Philippa (Friarsgate Inheritance, Book 3) (Signet Eclipse) [Paperback]

Bertrice Small (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Eclipse | Publication Date: December 4, 2007

The heiress to the Friarsgate manor, Philippa Meredith is devastated when she discovers the man she sought to marry has rebuffed her. But this change of fortune sweeps the spirited beauty back into the court of Queen Katherine-and into the arms of Crispin St. Clair, the Earl of Witton.When she stumbles onto a plot to assassinate King Henry VIII, their love is tested as they attempt to unmask those planning to tear the royal court asunder...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Small (Rosamond) delivers another lusty historical, this one set during the reign of King Henry VIII before the bloodletting begins. Now of an age to be wed, Philippa Meredith, eldest daughter of the fair Rosamond Bolton of Friarsgate, is beautiful, canny and stubborn, adept in the ways of court, but not in the ways of the heart. Phillipa’s beloved and most colorful uncle, Lord Cambridge, buys her a southern property to make her a more desirable bride after her childhood intended decides on the church instead of marriage. Serendipitously, Crispin St. Claire, the earl of Witton and an interested party in the property, is also an ideal husband candidate and, in return for a rich and well-connected but socially unimportant girl, gets the property he wants as well as a suitable bride. Crispin and Philippa find pleasure in each other’s company in and out of bed, but Philippa’s headstrong nature and a plot to assassinate the king may destroy the young couple’s happiness before it has a chance to blossom. The ever-popular Small knows just what makes her readers swoon and, despite some clumsy, anachronistic prose ("‘What is the emergency that I have been summoned to come with such haste?’ he asked his cousin. ‘The children are alright, aren’t they?’") and overuse of clichés such as "love rod," she manages to craft engaging characters as well.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Best-seller Small continues her Friarsgate Inheritance series by focusing on Philippa, Rosamund Bolton's willful eldest daughter, who couldn't care less about her mother's beloved estate. Even though she is destined to inherit Friarsgate, Philippa prefers to spend her time at court serving as one of Queen Katherine's maids of honor. When Philippa's fiance, Giles Fitzhugh, unexpectedly breaks their engagement, King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine send Philippa back to Friarsgate, mistakenly thinking she needs time for her wounded affections to heal. Fortunately, one of Philippa's favorite relatives soon arranges a new match with Crispin St. Clair. At first Philippa is certain she can convince Crispin to allow her to continue her service to the queen, but she soon discovers that she prefers spending time with her sexy, soon-to-be-husband rather than dallying at court. Brimming with colorful characters and rich in historical detail, Small's boldly sensual love story is certain to please her many devoted readers. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Signet; later printing edition (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451219643
• ISBN-13: 978-0451219640
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #635,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bertrice Small is a New York Times bestselling author with more than 34 novels in print. She lives in the oldest English-speaking town in New York state. Her website is bertricesmall.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Addition to The Friarsgate Inheritance Series, October 13, 2004

By 

Ms Winston (East Coast U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Philippa (Mass Market Paperback)

"Philippa" is the third novel in "The Friarsgate Inheritance Series," a series that started with "Rosamund," and continued with "Until You." Rosamund Bolton, Philippa's mother, was the featured player in the first two books, but now that she has arrived at the ripe old age of 30, married for the fourth time, and the mother of seven children, Ms Small turns her attention to Rosamund's oldest daughter.

From her introduction in "Until You," it has been obvious that Philippa wants to escape what she sees as the deadly dullness of Friarsgate for the more exciting life of the court of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine. Her mother sends her to serve the Queen when Philippa is twelve years old. The story opens shortly before the girl's sixteenth birthday, when she is jilted by her fiance, who has decided to take holy orders. Disappointed and humiliated, Philippa indulges in some wild pranks that result in her being sent home to Friarsgate, where her family hardly recognizes the self-centered girl she has become during the past four years.

Fate then takes a hand in the person of Philippa's much older cousin, Thomas Bolton, who buys a piece of prime property and secures Philippa a husband in one canny move. There is an interesting subplot involving a plan to kill the king at the famous Field of the Cloth of Gold, but the focus of the story is the unfolding relationship between Philippa and her husband, Crispin St Clair. As in her other books, Small's strong suit is her ability to re-create the world of the past without belaboring the historical background for those whose main interest is the love story. For those of us who want as much history as possible, it is obvious that Small has done her research.

The Friarsgate Inheritance Series has introduced several memorable characters to the readers, especially Rosamund, her various husbands, and most especially Thomas Bolton, whose gayness seems to be a secret to everyone but the reader. Philippa herself is less interesting than her mother, and her inconsistencies of character were somewhat problematic for me: she is bold and wild in the first part of the book, but later in the novel, despite her mother's frank sexual advice, the girl suddenly becomes an overly timid and pious bride with no knowledge of what will happen on her wedding night.

For those readers who started with the Sky O'Malley series, The Friarsgate Inheritance series will be a bit of a surprise: There are very few of the steamy, erotic sex scenes that made Ms Small famous. Her choice of language recalls the romance novels of the early 1980s, where writers seemingly tried to outdo each other in coming up with the most outrageous (and frankly laughable) terms for parts of the human body. This has the rather odd result of giving her books a slightly old-fashioned feeling. There is apparently a fourth book in the series, if the ending is any indication. If so, I am looking forward to reading it next year.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Irritating start...Sentimental/Warm finish, October 25, 2004

By 

Nadine A. Jackson "Madame Jazze" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philippa (Mass Market Paperback)

As I find typical with most BS's books, she goes into excruciating detail about what everyone ate, although I don't mind the wardrobe being described in depth. I am fascinated with the fashion of that era. An on going difficulty I have with relating to the heroines of this time period is the marriage of such young ladies (teenagers / adolescents) to much older men - almost twice their ages. As with Phillipa, I had to constantly remind myself that she was a pampered, obnoxious 16 year old girl trying to live up to the expectations and responsibilities of a levelheaded mature woman.

Being that we're dealing with a snobbish, pouting 16 year old girl, I'm contributing BS's constant repetition of what and how she insists her immediate future evolves into her picture perfect fairy tale; demanding that even the king and queen bend their moral standards and ethics to allow her back into their courts following her drunken, lewd behavior in the tower, to Phillipa's immaturity.

As always, I find Uncle Thomas very intriguing, however, I feel as though Rosamund and Logan allowed him too much authority over the girls. This may be due to his feminine qualities, but I found it troubling that not even Rosamund wanted to address her eldest daughter's attitude problem and marriage dilemma, as well as Logan's lack of parental participation -- easily stepping aside allowing Uncle Thomas exclusive decision making authority in these areas. As the head of his household, especially a Scots man and father / step-father, I was disappointed in him with respect to the girls / step-daughters. He should have been more involved in their lives, not just with the boys / males - the children of his lions.

Once you get pass the heroine's irritating, constant whining you can move on to a romantic story involving her husband, Crispin St Clair. What a patient and tender man; particularly when snobbish Phillipa repeatedly told him he wasn't beautiful, but he'd do. And to think that he was the Earl marrying socially beneath himself to her. However, I enjoyed the intimate scenes, especially the cream, strawberries and honey...mmmm.

The plot of the story was too short (20 pgs), leaving too much room for Phillipa's whining (300+ pgs). I do hope that Bessie's story is more mature and adventurous like her mother's.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Philippa, October 5, 2004

By 

AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philippa (Mass Market Paperback)

Rosamunde's eldest daughter, Phillipa has rosy dreams of marrying, until her fiance' returns home to announce he is going to Rome, to be a priest. Heartbroken, she does something very stupid, gets drunk, plays strip dice, and gets caught by Henry VIII. Sent home in disgrace, she is more heartsick over having to leave court than losing her wretched fiance. Then, things get brighter when she meets a man who wishes to marry her and accompany her to France with Katherine's court. In his arms she learns things that totally disprove Katherine of Aragon's training. On the less sensual side, Phillipa's involvement in intrigue has the potential to stop a plot against her liege.

**** Bertrice Small continues to win readers, even those not enarmored of historical romance. While she is noted for writing sensual romance, the sensuality never strays into tackiness, as some others might. Phillipa is a fit continuation of her mother's legacy, though a bit less complex. ****