HFVBT: Review--The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

My thoughts:
As she did with The Crown, Bilyeau has once again written an excellent historical novel. Again we are taken to the perilous times of the reign of Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour are both dead, but Henry finally has his heir in prince Edward. However, the king is in search of another wife and that is the talk of the kingdom, along with the alliance of France with the Emperor Charles. As Henry has dissolved all of the monasteries and religious houses and continues to break from the church, the Pope's letter announcing the excommunication of king Henry is close to being made official. It is still a dangerous time and plots to overthrow the king are watched for and quashed. Many find themselves imprisoned in the tower. And those who give or seek out prophecies...prophecies that imply the demise of the king...are dealt with swiftly.

Our heroine, Joanna, finds herself once again thrust into this world of danger and intrigue. A world she has stridently tried to avoid. Making a life for herself and her small cousin, Arthur, in the town of Dartford, she is content to continue her worship and start her own tapestry weaving business, even if some of the townspeople are less than gracious toward the ex-nuns of Dartford Priory. But her simple life does not last. She is invited, along with Arthur, to stay for a time with her cousin, Henry Courtenay and his wife, Gertrude, the Marquess and Marchioness of Exeter. As she embarks on her stay with her relatives, she finds herself once again drawn into the world of political intrigue, secrets, and prophecies.

I won't go any further into the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but as you can tell, The Chalice is quite an exciting read. So well-written and historically accurate. I once again find myself greatly interested in the historical figures depicted. Even though I've been feeling over-saturated with the Tudors, with this book I'm learning new things that make me want to go in search of more historical information. For a book to inspire this kind of interest in history (as I'm sure it will), especially in those who aren't big history buffs like me, is a feather in the cap of the historical fiction genre. I praise the author on another fantastic novel. She is working on a third book and I can't wait to read it! Truly, I will look forward to any books Bilyeau has published.

About the book:

Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Touchstone Publishing
Hardcover; 512p
ISBN-10: 1476708657

In the next novel from Nancy Bilyeau after her acclaimed debut The Crown, novice Joanna Stafford plunges into an even more dangerous conspiracy as she comes up against some of the most powerful men of her era. 

In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…

Praise for The Chalice

"Rarely have the terrors of Henry VIII's reformation been so exciting. Court intrigue, bloody executions, and haunting emotional entanglements create a heady brew of mystery and adventure that sweeps us from the devastation of the ransacked cloisters to the dangerous spy centers of London and the Low Countries, as ex-novice Joanna Stafford fights to save her way of life and fulfill an ancient prophecy, before everything she loves is destroyed." - C.W. Gortner, author of The Queen's Vow

"The Chalice offers a fresh, dynamic look into Tudor England's most powerful, volatile personalities: Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk, Stephen Gardiner and Bloody Mary Tudor. Heroine and former nun Joanna Stafford is beautiful, bold and in lethal danger. Bilyeau writes compellingly of people and places that demand your attention and don't let you go even after the last exciting page." - Karen Harper, author of Mistress of Mourning

"An exciting and satisfying novel of historical suspense that cements Nancy Bilyeau as one of the genre's rising stars. The indominable Joanna Stafford is back with a cast of powerful and fascinating characters and a memorable story that is gripping while you are reading and haunting after you are done. Bravo! The Chalice is a fabulous read." - M.J. Rose, author of The Reincarnationist

About the Author:

Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown, is a writer and magazine editor who has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. Her latest position is features editor of Du Jour magazine. A native of the Midwest, she graduated from the University of Michigan. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children. 

For more information, please visit Nancy Bilyeau's website. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter the giveaway for a copy of The Chalice (U.S. only) HERE.

Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #TheChaliceVirtualTour

A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.

Cat Thursday: Grumpy cat love...I mean...hate

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

Some people might be getting sick of Grumpy cat, but not me. I can't get enough. I hate her (Grumpy cat speak). LOL! 

I laughed out loud at this one...startled Arya out of a sound sleep. 

