BLOG TOUR: The Will to Succeed: Lady Anne Clifford's Battle for her Rights - Christine Raafat

When the 15-year-old Lady Anne Clifford’s father died in 1605, she was his sole surviving child and expecting to inherit the Cliffords’ great northern estates. But the Earl of Cumberland leaves a will which ignores an ancient law and bequeaths the lands to his brother, in the belief that a prophecy by his great-grandfather will eventually come true and return the estates to Anne. She and her mother vow to contest the will.

Anne spends the next three decades battling for what she believes is rightfully hers. She risks everything by opposing her beloved husband, her family and friends, the nobility, the law courts, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the King. She steadfastly (and treasonably) refuses to accept the King’s decision, whatever the consequences, but is defeated and left with the prophecy as her only hope.

Widowed at thirty-four, she survives an anxious period alone with her two young daughters before surprising everyone with an ill-judged second marriage which gives her access to the highest in the land. But the Civil War destroys that power and confines the 52-year-old Anne to a grand palace in London for six years. Still convinced of her rights, will she ever attain “ye landes of mine inheritance”?

What did I think?

I consider historical fiction to be one of my favourite book genres and set during the Tudor/Stuart crossover, including the English Civil War, The Will to Succeed piqued my interest immediately.  I don't often remark on the format of books but Unicorn Publishing Group have done an amazing job; particularly the fold over front and back covers comprising a map of London within, which gives the book the feel of a quality historical novel and rightly so as it is very high quality indeed.

I am shocked that I have never heard of Lady Anne Clifford, especially now that I have read about what a remarkable woman she was.  Standing firm with her powerful motto of 'Preserve your loyalty, Retain your Rights', Anne did amazing things for women's rights in a time when only males could inherit land and property.  Although slight in stature, Anne was not afraid to stand up to any man for what she believed in, not even her King.  She is such a courageous, determined and admirable woman; she never gave up fighting for her inheritance, despite all of the threats that were thrown at her.  I think even a lot of men would have given in when surrounded by so many bullies telling them they were wrong.

It's huge praise indeed to say that I absolutely raced through this novel; as anyone who reads historical fiction will know, it's often a lengthy process and you don't often refer to an historical novel as a page-turner.  Christine Raafat brings Anne Clifford to life through historical facts, Anne's own words and a smidgen of creative licence, making The Will to Succeed more exuberant than you would expect from historical fiction.  I honestly couldn't put it down.

Anne's life spans the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I when England saw many changes in the way the country was governed.  What didn't change at all was that it continued to be a man's world.  Anne Clifford, in standing up for her rights, must surely be considered one of the very early feminists.  I certainly didn't think that there would be any examples of feminism in 17th Century England.  I was so interested in Anne's story that after reading The Will to Succeed, I scurried off to google to find a portrait of her and to see the photos of the castles that she was fighting for.  I recommend having a look at the Anne Clifford pages on Historic England and English Heritage which give a concise summary of Anne's battle for her inheritance and shows her portrait and castles.  It certainly looks like Lady Anne's Brougham Castle in Penrith could be well worth a visit if I ever find myself en route to the Lake District.

The Will to Succeed is historical fiction at its finest; it's interesting, entertaining and enlightening.  It's a fabulous eye-opening read about a truly remarkable woman and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




Follow the tour:

Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey - Jennifer C. Wilson

I always love taking part in Brook Cottage Books tours, not only because they have great books, but there are always some extra little treats for visitors to the various blogs on the tour.  I have only recently discovered Jennifer C. Wilson's brilliant Kindred Spirits series so I couldn't wait to read Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey, book 3 in the series.

For my spot on the tour, I have an extract from Chapter 1, my review and a giveaway to win an e-copy of book 1, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London.  I absolutely loved Kindred Spirits: Tower of London and you can read my review here so make sure you enter the giveaway at the end of this post - good luck!

Extract - Chapter 1

Queen Elizabeth I of England was sulking. And not quietly, as the rest of the Abbey’s residents would have preferred. Despite her advancing years, she could still flounce in style, and was keen to ensure everyone knew what was annoying her this time.

“It’s so boring here!” she exclaimed, dropping gracelessly into one of the choir stalls. “Nothing ever happens.”

“She’s been to the Tower again,” whispered Catherine Knollys to her brother, but not quite quietly enough, as the queen’s friends and cousins wandered over to see what specifically had been troubling her this time.

“Yes, yes, I have. At least things happen there.”

