Laura AndersenReviews

Not as good as some of the other books about the Boleyn family. In fact, this seems more like a young adult book (I LOVE YA books, don't get me wrong) and did not deliver what I expected

This disappointing alternate-history tale takes an intriguing idea but bogs it down with glacial pacing and ends with a cliff-hanger – an instant disqualification in my book, for any author.

Andersen’s basic idea is full of potential – suppose Anne Boleyn had eventually given Henry the son for which he had delegitimized his firstborn daughter, set aside his lawful wife, and broken the hold of the Catholic church on the crowned heads of Europe? How would the course of history have been changed, or would the ebb and flow of royal intrigue and military adventure have followed the same general path without the indomitable Elizabeth I on the British throne?

The novel begins as Anne Boleyn’s son, William, approaches his eighteenth birthday, ready to leave behind the regency that had guided him after Henry’s death, and become king in his own right. Much of the story is told through the eyes of Minuette, a young woman who shares William’s birthdate and who has been groomed from childhood for a place in court. The other players include names well-known to readers familiar with the historical Tudor court and its intrigues. There are Seymours and Howards aplenty, Lady Jane Grey, the disinherited Mary and the endless Catholic plots surging around her, Elizabeth, Robert Dudley, the sabre-rattling of France and Spain, and even Mary, Queen of Scots in a distant but acknowledged orbit.

The problem is that Andersen sets everything in motion, and then bogs the action down with a couple hundred pages in which not much happens except that the powers behind the throne move their pawns around the chessboard and young William removes himself from pawnhood with military victories and intricate diplomatic maneuvers.

Things only get interesting again when William ceases to think of Minuette as a childhood playmate and realizes she is a desirable young woman. Unfortunately, this creates a romantic triangle that also involves William’s lifelong companion, Dominic. Things get exciting in the last quarter of the book as Minuette is drawn into a dangerous game involving the search for a possibly-forged document that could incite Mary’s followers to open rebellion and as William privately declares his intention to make Minutette his queen, never mind that he has just been betrothed to a French princess.

And just as things seem to be drawing to a head, Andersen drops in another plot complication and abruptly ends this first entry in the Boleyn Trilogy. Sorry, but that just knocked the rest of this series right off my TBR list.

3.5* Not as enjoyable as the first book

To be fair, I really need to stop reading series out of order, because I'd likely enjoy them more. I've read parts of Laura Andersen's Boleyn and Tudor series, so I know the general concept of her alterative history world (which is very intriguing). This novel, the last in the series, does make for an interesting read centered around a reimagining of the Spanish Armada's attempted invasion of England. A fun concept and enjoyable reading, but I think I should have read all of the author's books in sequence to fully enjoy this one.

Not a great book, but an enjoyable read nonetheless

This was quite an enjoyable quick read. I'm hoping that there will be more books in this series. Specifically dealing with the succession of the English throne. Don't want to give away spoilers.

Decent story once I fully got into it. I like that the author embraces alternate history. I dislike that her historical knowledge is so limited. I read an interview she gave once saying alternate history work best if you have only passing knowledge of history. I don't agree. Still this trilogy is less of a leap than the first.
I dislike the unconventional romance angle she seems to stress so much. I like the characters the story is OK.

I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars
I greatly enjoyed the Boleyn King Trilogy. Well I felt the third book was somewhat rushed and yet the drama felt very manufactured.
Anyway, I was excited to see this book with all of my favorite characters from the first trilogy older and wiser. I like the characters telling the story and story line feels manufactured and history light yet I still enjoy it. This is a very 'Reign' view of history yet much like Reign I find it intriguing.