Alice does this with helium balloons when the boys bring them home from birthday parties. So funny watching her walk along with it in her mouth and it's up in the air, floating along. Just like a kid. =O)

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HFVBT: The Chalice--Guest Post from author, Nancy Bilyeau and {Giveaway}

WINNER--CHARLOTTE

Welcoming today...Nancy Bilyeau

In The Chalice, I dip deeper into mysticism than in The Crown. I based this decision, in part, on the contemporary belief in prophecy, astrology and the supernatural. While the Christian faith guided everyone’s life in Tudor England, these beliefs definitely co-existed.

In this passage, extracted from Chapter Seven, Joanna Stafford, a former Dominican novice, has agreed to stay with her cousin, the warm and friendly Henry Courtenay, marquess of Exeter, and his gracious wife, Gertrude, in their luxurious London home, The Red Rose. But she’s learning all is not what it seems….

It was mid-morning. The Red Rose whirred with busyness. The staff rose at five in the morning and worked steadily until sundown. It felt strange to be purposeless in the midst of it. 

True to her word, Gertrude Courtenay stayed clear of the king’s court. She’d not left the Red Rose since my arrival. Instead, people came to her. Everyone from dressmakers to apothecaries, jewelers to scholars, they sought to occupy as many minutes of Gertrude’s time as possible. While doing business, she was always attended by her gentlemen ushers, maids and ladies, principally Constance.

To reach the stairs leading to Gertrude’s rooms, I had to pass by the one part of the house I did not care for: the great hall. It was a vast, empty room. Unused. On the first morning of my stay, before the dressmakers descended, Gertrude had pushed open its doors and walked with me down the length of the hall, as part of a house tour. 

But something happened in that room. Something I had not been able to make sense of.

It was when I gazed at the fireplace. High enough for a man to stand inside without stooping, it was swept clean. No flames had licked its walls for months, perhaps years. Two carved limestone figures, jutting out from the over mantle, caught my attention. They were not what you’d usually see on a fireplace: winged lions, with mouths yawning open as if in mid-scream. 

When I stepped closer, to examine the figures, a feeling of dread came over me. An instant later, I heard the fragments. 

First the words. “May almighty God bless thee.”

Second came a brief high scream, such as that of a child. 

And then a ripple of men’s laughter.

It all rushed through my head and was gone. I peered at Gertrude, and behind her, Constance. They didn’t react. 

“Did you hear it?” I asked Gertrude.

Gertrude, bewildered, shook her head. As did Constance, her face a blank. 

I nearly confided in my cousin’s wife. But the impulse dissolved. I followed Gertrude out the door moments later. After all, the departure from Dartford had not been without trials. I hadn’t slept well my first night at the Red Rose. Perhaps these strains had done me ill. I certainly did not want Gertrude to think me unbalanced of mind. 

Since that first afternoon, I’d had no cause to step inside the great hall. But each time I passed it, the memory of what I’d heard gnawed at me. Was it simply fancies, or something darker? Was it, in fact, a vision?

A year before I entered Dartford Priory I first heard the word necromancy. My father discovered that two Stafford servants met a country sorcerer who carried a severed head in a bag and, if paid a shilling, would pose questions to it. After being placed in front of a magical mirror, the head would answer. My father said sternly, “Men, this sorcerer is nothing but a charlatan. And even if he weren’t, such practices stray very far from God. You risk damning your souls to hell if you traffic with someone who uses the flesh of the dead. That be nothing but necromancy.”

Whenever I was plagued by uncertainties, I turned to the sensible words of my beloved father. Today I decided to banish my fears of strange visions by entering the great hall once more and seeing for myself there was nothing amiss.

The room was brighter this time. Sunlight streamed through the long bay windows facing the inner courtyard of the Red Rose. I took a few more steps in. It was but a vast, empty rectangular space—at least three times longer than it was wide. At the far end, up high, was a stone balcony. Doubtless for minstrels.

My velvet-clad feet padded soundlessly across the floor, to the spot where I’d heard the noises almost two weeks ago.

