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The Queenbreaker Trilogy #1
Queenbreaker: Perseverance
There are games played only at court for power, love, revenge...Fourteen-year old Mary Shelton must learn to play them all when she enters the cauldron of spite, ambition, and danger that is the court of King Henry VIII.
No one in her family expects Mary to go far; she’s the middle daughter, sharp-tongued, not the favorite, not pretty. But when her cousin, the new Queen of England, Anne Boleyn invites a Shelton daughter to serve her at court, Mary proves to her parents she’s their best choice when she boldly spies on them. Mary needs her penchant for breaking the rules if she’s to survive at court.
Surrounded by girls desperate for the same prize: a grand marriage—Mary quickly outshines them all when she discovers her talent for flirtation and catches the eye of the reckless yet beguiling Lord John de Vere. Thrilled by his attentions, she falls headlong into a passionate game of Pass-the-Time that promises Mary the love she craves and the advancement her family desires.
But Mary's dazzling success brings her dangerous enemies who scheme to ruin her life at court. Mary must win Queen Anne’s favor to escape their plots and win her future with Lord John.
When Mary forgets that love at court is always a game, she finds herself used in a vicious revenge designed to destroy the most powerful noble in England. With her greatest enemy ready to reveal her worst secret, Mary has just one chance to save her herself from total ruin. It means lying to her family, deceiving Lord John, and defying the Queen.
It’s the game Mary was born to play...if she dares.
No one in her family expects Mary to go far; she’s the middle daughter, sharp-tongued, not the favorite, not pretty. But when her cousin, the new Queen of England, Anne Boleyn invites a Shelton daughter to serve her at court, Mary proves to her parents she’s their best choice when she boldly spies on them. Mary needs her penchant for breaking the rules if she’s to survive at court.
Surrounded by girls desperate for the same prize: a grand marriage—Mary quickly outshines them all when she discovers her talent for flirtation and catches the eye of the reckless yet beguiling Lord John de Vere. Thrilled by his attentions, she falls headlong into a passionate game of Pass-the-Time that promises Mary the love she craves and the advancement her family desires.
But Mary's dazzling success brings her dangerous enemies who scheme to ruin her life at court. Mary must win Queen Anne’s favor to escape their plots and win her future with Lord John.
When Mary forgets that love at court is always a game, she finds herself used in a vicious revenge designed to destroy the most powerful noble in England. With her greatest enemy ready to reveal her worst secret, Mary has just one chance to save her herself from total ruin. It means lying to her family, deceiving Lord John, and defying the Queen.
It’s the game Mary was born to play...if she dares.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2016
54 people are currently reading
691 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 2, 2017
Good clean easy read. If you are not familiar with the Tudor court then this book could be a bit confusing but if you are then this is enjoyable. It was nice to see Madge Shelton seen in a different light, to often stories make her appear like another of Henry the eighths whores and that is it. In truth she sought advancement just as much as others. Mary Shelton definitely drew the short end of the stick but she dealt with it and survived the life at court. It was also nice to see another side of Anne Boleyn. Yes the time lines in this are a bit off but try to just see it as a fun read rather than completely accurate. The author states at the end she was more just writing the story she came up with than focusing on dates and such. In this book the intimidating, sneaky and manipulative side of her shows. I am intrigued to see what the author writes next.
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September 20, 2020A most novel approach
A new approach to a very familiar time and place. The complications of the court of Henry and Anne revealed in a new and intriguing way. Beware of love. It is not all it seems. I look forward to the next volume
A new approach to a very familiar time and place. The complications of the court of Henry and Anne revealed in a new and intriguing way. Beware of love. It is not all it seems. I look forward to the next volume
March 22, 2017
Interesting
This book was interesting because of the way it portrayed Queen Ann court. A cutthroat place almost like business world today .
This book was interesting because of the way it portrayed Queen Ann court. A cutthroat place almost like business world today .
