Helen R. Davis Blog Tour (Review of "The Most Happy") & GIVEAWAY!

 

 

Cleopatra Unconquered by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: December 2, 2015
Savant Books & Publications LLC

eBook & Paperback; 328 Pages

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction



The first book of three in a richly imagined ancient world where the course of history is altered by one battle. In this world, Antony and Cleopatra triumph at the Battle of Actium, and Cleopatra emerges as a queen, stateswoman, and politician. Those around her come to life as the reader returns to those days to live them with her.

“The first in a series, Cleopatra Unconquered by Helen R. Davis is a treat for those fascinated by Egypt and the lost glories of antiquity. The author weaves the fruits of her careful research into a fascinating combination of both the historical fiction and fantasy genres. It gives readers a look into history as it was, as well as into what might have been.” – Elena Marie Vidal, author of The Paradise Tree

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Evita…My Argentina by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: February 10, 2017
Custom Book Publications
eBook & Paperback; 228 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical



EVITA … My Argentina

Evita Perón tells her own spectacular story.

Tracing her life back to her humble beginnings, when she is abandoned by her father, Evita takes the reader on her journey to become an actress and later, to the pivotal moment when she meets Colonel Juan Perón. Never content to stay in her husband’s shadow, Evita reveals how she shares his belief that Peronism will help the working class. Eventually she begins doing work on her own as the president of the Society of Benevolence, helping the poor and winning the peoples’ trust.

As the times change and women get the vote, Evita becomes even more powerful, running the Ministries of Labor and Health, starting a foundation, and organizing the first female party, The Female Peronist Party.

A larger-than-life story, told in her own fictional words, the powerful novel is as educational as it is entertaining.

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The Most Happy by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Callipe Editorial

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction



Anne Boleyn is known throughout the world as the beheaded wife of King Henry VIII, a woman for whom Henry discarded a Spanish princess and who was later discarded for the woman who gave Henry his longed-for son. Love her or hate her, it cannot be denied her romance with Henry VIII changed the course of English and European, and perhaps World History, forever.
This is a novel that imagines Anne Boleyn giving Henry a son and taking the reins of power as Regent of England when Henry VIII perishes in a jousting accident.

Told in the voice of the infamous Anne Boleyn, we are treated to the 16th century world that has recently become famous through programs such as The Tudors. We meet Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, and many of the personalities of the mid-16th century albeit in an altered setting.

How would this era and time, a pivotal one in Western Civilization, have changed if one of the movers and shakers of the period, Anne Boleyn, had not been struck down in her prime by the man who once adored her?

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My Review of "The Most Happy"

 
"The Most Happy: An Alternate History of Anne Boleyn" by Helen R. Davis is an interesting story of what might have been.  Being a fan of the Tudor period, I really enjoyed reading Ms. Davis's alternate history.
 

Instead of being killed, Anne Boleyn gets to live and becomes Regent of England after Henry VIII is killed in an accident.  In this story, Anne is not the witch that she is normally portrayed as.  Far from being evil, Anne is shown as a real human being, with many good characteristics.  Anne reads her Bible, prays and is interested in the Reformation.  She also has her flaws.  She has doubts and fears and is very fearful of her position (as any wife of Henry VIII would understandably be).  I appreciate that Ms. Davis still tries to paint Anne in a very realistic way, but doesn't shy away from showing a sometimes selfish and mean Anne, whose character grows throughout the story.  I didn't like her character a lot in the beginning, but I appreciate the changes she makes in the end. 


I found it especially interesting to see Anne's relationships with the women who would have been Henry's other wives and how they all interact with one another.  The story is ironic at points in how things play out and it's even more fun to read if you come into this story knowing about the Tudors and Tudor history.  Ms. Davis does an excellent job of weaving history with fiction and creating a believable alternate history. 


Content: I give this story a PG-13 rating.  This being about the Tudor era, there is more content than in the books I normally review.  From the author: "There is some sex and violence but it happens off screen."


Rating: I give this book 3.5 stars.


Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction; Tudor; Medieval


I want to thank Helen R. Davis, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, and Editorial Caliope for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.



About the Author

Helen R. Davis is an American author. Her first novel, Evita: My Argentina was previously published as Evita: My Life and republished with Custom Book Publications in Hong Kong. Her second novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED, which is the first in a series, imagines a world in which Antony and Cleopatra, rather than Augustus Caesar, are the victors of the Battle of Actium. the sequel, CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS, will be released soon, followed by the titles CLEOPATRA MAGNIFICA and CLEOPATRA TRIUMPHANT. Her third novel, or at least, her third historical novel/alternate history, THE MOST HAPPY, will be published with Callipe Editorial, based out of Madrid Spain, on July 25th, 2017.

For more information, please visit Helen Davis’ website. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 25
Interview at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, September 26
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective (The Most Happy)

Wednesday, September 27
Review at A Bookish Affair
Guest Post at A Holland Reads

Thursday, September 28
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Cleopatra Unconquered)

Friday, September 29
Review at A Chick Who Reads (Evita)
Review at 100 Pages a Day (The Most Happy)

Monday, October 2
Review at Must Read Faster (The Most Happy)

Tuesday, October 3 Review at Book Nerd (Evita)

Wednesday, October 4 Review at Tudor Enthusiast (The Most Happy)

Thursday, October 5 Review at Faery Tales Are Real (The Most Happy)

Friday, October 6 Review at Pursuing Stacie (The Most Happy)

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away eBooks of Cleopatra Unconquered & Evita…My Argentina & a paperback of The Most Happy! To enter, please enter via the link below.

Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.
– 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.

Enter giveaway here: https://gleam.io/YXmvP/helen-r-davis

Congrats to Faith, Hope Cherry Tea who won a copy of The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd!  Thank you so much to all who entered!  I really appreciate it.  Remember, it comes out June 5, 2012 so don't forget to pick yourself up a copy!  Thanks again to Sandra Byrd for providing the book for the giveaway.

(ARC) Review & Giveaway--"The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr" by Sandra Byrd

I'm so excited to share this amazing novel with you from Sandra Byrd!  The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr is a historical novel that will whisk you away into another time full of court life, grand banquets, intrigue, and of course secrets. 

The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd is the second in the Ladies in Waiting Series.  It releases June 5, 2012.

The first book in the series is To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (a 2012 Christy Award finalist).  To Die For is an amazing book on its own!  It follows the lady in waiting to Anne Boleyn, Meg Wyatt.  Although Meg Wyatt appears in The Secret Keeper, it can easily be read as a stand alone novel.  Meg Wyatt makes a brief appearance, but Byrd does a good job of explaining who Meg is.

The Secret Keeper begins at the end of King Henry VIII's reign.  He is no longer the handsome, virile king he used to be.  The story is told from the perspective of Juliana St. John, the daughter of a well-to-do knight in Marlborough.  Through different family connections, Juliana ends up serving Kateryn (Kate) Parr as her lady in waiting.  Juliana develops a special relationship with Kate.  Juliana is worried though, because she discovers that she has the gift of prophecy.  King Henry has become more strict with his laws regarding religion, accusing anyone he deems suspicious of witchcraft.  She decides to harbor this secret to herself, although many of her visions concern those in high positions, including the Lady Elizabeth, in great danger.  She has to continually make choices regarding how she will act on her prophecies.  Juliana also learns many of her own lessons about life, love, and faith throughout the novel as she struggles to adapt to the life at court.  She must learn to rely on God, who will never leave us nor forsake us.

I appreciate that Byrd realizes that most of her readers are familiar with the basic outline of historical events that she is writing about.  Therefore she doesn't tell the same old story, but decides to take the perspective of the lady in waiting and really get inside her head.  She asks the question, "What would it be like to serve in the court of King Henry VIII?"  Another question she asks is, "What kinds of things would a lady in waiting have to give up to serve the queen?"

King Henry VIII

Sandra Byrd adds greatly to the richness of the time period and has obviously done her research.  Byrd describes the detail of the period clothing so vividly that I could see it vividly in my imagination.  I also loved learning more about courtly manners and the customs of the Tudor period, while still being immersed in Juliana's story. 

Kateryn (Kate) Parr is another character that I appreciated.  How much do we really know about her, except that she survived? I loved learning more about this Godly woman!  She is very admirable, has a sweet temper, and is humble  I do not know what I would have done if I were in her position and was basically forced to marry the king when I loved another. The situation is even worse because the king is so old and physically disgusting, with his oozing sores, obesity and... er... bodily functions.  Kate handles the situation with such dignity and Christian character.  I love how she actually prays about it and then feels that God is telling her that it is His will for her to marry the King because she can influence him, especially with the new laws.  God is saying that the realm is going in the wrong direction with Scripture being banned and she can help make a difference if she is to become the king's wife. By the end of Kate's life, she has turned the king's wrath, and the king's council has ended up being led by reformers who have made strides in religious matters.  She wrote religious books on her faith that were published.  She also mothered many of her former husband's children, King Henry's children, and Lady Jane. 

Kateryn Parr

Clean Content:  This is a clean read.  Juliana does have to deal with the terrible struggle of being raped.  There is a rape scene, but it is not too graphic.  Byrd handles it very well and in the back speaks about the reason she wanted to deal with the subject under her Q&A section.  She is validating those who have been through this--that they are not alone.  Juliana was afriad to speak out about her rape, but readers should not be.  Readers can still be happy in the end, just like Juliana, even after experiencing such an atrocity.  God will be the ultimate judge. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

I want to thank Howard Books and Libby Reed from Howard Books for the complimentary copy of this book for review.  I also want to thank Sandra Byrd for the complimentary copy of the book for giveaway purposes.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.  

You can find Sandra Byrd on her Website, Facebook, and Twitter

GIVEAWAY:  Sandra Byrd was kind enough to offer up a copy of her book The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr for the giveaway.  Thank you so much Sandra!  The winner will receive a copy of the book when it releases June 5, 2012. 

Details: 

• 1 paperback copy of The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd
• Winner will receive their copy when it releases
• US residents only please
• Only valid entries will be counted (I will be verifying entries)
• Contest will be held for two weeks--4/30-5/14/12
• Winner will be announced on blog and be contacted via e-mail
• If winner does not respond after 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen

Thank you so much for entering!




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