What a strange choice, to mount grotesque stone figures on a fireplace. What had possessed him, the house’s builder? I remembered his name now, Henry Courtenay had told me it—Sir John de Poulteney. Why did he raise a manor house with a great hall, as if it were the country castle of a magnate. This room didn’t belong on Suffolk Lane. His strivings saddened me. How impossible to explain the truth of the aristocracy: That beneath the arrogance—the shallow pride and invariable suspicion—there was … emptiness. As empty as this room.

I drew even closer to the fireplace’s two figures, the winged lions on opposite corners. They put me in mind of gargoyles. I’d only seen stone grotesques on the sides of Westminster Abbey. Was it true the lion never closed its eyes, even in sleep? That it was the most vigilant of all God’s creatures?

All at once, the dread consumed me, stronger this time. Like the feeling of helpless galloping nausea just before vomiting.

I heard the fragments, but there was more. Now visions flashed before my eyes.

“May almighty God bless thee.” It was a clerical blessing, but bestowed by a smiling boy, no older than eight, wearing bishop’s robes that fit him perfectly. 

A high, young scream. Mocking adult laughter. But I also saw a second person, a man so tall he towered above a jostling line of other men. His shoulders were broad, his clothing ragged. But his face was that of a simple child: filmy eyes and a thick, wet lower lip that trembled. He looked straight into my eyes and shuddered, as if afraid.

I staggered back from the fireplace. My borrowed shoes slipped on the floor and I fell.

About the book:

Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Touchstone Publishing
Hardcover; 512p
ISBN-10: 1476708657

In the next novel from Nancy Bilyeau after her acclaimed debut The Crown, novice Joanna Stafford plunges into an even more dangerous conspiracy as she comes up against some of the most powerful men of her era. 

In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…

Praise for The Chalice

"Rarely have the terrors of Henry VIII's reformation been so exciting. Court intrigue, bloody executions, and haunting emotional entanglements create a heady brew of mystery and adventure that sweeps us from the devastation of the ransacked cloisters to the dangerous spy centers of London and the Low Countries, as ex-novice Joanna Stafford fights to save her way of life and fulfill an ancient prophecy, before everything she loves is destroyed." - C.W. Gortner, author of The Queen's Vow

"The Chalice offers a fresh, dynamic look into Tudor England's most powerful, volatile personalities: Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk, Stephen Gardiner and Bloody Mary Tudor. Heroine and former nun Joanna Stafford is beautiful, bold and in lethal danger. Bilyeau writes compellingly of people and places that demand your attention and don't let you go even after the last exciting page." - Karen Harper, author of Mistress of Mourning

"An exciting and satisfying novel of historical suspense that cements Nancy Bilyeau as one of the genre's rising stars. The indominable Joanna Stafford is back with a cast of powerful and fascinating characters and a memorable story that is gripping while you are reading and haunting after you are done. Bravo! The Chalice is a fabulous read." - M.J. Rose, author of The Reincarnationist

About the Author:

Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown, is a writer and magazine editor who has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. Her latest position is features editor of Du Jour magazine. A native of the Midwest, she graduated from the University of Michigan. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children. 

For more information, please visit Nancy Bilyeau's website. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Read my REVIEW of The Chalice

Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #TheChaliceVirtualTour

GIVEAWAY:

One copy of The Chalice to a U.S. winner. Please leave a comment telling me if you would fight for your religious freedom if it was taken away from you. Be sure to leave a way to contact me if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Wednesday, May 8 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

