A Darn Good Read: Blog Tour/Book Review: Owen (Book #1 The Tudor Trilogy) by Tony Riches

Publication Date: July 26, 2015
Preseli Press
eBook & Paperback; 318 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, OWEN is the epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience as he changes the course of English history.

England 1422: Owen Tudor, a Welsh servant, waits in Windsor Castle to meet his new mistress, the beautiful and lonely Queen Catherine of Valois, widow of the
warrior king, Henry V. Her infant son is crowned King of England and France, and while the country simmers on the brink of civil war, Owen becomes her protector.

They fall in love, risking Owen’s life and Queen Catherine’s reputation—but how do they found the dynasty which changes British history – the Tudors?

This is the first historical novel to fully explore the amazing life of Owen Tudor, grandfather of King Henry VII and the great-grandfather of King Henry VIII. Set against a background of the conflict between the Houses of Lancaster and York, which develops into what have become known as the Wars of the Roses, Owen’s story deserves to be told.

My Thoughts

Over the course of my reading life I've read many novels dealing with the Tudors, most of them about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. When I became aware of Tony Riches' trilogy which focuses on the origins of this dynasty, I was excited. Here was the promise of something different. I wasn't disappointed.

Owen Tudor’s place in history has been over shadowed by his more illustrious descendants, but the first novel of the trilogy goes a long way to making amends. It is a welcome change to see a whole novel, albeit a short one, dedicated to Owen Tudor who risked much for love and his loyalty to the Crown. To me, Owen Tudor will always be one of the great romantic figures of history; steadfast to the end.

To write a novel about a man's life when there are not many known facts to draw on is a challenge. By narrating the story from Owen's perspective, Tony Riches encourages the reader to connect with the character and experience events first-hand, adding a depth of emotion that may have been lacking if written from a different perspective.

I enjoyed the simplicity of this novel. It stayed true to the known facts and although featuring mainly historical characters, there were some fictional ones to help the story along.

The next book in the trilogy is Jasper. My review will be posted tomorrow.

Owen - Book One of the Tudor Trilogy is available from:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble and in Australia from Amazon AUS and Booktopia.

About the Author

Tony Riches is a full-time writer and lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. After several successful non-fiction books, Tony turned to novel writing and wrote 'Queen Sacrifice', set in 10th century Wales, followed by 'The Shell', a thriller set in present day Kenya. A specialist in the history of the early Tudors, he is best known for his Tudor Trilogy. Tony’s other international best sellers include 'Warwick ~ The Man Behind the Wars of the Roses' and 'The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham'.

For more information please visit Tony's website and his blog The Writing Desk. He can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 14
Review at 100 Pages a Day (Owen)

Tuesday, May 15
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Owen)

Wednesday, May 16
Guest Post at On the Tudor Trail

Thursday, May 17
Feature at A Bookaholic Swede
Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Friday, May 18
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit (Jasper)

Monday, May 21
Review at Just One More Chapter (Owen)

Tuesday, May 22
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Jasper)

Thursday, May 24
Guest Post at Short Book and Scribes

Friday, May 25
Review at Donna's Book Blog (Owen)

Monday, May 28
Review at A Darn Good Read (Owen)
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit (Henry)

Tuesday, May 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Henry)
Review at A Darn Good Read (Jasper)

Wednesday, May 30
Review at Jaffa Reads Too (Owen)

Thursday, May 31
Review at A Darn Good Read (Henry)
Review at Donna's Book Blog (Jasper)

Friday, June 1
Review at Hoover Book Reviews (Owen)

Monday, June 4
Review at Donna's Book Blog (Henry)

Tuesday, June 5
Feature at Passages to the Past

Thursday, June 7
Review at Maiden of the Pages (All 3 Books)

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away an eBook & Signed Paperback of each book! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 7th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.