Elizabeth Moss (1)

Wolf Bride
4 Stars

Promised in marriage to one of King Henry VIII's most renowned soldiers, Lord Wolf, Eloise Tyrrell is determined to never give him her heart despite their intense attraction. Eloise, a lady in waiting to Anne Boleyn, is well aware of what happens to a woman when her husband tires of her, and she has no intention of meeting the same fate as her queen...

Moss's attention to historical detail is impeccable. The realistic portrayals of the intrigue of Henry VIII's court together show more with the descriptions of settings, clothing, mannerisms, and attitudes make the Tudor era come alive on the page.

The romance between the powerful and enigmatic Lord Wolf and the spirited Eloise is charming although not anything that hasn't been done before. Moss thankfully avoids the silly misunderstandings trope that can be exceedingly annoying in these types of romances. That said, both Eloise and Wolf are overly stubborn and prideful. An open and honest conversation early on could have saved them both a great deal of angst.

Finally, while their relationship is not nearly as erotic as the "Fifty Shades of Tudor sex" promo suggests, Wolf and Eloise have great chemistry and their sex scenes do contribute to the formation of their emotional bond.

All in all, a well-written and historically accurate romance, and I look forward to reading the next book focusing on Eloise's sister, Savannah, and the King's clerk, Hugh Beaufort (Is he one of "the" Beauforts, I wonder?). show less

Wolf Bride was a fun and exciting read. It took me back to the Tudor Era, which is one of my favorites, while Anne Boleyn still lived. She is very much a background character, but her death plays an important role in showing the character of our heroine, Eloise Tyrell.

When Anne Boleyn is accused of treason, all of her close friends and servants were under scrutiny for the same, and Eloise was no exception. Navigating the court and intrigue has never been more difficult or dangerous. This was show more by far my favorite aspect of the story.

The romance, while it was written to be the main stage, fell into second place for me. Eloise and Lord Wolf definitely had a bit of a spark between them, but they were both too stubborn and unwilling to listen to each other for me to truly root for. Lord wolf was very overbearing, and while Elizabeth Moss tried valiantly to make it come off as dominant, there were many times it just came off as him being a mean jerk.

This was also far more of an erotic read than most historicals tend to be - intentionally so. I think it could have been toned down with more time given to our characters growing, but for readers of the hotter contemporary that are looking to try a historical - this may be the one that draws you in.

I enjoyed this story for the non-romance aspects, and I did continue reading and enjoying it. Watch for my reviews of the rest of the Lust in the Tudor Court series soon.

​*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book* show less

4 "The Truth & Lies About Innocence" Stars! Having been an ardent fan of The Tudors Showtime Series, and just generally of accounts surrounding the historical period during King Henry VIII's reign, I took one look at the blurb for the Wolf Bride, and just knew I had to read it. While most accounts of this period center around the principal players themselves, the Wolf Bride provides an interesting glimpse of what these history altering events may have seemed like via the eyes of less famous show more participants, and how their lives were nonetheless equally affected by the drama that unfolded. Moreover, it is interesting to also get a taste of what may have been expected of women of that age, particularly as it relates to infatuation, love and marriage. As would be expected of women back then, the passion also bears an element of submission that while tame by today's standards, would nonetheless appeal to lovers of dominant alpha heroes.

The Wolf Bride takes place in England, 1536. Eloise Tyrell, one of Anne Boleyn's ladies-in-waiting who hails from the North, has just been claimed by Lord Wolf, a well regarded soldier in King Henry VIII's army, who is also a rich landowner and while a bit older, remembers Eloise from their childhood days as neighbors in the Yorkshire moors. Lord Wolf is a hardened man, who though having taken a fancy to Eloise's unusual beauty, has sworn off love as a result of a prior bad experienced with a betrothed.

Eloise, in turn, while still somewhat naive, has not led a totally sheltered life. During her tenure at court, she has not only attracted the attention of a handsome courtier, but even the eye of the King. She will do her wifely duty, but she will not submit her heart. For surely if she has learned one thing at court, it's that when the innocence wears off, her husband will no doubt go in search of other attentions.

When scandal breaks out though, and Eloise is summoned back to testify against the Queen, she must quickly discern who to trust and just what truths and lies about innocence must be told. Will Wolf stand by her when all is said and done? Even if he does, when an even more sinister threat sets his sites on Eloise, will Wolf be able to keep her safe?

Through the Wolf Bride, we get a view of what court life may have been like for one of Anne Boleyn's ladies-in-waiting, at around the time that she was accused of adultery, among other crimes. We also, no surprise, are exposed to King Henry VIII's lecherous ways and just generally to the ways of life in the Sixteenth Century. While I can not attest to the complete accuracy of the historical facts in the Wolf Bride, the story seemed to generally comport with my knowledge of the era and combined it with an interesting romance, with a bit of hot, dominant passion to boot! I look forward to reading more of Elizabeth Moss' works in the future.

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. show less

Enjoyable, full of lust and bits of history.

I enjoy reading about the Tudor age, if only I could stop thinking about how dirty and unwashed everyone was then! The characters are well written, although not strictly historically correct. Not a lot of people were likable. Probably true of the era?

Anyways, Moss's treatment of the historical content was done very well. I felt the flavour of the age, with the unsettling fear of offending the monarch that surrounded just about everyone then. The show more story focused on the sexy times much more then the story or rather the non-sexy times.


**eARC Netgalley** show less