This book was slow to start but the second half of the book the pace was better and the last couple of chapters were great. I'm embarrassed to say that I totally missed the King in love with 'Genevieve' who is in love with his best friend and best soldier. Goodness how'd I miss that in the first book?
I am glad I waited to read the second book until the third came out as this book also ends on a bit of a cliff hanger.
Starting book 3 now

I liked this book and this trilogy. It was light and a quick easy read. Fairly enjoyable alternate history

I liked this quite a bit. The premise I found intriguing, in fact I had been awaiting this book. Queen Anne Boleyn does not have the miscarriage that sends her to the tower and eventually her death. Instead she does not lose that baby a healthy son, Prince Henry William is born, the future King Henry XIV. The author more or less pulls it off. I had to stop reading and research the politics of the time to get a feel for the setting. Once I returned to the book I read it in 2 sittings. It is an easy and interesting read. I enjoy the picture of Queen Anne and Lord Rochford old and Elizabeth as she might have been had her father not murdered her mother and gone on a wife shopping spree. Still I feel Princess/Lady Mary is poorly written and conceived and she seems to have marriage to Anne soften Henry VIII. I look forward to the second installment this fall.

As a devotee of the historical fiction genre, you come across a lot of Tudor books. Years ago, I decided to stop reading them altogether, but somehow they still manage to slip into my TBR piles. It's to the point where I have a tag on Goodreads, "Not Another Tudor Book."
And so, when I heard about this book, with a fresh storyline, I thought that it sounded like the perfect excuse to read another yet Tudor book.

In this alternate history, Ann Boleyn gave birth to a son, changing history, saving all of those would-have-been Tudor queens from death. Her son, William, is now ruling as king. It is certainly an interesting concept, and one that had me intrigued.

Everything about this book was fairly average, from the writing to the plot to the characters. Unfortunately, despite the fresh storyline that left Andersen with vast creative license to pursue different avenues of "what ifs" and twists in history, the plot quickly falls into dull and predictable stereotypes. I mean, the most exciting things happening are a love triangle involving The Most Perfect Woman Ever (yawn) and this "mystery" about how someone is plotting to overthrow the king, and the characters wondering who it could be.
It's not the worst choice... and I have definitely read books where these plots are done to enthralling perfection. But... really? Andersen could have explored any avenue, any well known Tudor character and had an opportunity to speculate endlessly about what might have happened. She could have gone anywhere. And this is all that she came up with?

The writing style was not the best, and the characters were pretty badly written, especially the girl who two men are vying for, because of course they are, because she is the most flawless, perfect, dazzlingly beautiful, amazing, fascinating person to have ever walked the earth. That is literally how she is written and fawned over constantly by the author - it was strange and annoying.

I am giving this book 3 stars, although that is perhaps a bit generous, because there was nothing actually horrible here (except the perfect angel character), it was all just sub-par, missed opportunities type of writing.

Despite the interesting twist in history, this one ended up being an un-original disappointment. I can't see myself reading any of the other books in the series.

I enjoyed this much more than the endless books rehashing the grim murders by the Tudors from all possible points of view.

This was an easy read. The love triangle annoyed me to no end and the friends to lovers thing really only feels genuine when it is happening between two people, and not two people that both want a third person.

Additionally the writing style did feel a smidge simplistic. This is not a bad thing just surprising for an alternative history book. Which are usually so convoluted that you can't think straight for weeks after reading them.

All in all it was enjoyable and I will be continuing this trilogy.

This was an easy read. The love triangle annoyed me to no end and the friends to lovers thing really only feels genuine when it is happening between two people, and not two people that both want a third person.

Additionally the writing style did feel a smidge simplistic. This is not a bad thing just surprising for an alternative history book. Which are usually so convoluted that you can't think straight for weeks after reading them.

All in all it was enjoyable and I will be continuing this trilogy.

Note: Review for whole trilogy

I enjoyed this trilogy FAR better than the first. The author keeps her fantastic skills in alternate historical, suspenseful storytelling. She also corrected the issues I had with the first trilogy in the areas of characters and melodrama. While there was a whiff of that last in this trilogy, it in no way stood out.

I loved exploring the “what-ifs” explored here. The different dynamics of Elizabeth I actually marrying and producing a child with Phillip of Spain, Mary Queen of Scots having a different path in life, and far different power dynamics when it came to the Spanish Armada all made for a powerful read. I loved how in-depth the author got with the very human side to her story as well. The horrors of English occupation of Ireland and the human cost of war all kept me emotionally engaged.

I loved her characters this time round. While I was initially disappointed that we had such a time jump skipping over Elizabeth’s actual marriage with Phillip (was especially looking forward to exploring that relationship), I still found myself loving everybody. All characters are three-dimensionally portrayed, with virtues and foibles in everybody.

