Rate this book

By Royal Decree (2010)

by Kate Emerson(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1439177813 (ISBN13: 9781439177815)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Pocket

series

Secrets of the Tudor Court

review 1: 3.5 stars. Easy to read & some exciting parts. Second half seemed rushed & had quite a few complicated & confusing sentences. A table of characters & their changing titles would have been more beneficial than maps at the beginning of the book, also dates at the beginning of each chapter would have been helpful! I enjoyed the story, but think better editing would have worked wonders - & less coupling between Bess & Will, completely unnecessary for the story.
review 2: 3.5 StarsThis is my 3rd Emerson read. Her first novel was overly fluffy. The second was better, but more speculation. In this one, I believe she tried to be more serious. More factual, but she almost tried too hard to prove her historical points. She found a way to write "royal decree" and "Henry m... moreight behead you" into every other page. I look at Emerson books as Historical Fiction for Beginners. That's not a bad thing, but for those of us who know the history, it can get repetitious and we can easily skim. If you are not familiar with this time period "Royal Decree" (couldn't help myself) is a great introduction to Henry VIII's final years and the Wyatt rebellion towards Mary. I will give Emerson her due. In this novel I felt she was more historically accurate. It's an easy read and a nice break when you simply want to read something light, but not far fetched story telling like many of the HF books available today. I like that Emerson writes about lessor known Ladies in Waiting, keeping the royalty in the background. This story covers Elizabeth Brooke's entry into Henry VIII's court via Lady Lisle (Jane Guildford). Her life intertwines with The Dudley's and eventually William Parr. She joins his sister's service and the ride begins between being on the wrong and right sides at court. I enjoyed this one. less

Download links for: By Royal Decree

Advertising