BLOG TOUR – Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Book Publicity, Historical Fiction, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal / Fantasy, Release Day Blitz, Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Tudor Era (1485-1603), Women's FictionLeave a comment

Henry Tudor Must DieHenry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone (?)

Release Date: July 21, 2026

Once King Henry VIII set eyes on Jane Seymour, Anne Boylen’s days as queen were numbered, but what Henry didn’t realize was that Anne wasn’t the weak woman he believed her to be. Anne was a powerful witch and a member of the Hellebore Sisterhood, but without her spellbooks and her bloodletting knife, she is powerless – or so she thought. While awaiting her execution, Anne is visited by the last person she ever expected to see, the late Queen Catherine of Aragon. But Catherine “Lina” is not dead as everyone believes, she was saved by the Hellebore Sisterhood and has been sent to save Anne.

After performing the magic necessary to convince the world that she was executed, Anne is weak and at the mercy of Lina – a woman who should want her dead. Everything in Lina rages against helping the woman who was responsible not only for her own downfall, but the reason her daughter Mary was no longer heir to the throne. But when Princess Marguerite d’Angouleme, the sister of the French King and the leader of the Hellebore Sisterhood saved her from a life of exile, she couldn’t say no when the Princess asked her to save Anne. After nursing Anne back to health, the women travel to Spain and spend the next few years working for the Princess. But the rage and hatred for Henry is always simmering under the surface, so when Anne’s young cousin Catherine Howard, catches Henry’s eye, Anne knows the time has come and that Henry Tudor Must Die…

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, but I have to say, this was one of the better Anne Boylen fictional retellings that I have read. I loved the idea of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boylen working together, I felt their pain, their anger and their rage, and rejoiced in their friendship and commitment to the sisterhood. For me, the story did drag in the middle, but the ending was great (although heartbreaking) and I loved the interactive “footnotes” throughout the story. Overall, it was an interesting fictional historical retelling with a magical twist, and I would definitely read another book by this author – in fact I have my fingers crossed for a story with Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

Pride Comes Before a Fall by Virginia Heath

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Rom-Com, historical-romance, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Pride Comes Before a Fall (Miss Prentice's Protegees, #3)Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Series: Miss Prentice’s Proteges #3
Publication Date: 7/28/26
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 336

As always, I was delighted by Virginia Heath’s wit and humor. She has a remarkable talent for slipping a touch of humor into even the most intense scenes, making it feel completely natural. That said, this is probably my least favorite of her books. Much of that stems from the seemingly endless misunderstandings between the hero and heroine, who repeatedly make assumptions instead of having honest conversations. These are two highly intelligent people, yet neither seems willing to communicate openly—a pattern that continues almost to the very end of the story.

Portia Kendall, a graduate of Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies, has been a devoted social reformer ever since reading a Mary Wollstonecraft pamphlet at the age of sixteen. After graduation, she supports herself as a governess while dedicating much of her free time to writing pamphlets, speeches, articles, and essays for The United League for Reform in London. When she is offered the position of assistant editor for the organization’s newspaper, Equitas, she eagerly leaves her governess position and relocates to Bath. Unfortunately, despite all of her intelligence and careful planning, she somehow overlooks one crucial detail—the newspaper position is entirely voluntary. Suddenly unemployed and without an income, she must quickly find paid work to support herself while continuing her reform efforts.

Leopold (Leo) Stone, the Duke of Debden, has more responsibilities than any one man should. His two headstrong younger sisters have already come perilously close to causing a scandal in London, aided by a mother who indulges them far too much. Determined to avoid further disasters, Leo relocates the family to their principal estate in Bath for the remainder of the summer. Realizing his sisters need someone capable of keeping them in line, he interviews several candidates before selecting one particularly prickly applicant. She is every bit as determined, resourceful, and stubborn as the young ladies she is meant to supervise. Surely she can handle them… can’t she?

While I enjoyed the story overall, I struggled to connect with Portia. Much of that was because she was so completely unyielding. Ironically, she never seems to recognize that her own views are every bit as prejudiced as those she condemns. To Portia, the entire aristocracy is morally corrupt—selfish, lecherous, and determined to oppress the lower classes. She leaves almost no room for the possibility that some members of the nobility might actually be honorable people. Although she eventually acknowledges that Leo is different, she clings to her broader assumptions throughout most of the novel.

What made the romance less convincing for me was that Leo appeared to shoulder nearly all of the personal growth. Despite already holding fairly liberal views himself, he is the one who continually bends, compromises, and adapts, while Portia changes very little. Because of that imbalance, I found it difficult to fully believe in their happily-ever-after. A lasting partnership, in my view, requires growth and compromise from both people.

I also felt several loose ends deserved more attention. I would much rather have seen the constable dealt with, the sedition charges resolved, and Abigail and Percy’s romance given a proper beginning than spend quite so much time in London. In fact, when I reached the final page, I was surprised to find the Author’s Note instead of an epilogue. For me, this was definitely a book that needed one.

Even with those criticisms, I did enjoy the novel, and I hope you will too. What ultimately won me over were Virginia Heath’s trademark moments of humor—the antics involving the cat and the raven, as well as the wonderfully entertaining escape from the King’s presentation ceremony. Those scenes reminded me why I continue to look forward to each of her books.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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