Tudor History Lovers discussion

I just finished 'The King's Rose' by Alisa M. Libby on Katherine Howard and it was so good. Any other fiction books focusing on her that you guys can recommend? Thanks!

I'm currently reading the Fifth Queen by Ford Maddox. It's ok so far, just kinda hard to get into, but Colleen recommended it and I trust her recommendations!!

Thanks Aly!

Annie, a good historical fiction on her is The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII by Jean Plaidy.

I have that one ordered from my library! There are so many Tudor books out there I had to stop buying them all, lol.

I know right? I have all the KH and Mary Boleyn books I can find and with the exception of Anne Boleyn (don't like her, don't want to read a whole book on her) and some of the bad ones on Henry VIII I hope one day to own most of them!

I love GR because it helps me keep track of the ones I really enjoyed so I can purchase them and the ones I didn't really care for can just get returned to the library and I don't have to see them again!

I am an Anne Boleyn fan, her daughter Elizabeth is what got me into Tudor History and from Elizabeth I branched out to her parents. However, now that I've read quite a few Tudor books, Anne is no longer a favorite, she's dropped down on the list. I think Mary Boleyn is a fascinating character, and as many problems as PG sometimes has with her writing, I'm glad she brought Mary to my attention so I can read more (accurate) books about her. Katherine Howard is currently my favorite Tudor wife, I sympathize with her the most and believe she had the least power to live. She made plenty of mistakes, but in the end, she was still a child and certainly not fully aware in my opinion of the consequences of those mistakes. But I'm also one of the few people that enjoy Jane Seymour, majority of people don't even seem to remember her besides the one who finally gave Henry his heir.

Sorry for the length!

No worries about the length, you should see some of my past posts! LOL

Annie, KH is currently my favorite wife too!! I have a love/hate relationship with Anne Boleyn. I love reading about her, but I don't like her!! And the length is just fine with me too!

I have a love/hate relationship with Anne Boleyn as well. I think she brought a lot of it upon herself, and I'm not a big fan of the way she is so 'over-hyped' if that makes any sense! In the end though, she's more admirable to me than not, so I mostly love her.

Annie that makes perfect sense to me. I can't stand AB at all and when she is eventually chosen for a gr it will be the only one I refuse to participate in.

I find Jean Plaidy hard to read as it is a romance novel. The author was Victoria Holt, before she changed her name to Jean Plaidy, which I enjoyed in high school.

Colleen wrote: "I know right? I have all the KH and Mary Boleyn books I can find and with the exception of Anne Boleyn (don't like her, don't want to read a whole book on her) and some of the bad ones on Henry VII..."


Psst... if you happen to find any AB books that you don't want, I might know someone *wink, wink* who could give them a home... although I have quite a few of them :)

Colleen wrote: "Annie that makes perfect sense to me. I can't stand AB at all and when she is eventually chosen for a gr it will be the only one I refuse to participate in."

You will not refuse!!!

Marylou wrote: "I find Jean Plaidy hard to read as it is a romance novel. The author was Victoria Holt, before she changed her name to Jean Plaidy, which I enjoyed in high school."

She also wrote under Phillipa Carr

Jennifer wrote: "Marylou wrote: "I find Jean Plaidy hard to read as it is a romance novel. The author was Victoria Holt, before she changed her name to Jean Plaidy, which I enjoyed in high school."

She also wro..."

lol, didn't she have like eight pen names? I wrote a review of one of her books for my book blog and I got VERY confused trying to figure out who was who....when they all turned out to be the same person!

Kelly wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Marylou wrote: "I find Jean Plaidy hard to read as it is a romance novel. The author was Victoria Holt, before she changed her name to Jean Plaidy, which I enjoyed in high school...."

Her real name was Eleanor Hibbert. Victoria Holt was one of her pen names.

I wonder why she chose to write under so many pen names. If I'm ever fortunate enough to get a novel published, it's going to be under my own name so I can brag about it, regardless of how bad it is!

I must say that after I read the Boleyn Inheritance it did spark more interest for me to both Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves.

I'm trying to find The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII but am struggling a bit. I'm also interested in Mary Boleyn...

Hehe annie I feel the same, I'd want to brag about writing a book to! But maybe she chose pen names because she knew that some of her other names got a reputation of being boring or whatever, like some of you said you find Jean Plaidy a hard read, well maybe she felt that if she wrote under a different name people who didnt like Jean would like the new author :)

Jennifer wrote: "Psst... if you happen to find any AB books that you don't want, I might know someone *wink, wink* who could give them a home... although I have quite a few of them :)"

I don't want any of them I see :)

If you are going to make me do the dreaded AB read then you have to do the Mary I read when it comes up. Speaking of gr, why haven't you read the Cromwell gr yet? ;)

Niecole, I wanted to know more about KH and AoC as well after reading TBI. I have all the KH and MB books I can find, you are a girl after my own heart! ;)

Niecole wrote: "I must say that after I read the Boleyn Inheritance it did spark more interest for me to both Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves.

