Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty
Stacey • August 6, 2019
England during the 14th and 15th Century was a bloody mess of wars and a pretty serious game with the throne. The 100 years war really took its toll on England and all its people. The war of the roses, the infamous battle between the Lancastrians and the Yorks was the pivotal turning point for England as a whole.
Fast forward to the tail end of the war and we find Margaret Beaufort. Ruthless, intelligent and the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty, knows she could never take the throne in her own birth right so pins all her dreams on her malleable son Henry.
During this time being a Lancaster may as well be wearing a bright neon sign saying traitor to the throne right here. This still did not stop Lady Margaret.
I adore historical fiction. It’s been my go to genre for quite some time. I am well versed in the Tudor dynasty and have a vast knowledge base starting with the war of the roses, all the way to the death of Elizabeth I. I half wondered if this would be a blessing or a curse and it turned out to be a curse for the author. There are some pretty acute inaccuracies in the historical parts of the book. They did grate on me a bit, I have to be honest but for for the most part, the writing is good enough for me to overlook the inconsistencies. The beginning of the book didn’t flow well for me, way too much talking and no story building. I hated that. Building into the story would have been better. I rather felt that the first chapter was picking up from somewhere else. It felt like I was starting a book from the middle of the story rather than the beginning.
Margaret Beaufort comes across a little less of a tyrant in this rendition. The author gives her a certain motherly humanity that made her a little easier to swallow. I couldn’t imagine having my only son so far away from me and not knowing if he was going to stay safe or if he was even alive. It must have taken its toll on Margaret being in fear constantly. I really can’t help wondering if the hardening of her heart started as young girl with no stabilty, rather than from all the upheaval with the realm.
When I read the synopsis for the book I was excited! A Tudor murder mystery!! How creative. I felt very let down with the whole story. The whole mystery surrounding the murders were not the star of the book as I was lead to believe. For me, if the part about the murders were removed from the summary, I would have gone in with a different mind set and I think you would have seen a very different review from me.
Instead this book is about a highly ambiguous woman with an ambition to rival any man. You never fully understand if it’s her love for her son that drives her or whether she loves the glory her son can give her by claiming the throne and ultimately, giving her the control of the realm.
‘She was determined to weave the web she wanted..’ That doesn’t sound like a woman who is just trying to navigate her way through a dark time in history. She is actively going against the grain and is putting her life and her sons in mortal danger in the process.
This book switches between the points of view of Margaret and Christopher Ulswicke. Ulswicke was one of only two people Margaret trusted in the world. I actually enjoyed his story more so than Margarets. He's funny, determined and could feel his need to do his very best. He was much more genuine a character than Margaret. He did what he did for the good of his mistress and for someone who kills people, was a much more believable human than Margaret comes across as. Other than the gruesome and overly descriptive deaths being described, there wasn’t much that stood out.
The pace of the book wanes a lot and other times you get far too much information thrown at you. I can still see the potential this book has but for a seasoned reader like me, it didn’t hold the water it should have. There were no twists and turns, nothing to drive you forward to continue to read. I did finish it. It was mediocre at best and a real let down for me. I did a happy dance when I first started to read it. I was excited. By the end I was just glad it was over.
I have never read any other of his work and in all honesty, I probably won’t be seeking his work out again. It’s a real shame that I didn’t have something better to say about this book. I really wanted to love it.
I would give it 2.5 stars out of 5. I even had to go and read parts again because my mind wandered and that never happens to me.
