England 1553. Mary Tudor ascends the throne and restores Catholicism. But not everyone is happy and rebellion brews…
Queen of Blood is the fourth book in Sarah Kennedy’s The Crown and the Cross series but the first book by this author that I have read (something I will swiftly amend!) Set in Tudor England, the series of book charts one woman’s life through the rapidly changing religious and political situation.
My degree is in History and the Tudors are my favourite era so I am thrilled to have found a new author to enjoy. The big political figures and major events are all included and covered in sufficient detail to appeal to historians.
Catherine Davies is a former nun, now happily married to Benjamin. Her sixteen year old son Robbie returns from the continent and seems determined to cause his mother concern by supporting the Protestant faith against the Queen.
At the heart of the story is a very authentic woman who modern readers will be able to easily identify with. Her worries for herself and her children are intensified by the very real danger they are facing as a result of love and faith. The characters are all well developed and human. The style of writing and dialogue are modern which helps to bring the past to life but also makes it relatable.
Queen of Blood is a hugely enjoyable historical novel and I can’t wait to catch up with the earlier books.
Queen of Blood, Book Four of the Cross and the Crown series, continues the story of Catherine Havens, a former nun in Tudor England. It is now 1553, and Mary Tudor has just been crowned queen of England. Still a Roman Catholic, Mary seeks to return England to its former religion, and Catherine hopes that the country will be at peace under the daughter of Henry VIII. But rebellion is brewing around Thomas Wyatt, the son of a Tudor courtier, and when Catherine’s estranged son suddenly returns from Wittenberg amid circulating rumours about overthrowing the new monarch, Catherine finds herself having to choose between the queen she has always loved and the son who seems determined to join the Protestants who seek to usurp her throne.
Sarah Kennedy is the author of the Tudor historical series, The Cross and the Crown, including The Altarpiece, City of Ladies, The King’s Sisters, and Queen of Blood. She has also published a stand-alone contemporary novel, Self-Portrait, with Ghost, as well as seven books of poems. A professor of English at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia, Sarah Kennedy holds a PhD in Renaissance Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. She has received grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
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