'The Rogue's Princess' Tudor Historical Romance #3 by Eve Edwards

From the BLURB:

1586 – London, England

Sixteen-year-old Mercy Hart is the daughter of one of London's richest – and strictest – cloth merchants.

Kit Turner is an actor and the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Dorset. A chance encounter finds Kit falling for the beautiful Mercy's charms, but their love is forbidden. A cloth merchant's daughter and a vagabond player – it simply cannot be.

If Mercy chooses Kit she must renounce her family name and leave her home. Will she favour duty over true love, or will she give Kit his heart's desire?

Christopher ‘Kit’ Turner is the illegitimate Lacey brother. For years he thought himself a cast-off of their father’s ill-favour; the forgotten son and family secret. Kit was forced to find his place elsewhere in the world, and so he sought solace and fame on the stage. Years later he is a London favourite – a marvel for the ladies and money-maker for his kind manager.

But recent events have conspired to reunite Kit with his three brothers – Will, James and Tobias. While he shares an uneasy alliance with the two elder Lacey’s, Kit has a tender-hearted spot for his look-alike youngest brother, Tobias. So when the little shrimp comes calling on Kit’s London apartment, eager to stay with his delightful brother and avoid certain debt collectors, Kit is bemusedly happy to have him. But when Tobias falls in with a crowd of Scottish queen sympathizers, Kit finds it necessary to intervene before treason catches Tobias by surprise.

Meanwhile, Kit’s cynical heart is filled with hope upon meeting the lovely Mercy Hart. At a dinner to raise funds for the theatre, Kit finds himself instantly smitten with the pious and humble Mercy – with her dimpled smile and belying fiery curls. Though her father disproves the match, most vehemently, both Kit and Mercy are determined to have each other . . . even when murder, treason and plot look set to rip them apart, forever.

‘The Rogue’s Princess’ is the third book in Eve Edwards’s young adult Tudor Historical Romance.

I have been a big admirer of this series since ‘The Other Countess’ first came out last year. Eve Edwards has written such incredibly immersive and unique young adult books – set in the Elizabethan period and covering all manner of historical topics from religious persecution to politics in the Virgin Queen’s court. ‘The Rogue’s Princess’ is another sublime historic romance – this time observing the life of an illegitimate nobleman’s son and set in the grimy, gossiping London town.

Kit was first introduced in ‘The Queen’s Lady’ – a surprise appearance for the Lacey boys who never knew they had a fourth brother. We learnt a little about Kit’s unfortunate illegitimate status in that book, but Edwards goes into more detail in ‘Rogue’s’. We learn of the few choices set before Kit when his father died and funds for his schooling dried up. Through happenstance and a kind manager (not to mention the flights of fancy for little boys) Kit carved himself a nice life on the stage. First he was a youthful boy-girl for the romances, at a time when women were banned from setting foot on the stage for reasons of impropriety. Years later and Kit is a leading-man, nabbing all the best hero roles and making the London ladies swoon.

But despite Kit’s fandom, the theatre is still considered an unrespectable trade. The stage has also become the newest whipping-post for preachers and church-goers, claiming that it degrades humanity and shows people in the worst light imaginable. The politics of theatre in the 1500’s is fascinating – especially since a certain William Shakespeare is just starting out in Kit’s theatre troupe, and nobody is even sure if he can write a decent play. Edwards does a brilliant job of showing this side of life in Elizabethan times. In previous books Edwards has shown us the way of life for a country nobleman and the intricate inner-workings of the Queen’s circle. It was nice to get out onto the London streets in ‘Rogue’s’ and get a feel for the town – especially from the point of view of someone who has his foot in so many worlds. Kit has noble blood, but is illegitimate. He is invited into the very noblest of houses for entertainment purposes, but his profession labels him something close to a degenerate.


On the other end of the spectrum is Mercy Hart, a wealthy merchant’s daughter and pious church-goer. Mercy made a deal with God many years ago to remain righteous and humble – and she has taken her promise to the very edge. Wearing drab clothes, avoiding the theatre and even ignoring her musical talents. But underneath it all, Mercy is suffocating and dying for some light in her life;

Mercy smoothed her grey skirts, secretly agreeing that they were dreadful, but she had made a bargain with God when she was little and she meant to keep it. “I like being this way.”
Ann turned away to gather a few things for Mercy, putting them in a little leather bag. “No, you don’t. I see you eyeing my orange kirtle. You, Mercy Hart, are a counterfeit good girl. There is a merry maid just waiting to burst out.”

