Tag Archives: Historical Fiction

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The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan

I’m a huge historical fiction fan, so this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed getting to know Anne, and found that her personality really drew me in. She was a strong woman that used her mind to get what she wanted.

It was an interesting take on the theory that Shakespeare was not the author of the plays written under his name. It showed the ways of the theater pretty well and there weren’t any obvious inaccuracies.

The “love” part of the story, and Anne’s different relationships were interesting to follow. It never really seemed like she loved being a mother. She loved her kids, and it was a challenge for her to leave them, but the draw and her love for writing and the city seemed to take control. Her love and affection for William was a draw as well, because she cared for him as a person, but I feel like the love they had was more of a familiar love, as compared to a romantic love. In the beginning, I think she was more in love with the attention she was receiving than with William.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I gave it 4 stars because, while it was well written and a good story, it was not one that I was still thinking and obsessing about days later.

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The Queen’s Pawn by Christy English

I just finished my first book of the year. Having nothing but time lends itself to doing nothing but reading. I doubt the rest of the books will be finished this quickly, however, I’ll take the opportunities as they come.

The first book I decided to read was The Queen’s Pawn, written by Christy English. I’m an avid reader of historical fiction, and especially those books having to do with English history. Something about the craziness surrounding the politics and lies of the royal court always draws me in. Usually, the books I read are set closer to the Tudor period, but this was set during the 11th century, something I haven’t read much of.

The book is written from two point of views; that of Alais, Princess of France, and that of Eleanor of Aquitaine. One is new to the game of royal politics and one is a calculating master of the game. They form a bond that you can see throughout the entire book. Alias is betrothed to Eleanor’s favorite son Richard, which ignites jealousy in Eleanor when she sees the true feelings her son and “adopted” daughter share for each other.

The book lasts over the span of several years, however the main focus is on a 6 month time period over which Alais learns more about herself and her powers as a woman, as well as the realities of court life.  There were times when I absolutely hated Richard, thought Alais a naive girl, and wondered how Eleanor could claim to love both Richard and Alais, and yet play them as pawns in her game of treachery.

English did twist history around a little bit in order to tell her story, however most of the facts are true, they just happened at different dates. I found myself wanting to learn more about each of these people, and ended up spending an evening researching all the people and locations just to get a better idea of what was going on and the stories of each of these people.

I greatly enjoyed this book and the touch of history it brought. English managed to make me love characters I initially hated and see the reasoning behind their actions, even if it hurt others in the book. She made Eleanor an amazing woman whose strength should be admired and Alais and wonderful woman who learned from her mistakes and became a strong woman as well. I know this will be a book I read over and over.

The next book on my list is The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare by Arliss Ryan.