PUYB Blog Tour for "The Tudor Secret" by C.W. Gortner

The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner is the first book in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles. I was already a huge fan of his writing after The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine De Medici, and The Tudor Secret certainly did not disappoint! In fact, I realized when I opened to that first page and began reading that I had really forgotten just how spectacular his writing is!

This is one of my favorite type of books and this is my very favorite author for this genre! The Tudor Secret is a blend of historical fact along with some fictional characters, weaving a story that is both fact and fiction. In this story I believe there is a bit more fiction than perhaps in the first two books, but he blends it so masterfully with the historical detail! There's also a lot of intrigue, danger and suspense in this one.

Our story takes place in 1602 in London. The main characters of the story are Princess Elizabeth, the Dudleys, predominately Robert Dudley, and we get to know their servants quite well. In fact, we see a lot from the eyes of the squires and ladies that serve them. Every single time I read a book of this type, it never ceases to amaze me the difficulties of the lives of the royalty and nobles. Their lives were not their own, especially the women. From birth the parents were making deals to arrange their marriage to best suit the family, and if you were a royal in line for the throne, well, you had better guard your neck at all times! I had recently read a story that dealt with the life of Lady Jane Grey, so I saw a lot of this story from a different angle. I love seeing these stories from different perspectives! No one can tell the story like C.W. Gortner, though!

(For my blog readers who only read Christian books, this is not a Christian fiction title.)

I VERY highly recommend this book! As I said, I had almost forgotten the true beauty of Gortner's writing until I opened that first page and it took my breath away! He will take you away to another time and place and you will come away feeling as if you knew those people and lived along with them. He is a truly gifted writer and I believe he has found his niche with this genre! Although I think I might even read a plumbing repair manual if he wrote it! I absolutely cannot wait for whatever he has in store for us next!

Book Summary:

The era of the Tudors was one of danger, intrigue, conspiracy, and above all, spies.

Summer 1553: A time of danger and deceit. Brendan Prescott, an orphan, is reared in the household of the powerful Dudley family. Brought to court, Prescott finds himself sent on an illicit mission to the King’s brilliant, enigmatic sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Brendan is soon compelled to work as a double agent by Elizabeth’s protector, William Cecil—who promises in exchange to help him unravel the secret of his own mysterious past.

A dark plot swirls around Elizabeth’s quest to unravel the truth about the ominous disappearance of her seriously ill brother, King Edward VI. With only a bold stable boy and audacious lady-in-waiting at his side, Brendan plunges into a ruthless gambit of half-truths, lies, and murder. Filled with the intrigue and pageantry of Tudor England, The Tudor Secret is the first book in The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles



READ AN EXCERPT!

There are moments that define our existence, moments that, if we recognize them, become pivotal turning points in our life. Like pearls on a strand, the accumulation of such moments will in time become the essence of our life, providing solace when our end draws near.

For me, meeting Elizabeth Tudor was one of those moments.

The first I noticed was that she was not beautiful. Her chin was too narrow for the oval of her face, her long thin nose emphasizing the high curve of her cheeks and proud brow. Her mouth was disproportionately wide and her lips too thin, as if she savored secrets. And she was too pale and slim, like a fey creature of indeterminate sex.

Then I met her stare. Her eyes were fathomless, over-wide pupils limning her gold irises, like twin suns in eclipse. I had seen eyes like hers before, years ago, when a traveling menagerie entertained us at Dudley Castle. Then, too, I had been captured by their dormant power.

She had the eyes of a lion.

“Lord Robert’s squire?” she said to Cecil. “How can it be? I’ve never seen him before.”

“I’m new to court, Your Grace,” I answered. “Your dog is foreign, is he not?”

She shot me a terse look; she’d not given me leave to speak. “He is Italian. You are familiar with the breed?”

“I had occasion to learn many things during my time in the Dudley stables.”

“Is that so?” She tilted her head. “Hold out your hand.”

I hesitated for a moment before warily extending my wrist. She loosened her grip on the chain. The hound thrust his muzzle at me. I almost recoiled as I felt his breath on my skin. He sniffed. To my relief, he licked my skin and retreated.

“You have a way with animals,” Elizabeth said. “Urian rarely takes to strangers.” She motioned me to my feet. “What is your name?”

“Brendan Prescott, Your Grace.”


Buy this book here.
 
Author Bio:

C.W. Gortner is the author of the acclaimed historical novels The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis on Renaissance Studies from the New College of California. In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard in a Tudor great hall and experienced life in a Spanish castle. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights and environmental issues. Half-Spanish by birth, he divides his time between Northern California and Antigua, Guatemala.


The Tudor Secret is the first book in Gortner’s The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles series.

You can visit the author online at http://www.cwgortner.com/ or his blog at http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/.

The Tudor Secret Tour Schedule

Tuesday, February 1
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn

Wednesday, February 2
Book spotlighted at The Writer’s Life
Guest blogging and giveaway at A Cozy Reader’s Corner Reviews

Thursday, February 3
Book reviewed at Broken Teepee

Friday, February 4
Book reviewed at Always with a Book

Monday, February 7
Book reviewed at Teresa’s Reading Corner
Book reviewed at Must Read Faster

Tuesday, February 8
Guest blogging at Book Tours and More

Wednesday, February 9
Book reviewed and giveaway at Book Reviews by Molly

Thursday, February 10
Book reviewed at Mom’s Tree House
Guest blogging, book reviewed, and giveaway at Wendi’s Book Corner

Friday, February 11
Book reviewed at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Monday, February 14
Guest blogging at Bags, Books and Bon Jovi

Tuesday, February 15
Book reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty
Book reviewed and giveaway at Bags, Books and Bon Jovi
Interviewed at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Book reviewed and giveaway at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Thursday, February 17
Book spotlighted at Broowaha
Book reviewed at My Reading Room

Friday, February 18
Book reviewed at Life in Review*
Book reviewed at Working Writers

Monday, February 21
Guest blogging and giveaway at Acting Balanced

Tuesday, February 22
Book reviewed at Acting Balanced
Book reviewed at Okbo Lover
Book reviewed, guest blogging, and giveaway at The Book Faery Reviews

Wednesday, February 23
Book Reviewed at By the Book
Book Reviewed at Healing Hearts

Thursday, February 24
Book reviewed at Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, February 25
Guest blogging and giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Book reviewed at The Book Connection
Book reviewed at CelticLady’s Reviews


This book was provided for review by St. Martin's Griffin.


Blessings,