A The Tudor Book Blog Review(http://www.thetudorbookblog.com).Summary:This story follows an orphaned stable boy, Brendon Prescott, on a search to discover his past, as well as save the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth.Found abandoned as a baby, he is taken in by the powerful Dudley family. When he is old enough, he is called to the Royal Tudor Court, ruled by the young Edward VI. Though Robert Dudley has shown his obvious distaste for Prescott, Prescott is assigned to become his squire. His first mission is to take a ring to the Princess Elizabeth, a gift from Robert Dudley. This small gesture sets the events for the rest of the story in motion. Upon meeting the Princess, he is quickly taken with her. She is distraught to discover her brother has “disappeared.” She is not allowed to see him and Prescott quickly discovers that there is a plot a foot to keep both Mary and Elizabeth from the throne. He resolves to save both.Prescott is an innocent, knowing nothing of the way the Royal Court works. He quickly finds himself spying for Dudley and an unknown person, in the hopes of keeping Princess Elizabeth safe and help her half-sister, Mary, take her rightful place as Queen. His motivation really stems from his desire to discover his past; Who abandoned him and why? However, once he gets involved with protecting Elizabeth and aiding Mary, they quickly become his motivations.My Thoughts:Overall, I really liked this novel. I found it extremely easy to read and was quickly drawn into it. Even though I am not a huge fan of first person novels, I did like that this novel was set from the point of view of a “commoner” not the typical Elizabeth or other royal person-view point. Through this point of view you certainly get a new look at the Tudor Court.From the point of view of a “commoner,” I found it fascinating that Brendan Prescott was so willing to accept his “low” station in life. He would have been happy to stay at the Dudley estate raising horses. Even when told that his greatest accomplishment would be becoming the Duke’s Steward, Prescott thought it was too lofty for him. I found this interesting as despite it being a good position, it was still the position of a servant. Even this he thought was too much. I suppose this is how it was back then; You were born low, you stay low.This view is in stark contrast to that of the Dudleys whom Gortner paints harshly. He shows them as greedy, self-serving, and cruel. To an extent, I think this is an accurate depiction. However, there seems to be no real redeeming quality presented in the novel.One thing I did not like about the novel is that it takes place in such a short amount of time: about two weeks. It seems like such a short amount of time for so much to happen. Not events, but the development of the characters flies by. Brendan Prescott evolves so fast, it seem unrealistic. I feel that the time frame could have been extended. Another issue is the language. Now, for this novel I think the more modern dialogue works. However, many historical Tudor fans will find it very unrealistic. However, I feel that the story and new approach to the Tudor period far outweighed the minor flaws I mentioned above.I love the “What If’s” of history. C.W. Gortner certainly does this here. This novel is not one for historical fact. Though he has certainly done his research, this is not a “textbook-novel.” Rather, it is a fun and suspenseful novel. It is certainly a work of fiction, but because Gortner has done a wonderful job researching and setting the scene, the factual “errors” surprisingly didn’t bother me. For me, this novel is a meshing of my two favorite genres: The Tudors and Mysteries. C.W. Gortner’s mystery novel is certainly a new take on the typical Tudor novel. His blend of mystery, historical events, and fiction is a great new twist to an often written-on time period. I give it Four and a Half Tudor Roses, and highly recommend it.Note: Thanks to C.W. Gortner and St. Martin’s Press for TWO copies of this novel! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope the giveaway winner enjoys their copy as well!
The Secret Lion is the first novel in the Spymaster Chronicles by C.W. Gortner, writer of historical fiction.The Secret Lion is set in 1553 at the height of scandal in the Tudor dynasty and follows Queen Elizabeth and her lover Robert Dudley. Our main protagonist is Brendan Prescott, a man of lowly rank who serves the Dudley household and becomes part of a plot to save Queen Elizabeth when her brother King Edward VI mysteriously disappears. The loyal Brendan functions as a spy, and we soon learn that his humble yet intelligent character is worth more at court than his supposed rank.The Secret Lion has a most intriguing premise; after all, who isn't in love with reading about the Tudor family? The plot summary pulls you in, however there's only so many new, fictional twists, spins and speculation you can put on one of the most interesting families in history.I grew bored with this novel pretty quickly despite its short length of 248 trade paperback-size pages. The story is easy to predict and doesn't really leave much room or creativity in terms of suspense. The characters and their dialogue are more corny, cheesy and melodramatic than the style of old-world class usually prevalent in historical fiction, and I'm simply disappointed at how this novel really lacks mystery and intrigue.I've noticed that Gortner holds a type of cult-following in the historical fiction book world, and I respect him for that. I'm also willing to read some of his other titles, which include The Last Queen: A Novel of Juana La Loca (2006), The Confessions of Catherine de Medici (2010), and the soon-to-be released The Tudor Secret (2011).If anyone is looking for amazing historical fiction on the Tudor dynasty, I highly recommend reading The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers (1986) by Margaret George and novels by Philippa Gregory including The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) and The Virgin's Lover (2004).Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
What do You think about The Tudor Secret (2011)?
