*[Blog Tour Review] Blood Between Queens (Thornleigh #5) by Barbara Kyle

Summary:

 

Following her perilous fall from a throne she’d scarcely owned to begin with, Mary, Queen of Scots, has fled to England, hoping her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, will grant her asylum. But now Mary has her sights on the English crown, and Elizabeth enlists her most trusted subjects to protect it.

Justine Thornleigh is delighting in the thrill of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to her family’s estate when the festivities are cut short by Mary’s arrival. To Justine’s surprise, the Thornleighs appoint her to serve as a spy in Mary’s court. But bearing the guise of a lady-in-waiting is not Justine’s only secret. The weight of her task is doubled by fears of revealing to her fiancé that she is in truth the daughter of his family’s greatest rival. Duty-bound, Justine must sacrifice love as she navigates a deadly labyrinth of betrayal that could lead to the end of Elizabeth’s fledgling reign…

Compelling and inventive, Blood Between Queens artfully blends history’s most intriguing figures with unforgettable characters, bringing to dazzling life the fascinating Tudor era.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 448 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: April 30th 2013 by Kensington

 

When I first got the tour invite for this book I was so excited. I've been meaning to read the Thornleigh series by Barbara Kyle for a few years now and I had told myself that I would read the whole series in preparation for this tour unfortunately other books got in the way so I've only read Blood Between Queens and now I have to peddle backwards and read the preceding books to this one.

 

All that being said, I really, really loved Blood Between Queens and for me I thought it read perfectly well as a standalone but it piqued my curiosity to the point that I now have the rest of the series on hold at my local library.

 

Barbara Kyle wrote a fantastic novel set in the Tudor era which is still something of a mystery to me. I've read some books set in this time period but never have I read a book quite like this one and that was part of what endeared the book to me because I love coming across something new and different to curl up on the couch with and be immersed in the pages and escape reality for a few hours and that is exactly what I did with this one.

 

As a first time reader of Barbara Kyle I went in a little hesitantly, which I always do when encountering a new author but as soon as I started reading the book I really was swept away to the Tudor era and into the story of love, betrayal, conspiracy and intrigue. The way she was able to bring together so many elements and weave them into a rich historical back drop with a wonderful cast of characters.

 

I loved how well developed all the characters are in this novel. The way the author was able to use real historical figures and mix in the fiction Thornleigh family of which Justine is a member of as well as the other side characters in the book as well. They were all dealing with personal issues and I loved how many of them were battling their personal demons as well as some demons that are disguised as friends.

 

The plot line was very well written and extremely fast paced. I was sort of expecting the novel to have a lull around the mid-point but she just kept the flow up and I liked that it was able to keep my attention for so long. The drama, romance and the betrayal were the best parts of the book for me and Justine was a great character to have as a lead in this book.

 

Overall, Blood Between Queens has definitely got me hooked on Barbara Kyle's writing style and I'm so excited to read the other books in this series sometime before the year is through. I hope that she continues writing this series because I think the way she brings the historical elements to life is wonderful.

 

I would highly recommend Blood Between Queens to fans of historical fiction with lots of action, drama, betrayal and romance with fast paced writing and intriguing and mysterious characters.

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

2013 Historical Reading Challenge

 

Loved It!
★★★★

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Author Bio

 

 

Barbara Kyle is the author of the acclaimed Tudor-era “Thornleigh” novels Blood Between Queens, The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady which follow a rising middle-class family through three tumultuous Tudor reigns. She also writes contemporary thrillers. Over 400,000 copies of her books have been sold in seven countries. In July 2013 Barbara will be a speaker at Ontario’s world-renowned Stratford Festival with her talk “Elizabeth and Mary, Rival Queens: A Study of Leadership Lost and Won” about the cousin-queens Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots featured in Blood Between Queens.

Barbara has taught writers at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and is known for her dynamic workshops for many writers organizations and conferences. Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the US.