King Henry VII – a miser, a usurper, a man with many enemies…but he was so much more than those things. Author Tony Riches delves deeper into a side of Henry VII that we usually don’t hear about. In this book we get a glimpse at the softer side of Henry VII, a side of him that held regret, a side of him that showed his fealty.
This was book three in the Tudor Trilogy and may have been my favorite which says a lot because I REALLY enjoyed the first book, “Owen”.
To me, Henry VII has always been one of the more boring Tudor monarchs. I had never found any endearing qualities in his character before.
Henry only married once and didn’t have any mistresses, unlike his son who had six wives and many mistresses, however, we are left wondering if he did have illegitimate children from his time before becoming King of England. Then there is Katheryn Gordon, the wife of Perkin Warbeck – this part was a pleasant surprise to me and I will not spoil it for those who have yet to read it.
When Henry described his unexpected love for his wife and his regret for not spending quality time with his family, made me actually like Henry as a character.
This book made him into a real person.
It essentially leaves off from where the story ended in “Jasper” and continues throughout his entire life – highlights his marriage, the birth of his children, his relationship with Jasper Tudor, his mother and Elizabeth Woodville. But there was a lot of tragedy in his life as well…he lost three children and then his wife. He struggled with bad health in his later years that left him unable to speak. With every page turn I was left wondering was interesting story I’d walk away with. I was not disappointed.
Tony Riches did a great job researching for this book and I found many events historically accurate which makes it much more interesting for me.
I would highly recommend purchasing this book and the entire trilogy.
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About the Author
Tony Riches is a full-time author of best-selling fiction and non-fiction books. He lives by the sea in Pembrokeshire, West Wales with his wife and enjoys sea and river kayaking in his spare time. For more information about Tonys other books please visit his popular blog, The Writing Desk and website www.tonyriches.com and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches. The Tudor Trilogy is available on Amazon UK Amazon US and Amazon AU