Sincerely, The Lioness
I just finished The Secret Librarian by Soraya M. Lane Avery is engaged to be married which is what all girls in 1942 want right? Avery longs for adventure so when she is offered an undercover intelligence gathering position in Portugal under the guise of being a librarian, she jumps at the chance. She meets Camille, a french widow with a bookstore. Both women are fighting in their own ways but someone knows who Camille really is and can’t tehy stay ahead of their enemies? I have a real love for WW2 historical novels so I tend to need a certain level of perfection.. This one delivered in spades. I loved Avery and Camille. They both worked to help people during the war no matter what danger they were putting themselves in but Camille was looking for the British spy who killed her family… It was crazy intense!! I loved all the layers there were to the story. I really enjoyed the character development of Avery and Camille. It was heartwarming and tragic. It was a beautifully written story about a time in our history that we should have not have had to live through. Stunning narration. I highly recommend it. 4 stars thank you to @brillanceaudio for my gifted copy and @netgalley for sending it 🤣🤣🤣 Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #bookish #thesecretlibrarian #historicalfiction #historicalfictionlover #brillanceaudio #booksbooksbooks #litdulterous #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishblog #bookrecs #ww2novel #bookpodcast
Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! - Dream Lair Books I just finished Callasandra Fractured by Stephanie Douglas, a debut novel, and here are my thoughts. When her dad was kidnapped right in front of her, Cassi didn’t expect the coded message out of his mouth would change her life forever. The warning scatters all of earth’s citizens across other dimensions. Cassi wakes up in Cimerrion, a terrible place where everyone is under scrutiny, she's never felt more alone. Learning she has to conceal her identity the resistance realizes who she is… and what they need to do to help her survive. Firstly… The ending? WHAT!! Is that it? Will there be a sequel? I have a million questions and a quiet fear that they won’t be answered. I do not like ambiguous endings and I really don’t like cliffhangers. And how genius were the QR codes for the music? I’ve never done that before and I was excited every time I saw one on the page. You don’t have to do it but the Soundtrack-enhanced fiction writing might just be my latest obsession. I thought the writing was expressive and clever. Cassi has to change her name and mixes her own name with the one she should have used and Callasandra is born. I enjoyed all the characters and they were well defined and relatable. I think the character development was probably the win with this book. I did find Cassi a tad underdeveloped in spots but I have a soft spot for her. I have some things I don't think are great… This is a sci-fi dystopian novel. Cool but it was so vague on how the big sci-fi event even happened and why the dad was taken. Sci-fi needs the who, what, when, why, how circle to be complete and this didn’t happen for me and that did not sit well with me at all. Even if the next book explains it, there was not enough meat here for anyone who likes sci-fi to want to pick up book 2. There needed to be a taste. I did read it in one sitting because I was invested in knowing more and hoping Cassi made it back to her mom and twin. 3.75 stars and if there is a book 2, I will pick it up. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read your book. I was thoroughly charmed. @stephaniedouglas @dreamerslairbooks for my gifted copy #callasandrafragile #stephaniedouglas #indieauthor #bookreview #boookalorian #litdulterous #bookblog #readervlog #booktok #booktube #booktubereader #reader
I just finished Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross and here are my thoughts. Matilda is a young goddess and one more powerful than most. She can walk between realms but she also has a secret she must hide to protect herself. Vincent is a mortal who dreams of her often and they are friends in the dream world. When Vincent has a need of her help in the real world… His request goes ignored and he hardens himself and moves on. That is until the day she falls through his window with a letter for him in her hands. Fate had moved these pieces in hopes of rewriting the bloody ways of the gods…. Can she sacrifice her vulnerability for love? This is a prequel to Divine Rivals and I was chomping at the bit to read this book as soon as I heard it was in the works. It took a while to get into. The story is obviously set long before the time of the original duology and when you already love a book, it’s hard to read a book when you don’t know the characters yet. Or at least it is for me but once I fully emerge myself into the story I was totally swept up into Matilda’s story and the path she was forging. I definitely loved the backstory of the gods. It helped to understand the setting in Divine Rivals more and tied up some questions that I had. I loved Vincent. He was so sweet and his story was so tragic but he loved his people and he had such a big heart I couldn’t help being charmed by him. I loved all the magic and the lore, this is really and truly where the book shines in my opinion. The author does an amazing job of world building and it really does add value to the series. I did find the first part of the audiobook to be rather slow and not much really happened but it does pick up and the narration is fabbo!! I definitely enjoyed this book and I do hope we get more books in this series. 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress @saturdaybooks and @netgalley for my gifted copy You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #saturdaybooks #wildreverence #fantasy #fantasybook #fantasybooklover #readersofig #bookish
