The Heart of a King: The infamous reign of Elizabeth I

The Tudor Saga #6

by David Field

The infamous Virgin Queen is on the throne! Perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden, Robyn Young, Alison Weir and Anthony Riches.

The end is nigh for the Tudor Dynasty...


Tudor England

Elizabeth Tudor is crowned at the age of twenty-five, scarred by the reign of her jealous sister Mary.

With few trusted confidantes and determined not to let her gender undermine her authority, Queen Elizabeth’s fraught monarchy is plagued by intrigue and deception.

She must navigate her way through the challenge to the throne by her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, the threat from the Spanish Armada, and marriage proposals from European monarchs desperate to steal her power.

Not to mention her own personal heartbreak…

She was known as the Virgin Queen, the people’s Gloriana, and was immortalised as ‘The Fairy Queen’. But behind her public mask was a world of inner turmoil.

The Tudor Age had begun with a battle against tyranny, and for Elizabeth, it was destined to end with a battle between her head and the heart…

The Heart of a King is the sixth thrilling historical adventure novel in the Tudor Saga Series, chronicling the rise and fall of one of England’s most powerful royal families.

THE TUDOR SAGA SERIES
BOOK ONE: Tudor Dawn
BOOK TWO: The King’s Commoner
BOOK THREE: Justice For The Cardinal
BOOK FOUR: An Uneasy Crown
BOOK FIVE: The Queen In Waiting
BOOK SIX: The Heart Of A King

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2019

About the author

David was born in post-war Nottingham, and educated at Nottingham High School. After obtaining a Law degree he became a career-long criminal law practitioner and academic, emigrating in 1989 to Australia, where he still lives.

Combining his two great loves of History and the English language he began writing historical novels as an escape from the realities of life in the criminal law, but did not begin to publish them until close to fulltime retirement, when digital publishing offered a viable alternative to literary agencies, print publishers and rejection slips.

Now blessed with all the time in the world, his former hobby has become a fulltime occupation as he enjoys life in rural New South Wales with his wife, sons and grandchildren to keep him firmly grounded in the reality of the contemporary world.

David Field is published by Sapere Books.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Field is back with the final instalment of his Tudor series, which has included many interesting tales about this most influential English monarchical family. After many years of waiting in the shadows, Elizabeth ascends to the throne at a time when England is in disarray. Queen Mary pushed a strong Catholic sentiment across the country, forcing Elizabeth to turn back to what she feels will be a calmer Protestant way of life, accepting private worship of whatever the individual chooses. At greatest issue is a strong alliance for the country, surrounded by powerhouses Spain and France. The easiest way to do this is through a marriage, though Elizabeth is less than eager to give her hand to a man she cannot love. There is one man whose life she is happy to share, but she cannot have Robert Dudley, who is married to another. Elizabeth realises that she cannot keep England isolated and seeks to find a solution that will be effective for all parties. Scotland to the north remains under French rule and there are powerful forces coming from Paris that could cause her many issues. Elizabeth is ruthless in her attempts to protect England, refusing to let the men around her dictate how she will rule. Equally noticeable is Elizabeth’s passion to flex her muscle, keeping her Court in line and not permitting anyone to cross her. With no heir and the years passing, the Tudor era is set to come to an end, something that Elizabeth cannot simply ignored. Looking back on her life and that of her family, Elizabeth must choose who will sit on England’s throne and lead her into a new era, or face obliteration under the boot of a foreign ruler. A wonderful end to a jam-packed series, in which Field takes the reader on an adventure like no other. Recommended to Tudor fans who enjoy a mix of history and fiction, as well as the reader who needs a short piece to tide them over.

I have enjoyed the work of David Field, reading many of his novels when I can find them. His work with the Tudors is of great interest to me, as I thoroughly enjoy this time period in English history. The story seeks to tell of the final Tudor monarch, whose time on the throne was full of controversies as she refused to allow others to dictate her reign or how she ought to act. While England was keen to find new and lasting alliances, Elizabeth refused to sell herself out, thereby leaving the country vulnerable. Field depicts Elizabeth as both a compassionate woman but ruthless when she feels the need to exert control. There are numerous hints at the Elizabeth-Dudley connection, though nothing untoward comes of it. With powerful forces in Europe at the time, Field shows the volatility of England, which comes into play the longer Elizabeth goes without an heir. The story remains strong throughout and the narrative gains momentum as things progress in this important time. Choices made at this time impact much of what is to come in the decades that following, pushing England in directions Field only hints at throughout the narrative. Those who have followed the series will likely enjoy this finale, though I am sure Field has more to come, even if it means a new era and set of strong characters. A mix of chapter lengths and well-presented narratives keep the story from losing momentum and places the reader in the middle of the action. Some will speak of the brevity of these books, but I find them all refreshing, as I can learn a great deal in a single sitting. I am eager to see what is to come and how Field will impress fans yet again.