Top ten posts I think give you the best glimpse of me

Top Ten Tuesday Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

1. Why I Like Your Blog--my motto...stay true to yourself above all things
2. Favorite Fictional Character--The Vampire Lestat--my love for Anne Rice knows no bounds
3. What is your all time favorite book? Movie?--Anne Rice again and Braveheart. My history blog, A Brave Heart, was inspired by the historical hero of this film, William Wallace.
4. All About Alice and Cat Thursday: An Extra Special Edition--I grouped these two together because anyone who knows me, knows I love cats, especially my own cats.
5. Banned Books Week 2009--a favorite author...Stephen King--another favorite author and a topic I'm very passionate about...Banned Books.
6. Favorite Fictional Character--Scrooge--epitomizes my love of Christmas and my favorite Christmas book, A Christmas Carol.
7. Addicted to the Past--Queen Elizabeth I signs Mary Stuart's Death Sentence--my passion for history and my favorite historical figure. 
8. Favorite Fictional Character--Ayla--one of my favorite books and a treatise on women's lib...sort of. *L*
9. Book Tour:  The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot--Review--my passion for historical fiction is well reflected in this review...
10. and this one...Book Tour: Review of Eromenos by Melanie McDonald (there are more, but this one especially stresses what I feel is the importance of historical fiction as a genre)

A Reading Life--Home is where the library is, or IS the library

This feature was inspired by It's Monday! What are you reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and also by The Sunday Salon.

Listening To:  Yup, still The Stand. I am SO loving this book! Stephen King creates some of the most interesting characters. My favorite in this book is Nick Androse. Whether you've read it or not, it won't be a spoiler to say that he's a deaf mute, but even though he can't talk, he's the most interesting and sweet character. And his companion, the developmentally impaired Tom Cullen, is a hoot and also a sweetie. 

Book finished: Unfortunately, nothing.

Reading: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau, The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry, The Waste Lands by Stephen King, Silk Road by Colin Falconer. I'm really beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able to finish all these.

Coming Up:  Wildish by Robert Parry, Night Demon by Lisa Kessler...was hoping to start Wicked by Gregory Maguire this month, but that may not happen. I'm still planning on reading The Exorcist for my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon at the end of the month. And coming on April 26, my review of Lifetime of Achievement: 7 Goal Setting Strategies that Work by Jordan Maylea Ramirez.

Watching:  Tonight is the premiere of Defiance on the SyFy Channel. I have really been looking forward to it. Hope it's as good as it looks. Of course, still loving Doctor Who, but the new show over on BBC America, Orphan Black, is off the hook! I recommend it. Tonight is the series finale of Top of the Lake on Sundance Channel. I wish I would have known it was only one season. It's so good...I can't believe that's it. Game of Thrones is terrific. I'm really loving this season so far. Stand outs for me so far this season are Daenerys and Brienne of Tarth.

Making:  The Bacon Cheeseburger casserole I talked about making last week was okay. It was kind of a novelty dish and so we were all kind of 'meh' about leftovers. The Mexican Pizza in a Pan was outstanding. I will definitely be making it again. Still have yet to make the Crab and Spinach Casserole. These recipes are from the book 35 Family Favorite Casserole Recipes - The Quick and Easy Casseroles Collection.

I got this delicious looking recipe off Facebook last night...
Lazy Cake Cookies -1 box of yellow or white cake mix, 2 eggs beaten, 1 stick melted butter, 2C chocolate chips. Mix together and bake in 9X13 pan on 350 for 20 min. When cooled, cut into squares. **Edit Spray the pan with cooking spray for easy cutting and clean up. I used Butter Flavored Pam. (image and recipe credit)

Grateful for: Really just grateful to be alive. Grateful for my sons. Grateful for my new life. I'm feeling like the possibilities are endless.

Looking forward to:  

Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon is coming the week of April 22 - 28. Have you signed up? You can do so HERE.

Join me for two weeks of writing our hearts out. Whether it's to work on your novel or other creative writing, or to catch up on reviews, this is the write-a-thon for you. Sit Down and Write 3 is coming May 1 - 14. You can find out more and sign up HERE.

Picture(s):  My room at my mom's is finally done! I took pictures today (they're not very good because it's a cell phone camera...sorry). It's my own private book nook! We opened the window today (fresh air) and the cats are both sitting in it, of course. I so wish these pictures were better. Oh well.

The view from the doorway. You can see Alice
in the window, Arya is blending in.