I just finished Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke and here are my musings! Katherine Cole is on trial… Every man she has had any kind of relationship with, has a different view of her. Her father remembers his sweet little girl. Her best friend remembers the conspiracy theories they share, her lover regrets meeting her, her lawyer… Knows something is off and a journalist sees the murder they have accused her of being. Which one is correct? This book was different… A good difference but a real risk in taking such an interesting twist in storytelling. We get the same person but several perspectives and I will admit, it took a while to keep everyone straight. I think it was around the 25% mark that I felt like I knew what was what so I can see how there might be some DNFs out there on this one. It just shows you too that the way we see ourselves, isn’t always how others see us and it was a clever story. I truly had no idea who was correct and whether she was guilty or not but it was told in such a way that it really could have gone any way. I didn’t really connect with any character but it gave me a more clinical view on the book instead like I was trying studying it like a case file. It was great to be honest, I enjoyed it more than I expected after the rough start. 4 stars Thank you to @harperaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A You can find all my book merch at Bookaloriandesigns.com and bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com #hermanyfaces #niccicloke #thriller #thrillerreader #bookworm #bookishreview #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookalorian #litdulterous #igbooks
I just finished Last Seen by J.T. Ellison and here are my musings. Halley’s life is falling apart. The loss of her job and her marriage crumbling… Her dad needing help seems like a reprieve. She doesn’t expect to find a dark truth her father was hiding… That her mother was murdered… By her older sister… A sister who was released and is now missing. Halley has to know the truth but the answers she seeks are dangerous and someone doesn’t want the truth to be set free. DUDDDEEEEEESSSS this book was INTENSE!!! Could you imagine having your dad lie to you for years? ARGHHH!!! I could feel it. The confusion and anger. The emotions came off the book in eaves and added to tension that the book had already started to build. I like Halley. She was raw and authentic. The whole book just solidified my thoughts on her and her need to find the truth. It was insane… The lies… What happened… The ending actually blew my mind. I was not prepared for it at all. I love being surprised, especially when it makes sense and is not outlandish. Clever, clever writing. I was very very impressed. The pacing was excellent and I had a low thrum of fear for Halley the whole time. It was perfect! One of the best thrillers of the year. 4.5 stars Thank you @brilliancepublishing for my gifted copy Thank you visiting my page! For exclusive content and to keep up with all my posts, don’t forget to like/follow my page! You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1 YouTube.com/@litdulterous You can find all my book merch at Bookaloriandesigns.com and bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com I appreciate you all! ❤️ #lastseen #jtellison #thrillerbook #thrillerreader #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookreader #audiobookstagram #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast 1w
I just finished I Can’t Even by Jenn McKinlay and here are my musings. Julia does not want to go home but when her estranged overbearing mother requests her to, she begrudgingly goes. Bab’s is terminally ill and when she passes her will states that all 3 daughters have to stay in the house or lose their inheritance. It shouldn’t be too hard but her old boyfriend still lives next door and he looks so good! She wants to explain the reason she ran away 10 years ago but he is reluctant to talk to her.. Can she win him back and get her inheritance? Whoa! There was a fuckton going on in this book. So many threads to keep track of. Julia and coming to terms with her mother’s death, the secret that was kept and trying to win back her ex. Both her sisters have shit going on too. So many things that could have been missed and not one plot hole could be found. That was impressive. The audiobook was pretty dang good and I loved how entertaining it was. I really enjoyed the parallels with the romance and then finding out why her mother didn’t love her like her sisters and neither one fell through the cracks. It was clever. I loved the audio as it really brought the banter and tension between Julia and Liam. You could almost hear the crackling of attraction that still thrummed between them. I even liked the cousin who was set to inherit if they didn’t stick to the will. Yeah I know but she was great haha. 4 stars Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for my gifted copy. You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #icanteven #jennmckinlay #booklover #Romancenovel #humor #domesticfiction #bookreview #bookbabe #bookishpodcast #bookpodcast #bookcommunity #bookblogger
