BOOK REVIEW/BLOG TOUR: Brandon - Tudor Knight by Tony Riches

Publication Date: December 3, 2018
Preseli Press
eBook; ASIN: B07L3YGBWJ
Genre: Historical/Tudor/Biographical

From the author of the international bestselling Tudor Trilogy comes a true story of adventure, courtly love and chivalric loyalty.

Synopsis

Handsome, charismatic and a champion jouster, Sir Charles Brandon is the epitome of a Tudor Knight. A favourite of King Henry VIII, Brandon has a secret. He
has fallen in love with Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, the beautiful widowed Queen of France, and risks everything to marry her without the King’s consent.

Brandon becomes Duke of Suffolk, but his loyalty is tested fighting Henry’s wars in France. Mary’s public support for Queen Catherine of Aragon brings Brandon into dangerous conflict with the ambitious Boleyn family and the king’s new right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell.

Torn between duty to his family and loyalty to the king, Brandon faces an impossible decision: can he accept Anne Boleyn as his new queen?

My Thoughts

Tony Riches’ latest historical biography details the rise of Charles Brandon from commoner to aristocrat during the final days of Henry VII’s reign and the subsequent drama of Henry VIII’s court, the wars with France and his own family life.

Brandon is clever, ambitious and constantly in debt as he pursues his dream of a knighthood and further advancement. Firstly to his uncle then to Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s secretary, and even Henry VIII himself, despite marriages, land grants and wardships that brought him wealth.

I found it amusing that Brandon's dukedom was the result of a flirtation with the Duchess of Savoy and Henry’s act of one-upmanship against the Emperor of Rome, her father, who had tricked England into paying for his army in France. Although I'm certain Henry would not have bestowed it unless Brandon was worthy of the honour.

Brandon's secret marriage to Mary, the Dowager Queen of France and Henry VIII’s sister, is a love match that sees him and Mary fall out of favour with the King, a situation that occurred a number of times throughout their lives. Their married life is happy and fruitful despite Brandon's many absences from home due to the wars in France or his need to be at court.

I've read a number of Tony Riches' Tudor novels finding them all well-written, engrossing, informative and entertaining. Brandon - Tudor Knight is no exception. Filled with interesting details of Tudor life and vivid descriptions to match, especially of the pomp and pageantry associated with royalty, Tony Riches has another winner on his hands.



Brandon - Tudor Knight is available on Amazon

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 bestsellers 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

Thursday, February 28: Review at Passages to the Past
Friday, March 1: Feature at CelticLady's Reviews and review at Locks, Hooks and Books
Monday, March 4: Interview at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, March 5: Review at Donna's Book Blog
Wednesday, March 6: Guest Post at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Thursday, March 7: Feature at T's Stuff
Friday, March 8: Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads
Monday, March 11: Guest Post at On the Tudor Trail
Tuesday, March 12: Review at Hisdoryan and feature at To Read, Or Not to Read
Wednesday, March 13: Review at For the Sake of Good Taste
Thursday, March 14: Excerpt at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots
Friday, March 15: Reviews at Coffee and Ink and A Darn Good Read
Sunday, March 17: Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Monday, March 18: Reviews at Maiden of the Pages and Svetlana's Reads and Views
Tuesday, March 19: Reviews at The Tudor Enthusiast and Just One More Chapter

Giveaway (Open Internationally)

During the Blog Tour a paperback copy of Brandon-Tudor Knight will be given away! To enter, please use the Gleam form here.

Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 19th. 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 suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.