Friday, May 16, 2014

HFVBT: E. Knight's My Lady Viper - Review and {Giveaway}


My thoughts
I've said this before and I'm not the only one. The Tudors are becoming a bit over saturated in books and other mediums. In order for this illustrious historical dynasty to stay fresh, and don't get me wrong here...I love the Tudors, I really do, but as I was saying, in order for them to appeal to us in a fresh way, the stories need to be told in a fresh way. And one way of doing this is to bring to the forefront the background characters. That is exactly what this author has done. By telling the story of Anne Seymour, a background figure of the Tudor world who was actually at the center of the intrigue, she has livened up the Tudors again.

Anne Seymour is an enigmatic character. I mean the title of the book is My Lady Viper and it's a suitable name for her at times, but at other times that name could never describe her. I tend to believe that the times were so precarious, especially during Henry Tudor's reign, that women had to be ruthless in order to not be swallowed whole by the intrigue. Another realization hit me as I was reading this book. Ladies in waiting were actually very powerful. Let me explain. Anne Seymour succeeds in drawing King Henry's attentions away from Anne Boleyn (though his desire was already waning because of her inability to bear him a son) by parading various ladies in front of him. One could say, and it's implied in this book, that she was a major player in the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Anne Seymour was instrumental in bringing Jane Seymour to Henry's attention and we all know how that turned out.

Anne ends up being involved in the intrigue at the Tudor court all the way up to Henry VIII's death. Of course, it makes sense that the Seymour's would remain in good graces with their nephew as the shining prince. However, towards the end, the constant plotting seems to have really taken its toll on Anne. And that's what I meant when I said Anne was enigmatic. She plots and schemes and yet felt real guilt at the downfall of most of the subjects of her diabolical plans. I think that she had an extreme case of loyalty to her husband's family because of something that happened to her earlier on. Trauma can do terrible things to a person's psyche. In the end, I didn't see Anne as a viper. She was just a conflicted person who did what she had to to survive in the times she was living. I have to say that the author has written one of the most interesting characters I've experienced in a historical novel.

My Lady Viper is the first historical novel for this author, who is a prolific writer of historical and erotic romance. I'm very impressed and I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to the next book in her Tudor Court Tales, Prisoner of the Queen.

About the book
Publication Date: May 2014
Knight Media, LLC
Formats: Ebook, Paperback

May, 1536. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.

When Anne Boleyn falls to the executioner’s axe on a cold spring morning, yet another Anne vows she will survive in the snakepit court of Henry VIII. But at what cost?

Lady Anne Seymour knows her family hangs by a thread. If her sister-in-law Jane Seymour cannot give the King a son, she will be executed or set aside, and her family with her. Anne throws herself into the deadly and intoxicating intrigue of the Tudor court, determined at any price to see the new queen’s marriage a success and the Seymour family elevated to supreme power. But Anne’s machinations will earn her a reputation as a viper, and she must decide if her family’s rise is worth the loss of her own soul…

Book Two, Prisoner of the Queen, will be released later in 2014.

Praise for My Lady Viper
“E. Knight breathes new life and new scandal into the Tudors. This is an engrossing historical fiction tale that readers will love!” ~ Meg Wessel, A Bookish Affair

“A brilliant illustration of a capricious monarch and the nest of serpents that surrounded him, My Lady Viper is an absolute must. Intricately detailed, cleverly constructed and utterly irresistible.” ~ Erin, Flashlight Commentary

“Author E. Knight proves that though there are a plethora of Tudor novels out there a writer can still create a fresh and unique view of one of history’s most treacherous courts, that of England’s King Henry VIII. Schemes and scandalous trysts abound in ‘My Lady Viper’, making for a very captivating read. Racy and deliciously sensual, once started I was hard pressed to put the book down. I eagerly await the next installment in E. Knight’s stand-out Tales of the Tudor Courts series!” ~ Amy Bruno, Passages to the Past
About the Author
E. Knight is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America and several RWA affiliate writing chapters: Hearts Through History, Celtic Hearts, Maryland Romance Writers and Washington Romance Writers. Growing up playing in castle ruins and traipsing the halls of Versailles when visiting her grandparents during the summer, instilled in a love of history and royals at an early age. Feeding her love of history, she created the popular historical blog, History Undressed (www.historyundressed.com). Under the pseudonym Eliza Knight, she is a bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author of historical and erotic romance.

She is avid in social media and readers can find her at:

Website
Facebook
Twitter (@ElizaKnight)
Goodreads


Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #MyLadyViperBlogTour #EKnight #TudorHistFic

Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form below to enter for a chance to win a print or eBook copy - Winner's Choice - of My Lady Viper by E. Knight! (Open Internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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16 comments:

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. It means so much.

I apologize for word verification, but as soon as I changed the settings from only users with Google accounts, I started receiving a ton of spam comments...within one hour of changing the settings. The bots are on high alert apparently.

  1. Emma @ Words And PeaceMay 17, 2014 at 12:35 AM

    to tell the truth, I'm bored by them usually, but your review is enticing!

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  2. I love them... always have and most likely always will.

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  3. Still like to read about them if it is a good book.

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  4. I try and space my Tudor reading out so I can avoid getting board with them! I always skip time periods and countries.

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  5. I find Thomas Cromwell to be a fascinating character in both books and TV series. Is he evil? Or just very, very committed?

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  6. I am usually bored with them, but a good book is a good book with or without them

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  7. I still love the Tudors. Anne Boleyn is my fave.

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  8. I don't think it is possible to be bored with the Tudors and Anne Boleyn is my fav.

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  9. I could never be bored with the Tudors. Henry VIII is a great favorite.

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  10. Still love 'em. It's hard to pick a fave, but I'll go with that minx Anne Boleyn.

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  11. I am getting a bit bored with the Tudors but I look forward to reading this book as it deals with a person I have not read much about except as a character on the periphery of a story. My favorite Tudor is Anne of Cleves.

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  12. love books about tudors ,love history

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  13. I'm not particularly drawn to the Tudors; more so to a well received historical novel.

    No favorite.

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  14. I am NEVER bored with The Tudors............my favorite Tudor has to be Anne!!!!

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  15. I am never bored with The Tudors -- I need breaks from the material even though Im a junkie for any source on the actual history or any well-done fictionalization of the historic phenomena these people were. A lot of great life lessons tend to come out in an artist's representation of this dynasty. Clever thematic exposition and textured characters are available without stretching the primary sources for general direction! Ok, I better cut myself off before I ramble on endlessly! Thanks for this feature and giveaway!

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  16. I love them! my favorite is Anne :)

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