return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
   First Impressions: Book Reviews

Member Reviews of forthcoming books.

Book Jacket

The Queen's Lover
by Vanora Bennett

Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: 03/16/2010.
Historical Fiction, 592 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 15
Readers' Consensus: 4.5
More information
Buy This Book
First Impressions: Page 1 of 3
Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Elsbeth R. (Medford, WI)

The Queen's Lover
I absolutely loved this book! Vanora Bennett has written an engrossing tale, rich in historical detail and substance. She skillfully brings the 15th century characters to life, portrays them well and tells a story that was hard for me to put down.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Peggy K. (Long Beach, CA)

Forbidden Love
I have a deep attachment to the Tudors. I love history and it has been years since I read such a wonderful book dealing with them and few books really have been out there about the man who started the Tudor line. I had some familiarity with the characters but this book is so beautifully detailed it is an amazing read. Part factual and part fiction it may be but it is one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year. Readers who like a bit of history in their fiction will love this book. Thank you Ms. Bennett. I'd truly forgotten how fascinating this period of history could be.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Russell P. (Nashville, TN)

Now Here's Something to Talk About
What a masterfully written novel. Ms. Bennett pens a wondrous tale of young love, and its maturation. Filled with memorable characters, vivid descriptions, and attention to detail we are served a fictitious novel based on historical facts. If you love romance The Queen’s Lover will not disappoint. The plots and subplots sweep you into a whirlwind tale filled with heroes, villains, war, greed, manipulation, deceit, betrayal, fear, laughter, separation, and hope just to name a few of its many elements. Then the story really gets interesting!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Shirley L. (Norco, LA)

The Queen's Lover
Early 15th century England and France were not easy places to be if you were female even if you were of royal blood. Catherine of Valois, her mother Isabeau, and writer Christine were wonderful characters to tell this story of kings, conflict, betrayals and palace intrigue. The story starts slowly; the first hundred pages read more like history than a novel. The pace picks up and delivers a satisfactory ending.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)

Enhanced History AND a Love Story!
Great historical fiction gives the reader deeper understanding of the times and people depicted. Vanora Bennett allows me to finally comprehend the deep differences between the French and English undiscovered in both Shakespeare's Henry V and the tragic tale of Saint Joan. The anticipation that builds in this true love story, is reminiscent of Austen or the Bronte sisters and is also an excellent read for a history buff!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Judith P. (rosebud, missouri)

Bring History to Life
I enjoyed this book because it takes characters from history and makes them real people. One has no idea of the hardships of royalty. You can identify with the constant struggles of survival. The intrigue and subterfuge needed to maintain one's life becomes ever-present. Love and disappointment go hand in hand.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)

The Queen's Lover
I loved this book! One of my favorite periods in English history and about two characters, Catherine Valois and Owain Tudor, that I had only read about peripherally in the many books I have read about the Lancaster/York and the War of the Roses. Catherine and Owain's grandson, Henry VII ultimately defeated Richard III one of my favorite Kings and one of the most unfairly maligned ending the War of the Roses, and it was interesting to learn about Owain Tudor especially. I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction!

1 2 3   next »

Become a Member
Golden Boy
Editor's Choice
  •  May 23 
  •  May 21 
  •  May 20 
And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed Jacket

Khaled Hosseini has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations
Helga's Diary
Helga Weiss

Helga's Diary Jacket

The remarkable diary of a young girl who survived the Holocaust—appearing in English for the first time.
Fever
Mary Beth Keane

Fever Jacket

A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Click Here
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Young Adult Books That Are Not About The Holocaust
Books to Give This Mother's Day
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
Two Lives by Vikram Seth
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great... read more
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight... read more
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. Sold
Patricia McCormick
2. Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
3. And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini
4. A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer
5. Tethered
Amy Mackinnon
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
by Jeanette Winterson
Paperback (Mar/13)
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Hardback (Feb/13)
The House Girl
by Tara Conklin
Paperback (Oct/13)
The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Hardback (Jan/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
4.5 Stars            (May/13)
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
Four Stars            (Apr/13)
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Four Stars            (May/13)
The Last Girl
by Jane Casey
Four Stars            (May/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales. (May 20 2013)
Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: Which of these Summer movies based on books would you like to see? (Info on each movie here)
The Great Gatsby
Epic
Man of Steel
World War Z
The Lone Ranger
The Wolverine
R.I.P.D.
Percy Jackson
Paranoia
The Mortal Instruments
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters
The Light Between Oceans

Online Book Club
More about
The Comfort of Lies
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
On Sal Mal Lane


"Piercingly intelligent and shatter-your-heart profound."

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"I Y N P O T Solution, Y P O T P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Menna van Praag
Erica Brown
Helga Weiss
Kate Morton
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us