When Kit and Mercy meet at a benefactor’s dinner party, it’s love at first sight. Kit is amazed at Mercy’s sweet disposition and innocent nature, so different from the fans who come courting him. And in Kit, Mercy has found an outlet for her soul – someone with whom she can play and enjoy life.


But Kit and Mercy have her father to contend with – a man of strict virtue and unbending morals. He thinks the stage is for degenerates and whoresons, and would see Mercy barefoot and nameless before agreeing to a match with Kit Turner. Still, despite her family's condemnation – Mercy and Kit have a luscious and intense romance;

Bending down, he plucked three strands of grass and wove them into a ring. “Here. I cannot afford gold – yet,” he winked, “but wear this for me.” He bit off the ragged ends and pushed the grass ring on to her finger. “Mercy, I do not know any words for this. Perhaps I should have consulted the poets and learnt my part, but too late. You are left with the plain man speaking plain words, a worthless rogue daring to address a merchant princess. Will you marry me? Will you be mine?”
She covered her left hand with her right, caressing the ring he had made for her. “It is better than gold to me.”

I love Eve Edwards’s ‘Tudor Historical Romance’. Her books are rich in history, full of romance and dashing/daring characters to captivate the heart. ‘The Rogue’s Princess’ is another jewel in Edwards’s marvellous series, but I sincerely hope it’s not the last. I have my fingers-crossed that Edwards gives us a book for youngest Lacey, Tobias. I adore these books and heartily recommend them to lovers of history and romance alike!

5/5

'The Queen's Lady' Tudor Historical Romance #2 by Eve EDWARDS

From the BLURB:

1584 – Surrey, England

When Lady Jane Rievaulx begins service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled at the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey. Despite her previous courtship with his older brother, James is the man she truly loves. And for his part, he cannot deny his fascination with her. However, James is setting sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Lady Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, there is only one man to save her. Will Master James return to his lady ¬- before it’s too late?

It has been months since Lady Jane Perceval (nee Rievaulx) last saw James Lacey, and much has changed in that time. Lady Jane refused to marry James’s brother, Will (now the Earl of Dorset), knowing that his heart belonged to young Ellie Hutton. The couple have since welcomed an heir to Lacey House.

James and his faithful blackamoor servant, Diego, have campaigned for Elizabeth’s army overseas and the young Master has returned home world-weary and haunted by all he has seen.

And Lady Jane has been widowed, with the passing of her dear friend and husband (in faith if not consummation) to stroke. Jane now finds herself at the mercy of her late husband’s money-hungry sons, and so seeks refuge in Elizabeth’s court as one of her ladies in waiting.

But one thing has remained steadfast all this time – Jane is still in love with James. And now an overseas campaign with the Queen’s favourite, Walter Raleigh, sees James Lacey attend court at the Richmond Palace. It is here that he will once again come face-to-face with the only woman he has ever wanted, but could never have. First because she was betrothed to his brother and now because he is not fit company for her gentle self.

‘The Queen’s Lady’ is the second book in Eve Edward’s majestic young adult series, ‘Tudor Historical Romance’.

I adored Edward’s first book in this series, ‘The Other Countess’, and I eagerly anticipated the second book in her compelling new series . . .

It must be said that the historic setting is spectacular. When the YA scene is currently crowded with novels of dystopia, vampires and angels, Eve Edwards has stepped outside the trends and written an historic series that is invigoratingly original.

England during the reign of The Virgin Queen is an inspired timeline. There are still tensions between Catholics and Protestants; England is under conquering threat from the Spanish Armada and expanding her territories to the New World in retaliation. This time period is so fascinating, even more so for it being relatively untouched by the YA genre.

Eve Edwards leaves no stone unturned in this series. She explores every historic crevice – from the grand, to the mundane. James Lacey sets off to the New World to engage with the natives and help Walter Raleigh scout for new colonies. Lacey’s manservant, the African blackamoor Diego, journeys with him to the New World and it’s fascinating to read the juxtaposing thoughts of the slave and his master as they set their eyes on the rich lands of America. . .

“This is a slice of heaven,” remarked James, spitting a pip into the sea.

Diego winced as another salvo echoed in the trees. “Until we arrived.”