I just finished All Because of You by Lissa Lovik and here are my thoughts. A grocery store meet-cute has Chris falling hard… Using a fallen receipt to track Serena down, he is just helping fate move faster. He won’t rush her… He will just watch, wait… Bide his time. The road to true love isn’t always fast. Serena has no idea that the chance meeting at her real estate job was carefully curated. Believing she has found the most amazing man, she settles into dating…. Chris will do anything to keep her… Even if that means crossing lines and breaking laws to do it. Serious You vibes right here which should have put me off because I didn’t connect with that series but this one actually really enjoyed it. I think it’s because you know Chris is a FREAK and there is zero chance of romanticizing him which is a complaint I have with Joe from You. It was done really well. I was sufficiently creeped out and the audio narration was done with expert precision. It was so good. Well paced and interesting with just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. I liked the story, I wasn’t overly in love with the parts with Serena’s best friend and that was something I could have done without. All in all, a solid thriller. 4 stars So if you are in your Halloween reading era.. add this one to your TBR! Thank you @brillancepublishing and @netgalley for my gifted copy! Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #allbecauseofyou #lissalovik #thriller #stalker #booktokcanada #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpodcast #bookrevs #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookinfluencer
I just finished The Accidental Rewrite by Milly Johnson and here are my musings. When Polly Potter walks out on her job… She doesn’t expect to have a surprise wedding sprung on her by a giant man baby who she was in the process of leaving. Leaving him at the altar so flees to a place she loved in her childhood. When she ends up with a concussion and memory loss, she ends up meeting a kind lady whose son owns a restaurant. She works off the debt she feels she owes there and helps the restaurant tackle some crazy assaults against their business but as her memory comes back slowly, she wonders if she can rewrite her life into something she can be proud of. I was expecting to adore this book. I really did. I am not a massive fan of FMCs having amnesia but this worked really well for me. Polly thinks she is called Sabrina which happens to be the character in a story she was writing and she thinks those details she wrote are her life. It was charming. I thought the audio narration was really good! I liked how the owner of the restaurant, Teddy, wasn’t sure about her but the more time they spent together… He remembers how to start living his life and not just working. Polly/Sabrina learns to believe in herself and love herself in such a way that is so heartwarming that she starts to assert herself. Her wants, her needs. She is awesome. Funny and cute! The whole book just had a wholesome vibe! She has to be one of my favourite characters I have come across lately! I liked how the book ended and it was really a sweet book. 4.5 stars Thank you @harpermusebooks for my gifted copy. #bookalorian #theaccidentrewrite #bookreview #bookcommunity #litdulterous #readingissexy #readingrecommendations #bookrecs #tbr #bookpodcast #yycreader #calgaryreaders #albertareads
Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! I just finished Not Her, Not Yet by Chelsea O’Hara and here are my musings. Wren has no memories… The man claiming to be her husband is telling her she is safe but shouldn’t she remember this man Caleb? Something is wrong. As the dark days roll on, Wren learns things she doesn’t want to know. Caleb’s love comes with strings and the controlling behaviour makes her question herself more and more. Maybe someone out there can help her but they all seem to know more than they are letting on. I made a mistake… I was reading the first chapter of a few books to set up my reading… I read this one before bed one night and OMG sleeping wasn’t easy after this disturbing book. SIDEBAR - I am a survivor of abuse. Manipulation, control, smashing holes in walls, gaslighting… Those are the least horrible things I went through so I thank Chelsea for all the triggers. I don’t need warnings but I know a lot of people do and she makes sure to write this book in a well researched and sympathetic way. I wanted to rescue Wren so badly.. That is how well written the characters are. Not that we have many to deal with as it is mostly Wren and then Caleb and saddling a whole book on mostly one character was a risky risk but it worked really well because you felt like you were trapped in that cabin with her and you have a front row seat to all that unfolds. The biggest problem I found was the pacing. I would have liked the pace to have been a little faster and for the book to have gone a little further. Maybe having us watching Wren after the ending. That’s a personal preference only, not a problem with the book. I think this book got right under my skin and did so in a really effective way without going for the shock value. It was good. It was really fucking good. The undertones of what the town knew just made it even more terrifying. I loved it. It was almost like I was reading a real account of abuse and that made it even more sickening. I’m impressed. Super excellent read. 4.5 stars Thank you @chelseaohara for my gifted copy. That was one entertaining read. Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #nothernotyet #chelseaohara #psychologicalthriller #thrillerreader #bookreview #bookishreview #bookblog #bookishblogger #bookpodcast #bookalorian #ltidulterous #indieauthor #indiebook #topread #tbr #bookrecs
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