Kate Emerson

Who doesn't love to read about the scandal and shock that existed at court during the reign of Henry VIII? We watch the same thing on soap operas, reality shows and yes, that crap that Showtime's been feeding us (love it) because we are all filth mongers and we love a good steamy affair.

Historical fiction, even the less romantic ones always tug at my heartstrings in a special way. I know what really happened but I just can't help when reading to think "Maybe this time...maybe this time the show more story will be different." Maybe Catherine of Aragon will run away with the historical equivalent of the hot pool boy or maybe she'll be able to give Henry five healthy sons and he'll never cheat on her- and then Anne Boleyn would never have to die (but then we'd miss out on good Queen Bess and we wouldn't have wanted to miss her for the world). Anyway, I tend to indulge myself in a bit of whimsical fancy about what could have been whenever I'm reading such books.

But the story is always the same. King Henry VIII was a real shit. They could go ahead and put him down in the history books under real shit.

Oh the book? Yeah I guess we should talk about that.

Young Jane (Jeanne) Popyncourt and her mother were hastily forced to flee the French court after the mysterious death of King Charles. They sought refuge in England at the court of King Henry VII where Jane was placed in the royal nursery to befriend and converse in French with the young princesses Margaret and Mary. At the age of eight, Jane couldn't comprehend why she had to leave her home and now live apart from her mother for the first time. When her mother's unexpected death occurs only months later, Jane's life will be filled with unanswered questions about her past and the mysterious circumstances that brought them both to England.

At court Jane, a ward of the king and a companion to the royal princesses, enjoys all the privileges that come with a life at court until the king's death which began the reign of the new king, Henry VIII. In this new court, an unattached, attractive lady with no fortune or family of her own can quickly become a pawn of the powerful men who surround her. Life at court is now a scandalous, volatile place to be and Jane's shadowed past may afford her enemies she never knew she had. Her search for her past will uncover truths too dangerous to believe and reveal a love she has known life long.

Loved it! Plus two stars for having a map and a family tree at the beginning of the book. LOTR-er here and we appreciate anything with a hand drawn map. Gotta love a map. The story was captivating, fast-paced, with interesting details- Emerson explains card games and amusements that would have entertained the court at that time. There was no blatant or unnecessary distorting of history and all characters were kept pretty much true to form and she still managed to conjure up a happy, if some what rushed, fairy tale ending. show less

3.5 Stars

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace tells the story of Jane Popyncourt, who, along with her mother, fled France for England as a child to live at the court of Henry VII. While Emerson does a good job of bringing the personalities of the Tudor Court to life, especially Jane, the novel does not have that 'can't put it down' factor. Jane's questioning of why her mother fled France underlines most of the storyline, but the outcome was entirely too predictable and unoriginal. show more Certainly an entertaining read, but it hasn't left me wanting to read more even though the second novel in Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court series is available.

On a related note, I don't think the title fits this novel, and I admit that I originally avoided the book because the title gave me the impression that it would be heavy on the romance. I'm glad my original impressions weren't correct, but I can't help but wonder how many other fans of historical fiction have avoided it because of the title? show less

Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court has an interesting history, especially in relationship to me. When I read the first book in the series, The Pleasure Palace, I was genuinely interested in the book's content and spent months trying to track it down. Once I finally read it, I found it to be incredibly disappointing and really weak when compared to the rest of the genre. I thought that was the end of my relationship with Emerson and Secrets of the Tudor Court, but not long after the show more second book, Between Two Queens, was released, I had the opportunity to review it, so I did. Between Two Queens was a huge improvement on The Pleasure Palace, though not one of the better novels I've read set in that period. Mostly on a whim, and because it was available at my local library, I decided to pick up the latest installment in the series, By Royal Decree.

My expectations were moderate to low. I was hoping it would be an improvement, but wasn't won over by Emerson's track record. However, I soon found that By Royal Decree was so much more enjoyable than the previous books in the series, an incredible step up for author Emerson and a surprisingly enjoyable read filled with politics, intrigue, war and a dash of romance.

In By Royal Decree, readers get to know Bess Brooke, a lower noblewoman who, along with dozens of other eligible young women, is sent to court to dine with Henry VIII on the eve of former queen Katherine Howard's execution. Rumor has it that Henry is looking for a new wife, and Bess's parents are ambitious. Though the king shows Bess some attention, she has no interest in the man, now in his fifties and highly obese, but, however, she meets the dashing Will Parr, brother of the soon-to-be-queen Catherine Parr (aka Lady Latimer), whom she definitely has an interest in. Though Will returns her affections, there is a catch -Will was once married to a young woman named Anne and, though Paraliment granted him a divorce, it was decreed that Will could not marry again for as long as Anne lived. Bess constantly fights to be able to marry -and later, stay married to -Will, but their marriage because drenched in politics, religious feuds and court intrigue that may keep them apart -or even kill them.

I thought By Royal Decree was going to be just another mushy Tudor-period historical romance. Though it started out that way, it grows into something more. Bess matures into an amazing, intelligent woman who has the smarts to navigate the perils of court life while keeping her head and Will's. Bess survives the end of Henry VIII's reign, Edward's short reign, the ill-fated reign of Lady Jane Grey, and the heretic-burning reign of Mary. All the time fighting to be with Will while trying to play the winning side of the constant political turmoil in that period of British history.

A surprising tale of a strong, intelligent woman who uses her wits and connections to get what she wants while surviving, By Royal Decree is more like political historical with some romance thrown in than a historical romance. I was completely enthralled in the last portion of the book when Bess comes into her own and politics really heat up. By far, this is the best book in Secrets of the Tudor Court series so far. I'm excited to see what Emerson delivers next. show less

In the famous British court of Henry VIII, political games, ambition, secrets and lust are commonplace. Understanding these concepts and being able to utilize them is crucial. In the case of the Jane Popyncourt, secrets are a method of survival. After being brought to Henry VII's court at a young age and under strange circumstances, Jane becomes the ward of the king and teaches his daughters, the Princesses Mary and Margaret, French. Jane grows up around the royal family, eventually show more installing herself as one of Princess Mary's ladies and a spy for King Henry VIII. Jane's life at court seems to be secure, until the mysterious secrets surrounding her past begin to resurface.

Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace is another entry into the massive (and still growing) collection of historical fiction novels set in the dramatic, soap opera-like Tudor era. And it's not a bad entry by any means -the writing is easy to understand, the characters are three-dimensional and enjoyable and many of the plot concepts in the novel are fascinating.

However, the interesting plot points seem to not come often enough. The book does move, but very slowly at times, making the action a little uneven. Also, I had some issues with Emerson's playing with history. While I do understand that this is a historical fiction novel, some of the fiction just felt too forced when integrated with the history. I'm usually just fine with the fiction, but in The Pleasure Palace it seemed to cross a line -plus much of the dialog just felt too modern for me to feel completely engaged in the period. Overall an enjoyable and fun read, but there are better Tudor novels out there...

Fans of romantic Tudor era fiction may enjoy The Pleasure Palace, but those who are sticklers for historical accuracy should give it a miss... show less