Back in England, Lady Jane is in Elizabeth’s court and must manoeuvre herself through various royal politics and practicalities. But many challenges are thrown before Jane; like her late husband’s sons threatening her in the corridors, and unwanted amorous attentions from the Queen’s favourite, Walter Raleigh.

Jane bit her lip to stop her laughter. “It was you, sir, who chose to accost me, not the other way round. You have a jealous mistress.”

He harrumphed, seeing the humour in the situation. “True. You are no longer the naive girl I knew in Yorkshire, are you, Lady Rievaulx?”

“Indeed, no. And you, sir, for all your faults, have always been discerning.”

He laughed at that.“Excellently done, i’faith, a compliment with an insult. Welcome to court, my lady.”

The ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ series is firmly embedded in history, but it is never a history lesson. Eve Edwards never writes a dry fact, and she imbues this old world with spicy love stories and powerful characters. Clearly Edwards is a history-buff, but her characters are never lost amidst the grandiose timeline. Instead, Edwards places her characters at the forefront and interprets great expanses of history and conflict through their eyes, so you occasionally get concise little observations like this one;

With the Protestant Dutch hard pressed in the Low Countries, the Spanish in possession of Dunkirk and Nieupoort, a bridgehead to England should they wish to invade, it seemed to James that God had turned Catholic and was intent on bringing Elizabeth’s nation to its knees.

I love the historic setting of ‘The Queen’s Lady’. But I found myself more invested in the characters of first book ‘The Other Countess’.

I don’t think we got enough of Jane’s voice in this book. In ‘Countess’ Ellie was a prominent and forceful narrator. She was a woman apart in her times – an alchemist’s daughter with a sharp mind and sweet soul, at odds with her role as dutiful daughter and searching bride.

In ‘Lady’, Jane is overshadowed and often hushed by more compelling secondary characters who share the narrating spotlight, and in particular a secondary romance that plays alongside Jane and James’s.

Milly Porter is Jane’s childhood friend and independent businesswoman who runs her own seamstress business. James’s manservant, Diego, used to serve the Porter household before Milly’s father came into traitorous disgrace. When Diego and Milly reunite, there is instant chemistry and protestations of childhood love. I adored this storyline – not only for the forbidden romance between a young British seamstress and a foreigner blackamoor, but because Milly and Diego were such warm characters with a complicated past between them.

Then there is Christopher Turner, local playwright and actor who is friends with Milly, and also happens to be the illegitimate half-brother to the Lacey boys. Christopher ‘Kit’ Turner is dramatic and passionate – a character close to Shakespeare who I am delighted has his own book in this series, coming out July this year.

All of these wonderful, second-fiddle characters enriched the story, but blunted Jane’s character. I don’t think Jane got enough fleshing out or inner monologues. I think that her life was rife with story – a widowed woman (only eighteen!) navigating her way through the Queen’s court and trying to avoid her father’s new wedding prospects for her. There is a lot of story here, but other characters got more page-time and often more interesting plots to play out. Furthermore, I didn’t feel the same spark between James and Jane that I did between Will and Ellie. I don’t think it is helped by the fact that James and Jane first met (and fell in love) in ‘The Other Countess’, and Edwards relies a lot of their current attraction on past encounters from that book. Further hindering the spark of this romance is James’s travels to the New World. . .

However, I loved this book. I'd love any YA book that allows a young man to say “En garde!” and mean it with deadly intent. . . Eve Edwards has captured a period in time and brought it to exuberant life. She has spiced the Elizabethan era with love triangles and unrequited lust as she writes about young people living in extraordinary times. Codpieces, swordfights and Armada’s – oh my!

4/5

'The Other Countess' Tudor Historical Romance #1 by Eve Edwards

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

England, 1582 -

Lady Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a gold-seeking father, a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none other than the handsome new Earl of Dorset ...

WILLIAM LACEY has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the Earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune. But Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be. Will is destined to marry a worthy Lady so the only question is - which one ...?

‘The Other Countess’ is Eve Edward’s debut novel and the first book in her YA ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ series.
This book will be added to my ‘Favourites of 2010’ list – it’s that good!

Edwards takes a little swath of history and makes it her own in this dazzling historical romance, set in 1582 England under the reign of ‘Virgin Queen’ Elizabeth I.

