New Book Alert & Giveaway: Venus in Winter

Venus in Winter
By Gillian Bagwell
Paperback, 448 pages
Berkley Trade
ISBN: 0425258025
July 2, 2013

Book Blurb:

The author of The September Queen explores Tudor England with the tale of Bess of Hardwick—the formidable four-time widowed Tudor dynast who became one of the most powerful women in the history of England.

On her twelfth birthday, Bess of Hardwick receives the news that she is to be a waiting gentlewoman in the household of Lady Zouche. Armed with nothing but her razor-sharp wit and fetching looks, Bess is terrified of leaving home. But as her family has neither the money nor the connections to find her a good husband, she must go to facilitate her rise in society.

When Bess arrives at the glamorous court of King Henry VIII, she is thrust into a treacherous world of politics and intrigue, a world she must quickly learn to navigate. The gruesome fates of Henry’s wives convince Bess that marrying is a dangerous business. Even so, she finds the courage to wed not once, but four times. Bess outlives one husband, then another, securing her status as a woman of property. But it is when she is widowed a third time that she is left with a large fortune and even larger decisions—discovering that, for a woman of substance, the power and the possibilities are endless . . .

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

However, I do also have a giveaway that I can offer to you, courtesy of the publisher.  One copy open to those in the USA only.  Last day to enter the giveaway is July 14th.  The winner will receive the book from the publisher.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your entries:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell

The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell

ARC, Paperback, 384 pages

Berkley Trade

January 4, 2011

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received for review from publisher

“The Darling Strumpet transports the reader to the tumultuous world of seventeenth-century England, charting the meteoric rise of the dazzling Nell Gwynn from London's slums to its bawdy playhouses, where her saucy humor and sensuous charm earned her the affection of legions of fans-and the heart of the most powerful man in all of England, the King himself.”

I kept putting off reading this book for awhile because I had heard some mixed reviews about it and I wanted to make sure I was in the right mindset to read this one as I knew it had some scandalous scenes. Let me say, if you are one easily turned off by sex scenes in novels, you may not want to read this one – as they are aplenty.

The sex scenes are basically the first thing that you encounter in this book – from about page 4 right through the first half of the book – and they can be pretty descriptive. While there is a lot of sex in the novel – it did make sense as Bagwell takes us through Nell’s life from her childhood through her death. She was a prostitute and eventually a king’s mistress – those details alone make it required somewhere in the text.

Bagwell creates a world that feels so real to a reader. Even for someone who is unfamiliar with this time and place they would easily find themselves at home in this vivid world. The descriptions of the people and the places are absolutely gorgeous. The characters are well constructed. No one is purely one thing or another but very three dimensional. Nowhere was that seen more so than in the lead character of Nell. You can feel all of her emotions and really empathize with her plights. I even shed a few tears for her at the end of the novel which really surprised me as I did not realize how much I enjoyed her.

My favorite scenes were those that took place in the theatres or on stage. You could tell how absolutely in love with acting and the stage Nell was. Even when she eventually leaves it she frequently thinks about going back. We get a lot of information about plays that were performed and how they were performed and the atmosphere of the playhouse. Bagwell certainly did her research.

Gillian Bagwell creates a world that literally jumps off the page and envelops you as a reader. No stone is left unturned and no detail is too small to be included. A truly wonderful atmospheric read. I am interested in getting into her second book, The September Queen, soon.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog
• Dear Author

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Gillian Bagwell:

The September Queen

Venus in Winter

Find Gillian Bagwell: Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 
Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court