What little bit I did get of Elizabeth’s and Phillips relationship, I enjoyed immensely. These two great minds and monarchs would have been true matches for each other, if religion hadn’t played a divisive roll. Besides being a political advantageous matched, there also seemed to be mutual respect and attraction between them. I’ve even read that this was historically the case as well. Maybe it’s just me, but I almost think they could have been another Ferdinand and Isabella.

Characterization was where the first trilogy came into problems. The main couple there read as too perfect. At least here, our main characters, the children of Dominic, Minette, and Elizabeth have their downfalls. From too much stubborn pride to initial immaturity to overconfidence, each character is very well rounded. We see real growth in both maturity levels and personalities as war looms on the horizon and loss is felt. I saw this greatest in Kit’s case. I loved watching his growth as he gets an unexpected boost in life prospects, and he grows to fit into that new roll.

The melodrama was toned down A LOT. Will’s personality and story arc, combined with Minette’s and Dominic’s perfection, was the main culprit for the first trilogy. Will being absent and the diminished roles of the other two this time round helped matters. While there were occasional whiffs, thinking Pippa’s continual mysteriousness, this trilogy was refreshingly safe from that pitfall.

I went into this trilogy wanting more Elizabeth. Though I didn’t get what I originally wanted, I still got a great story, well-rounded characters, and a well-done exploration of an alternate historical path. You’d probably have to read trilogy one to get all the nuances of this one. But I fell that’s worth it to get into this great follow-up series. I loved all three books this time!

The Gallagher family returned to its home Deeprath Castle after an absence of twenty years following the untimely deaths of Aidan and Kyra's parents. Aidan, the lawful heir, proposes to place the castle in a historic trust, but he wants the library inventoried. His aunt hires Carragh Ryan to perform the job. The mystery goes back even further than that to the 19th century when Jenny Gallagher married Evan Chase, who appended the Gallagher name to his own so the heir would bear the surname. A local legend and ghost, the Darkling Bride, is also connected with the castle and its tower.

There is plenty of mystery, romance, and suspense in this book with a modern setting that reminds readers of the great Gothic mystery/romantic suspense writers of the past such as Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis Whitney. Those who enjoyed those authors will enjoy this book and vice versa. Those who like books, manuscripts, and the like will also find it interesting. Genealogists will enjoy it because some genealogical methods are employed in the book. I liked the Garda detective in the story although she was not the one who ultimately solved the puzzle. I hope this book revitalizes the genre and that this author continues to contribute well-written volumes to it.½

Wow; this gothic mystery has it all! There's an Irish legend, a family history mystery, a 700 year old Irish castle with its exquisite library, a cold-case police procedural, a twenty year old unsolved scavenger hunt, intrigue, ghostly and human mayhem and a bit of chaste romance. There are three time periods featured in alternating chapters and I was comfortably and thoroughly transported through each. Loved the story, the exquisitely atmospheric writing, and just could not put down the book until the end.

If you're a fan of Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart or classic gothic mysteries in general, then this is a book for you!½

I found The Darkling Bride to be a riveting read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat from start to finish! It's full of history, castles, tragedy, dysfunctional family members and set in a country I love ~ Ireland. Mix in ghosts, eerie unexplained happenings and I just couldn't turn down the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ms. Andersen penned an amazing story. I really enjoy books that keep me on my toes and this book did. So much so, this is one of those beloved books that I will visit and be swept away by again and again. Yes, it's that good!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Andersen, Ballentine Books, Random House and Netgalley.

A historical tale that leads to mystery, family drama, romance, and a castle with all signs of being haunted. A great read you will not be able to put down!

This was a quick read and has everything a Gothic story should have. A remote Irish castle, a old library that needs archiving, a deep dark family secret, and a handsome lord to fall in love with.

"ABOUT THE DARKLING BRIDE
Three generations of Irish nobles face their family secrets in this spellbinding novel from the award-winning author of the Boleyn King trilogy.

The Gallagher family has called Deeprath Castle home for seven hundred years. Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, the estate is now slated to become a public trust, and book lover and scholar Carragh Ryan is hired to take inventory of its historic library. But after meeting Aidan, the current Viscount Gallagher, and his enigmatic family, Carragh knows that her task will be more challenging than she’d thought.

Two decades before, Aidan’s parents died violently at Deeprath. The case, which was never closed, has recently been taken up by a new detective determined to find the truth. The couple’s unusual deaths harken back a century, when twenty-three-year-old Lady Jenny Gallagher also died at Deeprath under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an infant son and her husband, a renowned writer who never published again. These incidents only fueled fantastical theories about the Darkling Bride, a local legend of a sultry and dangerous woman from long ago whose wrath continues to haunt the castle.

The past catches up to the present, and odd clues in the house soon have Carragh wondering if there are unseen forces stalking the Gallagher family. As secrets emerge from the shadows and Carragh gets closer to answers—and to Aidan—could she be the Darkling Bride’s next victim?"

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/548215/the-darkling-bride-by-laura-ande...

Wow, what a spellbinding book.... Mysterious, lyrical, interesting characters w/ tragic back-stories

I did figure out who-done-it.... but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the outcome of the mystery.

Strong women? Definitely: the ghosts of Jenny & Lily; Great-aunt Nessa; Carragh; and Detective Sibeal McKenna.½

Good storyline

As a fan of alternate histories and historical romances, this book was a nice fit for me. It rolled along quickly and smoothly to it's conclusion, which definitely left me wanting the next book in the series.
If you are looking for a fast read that doesn't require a lot of effort, but is still satisfying, I recommend this book.

The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Tucked away in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, Deeprath Castle has a long, sad history of love, legend, blood, and myths. The most pervasive of the myths revolves around a beautiful and doomed woman whose legend has been so strong as to survives centuries and seemingly impact the lives of her descendants.

Several centuries later . . . .

Aidan Gallagher’s family has lived under a curse for the entirety of his life. As a child, his parents were violently murdered, he and his sister were raised by their cold and tremendously proud aunt, and as an adult all are separated and distant. With the family manor, Deeprath Castle being the common denominator, Aidan feels he has no choice but to unload the castle on the state as an historic/heritage site. Before the transfer can happen, however, Aidan and his aunt want the family library catalogued with the intent of donating the contents with the exception of personal/family documents.

Carragh Ryan has spent the vast majority of her young life in the service of books. When the opportunity to catalogue the famed Gallagher/Deeprath Castle collection presents itself, she jumps at the chance! According to her contract, Carragh is to reside in the castle for the duration of the job and confine her activities to the library. With no objections, Carragh packs her bags and gets to work within hours of her arrival. The library is vast, her employers are standoffish at best, and Carragh is absolutely certain the castle is haunted. Within days of her arrival, the double portrait of the Darkling Bride in her bedroom has been moved leaving Carragh with a great sense of unease and more than a few questions.

Though Carragh finds Aidan attractive, he isn’t the easiest of men to approach. Her questions relate directly to his family, but not her job so broaching certain subjects seems somewhat risky. As it happens, Aidan quite likes Carragh and as they begin to work together, Aidan becomes more willing to open up and share stories of his family’s past and the myths and legend surrounding Deeprath Castle and the Wicklow Mountains.

With each conversation, Carragh becomes more attached to Aidan and even more involved in the mystery surrounding Deeprath Castle and her Darkling Bride. What’s more, with each new bit of evidence uncovered, Carragh becomes convinced the ancient legend is, in fact tied to the death of Aidan’s parents. With each step closer to the truth, Carragh finds herself in danger. Her safety and her freedom are threatened before all is said and done with her only ally being Aidan Gallagher.

The Bottom Line: What a wonderfully dark read is Lauren Andersen’s The Darkling Bride. From start to finish I was absolutely and thoroughly invested in this read. The legend of the Darkling Bride is woven into every aspect of the story, from the setting, to the characters, to the mystery. She is always present and truly feeds the entirety of the story which makes it all the more entertaining. I didn’t want to put this book down and was heartbroken in the best possible way by the resolution to the rather Gothic tale. This is an early favorite for 2018 and one I heartily recommend.