My desk

Non-Fiction shelves and Videos and DVDs on closet door.
There are books on the tops of the shelves too.

The start of the fiction books, just the top portion.

Fiction continued and Alice in the window

Fiction continues on...

The rest of the fiction (pretty much) with some
large edition non-fiction books. (terrible pic!)
These shelves literally are from floor to ceiling!

Behind my chair--in the small case, my journals
Other shelves--top shelf, self help, poetry, cat books--lower shelf, my Christmas books.

**************

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is being hosted by MariReads this month. (You can click the book covers in the BookBox to read book descriptions on Amazon)




WON:
The Map of the Sky by Felix J. Parma...from the Chunkster Reading Challenge blog

LIBRARY SALE:
The Vampire Diaries: The Return #2--Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
Conspirata by Robert Harris
I, Victoria by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (no image, but link is there)
Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates
A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
The Dressmaker by Posie Graeme-Evans
The Second Mrs. Darcy by Elizabeth Aston

Cat Thursday: Authors and their Cats (20)

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and their Cats Thursday.  Each time I will feature an author and their cat(s).

Louise Erdrich and her kitty. Another fan of black cats, it seems!

A couple extra funnies for you...

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Top 12 Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Yeah, I know it says Top "Ten" Tuesday, but I had to add a couple more!

1. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice--anyone who knows me, knows that Anne Rice is my favorite author and that this book is my favorite of all time. I've read it four times and probably will read it again someday. Anne has such a way of weaving the paranormal/supernatural with the historical. She's a great story teller and a great person to boot.
2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett--I was amazed that an author of thrillers wrote such an amazingly epic and historically accurate novel. His true passion for the cathedrals that have existed for hundreds of years really comes through in his story.
3. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley--believe it or not, I didn't always devote so much time to reading. It took me forever to read this book. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I loved it! It takes the whole Arthurian legend and tells it from the women characters' points of view. Anyone who is interested in the Arthurian legend should read this book. I think I'm due for a reread!
4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel--this book was simply amazing. I'm sure a lot of people have read it recently due to the film coming out (the film was also amazing) and have found it equally such. I could not put this down when I was reading it. This one really makes the reader think.
5. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden--as I was shelving my books after my move, I came across this book and I told my mom that she really needed to read it. It is a very engrossing read. This is one where you cannot help but empathize with the main character.
6. London by Edward Rutherford--Rutherford takes an historical location and tells its story and the stories of the people who lived there in generations and on an epic scale. Very historically accurate with interesting storylines and characters.
7. Hell House by Richard Matheson--I still say that this is the scariest book I have ever read. It's not gory or in your face. It's creepy and subtle and it grabs your heart and squeezes. Leave the lights on for this one!
8. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien--do I really need to explain this one? One of the original master fantasy storytellers, Tolkien created a magical world and characters that we really care for.
9. Let Me In (or Let the Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist--I first saw the Swedish version of the film based on this book. It was amazing. When I saw that it was based on a novel, I immediately checked it out at the library. One of the best vampire novels ever written, in my opinion. 
10. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice--another Anne Rice...that's right. This is an epic family saga with lots of supernatural thrown in. Many might argue, but this is probably one of her best novels. The sequels, Lasher and Taltos, not so much, but you still should read them to complete the story.
11. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova--I love books that are beautifully written and long and drawn out and yet a great story is being told. This one is all that. An intriguing twist to the Dracula story.
12. The Keep by Jennifer Egan--way before A Visit from the Goon Squad (which I haven't read yet), there was this book. I can't even begin to explain what is so intriguing about it, but it is that and more. It really knocks you out of your seat in the end.

I left off some favorites. One, Little Women, because I first read it when I was a child and have read it several times since then. It is one of my favorite books of all time. I also left off Stephen King because, while he is a favorite author, Anne Rice is my most favorite author. Two of King's that could have made the list are Bag of Bones and Duma Key. Honorable mentions are Blackwater by Kerstin Ekman and Morality Play by Barry Unsworth.