“Our Uncle George still as entertaining as ever then?” Henry Carey tried to divert his cousin’s attention, but only made it worse.

“Naturally. He was haunting the barrel of Malmsey with Clarence, and it was hilarious, as usual. Scaring people out of their skins. That’s what we ghosts should be doing, not just loitering about discussing experiments.” She glared at where Charles Darwin and Robert Stephenson were once again in deep conversation, sitting out of the way of the early tourists starting to make their way through the great church. Without a word, Darwin glared at her, then shifted in his seat turning his back against her, much to Elizabeth’s disgust.

“We do plenty of haunting, Cousin. It’s just that, well, you know the Abbey’s never really lent itself to that.”

“No, Catherine – everyone has simply become too old and too dull over the centuries. And too weak to stand up to my wretched great-grandmother. It’s all her fault.”

Catherine and Henry shot nervous glances at each other. When Elizabeth was in one of these moods, little could be done to stop her. Even her beloved Dudley had retreated back to Warwick after witnessing one of her angrier days. Before either could speak again, their cousin had moved on, stomping through the Abbey until she found the memorial to William Pulteney, the Earl of Bath.

As though knowing what was expected, the book in the centre of the statue flicked pages in silence. It wasn’t good enough.

“See? See that? A page of a statue’s book turning. Over three thousand of us in here, seventeen monarchs, no less, as the guidebooks tell us, and that’s the best we can come up with?” Queen Elizabeth spun on her heel, turning back to the siblings. “At the Tower they have my mother removing her severed head, with my step-mother and my aunt alongside her. They have a young, robust King, leading the way forward. They have wailings and chain-rattlings and, well, everything. We have a statue, turning its page.”

By now, a crowd had grown around the Queen, noting, not for the first time, how similar she was to her great-grandmother when her temper really took hold. Fiery Tudor blood indeed.

“We’ve talked about this, Elizabeth.” The chattering and ranting was broken by the only voice which ever had any control over the wayward Queen.

“Now she’s in trouble,” Mary-Eleanor smirked to her companion, only to receive a regal nudge in the ribs from Anne of Cleves.

Edward the Confessor moved slowly through the group, not troubling himself with meeting anyone’s eyes, but knowing they would move for him. They always did.

“We do not waste our time with such infantile behaviour here, Elizabeth, as well you know. We have held meetings.”

“Then we should hold more,” Elizabeth protested. “Otherwise, what is the point of us being ghosts?”

“Spirits,” the Confessor corrected her. “We use ‘spirits’ here. I don’t like ‘ghosts’.”

“Either way, we should be haunting. Surely even just a couple of calm visitations. You’ve never had a problem with Father Benedictus.”

“The good Father has his reasons for still being here. And he does the people he talks to no harm whatsoever. The souls of the Tower are troubled; they know no better than to disturb the peace of the living. Those of us here, we are not of the same ilk.” He glanced at Mary-Eleanor, knowing that of all those present, she would be the second most likely to argue with him. But instead she lowered her head in a slow, graceful nod, not uttering a word.

“I trust this matter is dealt with.” The Confessor ended the conversation and headed back to his shrine.

My Review

Series: Kindred Spirits
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction
Release Date:8^th June 2018
Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

On hallowed ground…

With over three thousand burials and memorials, including seventeen monarchs, life for the ghostly community of Westminster Abbey was never going to be a quiet one. Add in some fiery Tudor tempers, and several centuries-old feuds, and things can only go one way: chaotic.

Against the backdrop of England’s most important church, though, it isn't all tempers and tantrums. Poets' Corner hosts poetry battles and writing workshops, and close friendships form across the ages.

With the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots, however, battle ensues. Will Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I ever find their common ground, and lasting peace?

The bestselling Kindred Spirits series continues within the ancient walls of Westminster Abbey.

What did I think?

I came across Jennifer C. Wilson's 'historical fiction with a difference' series thanks to the North East Authors and Readers group on Facebook.  I am passionate about supporting local authors and Jennifer's books really appealed to me as a history lover who loves something that little bit different.  The Kindred Spirits series definitely fits that bill: it's history but not as we know it.

In Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey you can read about your favourite people from history as you've never seen them before.  Jennifer C. Wilson's passion for history, especially Plantagenet history, is very apparent as she effortlessly brings the past into the present.  Jennifer C. Wilson breaks the mould that many historical fiction writers fit into; she doesn't just regurgitate our favourite stories from history but rather breathes new life into our favourite historical characters.  You just need to take a look at the handy cast list provided in the back of the book to see the impossible made possible as people from different eras become friends and acquaintances in the spectral world: who could ever imagine 16th century Queen Anne of Cleves and 15th century Queen Anne Neville gossiping together like lifelong friends or a poetry competition with Chaucer, Dickens, Kipling and Tennyson?  This is all made possible thanks to the amazing imagination of Jennifer C. Wilson.

I loved learning more about the characters as they glide around Westminster Abbey with little bits of information from their past sprinkled throughout the prose like an Easter egg hunt.  Even if you don't know anything about history, you will learn things you didn't know before in a fun and almost subliminal way.  I know Henry VIII's least favourite wife was Anne of Cleves as he married her based on a less than accurate painting, but I didn't know that he allegedly then named her the 'Flanders Mare'.  So how does Jennifer C. Wilson tell us this little historical nugget?  By having Anne of Cleves sneaking on to the computer in the abbey's office to take out the reference to 'Flanders Mare' on her Wikipedia page.  Brilliant!

There are loads of hidden historical gems in Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey and I have probably missed so many of them by reading it so fast, so that's as good an excuse as any to read it again.  Well I have two copies after all; after receiving an advance e-copy, I also bought a finished paperback to read at my leisure.

So if you're looking for something different and you're tired of reading the same old historical fiction stories, you must pick up a copy of Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey and let Jennifer C. Wilson bring the past to life right in front of your eyes.

My rating:

Buy Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Or buy all three books in the series from:
Amazon UK



About the author:

Jennifer is a marine biologist by training, who developed an equal passion for history whilst stalking Mary, Queen of Scots of childhood holidays (she since moved on to Richard III). She completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Hull, and has worked as a marine environmental consultant since graduating. 

Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the north-east reignited Jennifer’s pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and also continues to work on developing her poetic voice, reading at a number of events, and with several pieces available online. Her Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books. In October 2017, she celebrated Richard III’s birthday by releasing her first timeslip novella, The Last Plantagenet.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifercwilsonwriter/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkjunkie1984

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14551510.Jennifer_C_Wilson

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennifer-Wilson/e/B018UBP1ZO/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifercwilsonwriter/

Blog: https://jennifercwilsonwriter.wordpress.com/

Giveaway

Win an ecopy of book 1 in the series – Kindred Spirits Tower of London.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kindred Spirits: Tower of London - Jennifer C. Wilson

A King, three Queens, a handful of nobles and a host of former courtiers…

In the Tower of London, the dead outnumber the living, with the likes of Tudor Queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard rubbing shoulders with one man who has made his way back from his place of death at Bosworth Field to discover the truth about the disappearance of his famous nephews.

Amidst the chaos of daily life, with political and personal tensions running high, Richard III takes control, as each ghostly resident looks for their own peace in the former palace – where privacy was always a limited luxury.

With so many characters haunting the Tower of London, will they all find the calm they crave? But foremost – will the young Plantagenet Princes join them?

What did I think?

It took me a little while to get my head around Richard III in conversation with Anne Boleyn.  They are two famous historical figures from different centuries who meet as ghosts in the Tower of London; once they are dead, time has no meaning so we find Tudor and Plantagenets 'living' and haunting together.  Richard and Anne are joined by too many historical names to mention but thankfully Jennifer Wilson included a list of characters in the back of the book so we could keep track of who was who.

After his remains were famously found in the car park in Leicester, Richard III's popularity has increased.  At school, I remember thinking of him as the hunchback who murdered his nephews but many believe that this couldn't be further from the truth.  His skeleton alone smashes the hunchback myth to smithereens.  So you can imagine Richard's devastation when as a ghost he goes to watch the Shakespearean play about himself and sees the actor playing a hunchback.  Jennifer Wilson is a one-woman PR machine for Richard III as I really felt as if I got to know him better than I ever have.  I know the basics of the House of Plantagenet, in fact that was my house in school, but have never really delved into their history.  I'm encouraged to read more about this ambitious and ruthless family after reading Kindred Spirits: Tower of London.

Aside from the history, the ghosts have fun haunting the Tower of London.  They all get along well, apart from Jane Boleyn who seems to hover in the shadows after she is accused of betraying the Boleyn family and causing their downfall.  It seems even ghosts hold grudges.  There are two ghosts that Richard would give anything to see in the Tower, those of his nephews, Edward and Richard.  He has been searching high and low for centuries but the boys remain elusive.  Are they hiding from Richard because he killed them or were they not even killed in the Tower?  Both are questions that many historians have struggled to answer for centuries and it remains one of the great mysteries of British History.

The handy character guide proved immeasurably useful as I negotiated all the Georges and Janes.  There are a LOT of characters in the book, as many ghosts as you could imagine inhabiting the Tower of London, and it could sometimes be confusing if you don't know your history.  For example: George, Clarence and George Plantagenet all appear in the book but they are actually the same person.  It was fine for me but I could imagine it would be confusing for some people.  

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kindred Spirits: Tower of London to historical fiction fans looking for something that little bit different from the tired old stories set in the Tudor court.  Jennifer Wilson makes history fun in Kindred Spirits: Tower of London and she has brought history to life by putting flesh on the bones of the brittle old skeletons lying in the royal tombs.

On a final note: this book gave me goosebumps and not from the hauntings.  I was so invested in the story that I had tears in my eyes at the end and I could have gone on to read many more pages about this unlikely band of regal characters.  

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Watch the Lady (The Tudor Trilogy #3) - Elizabeth Fremantle

THE QUEEN'S GODDAUGHTER.

HER MOST TRUSTED MAID.

ADULTERESS.

ENEMY OF THE STATE.

WHO IS THE REAL PENELOPE DEVEREUX?

Penelope Devereux is a legendary beauty in the court of Elizabeth I, with a smile that would light up the shadows of hell. But it's not just her looks which have won her favour with the Queen wing; her canny instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and her skilled political manoeuvrings under the guise of diplomacy, have rendered her a formidable adversary to anyone who stands in her path.

Including Elizabeth.

For Penelope must secure the future of the Devereux dynasty at whatever cost. Even treason. And the Queen, a woman she holds responsible for the death of her father, the exile of her mother and her failure to marry the one man she ever truly loved, is just one more pawn in a deadly game. Walking the knife-edge of court, whilst ensuring that her reckless brother Essex remains the only star in the Queen's firmament - and out of the Tower - Penelope must plan for the inevitable succession of an ailing monarch.

But her secret letters of friendship to a foreign King - one who has a strong claim to the English throne - could see her illustrious family in the gutter and her own head on the block. It would only take a single mistake, a slip of the tongue, an intercepted message for Penelope to become the architect of her downfall.

In a world where sister is turned against brother, husband against wife, courtier against queen, the rules of the game are forever changing.

What did I think?

I think it's safe to say that Elizabeth I would not have liked this book as she is not the star of the show, instead it is someone I had never heard of: Penelope Devereaux.  I had, however, heard of her famous brother: the queen's favourite, Essex.  I do love to read both fiction and non-fiction set in the Tudor period and it does seem to be a popular topic with lots of authors, but what makes this stand out from the crowd is the main character, Penelope.

Penelope is the queen's goddaughter and also one of her favourite maids; she is such a strong character and is never afraid to stand up to Elizabeth, no doubt because Henry VIII's blood also flows through Penelope's veins.  For Penelope's grandmother, Catherine Carey, was reputed to be the child of Mary Boleyn and Henry VIII.  Scandal continues to follow Penelope's ancestors as her mother is Lettice Knollys who was cast out of Elizabeth's court after she secretly married one of the queen's favourites, Robert Dudley.

Like all maids in the Tudor court, Penelope is subject to an arranged marriage.  At one point she was promised to Philip Sidney, and although the marriage never came to fruition she never stopped loving him and was infact the muse for some of his poetry.  Instead, Penelope marries Lord Rich but it is a loveless marriage and they strike an unconventional deal that will leave Penelope free to follow her heart, wherever it may take her.

With well known names from the Tudor Court, including Elizabeth I, Lettice Knollys, Charles Blount, Essex, Sir Walter Ralegh and Francis Bacon, this is a story of scandal and intrigue with deceit and backstabbing a-plenty as people jostle for position.  Like a Shakespearean play, with the bard himself making a brief appearance, there are a lot of characters so I think it could have benefited from a character list at the beginning or end.  It was nothing that google couldn't fix as I wracked my brain for the history behind certain well-known names.

There's treachery afoot in the Tudor Court and with so many people under suspicion you can't keep your eye on them all, so make sure you Watch the Lady.  Definitely recommended for historical fiction lovers as Elizabeth Fremantle certainly gives Philippa Gregory a run for her money.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon