At the King’s Pleasure (Secrets of the Tudor Court)

By Kate Emerson

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The successful author of Pleasure Palace, Between Two Queens and By Royal Decree returns us to the ever-popular Tudor court and another real historical character, Lady Anne Stafford. Although her brother, Edward third Duke of Buckingham (later to be accused of treason), carefully provides a second husband for Lady Anne when her first dies, the young Henry VIII sets his eye on her, too. Courtier William Compton is the go-between – and another love interest. In spite of her innocence, her husband sends her away from court to a convent – where there are more scandalous goings-on.

Emerson knows her stuff and provides us with a map, genealogical chart as well as pages and pages of true biographies of everyone including the misbehaving nuns – of whom more could be told within the fictional pages. A missed opportunity!