Kudos, Mr. Field, for a strong series that never lets up. The Tudors live strong in these books and I am pleased to see your dedication as you educate your fans.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[kathleen r. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fial installment of the beautifully write Tudor saga doesn't really carry many surprises, given the over-whelming glut of nove!s, films, and even some scholarly works recently flooding markets in UK and US. I'm print and o.o there's always been a plentiful supply of material about the most popular Tudor monarchs, Henry 8 and his stubborn daughter Elizabeth 1. That said I still will read anything I can find about this subject. This final book was both satisfying and a little bit rushed but still time well spent. Everyone knows how the story ends but I liked how much the author opened up the daily grind with chatty characters and colorful conversations between members of council, labor-weary servants, and peers of the realm as it all may have happened centuries ago. To be privileged a and wealthy or poor and starving made little difference in opinion on topics like religion or loyalty to a blind cause, the reader got to feel how precisely people had to balance all the forces that ruled the day. And we that politics are strained in the 21st century! Some of the persons who moved the action along seemed to vanish into obscurity such as Thomas and Nellie, and others were around throughout, but the story became a little bit rushed about half way through. Other points that might be more accurate like Elizabeth's case of smallpox being the reason she began using a lead based facial paint, or just the desire to hide her aging skin, we probably won't ever really know but it didn't make it any less interesting. But there was a lot of rapid progression to reach the end of the story in this last book. The previous books seemed to give more drama and detail, while this last was just getting to the end most people a!ready know. King James of Scotland inherits the crown and the dazzling days of Elizabethan drama came to an end. It's history but fun to visit if only for as long as it to read a book or watch a film. The writing was readable, clear and lively. I can't wait to start another series by the author.




know.

[Dayanara Ryelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one is extremely hard to follow. I've gone back and reread passages several times and still haven't understood what's going on or being said or why someone is mad about something.

I complained before about David fast-forwarding time something crazy? HA! In this one, Elizabeth is 39 at one point, and a few chapters later, she's suddenly in her 50s! The only reason I have any idea where we're at in her reign is because they're dealing with the Spanish Armada right now, which means it's 1588 and Elizabeth is 55. But David is doing such a bad job of explaining why it happened that I'm going to have to google the causes. If I were to take his word for it, it's still Felipe pissed at Elizabeth for not marrying him thirty years later!

[Mike Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've waited until I finished the entire series to leave a review.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the books in this series they were fast paced and exciting to read. The history of the Tudor line is pretty blood spattered and full our court intrigue. There are some fictional characters throughout the series and they are thoroughly believable and alongside the real characters of the period everything works very well. If you enjoy historic fiction then I thoroughly recommend these books.

[jane laing · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tudors

I real enjoyed reading all these books,I knew the history of their reign but the author seemed to bring the real people to life and not just as history recorded ,as great or tyrants. It would be good if he could do the same for the Monarch's of Scotland. Being a Scot I am sure my country's population would be like myself enjoy reading them

[Judith Standing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series of books , I usually try and read books that don’t include The TUdors as I think they are always in the forefront , but I can honestly say the books were amazingly written and I found hard to put them down , so f your looking for an excellent series of books to read you won’t be disapointed

[KAREN RUTH ULLOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BEST BOOK ON QUEEN ELIZABETH 'REIGN I HAVE READ!!

I've practically have lost count of the number of books about Good Queen Bess, and firmly believe that this is the best. It must have taken a very special person to be her attendant.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different representation than I've read before. Not bad; but not great.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable narrative

As one with an interest in the Tudor period, this was a refreshing take on the life of Elizabeth and the all important Cecil.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the story of Elizabeth I excellently written account of her reign. It’s the final instalment of David Fields Tudor series and a must read as you won’t be disappointed

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read with good research. Much historical data presented in dialogue format, so entertaining as well as enlightening.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

read. I love reading historical novels and more than that, I love accurate historical novels and this series does just that!