March 2, 2017
McCarran did not write a teen romance set in Queen Anne Boleyn’s court, instead she wrote of a girl coming of age and struggling with the mores and intrigue of her time. Mary Shelton, only 14 when she goes to court, faces the same trials as do girls her age today, but in a setting filled with artifice and wrought with potential peril. Wonderfully described settings, imaginative characters, and historical realism make the book enjoyable to read. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
February 28, 2017
Was unable to hold my attention! A pain to finish it.
April 2, 2016
I won this book from Goodreads and the following is my review. Queenbreaker: Perseverance by Catherine McCarran is a fabulously, well- written historical fiction novel. It takes place at the Court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1533. Mary Boleyn Shelton comes to Court to be a Maid-in-Waiting to her cousin Anne, soon to be crowned Queen. Court life is exciting, but more difficult than Mary expected. She is friendless and feels excluded from her surroundings. The Courtiers are fun loving, flirtatious, courteous, and at times, seem overly friendly. They will do anything to gain favor with the Royal Couple or the Peers of the Realm. Mary finally sees the truth in the faces of those surrounding her at Court. Life at Court is a game played by the best players because only the very best can survive it! Courtiers are really back-stabbing, cheating liars, who will use you to gain favor and power for themselves. Mary never saw the man who used her, for what he really was, until it was too late. She decides that she will not let this circumstance ruin her. Mary realizes that to survive, she must not only learn how to play the game of Court better; she must become the best player of all. Yes, she will persevere and she will win. Those who have hurt her will pay; for Mary Shelton has the strength and the power of the Boleyn's residing in her blood!! I am anxiously awaiting Book Two in this planned trilogy. I really loved reading this absolutely fascinating novel!
June 22, 2016
I'm glad I had read a lot of Tudor history before I read this book, but it still didn't help in some areas, because while the major players don't change, the featured players in this book don't often appear on the grander scale. The story centers around Mary Shelton, an off-branch Boleyn cousin who is invited to join Queen Anne's court. She immediately finds herself immersed in intrigue and drama, and she acquires enemies for no apparent reason. She muddles her way through, trying to emulate her cousin Anne with mixed results. This is the first of a trilogy. I'm looking forward to the second.
One editing note: Near the beginning, there is much discussion about whether daughter Mary will be married off to an aged neighbor, Sir Roger Wodehouse. There is much back and forth between Mary and her brother, Ralph, over the proposed match. However, for several pages, reference to the older gentleman bounce back and forth between 'Sir Roger' and 'Sir Ralph.' I finally figured out that they were using the wrong name (since the brother Ralph was not a Lord), but it made the entire section confusing to read. That needs to be fixed.
One editing note: Near the beginning, there is much discussion about whether daughter Mary will be married off to an aged neighbor, Sir Roger Wodehouse. There is much back and forth between Mary and her brother, Ralph, over the proposed match. However, for several pages, reference to the older gentleman bounce back and forth between 'Sir Roger' and 'Sir Ralph.' I finally figured out that they were using the wrong name (since the brother Ralph was not a Lord), but it made the entire section confusing to read. That needs to be fixed.
September 19, 2016
Actually fresh take on this tired story! Try it!
I've read a bajillion books about this particular Court (and if you're checking reviews, you probably have, too). I suspect that the two-ish years between Anne's coronation and her death are among the most over-written in the history of the world. I'm not sure why we, as readers and as authors, are so endlessly hungry for another telling of the same dang story, but we are. So when another one shows up, what do we all think? "Sigh, another one... I guess I'll try it. Maybe this one says something new....but I doubt it."
Well, THIS ONE follows through. It really does. And I won't spoil it and tell you how. Just trust me, fellow Insatiable Reader of Impending Monarchical Doom, THIS book's twist is realistic, and entertaining. It's well-written, too, which is just SUCH a nice change from most Kindle books. No anachronistic behavior or characteristics, no glaring editing errors, no annoyingly repetitive phrases. The author's subtle foreshadowing slowly evolves into a miasma of suspense that just POPS off that final page... You have to read it. Really.
Off to buy Book 2 in the trilogy!!!
I've read a bajillion books about this particular Court (and if you're checking reviews, you probably have, too). I suspect that the two-ish years between Anne's coronation and her death are among the most over-written in the history of the world. I'm not sure why we, as readers and as authors, are so endlessly hungry for another telling of the same dang story, but we are. So when another one shows up, what do we all think? "Sigh, another one... I guess I'll try it. Maybe this one says something new....but I doubt it."
Well, THIS ONE follows through. It really does. And I won't spoil it and tell you how. Just trust me, fellow Insatiable Reader of Impending Monarchical Doom, THIS book's twist is realistic, and entertaining. It's well-written, too, which is just SUCH a nice change from most Kindle books. No anachronistic behavior or characteristics, no glaring editing errors, no annoyingly repetitive phrases. The author's subtle foreshadowing slowly evolves into a miasma of suspense that just POPS off that final page... You have to read it. Really.
Off to buy Book 2 in the trilogy!!!
August 3, 2016
I don't usually read a young adult fiction, but my daughter suggested this to me as she'd enjoyed it and knew I was interested in the time period.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. I had never heard of the main character prior to reading this, but I was drawn into this imagined history of her time at King Henry's court by the brisk pace, crisp dialogue, and vivid descriptions. Mary Shelton's single-minded pursuit of success--as defined by her family and the times--kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what new troubles she found herself in. And all of her troubles were historically plausible--I didn't notice any jarring anachronisms. The dialogue was fast-paced, biting and witty, and moved the story in some surprising directions.
Overall, it was an extremely entertaining story with a flawed, but sympathetic main character I really liked. I'm looking forward to reading the follow-up.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. I had never heard of the main character prior to reading this, but I was drawn into this imagined history of her time at King Henry's court by the brisk pace, crisp dialogue, and vivid descriptions. Mary Shelton's single-minded pursuit of success--as defined by her family and the times--kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what new troubles she found herself in. And all of her troubles were historically plausible--I didn't notice any jarring anachronisms. The dialogue was fast-paced, biting and witty, and moved the story in some surprising directions.
Overall, it was an extremely entertaining story with a flawed, but sympathetic main character I really liked. I'm looking forward to reading the follow-up.
November 25, 2023
Completely bonkers Tudor dystopia where almost everyone is somewhere on the spectrum between garden variety appalling and full on sociopathic - featuring ladies-in-waiting who are more akin to Mafia dons, a deeply bitter and destructive Anne Boleyn, and a confusing sub-plot culminating in an attempted elopement by two characters (at least one of whom would have been horrified by the pairing in real life), meaning I often had to go back and reread earlier chapters to remind myself what was going on - this is the sort of novel I expect to hate. But it's well-researched and weirdly entertaining for all that, and it left me wanting to get the sequel/s (if and when they come out).
April 6, 2016
Not terribly historically accurate, but very entertaining. Well plotted and weaved around the historical characters to be plausible enough without being wildly inaccurate. I'm interested in reading the rest of the series.
June 22, 2016
Aah intrigue!
This book was a fun read and really gave the reader a sense of what life at court was like! Never being sure of who ones friend's were or were not was a real time intensive exercise! Loved this book and I will read the next!!!
This book was a fun read and really gave the reader a sense of what life at court was like! Never being sure of who ones friend's were or were not was a real time intensive exercise! Loved this book and I will read the next!!!
November 5, 2016
If you enjoy immersing yourself in the Tudor period with the pomp and intrigues of nobility, you will enjoy this novel! It is told from the point of view of "the plain Shelton girl" who gets her chance at court. Her gritty personality makes this novel a delight from beginning to end.
June 3, 2016
Good reading...
really enjoyed this book,it kept me interested to the end...it made me want more and want to read the next one.
really enjoyed this book,it kept me interested to the end...it made me want more and want to read the next one.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews