Embarkations

Whitehall #1.1

by Liz Duffy Adams, Delia Sherman, Barbara Samuel

England gets a new queen in the first episode of Whitehall, an episodic royal tale full of true history and sensual intrigue, new from Serial Box Publishing.

Winds of change carry a young Portuguese princess towards her destiny as the sun rises on Whitehall. Sheltered but curious, Catherine of Braganza arrives in her new English home full of eager excitement, but what this pious foreigner’s arrival will mean for the Merry Monarch she is to wed – and the mistress who holds his heart – is what everyone is talking about.

This episode is brought to you by Liz Duffy Adams and Delia Sherman, who know every embarkation is an adventure about to happen.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2016

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t understand the purpose of this “Serial Box” each written by different authors. The first one is 50 pages long and is about Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza who gets betrothed to King Charles II of England and her passage to his country. The Merry Monarch is known for his frivolous behavior. As Catherine makes her passage to England, Charles spends his time with his mistress. While she arrives in Portsmouth, he is too busy parting with “the wild young lords known as the Merry Gang” to meet her. After a week, he makes his way to Portsmouth and as soon as they meet this story ends.

I don’t know if this is the number of pages that makes me think that this story is not a well-developed. It seems as this number of pages for her passage and getting the first glimpse of Catherine and Charles should be enough. But this first part of the story wasn’t absorbing for me. I didn’t get connected to any of the characters. This form of “Serial Box” seems to be more appropriate for YA.

@FB: Best Historical Fiction

[Sherwood Smith]

Ever since I came across the memoirs of the Duc de Grammont, I've been interested in this colorful bunch of young people during the wild sixties (that is, 1660s) and seventies, and their witty, elusive, decorative and ruinously expensive court after the long suppressions of the Puritan Period. They should never have been governing a recovering nation, but they make colorful fiction, and so far, this has all the verve of the Grammont--with more interesting women!

Using a vivid, smooth omniscient narrator, the authors here introduce the main players around the arrival of Catherine of Braganza as the bride of Charles II; this first episode brings us to the brink of the wedding, causing me to hustle over to subscribe.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so very excited about this new serial written by various authors! It's the first serial I've come across that is historical fiction and I'm, as some people might know, a bit of a history nerd... okay, a HUGE history nerd... so I couldn't help but like this first part of Whitehall so, so much.

Whitehall, season 1, episode 1: Embarkations is set in 1662 and is about Catherine of Braganza and her marriage to King Charles II of England and is written by Liz Duffy Adams and Delia Sherman. Both are new-to-me authors but I really liked their writing because it really felt like it took me to the era in which this story takes place.

As this story takes place in 17th century England there is of course a lot of political intrigue, scandal and there is never a boring moment. The character all are intriguing in their own way from Catherine herself to King Charles II to his mistress Barbara Palmer to the ambitious Jenny.

I, for one, am very excited to read all the other parts in this 13-part serial. If they're all as good as Embarkations was, then I'm sure I've found my new favorite story.

[Beth]

My knowledge of English history--such as it is--has a gap of about 150 years between Elizabeth I's time and George III's. So this introductory segment of the Whitehall serial, since it's centered around Charles II's court of the mid-17th century, is somewhat educational! Actual historical events are tucked neatly into the narrative without too much "As you know, Charles, you lived in exile for several years after your father was executed" dialogue. Character introductions are largely done through their verbal sparring, which is wicked fun to read. It's cool that there are ambitious female characters from all different walks of life, here. . .and that not all of those ambitions center around snagging a piece of Charles.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I had a horrible experience with the actual serial box app. The programmers only responded to tell me the issue was my fault, their suggested fixes didn't apply and otherwise my problems that made the program unusable were ignored. Their books are available through the library and pirating sites. I would not advise anyone purchase through them since my program was unusable and I ended up reading the free copy from my library***

This was a solid opener to the series.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, this was so great. Intrigue and drama with a hint of potential scandal, and I loved it.

First of all, let me say that I'm listening to the Whitehall serial via the Serial Box app. Whitehall is available for reading on the app OR as an audio option with narration provided. I opted to listen to the episode and loved it.