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Hutton is an alchemist’s daughter. She traipses the country with her addle-brained father, as he hunts for the scientific formula to turn metals into gold. The Hutton’s live on the kindness of misguided lord’s and earl’s who believe Arthur Hutton is the answer to their fortunes. But it is always a matter of weeks or months before the lord’s start losing their money in Hutton’s useless sciences, which often include phoenix tears in the potions. When the novel begins, Ellie is twelve and she and her father are being kicked out of Lacey House, having bankrupted the recently deceased earl. The earl’s son, Will Lacey, throws the Hutton’s off his lands, furious at the alchemist for having made their family destitute.

The novel skips ahead four years to find Ellie and her father housed in the Queen’s court; but Ellie knows it is only a temporary reprieve from their wandering life.
Also at court is William Lacey, Earl of Dorset. Will is 18 and on the hunt for a rich wife, after his father left the family practically penniless and all responsibility on Will’s eldest shoulders;

This wasn’t good enough for James “Will, we’re running short of time.”
“I know that, but this is the rest of my life I am hazarding here, no small matter easily settled. I want at least to know something of the character of the lady I eventually woo and wed.”
Ever pragmatic, James sighed. “To be honest, Will, all that matters at the moment is the size of the dowry. We are skimming just an inch above ruin?”

Will should be concentrating on courting the lovely (and wealthy) Lady Jane Perceval at court. But a chance meeting with Ellie sets all their fates on a journey of great passion and great loss. Torn between obligation and love, duty and family, Will and Ellie have to decide where their hearts lie when so much is in the balance.

Eve Edwards’ writing is a sumptuous delight, a literary banquet! Edwards is an Oxford University graduate and well-versed in research – and her attention to detail serves well in this book. She remains true to the period, utterly transporting readers to Elizabethan England. Edwards even borrows major historical figures for guest-appearances – including Queen Elizabeth I herself, and court ‘favourite’ Sir Walter Ralegh. Edwards also writes major historical conflicts and events, such as the persecution of Catholics in Protestant England, and the impending war with Spain.
Even if readers aren’t historical buffs, there’s plenty to admire in this sweeping saga. All of the historical references set the book on a grand-scale, but Edwards has written these complicated historical notations with such verve and flourish that they live on the page, and act as wonderful backdrops to heighten suspense.

Edward’s ability to marry history with suspenseful romance is impressive; she breathes life into the ages and gives readers long-ago characters to fascinate and charm.
I was a little sceptical going into this book. The series title - ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ – seems like a bit of an oxymoron when coupled with the intended YA audience. I love reading historical romances, but my tastes have always leaned toward adult writers like Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn, who write the regency as well as the smut. I wasn’t so sure how a historical romance would fare when intended for a younger audience, assuming that it would be a tepid PG13 romance... which just leaves the ‘historical’ and there’s always a chance that things can divulge into high school history textbook. NOT the case in Eve Edward’s ‘The Other Countess’. Not at all!

The romance is really quite heated. In fact, the entire book leans more toward the racy and raunchy side of things. Nothing explicit or that crosses any YA boundaries – but I was (pleasantly) surprised by the book’s sexual undertones. There’s talk of knight’s gleaming torsos, oversized codpieces and lord’s diddling their maids!
But I think the light sexual content is just Edwards being a true scholar. This book is set during the reign of Elizabeth I, and it’s a misconception to think that in the golden age people were strictly chaste and pure. The novel is set in a time when the reigning monarch was nicknamed for her (lack of) sexual orientation!

For all that this is an epic historical drama; the romance is the real draw-card in ‘The Other Countess’. Ellie and Will are wonderful characters – Ellie as an academic girl in a time when a woman’s virtues were in her dowry. Will who has been set the hard task of providing for his family by sacrificing his happiness. Separately these two have enough drama to fill the pages, but when paired together they absolutely sizzle! Theirs is a forbidden romance, and so many obstacles are set before them that their love seems impossible... but that just kept things interesting and suspenseful! I loved their interactions, especially because they both challenged each other’s convictions;

“What need I of the priest when I have an angel to bless me?”
Ellie groaned inwardly at his flowery language. “I think perhaps you have more need of spectacles if you mistake me for one, my lord.”

I love, love, LOVED this book! Eve Edwards has written a YA historical romance that confounds convention and breathes life into Elizabethan history.

5/5

I look forward to Edward’s second book in the ‘Tudor Historical Romance’ series, set for early 2011 release called ‘The Queen’s Lady’, which tells the story of Lady Jane Perceval.