Tudor Rose

Tudor Rose #1

by W.H. Doyle

In 16th-century England, two teenage best friends find themselves on an exciting journey from the country to the Queen’s court in the hope of being named ladies-in-waiting. But Sybille and Rose soon discover they aren’t the only girls who have their sights set on attending Her Majesty. The girls must compete against worldly and cunning opponents, among them mean-girl Avis and her entourage of back-stabbing co-horts, tipping the balance in their already-tenuous friendship.

Soon, the grand hall is more like the hallway of a prestigious finishing school, with girls fighting for the attention of a dashing, young earl, amid parties fueled by drinking and indiscriminate relations. As the tension between Sybille and Avis heats up, the focus on Rose wanes, allowing her to turn her attention to more important matters – like getting close enough to the Queen to learn her secrets.

But being close to the Queen is not without its challenges. And when rumors of Rose’s influence make their way around the castle, no one, not even the Queen, will be safe.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Historical, British Literature

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2019

About the author

Also see Bill Doyle

W.H. Doyle has been writing best-selling books for younger readers with major publishers under the name Bill Doyle. His has written for Rolling Stone, edited several magazines, created interactive experiences for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and developed critically-acclaimed digital storybooks. He lives in New York City.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and engaging read! So well done.

[Michelle Doll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my niece who loved Bill Doyle's Crime Through Time series. This book is totally different and she totally loves it! She's 15 and literally could not put the book down. Better to scold them for crossing the street for reading a book than looking at her phone I guess. Looking forward to more from Bill Doyle!

[Daniel Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book and polished it off in short order! The opening chapter had me hooked and really set the tone for the whole book. What impresses me most is how relatable the story is even though it is historical fiction. The scenes played out in the book could be reset in any modern day high school simply by changing the location. I thought back to my own experiences growing up and realized how many Roses and Sybilles I knew. However, setting it in Elizabethan England, a time period that I have read much about (both fiction and non-fiction) was a masterstroke as it heightens the drama. The fact that it faithfully depicts this period of history has made it even easier for me to pass on to my own daughter to read. I am confident she will love it.

[Charles L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book for my niece, who absolutely loved it! She has always been a voracious reader, but she literally could not put it down until she finished it. She than wanted to tell me all about the characters, going on and on about Avis and Rose and the others, and about what life must have been like back then. As a lark, I picked it up to read, and I actually really liked it too! Highly recommended.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that engage young readers in history. A fu, engaging, well written book that brings to life a fascinating time in history.

[Tracy Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tudor Rose is set in England in the 1500’s. It follows three girls who are competing for a position that would put them close to the queen. Based on the time period, setting, and a very general overview of the plot, I really thought I would enjoy this book. I wanted to, and I tried, but I really did not enjoy reading this book at all. When I started reading it, I felt like I had picked it up and started somewhere in the middle of a story, because there was so little backstory or character development. The opening scene is disgusting and crass, and it set the tone of the whole book – dirty, disgusting, and unnecessarily crass. None the characters were likeable. They were all selfish and self-absorbed, for some reason filthy-dirty most of the time, and only cared about either sex or how they could benefit from tearing everyone else down. The book had a very negative feeling throughout. The editing was horrible. There were so many grammatical errors. And in the end, I can’t even really tell you how it concludes, because the ending is so vague. And there is apparently some over-arching plot dealing with some castle spies that is never explained and makes the ending that much more confusing. All in all, I would not recommend this book.
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review, and all of the opinions shared above are my own.

[Linda Romer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Tudor Rose was a very good read. This book is full of intrigue that keeps you thinking until the plot unfolds. I enjoyed Rose, Sybille and the mean and nasty Avis. Lot's of fun with a great plot. The ending was revealing and suggests more to come. I would read a book 2 if it were in the works. I enjoyed the Authors writing and am looking forward to reading more of his work.

I give Tudor Rose 4 stars for its intriguing read.
I would recommend this book to YA/Historical Fiction fans.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