Embarkations is set in May 1662 with Catherine of Braganza leaving Portugal for England, as she has been promised to Charles II after a long negotiation that aimed to join Portugal and England against Spain. This marriage would also make Catherine the Queen of England. Catherine arrives in England only to find that it takes Charles a week to come to greet her. He simply cannot be bothered because he is preoccupied with his mistress, Barbara Palmer, who is pregnant with his child.

This first episode sets up the scene and allows us to get to know Catherine and Charles, as well as Barbara. It also establishes that Catherine is a devout Catholic coming to a Protestant England, and hints that this could be a conflict of some sort in the months or years to come.

Audio Notes: This serial episode is 1 hour, 31 minutes in length with the amazing Fiona Hardingham lending her voice to the narration. It is fabulous. Ms. Hardingham is one of my favorite narrators and I absolutely squealed when I saw her name attached to this project. I will say that there were several times that I switched over to the print so I could see what a word or a name looked like in print or how it is spelled, but this was not necessarily specific to this story - I do this with everything that I listen to in audio form. I need to be able to visualize the words that I am hearing, and I tend to always listen with some form of the print story available to me.


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. Thank you, Serial Box!

Find this review and more like it on my blog, Into the Hall of Books!


Find my thoughts on other Whitehall episodes here:
Embarkations (Whitehall #1.1)
Skilled Artifice (Whitehall #1.2)
On His Blindness (Whitehall #1.3)

[Jill Tool · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Star reviews. I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a short novella of about 50 pages. This is the first one in the series. This is based off of Catherine of Braganza and her marriage to King Charles II of England. At first the story seemed to start off a bit slow, but when I did some research on it, I found out this is going to done in several parts, ok that made since to me as to why it was starting out this way.

As the story progressed it did get better. Catherine is being sent to England from her homeland of Portuguese, to marry a man who she doesn’t know but will hopefully keep England from invading her home country. However, Charles is much too busy with his mistress to come and greet his bride when her ship arrives.

I am looking forward to all of the installments to find out how the story will unfold, the development of the characters, and to find out what happens next.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first try at a serial fiction. It's a great story. I'm not sure what the point of serialization is in an era of Netflix posting an entire season of a show at one day. As far as I can tell, it's all written ahead of time, so it's not as if the reader or the reading community is influencing the path of the story.

But, the format aside, the story is great. It's well written, the characters are interesting, and I am interested in reading the rest of it.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about what may be Queen Catherine de Braganza's thoughts, feelings and/or emotions upon embarking on a sea voyage from Lisbon (Portugal) harbor to meet with her husband, King Charles II of England at Portsmouth. Her misgivings and trepidation of the unknown despite fateful expectations are clearly described here so that the reader can understand and empathize with what she is going through ~ a stranger to her soon~to~be own subjects or people plus stepping into a strange land with its own different culture and language. Truly an awesome feat for the Little Queen who is ever mindful of her duty and maybe even nurture the expectation (based on his letter to her) of a Promise of Affection from her husband. P.S. ~ I do not think I would like to read the next book/s about her sudden jolt into reality upon learning of the king's various infidelities and her anguish. That would be just too much, so THIS is IT, for me.

[Chinook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm interested. I don't know that I've read a serial story before by a group of authors, so I'm curious to see how this goes. It's a strong start so far - I'm interested in the characters and I like that the vacabulary is challenging.

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

England gets a new queen in the first episode of Whitehall, an episodic royal tale full of true history and sensual intrigue, new from Serial Box Publishing.

Winds of change carry a young Portuguese princess towards her destiny as the sun rises on Whitehall. Sheltered but curious, Catherine of Braganza arrives in her new English home full of eager excitement, but what this pious foreigner’s arrival will mean for the Merry Monarch she is to wed – and the mistress who holds his heart – is what everyone is talking about.

This episode is brought to you by Liz Duffy Adams and Delia Sherman, who know every embarkation is an adventure about to happen.







My Review:

What a fascinating first installment to a serial.

I'm not typically won over by historicals because I tend to feel like the author puts too much of themselves into the history than actual history but I wasn't overly concerned by this issue this time around. I simply held it as fictional and allowed myself to let go long enough to take in the world and the characters and the plot which were so vivid and full of life that I really truly enjoyed it.

In the end it was way too short for my liking but, you know, serial... so keep that in mind.




My Rating:








Reviewed By:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews





Booklikes

Goodreads

Twitter

Google Plus

Blogger

Pinterest

Amazon







Disclaimer:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

Source:
Received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the Author


Note:
If any of Krissys Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like or let me know what you think! Thank you!

[Michele Jacobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm enchanted by the recent spate of good historical fiction serial novels lately (check out Belgravia if you, too, like this format!). Historical fiction can be an iffy proposition for me....if it's an era I'm very knowledgeable about I find that I'm too picky about historical accuracy to enjoy most stories. I am, however, delightfully ignorant about the reign of King Charles II following the Restoration and therefore am very much enjoying this new novel being presented in serial format. A group effort with six different authors contributing to the story, this first installment introduces us to the major players in the story: Charles himself, of course, as well as his new Portuguese bride Catherine of Braganza, his mistress Barbara Villiers the Countess of Castlemaine.

Because these are in serial form, this is a very short read (less than an hour for me) but it left me wanting to read the rest of the series. The writing is fabulous and hooked me immediately as it set the scene for the next episodes.....just the right amount of back-story as the plot surges forward. Catherine of Braganza leaves Portugal for England as we discover Charles lingering over his pregnant mistress (and woman who reigns over Charles and his Court), reluctant to meet his young new bride. The scene is set for so much future conflict! Love it.....on to episode two immediately! (And if you're wondering, there are 13 planned installments to the series....11 have been published so far!)

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this "book" free in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first installment of Whitehall, which is done in different episodes written by different authors. It is history that includes all the gossip, the mistresses and all that went on at court and behind the backs of those that ruled. This installment finds Catherine, the Portuguese princess being sent to England to marry King Charles II of England. He can't be bothered to go meet his bride-to-be in a timely manner, because he's busy with his mistress.
I'm not much of a history buff, but this was well written, flowed nicely and definitely held my attention. I'm anxious to continue with the next episode!

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This serialized novella is the true history of Catherine of Braganza and her marriage to King Charles II of England. It begins in May 1662 with the Infanta Caterina of Braganza departing her homeland after a long negotiation to become the Queen of England to save her people.The King is too busy with his pregnant mistress to meet her ship when it arrives. We're introduced to a wide array of characters in both their worlds. She doesn't speak English, so her world is completely turned upside down. He gives her a gift and tells her he thinks they'll be very happy together.

[Jenny T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in 1662 , this story starts the tale of a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza, arriving in England for her marriage to Charles II. There are a lot of characters introduced here which is a bit confusing since they have multiples names/titles. I definitely did not like that this is the first part of a serial and would have preferred the complete book all at once.
Thanks to the Inner Circle for the copy of this book.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and can see my really enjoying this series. I love historical fiction and this is just the kind of book I can easily fall in love with, this is the first instalment and it really sets the tone for the future books and the scene overall. I know the characters and I've loved how the author has set the scenes and the descriptive aspects are stunning. Really looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating, well-written, entertaining, quick read! The first episode of a serial story, it describes Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza's trip to England to meet King Charles II who she is marrying. I am eager to read the next episode! I received a copy of this episode in exchange for an honest review.

[Kandice]

I'm declining adding a rating to this. While I truly enjoy the writing style, the subject matter is just not my thing. I stopped halfway through. I think if you're interested in this time period and subject, you'll enjoy it.

ARC provided by author for Inner Circle review group.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review is posted here: http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...

[Oshun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great opening. Looking forward to the upcoming episodes!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional account of the arrival of Catherine of Braganza to the England of her future husband Charles II.
An easy quick read.
a NetGalley Book

[Regina Mastrogiacomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite period in time to much uncertainty and to much violence. This was a good introduction of character, and will see how it goes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the idea of a serialized historical novel and this first part definitely did not disappoint.

[Aishwarya Saxena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first experience of a serialized novel was the trashy free stuff they had on the Mills & Boon website over 10 years ago. I am so happy that Embarkations is nothing like that. This installment opens the story with Catarina, Infanta of Portugal, leaving her homeland, to marry Charles II of England, who has recently been restored to the throne. The author does a marvelous job of describing the nervousness felt by a young bride in a foreign land and the hesitation of a new monarch who has spent his whole life fighting for a land he now must learn to govern. It was a very enjoyable first chapter and I was so enamored by it that I immediately bought the rest of the series!