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A review by jmatkinson1
Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson
3.0
Joan Vaux is tasked with preparing Elizabeth of York for her marriage to Henry Tudor, a wedding that will create a new dynasty. For Joan and her mother it is a relief to return to favour after the long war and the death of their father/husband. However Joan, as a gentlewoman, cannot progress in the Queen's service unless she is married to knight and so Henry presents her with a choice of two suitors, one a widower with six children, the other a man Joan dislikes. As Joan's marriage grows more comfortable, Joan finds herself indispensable to the Queen through turmoil and insurrection. Meanwhile Joan's love for the ravens of the Tower remain constant.
An interesting setting for this book, the early years of Henry Tudor's reign, makes it stand out from the morass of Tudor romances. However it is a novel with a very romantic viewpoint, there is little dirt and poverty here. I did like the description of the tensions in the country around the Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck plots but ultimately it is a very pleasant and undemanding historical novel.
An interesting setting for this book, the early years of Henry Tudor's reign, makes it stand out from the morass of Tudor romances. However it is a novel with a very romantic viewpoint, there is little dirt and poverty here. I did like the description of the tensions in the country around the Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck plots but ultimately it is a very pleasant and undemanding historical novel.