So my first ever early review copy did disappoint. It's hard when we're selecting, I sort of skim through the synopses and pick whatever sounds even remotely interesting. The more books I claim, the more likely I am to win one. I re-read the synopsis to this one after reading the book and was reminded why I chose it. It did seem interesting! But there were just too many irksome things in this book for me to appreciate the story itself. Not only were those things annoying, but they kept happening.
The book was about a couple main characters, Avis, Sybille and Rose. It was MAINLY told from Rose's point of view, but we also heard from the others, as well as a few other characters. I wasn't a fan of the random one time POV's we got from some of the supporting characters. There was literally no point in having them if we only cared about their point of view that one time. I also recall one specifically that gave us tricky information that made it seem like something big was going to happen, and then it didn't.
So Sybille and Rose come from the countryside to live in the court of Queen Elizabeth, because Sybille was supposed to marry the son of one of the important families living there. Rose comes along as her lady-in-waiting in a way. They were supposed to be best friends, but Sybille did nothing but treat Rose like an ant under her shoe, and she also acted completely unhinged and psychotic a lot of the time. I was left sitting there thinking, "Is this girl for real?" Somehow, the three main girls get caught up in a competition from Queen Elizabeth that entails each of them throwing a big party, and the winner gets to go on some sort of trip with her as her lady-in-waiting I believe? I wasn't totally sure what the point of trying to win this championship was, even at the end when all was said and done.
So without giving away any endings, I'll give you a few less revealing thoughts. I really hated the first chapter of this book completely. It was appalling, and totally useless for the rest of the story. We literally could've chopped it off and started the story at chapter 2 and it would've been completely fine. There is also still an insane amount of editing that needs to be done, and I wasn't even looking for problems. I was constantly finding bad sentences, such as this one: "Still Fulke wondered if his mother's advice to him advice was truly helpful." It was pretty irksome. I was also really fed up with how much the characters called each other trollops and harlots. Like really, that is not necessary ANYWHERE. And how much of this time period was even researched? Nothing seemed very realistic to me, as far as how anyone, from bum children running around on the street to the Queen, acted, or how events were played out.
It was a quick read, and when all was said and done, I have no idea what even happened in the end. Nothing seemed resolved. It seemed like it was alluding to a sequel (which I will definitely not be reading) to get the answers. I did not enjoy my time with this book, but I didn't despise it, and I think the only reason I didn't get to that point was because it was short and I didn't have all that much time to get there! LOL. I will give it that. It wasn't filled with as much useless, boring, setup describing scenes as a lot of books are. You know the ones I mean. They are 300-500 pages and you know you could cut out a good 100+ pages and still get the full effect of the story without the aggravation of wasted time.

[Hauntedbybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this historical fiction! Tons of drama and intrigue that made it hard to put down! I liked the writing! The plot was exciting!  I enjoyed reading Tudor Rose!

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tudor Rose by W.H. Doyle follows two young women as they journey to London, Sybille to be married, and Rose as her companion. Sybille was to be a lady-in-waiting to Lady Agnes, one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, and sister to Valentine, Sybille's fiancé. However, Lady Agnes passes from what seemed like pneumonia, or possibly tuberculosis. Sybille is determined to take Agnes' place, bringing her into conflict with her fiancé's other sister, Avis. A confrontation at banquet catches the Queen's attention. She charges each of the three girls to throw a gala, and the winner will be part of the Queen's progress.

Before leaving for London, Rose received a mysterious book from one of the Queen's advisors, Dr John Dee. The book helps her in more ways than one, starting with being able to answer a question posed to the girls by the Queen. The rest of the story follows Sybille and Avis as their rivalry grows, and Rose as she works to decipher the book Dr Dee gave her.

Much of this book is taken up by the rivalry between Sybille and Avis, both of whom are shitty brats in need of an ass-whuppin'. Just sayin'... Each thought they were better than everyone else, and tended to treat all others as less than. Rose was supposedly Sybille's best friend, but Sybille never really treated her as a friend. For the most part, Rose just tried to stay out of everyone's way, working on the diary and trying to avoid the attentions of the nobleman, Fulke.

Rose was by far my favourite character. She was level-headed and intelligent. By the end of the book, she had more than proven her intelligence, and cunning. There were times, though, when I questioned that. Such as when she followed Dr Dee to a room, and upon entering, did not find Dee, but rather a full hot bath (how?). She then proceeded to shuck off her clothes and get into the bath! Who knows what might've happened? Though we didn't see him much, and only through Rose, I know him as an historical figure, and a quite interesting one as well. One wonders if later stories will have Edward Kelly in them as well.

There were times when things felt rushed, or incomplete. Rose's gala was a huge surprise considering we followed her more than Avis or Sybille. It felt like it came out of left field. Rose herself felt like a completely different person conducting her gala. I do hope there is a sequel! I want to continue to follow Rose's story, and understand more about Dee's interest in her. Recommended if you enjoy YA historical fiction.

***Many thanks to the author/ publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours.

[Hannah Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book has potential, I think it’s far from being complete. It lacks a certain fire that draws you on and keeps you reading. Most things didn’t feel connected. The big reveals at the end felt like they were thrown inside with no regard to the build up before. There were several issues throughout that I think needed to be addressed. Overall, a good effort but it just missed the mark.

[Caroline Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recieved this book in exchange for a review, so here goes. I just couldn’t get through it. The opening scene (the purity test) isn’t historically accurate (the parents would have bribed the midwife if such a test was needed, not the girl’s friends& someone like Dr. Dee wouldn’t be present without a close connection to the girl’s family). Plus, at the time the novel takes place, Francis Walsingham would have just been entering Royal service and would have been one of William Cecil’s secretaries.

I suggest the author read more nonfiction about the period (marriage present or not, the groom’s family would have sent a horse litter or a riding horse, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen didn’t have ladies of her own during her period of service, just maids who weren’t gently born, and NO ONE had a wrist watch, clocks were new tech) before attempting another story.

[Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird. I liked Rose but didn’t like any of the other characters. The ending was FRUSTRATING and had zero resolve. Not my favorite-seemed like a bunch of plot points without any fleshing out or transitioning.

[Aniek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf