author thinks she is clever but it comes across as way overboard. We all know the quotes she constantly refers to and it just becomes over the top and boring. Sorry, I hated this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews