Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jane Popyncourt's life is surrounded with mystery. At the age of eight, Jane's mother whisks her out of France following the death of King Charles. Jane is placed in the court of England's King Henry VII where she is one of the children of honor and serves as a companion to Lady Mary and Lady Margaret. The courts of Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII are filled with danger at every turn, however, as alliances are made only to be broken. What secrets about her own past will Jane discover?

Kate Emerson immerses the reader in a time long past, providing lush descriptions alongside historical facts and innuendos. The helpful charts at the front as well as the author's note at the end provide readers unsure of what is fact or fiction with an accurate accounting as to where imagination meets reality. Readers will appreciate Kate Emerson's attention to detail while learning about a lesser known historical figure.

The Tudor period is a newly discovered love of mine and I enjoyed reading about the exploits of Jane Popyncourt. Kate Emerson paints a very vivid image of Jane's precarious position. Her ties to France and her lack of any obvious standing made her subject to the whims of the aristocracy. However, Kate Emerson shows Jane as a survivor, even a victor, despite the uncertainty of her own status. Who couldn't help cheering for her as she outwits those far more powerful than her?

SECRETS OF THE TUDOR COURT: THE PLEASURE PALACE is an adventure to be savored. This is not a book to be rushed through but rather one to settle in with on a nice comfy chair and prepare to be swept away. SECRETS OF THE TUDOR COURT: THE PLEASURE PALACE is highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Kate Emerson veers off her normal routine by tackling the dramas of the Tudor Court with this new novel. Jane Popyncourt's life is fictionalized in this fun novel although she truly was a ward of King Henry VII. We are introduced to Jane Popyncourt as a young girl fleeing her home France to seek refuge in England with the King. Jane is young enough to not question how it is that she has this privilege, although as a reader that is in the back of our minds, we are just made aware there is a family connection.


Meanwhile, orphaned Jane is being raised with the Royal Family, befriending Lady Mary and tutoring her and her sister Margaret in French. Years later as Jane is reunited with a childhood friend from France, she realizes there is some mystery to her background. She begins her quest among unhelpful court ladies to learn more about her mother.


Jane is portrayed as knowing how to act as a lady at the appropriate times, but she is ready to sow some wild oats when she meets a dashing Duc de Longueville Louis D'Orleans, a prisoner of War. Thus she gains a reputation, coupled with the fact that she is a foreigner, she does not have a bright future ahead of her. Jane must find her way, and learn the truth to her heritage amidst a dangerous time of war.



Kate's novel is full of historical tidbits as far as how the courtiers dresssed, their jewels, the pageants and parties; just enough information to not sound like non-fiction but more to give us a sense of being right there in Jane's presence. This is a novel full of romance, mystery and intrigue. The writing was well-done and the book was an easy read and I am looking forward to the next installment in the Tudor Court series. I give this one 5 stars!

Emerson's first book in what I believe is going to be a series set during the Tudor period is based upon Jane Popyncourt, a member of the Tudor Court and of whom very little is known, giving the author more leeway to craft her tale. When the French King dies mysteriously Jane's mother flees to England with her daughter and seeks shelter with her twin brother at Henry VII's court. Jane is taken to Eltham to be raised with the royal children and after the mysterious death of her mother she is made a ward of Henry VII and raised in the royal household with Henry and his two sisters Margaret and Mary.

As an adult Jane serves the Princess Mary, although her life takes a bit of a turn when a highly born French prisoner of war takes an interest in her - an interest that Henry VIII encourages hoping for a state secret or two. As Jane begins to hope for happiness with the one man who loves her, her search for the answers to her mother's death and the reason for the mad flight from France spins Jane into a perilous situation with life-threatening consequences.

I greatly appreciated the time and effort the author put into her research - she especially did a great job with the details of life in the Tudor Court, the clothes, the food, the tournaments, Henry and his mistresses, etc. and the author was able to do that without making me feel like I was being clubbed over the head with the minute details. I liked the fact that the author gives you the family trees of the English and French Nobility of the period, along with a who's who in the back of the book. Jane was an enjoyable, albeit a bit too spunky and independent heroine, but in the end the big mystery fell just a tad bit flat for me. Why anyone would consider the big mystery such a threat that they would want bump people off just stretched the believability factor. A very easy breezy read - light and entertaining but one that's not likely to stick with you long after its finished. 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to four.

In the famous British court of Henry VIII, political games, ambition, secrets and lust are commonplace. Understanding these concepts and being able to utilize them is crucial. In the case of the Jane Popyncourt, secrets are a method of survival. After being brought to Henry VII's court at a young age and under strange circumstances, Jane becomes the ward of the king and teaches his daughters, the Princesses Mary and Margaret, French. Jane grows up around the royal family, eventually installing herself as one of Princess Mary's ladies and a spy for King Henry VIII. Jane's life at court seems to be secure, until the mysterious secrets surrounding her past begin to resurface.

Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace is another entry into the massive (and still growing) collection of historical fiction novels set in the dramatic, soap opera-like Tudor era. And it's not a bad entry by any means -the writing is easy to understand, the characters are three-dimensional and enjoyable and many of the plot concepts in the novel are fascinating.

However, the interesting plot points seem to not come often enough. The book does move, but very slowly at times, making the action a little uneven. Also, I had some issues with Emerson's playing with history. While I do understand that this is a historical fiction novel, some of the fiction just felt too forced when integrated with the history. I'm usually just fine with the fiction, but in The Pleasure Palace it seemed to cross a line -plus much of the dialog just felt too modern for me to feel completely engaged in the period. Overall an enjoyable and fun read, but there are better Tudor novels out there...

Fans of romantic Tudor era fiction may enjoy The Pleasure Palace, but those who are sticklers for historical accuracy should give it a miss...

As a huge Tudor fan, I will read almost anything about the fascinating interplay among its kings, queens and bustling court. I don't even mind a little invention now and then if the basic foundation is true. This book, though, is a simplistic take on a compelling age with an "heroine" whose slutty behavior is a whiny excuse for her own selfish needs. She is neither believable nor likeable and, if the basis of good story-telling (as we are taught in school) is for the main character to evolve and grow, this book comes far short of qualifying. Jane is the least interesting Tudor character I have ever read about and given the amazing other tomes written about this colorful age, don't waste your time with this one.

In 1498, six months after the death of papa when his ship sunk at sea, eight years old Jane Poyancourt and her widowed mother Jeanne flee France following the passing away of King Charles. King Henry VII makes the grieving Jane his ward and employs the child who is the age of his daughters as their French tutor by simply speaking to them. Soon after reaching England, Jane's Uncle Sir Rowland Velville informs his young niece that her mamam died from a sudden fever.

A few years later, Jane is beautiful and remains at the court though a new handsome Henry sits on the throne now. Several members of the court want to court the displaced Frenchwoman, but she shows no interest in any of them. That changes when prisoner of war Duc de Longueville Louis D'Orleans is sent to the Tower awaiting ransom payment. She is attracted to him and is considering becoming his mistress. Meanwhile her childhood friend Guy Dunois comes to the English court and wants to become Jane's lover. Jane also investigates her mother's sudden untimely death, which leads to her spying for her royal guardian.

This interesting early sixteenth century tale lives up to its title as the audience sees another side to the Tudor courts of Henry VII and more so his son Henry VIII. The story line provides the reader with a sense of time and place especially the intrigue that engulfs the reign of Henry VIII, but does so through the amorous adventures of Jane. Fans of the era will relish Kate Emerson's fine historical biographical fiction of an actual member of the Tudor court supported by real people.

Harriet Klausner

I have enjoyed reading this book enough to read the sequel, but I'd only give it 3 stars. It's a fun summer historical fiction kind of read, but not brilliant. That said, it's not a waste of time, either. Being under 400 pages, it's a small time investment, and worlds away from present day. I'm willing to give Emerson the benefit of a doubt and read the next book in the series. After that, will I keep going? We'll see. Definitely not a given.

July 2011 update - I picked up another book in the series, Between Two Queens. I tried off and on all that time to get through it. I could not. Ugh.

This book was a good read, and it has many aspects of historical fiction that are fun and why I read them. Well researched, good plot lines. It was a bit gossipy compared to some of the best Historical Fiction, and it left me wondering how anyone got anything done in that court! (That is why I gave it a four star rating). But all in all, I would recommend it, and re-read it sometime. It opened lots of doors and was well researched. Emerson is an author in this genre worth reading.

I don't now what possessed me to leap out of my comfort zone - ancient history - and read something set in the Tudor era. Nor do I have the first clue as to why I'd pick this Tudor novel out of all the rest, but I did, and I'm glad I did.

The novel begins when young Jeanne Popncourt is told she must change her name to Jane and sail from France to England to serve in King Henry VII's court. She is there to teach the royal children French. But when her mother dies both suddenly and mysteriously, Jane must uncover the secrets which have enshrouded her past.

This novel was enjoyable for several reasons, mainly because it wasn't just another Henry VIII book. The writing was quick and easy, and it's not one of those novels where you have to read it in brief chunks because it's a slog to get through. Also, it has an attractive cove, which is what probably inspired me to pick it up in the first place.

I was really looking forward to this book, it had great reviews and told the Tudor story from a completely different point of view (and no Anne Boleyn in sight!). The beginning was great...after the sudden death of France's King Charles VIII, 8 year old Jane Popyncourt and her mother leave hastily in the middle of the night headed for England. Once there, Jane is sent to Eltham to be raised with the royal Tudor children while her mother enters the English court, only to die mysteriously less then a year after arriving.

Wonderful! I was completely enthralled, and couldn't wait to find out what the story was! It would take awhile to get there though as the whole middle of the novel was very sluggish. Jane's growing up in court, her affair with the Duc de Longueville, trying to get to France only to be denied, and sloooowwwwly finding out little pieces here and there of why her and her mother had to flee France. Very slow-going...this is not a very long book, one I had expected to finish in a couple days, but it ended up taking almost a week because I just couldn't get in to it.

Finally though, near the end of the novel (about 78% on the Kindle) things started to pick up. Jane was getting answers to her questions much more rapidly, and the story was falling into place. I was very pleased with the ending and where it all lead to. Overall, a decent book. I liked that it wasn't the same-'ol tired Tudor tale. We're introduced to new players and a new story, Henry and family are more in the background, not the center of everything, which was kinda nice. I just wish it held my attention a little more throughout the middle.