Won on Good Reads First Reads Jan, 25, 2011. Received on Feb 01, 2011. Can't wait to read it!"The Tudor Secret" is a novel set in the Summer of 1553 in Tudor England. Brendan Prescott is a fondling (an orphan) who was raised in the Dudley household as a stable boy. At the age of twenty he is brought to court to further serve the Dudley family as squire to one of their sons, Robert. Squire Prescott is sent on an illicit mission to deliver something to Princess Elizabeth. While engaged in this mission he is compelled to work as a double agent by William Cecil, Princess Elizabeth's protector.Many twists and turns follow: a plot to take over the throne from King Edward VI who is not only ill, but missing; a secret about Brendan Prescott's past that could change everything. Intrigue, deceit, murder, corruption, treason...all come together to make this a fantastic novel. It's a page turner that's hard to put down and will keep you guessing until the very end. "The Tudor Secret" is the first book in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles...
—Christina
"Everyone has a secret. Like an oyster with its grain of sand, we bury it deep within, coating it with opalescent layers, as if that could heal our mortal wound. Some of us devote our entire lives to keeping our secret hidden, safe from those who might pry it from us, hoarding it like the pearl, only to discover that it escapes us when we least expect it...." ~from The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner As I perused the opening lines of The Tudor Secret (above) chills ran down my spine; I knew then and there that whatever I had planned for the next twenty-four hours was going to be in major competition with reading. C.W. Gortner's newly released historical novel about sixteenth century espionage is a thriller, a mystery, and a startlingly vibrant portrait of the Tudor princesses. Young Elizabeth Tudor, who is an old friend to most readers of historical fiction, is at the center of the drama, as is her wont. She is the Bess we know and love and yet Mr. Gortner in his artistry makes her as enigmatic as never before. I appreciated the balanced portrayal of Princess Mary, bearing the heartache of being unloved for so long, yet every inch a granddaughter of the great Isabella. Robert Dudley and his entire family are shown as being wretches, always at odds with each other, thinking they can win by lies and brute force. Meanwhile, Brendan, a young man of hidden origins, uses his quick wits to learn the ways of espionage, mentored by Master Cecil, the best in the game. The reader is given a glimpse into the secret world by which thrones were gained and lost. Brendan overcomes his initial fears to take whatever risks he must to save the princesses from betrayal and death. With spies and counterspies canceling each other out, The Tudor Secret makes it clear that neither force nor gold can buy a faithful heart, rather genuine loyalty is inspired and retained by indefinable qualities, qualities which Elizabeth Tudor possessed. Such a gift is at the mysterious center of The Tudor Secret. As the first in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles, the book offers us much to look forward to in the future.
—Elena
I won this in a Goodreads first reads giveaway, which I was very excited about. Free books; yay! They asked for a review, so here it is.What I liked about the book: I find the time period absolutely fascinating. I thought the author did a great job interweaving fiction with non-fiction. The Tudors are the ultimate dysfunctional family that you hate to love or love to hate. That always makes for great reading. I also liked most of the characters, flawed as they were.What I didn't like: Wow. I really had to suspend my disbelief to get through this one. Everything just happened way too fast. I mean really? The main character was taken to court to serve as someone's squire, and within a day he's spying and almost dying every five minutes? He falls in love in less than a week? Mmmmkay. He has the trust of Elizabeth within one conversation? Alrighty then. I also saw a lot of sentences that pretty much just repeated what the previous sentence said in a different way. If those would have been edited out I would have been much less irritated. I wish there was 1/2 stars, because I'd probably give this book 2-1/2 stars if I could. I have yet to decide if I'll read the next one when it comes out. Maybe if I win that one. ha-ha
—Shannon
