The Hammer of the Scots - Jean Plaidy

It s been far too long since I read my last Jean Plaidy book. Our library goes through stages of having a vast amount of historical novels and then nothing. The Hammer of the Scots falls into the Plantagenet series, a selection of books which I admittedly do not know a lot about. Perhaps explaining why it is my favourite era out of all of the Plaidy novels. After the death of Henry III the crown is handed down to his son Edward I. Nobody is certain of how England will now be led but it is clear that this King won t be told what to do or how he should rule by those of lesser power. Happily married to Eleanor of Castille he strives to unite England, Scotland and Wales ...

Katharine The Virgin Widow - Jean Plaidy

she was the first wife of Henry VIII of England, who, although maybe not at first, treated her appallingly. Yet to many, she is just a face and a name. Jean Plaidy has attempted to bring her to life and, although her story is classed as fiction, it has been praised by historians for being historically accurate. Quite how much is fictional is hard to judge without being an expert - presumably the main framework of the book is true, but what the Infanta says and does in between is based on the author s imagination. Nevertheless, this is an incredibly powerful read, which really does bring Katharine, and her struggles, to life, along with, to a lesser extent, that of her ...