I'm trying to find [book:The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of..."


I read Rose without a Thorn back in the 70s. At least it's one where they haven't changed the name of it. There are a number of copies listed on half.com -- interestingly under the name Victoria Holt.

annie wrote: "I wonder why she chose to write under so many pen names. If I'm ever fortunate enough to get a novel published, it's going to be under my own name so I can brag about it, regardless of how bad it is!"


I dont know why this particular author had so many pen names but I kow from an author that my mom has been friends with for several years that she had more than one for different Types of books she wrote.
My mom had gotten to know her after writing to her..Madeline Baker about her Indian Historical Romances. Later on mom mentioned something to her about my trying to get her to read Vampish ones and she suggested Amanda Ashley to mom cause she knew they were more mild, then told her that was her too.

Thanks Chris I'll go check that out.

Oh Colleen, I'd love to read more about MB, AoC and KH! Even JB interested me in TBI, the role she had to play to make and break the future Queens

Yes, I must admit JB's role is very interesting until she finally got caught. I still wonder if she really did drive herself mad in the Tower or if she was just faking in hopes of saving her life.

So do I.
If you think about it, it would have been a great cover to pretend she was really mad. But with al the scheming she had done before, and being in that tower, I'd go mad for real...

LOL, I probably would too!

annie wrote: "I wonder why she chose to write under so many pen names. If I'm ever fortunate enough to get a novel published, it's going to be under my own name so I can brag about it, regardless of how bad it is!"

It was quite common; Agatha Christie also wrote romances, which she published under the name Mary Westmacott, for example. I'm not familiar enough with Plaidy/Holt/etc. to say if she first was successful in romance, but that may have been part of it. A lot of people read romances, and a lot of people look down on them, too.

I always forget that Agatha Christie was Mary Westmacott!

The author changes names for the different type of subject she write.

That kinda makes sense.

Thanks for that info Jennifer, I didnt know that.
Who else had different names? I really dont know these types of things :)

Eleanor Hibbert used the pen name Jean Plaidy mainly for biographical historical novels, Victoria Holt mainly for romantic suspense, and Philippa Carr mainly for family sagas (although she did write some biographical historical novels under the Victoria Holt pen name).

Julianne Lee, Jennifer Ashley, and Sarah A. Hoyt respectively wrote the Tudor novels "The Spanish Bride," "A Lady Raised High," and "Plain Jane" under the pen name of Laurien Gardner. In that case, the publisher commissioned them to write the novels using Laurien Gardner as a "house name" (i.e., a pen name owned by the publishing house).

That is so interesting.
I dont think we always realise these things when we pick up a book... (or well I dont :))
Thanks Susan

Susan wrote: "Eleanor Hibbert used the pen name Jean Plaidy mainly for biographical historical novels, Victoria Holt mainly for romantic suspense, and Philippa Carr mainly for family sagas (although she did writ..."

Thanks Susan!

Colleen wrote: "Speaking of gr, why haven't you read the Cromwell gr yet? ;)"

Just haven't found it yet. And you know how I'm loving bios right now... ;)

Susan wrote: "Eleanor Hibbert used the pen name Jean Plaidy mainly for biographical historical novels, Victoria Holt mainly for romantic suspense, and Philippa Carr mainly for family sagas (although she did writ..."

That's neat! Thanks for the info :)

Jennifer wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Speaking of gr, why haven't you read the Cromwell gr yet? ;)"

Just haven't found it yet. And you know how I'm loving bios right now... ;)"

LOL, yes I do ;)

Just bought The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn. It was half price for the hardback so I grabbed it off the shelf! I love this author so I've been looking forward to getting my hands on this for AGES!

Let me know how it is! I have that one on my GR list to read!

I'm DYING to read it but I keep telling myself to get reading some of the stuff that have been lying on my bookshelves for years first!

Yes but shouldn't Tudor books automatically go to the front of the line? ;)

Yeah, but you wouldn't want to overload your circuits...

LOL, so true Susanna!

Colleen wrote: "Thanks Aly!

Annie, a good historical fiction on her is The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII by Jean Plaidy."

I enjoyed this one too, and it's a quick read.