Welcome to my
stop on the Virtual Blog Tour, presented by Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours,
for C.W. Gortner’s third book in his
Spymaster
Chronicles Series, The Tudor Vendetta. Please leave a comment or question for C.W.
to let him know you stopped by. You can
enter his tour wide giveaway, where you can win a complete set of trilogy, by
filling out the Rafflecopter form below
The Tudor
Vendetta
By C.W
Gortner
The Elizabeth
1, Spymaster Chronicles, Book 3
Publisher:
St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Genre: Historical Mystery
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Length:
304 Pages
ISBN: 978-1250058539
ASIN: B00IQOJC9M
ASIN: B00IQOJC9M
About the book:
Winter,
1558: Elizabeth I has ascended the throne but the first days of her reign are
already fraught with turmoil, the kingdom weakened by strife and her ability to
rule uncertain.
Summoned
from exile abroad at the new queen's behest, Brendan Prescott arrives in London
to face his shattered past. He soon finds himself pitted in deadly rivalry with
his life-long foe, Robert Dudley, but when a poison attempt overshadows the
queen’s coronation, Elizabeth privately dispatches Brendan on a far more
dangerous assignation: to find her favored lady-in-waiting, Lady Parry, who has
vanished in Yorkshire.
Upon his
arrival at the crumbling sea-side manor that may hold the key to Lady Parry's
disappearance, he encounters a strange, impoverished family beset by grief, as
well as mounting evidence that they hide a secret from him. The mystery
surrounding Lady Parry deepens as Brendan begins to realize there is far more
going on at the manor than meets the eye, but the closer he gets to the heart
of the mystery, the more he becomes the quarry of an elusive stranger with a
vendetta— one that could expose both his own buried identity and a long-hidden
revelation that will bring about Elizabeth's doom.
From the
intrigue-laden passages of Whitehall to a foreboding Catholic manor and the
prisons of the Tower, Brendan must risk everything to unravel a vendetta that
strikes at the very core of his world, including his loyalty to his queen.
The Tudor
Vendetta is the third book in Gortner's Elizabeth I Spymaster Trilogy.
Praise for The Tudor Vendetta
“Fast paced
and exciting, with a most engaging hero . . . So vivid, you feel are there!” - Diana
Gabaldon, bestselling author of the Outlander series
“C.W.
Gortner has done it again! Full of breathtaking action, dark twists and
unexpected revelations, this is an unputdownable read.” - Michelle Moran, bestselling
author of Madame Tussaud
“Suspense,
intrigue, betrayal and deadly rivalry: What more can you ask for? A
swashbuckling, perilous adventure.” - M.J. Rose, bestselling author of The
Reincarnationist
Buy the Book
About the Author
C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA
in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of
California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising in San Francisco.
After an eleven year-long
career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage retail buyer, freelance
publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted the next twelve years to
the public health sector. In 2012, he became a full-time writer following the
international success of his novels.
In his extensive travels
to research his books, he has danced a galliard at Hampton Court, learned about
organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a chilly night in a ruined Spanish
castle. His books have garnered widespread acclaim and been translated into
twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000 copies sold. A sought-after
public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at writer conferences in the
US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights, in particular
companion animal rescue to reduce shelter overcrowding.
C.W. recently completed
his fourth novel for Ballantine Books, about Lucrezia Borgia; the third novel
in his Tudor Spymaster series for St Martin's Press; and a new novel about the
dramatic, glamorous life of Coco Chanel, scheduled for lead title publication
by William Morrow, Harper Collins, in the spring of 2015.
Half-Spanish by birth and
raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California with his
partner and two very spoiled rescue cats.
For more information
please visit C.W. Gortner's website and blog. You can also connect with
him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and YouTube.
A fan of British history, especially history
tied to their colorful kings, I choose to read and review The Tudor Vendetta by C.W. Gortner, even though I had not read the first two books in the
trilogy. Fortunately I was able to read
and enjoy this book on its own, though I did have a bit of a learning curve
when it came to the some of the characters.
Filled with the pageantry of the past, a mystery that needs to be solved
while keeping Queen Elizabeth I safe, and a touch of romance, Mr. Gortner’s book kept me turning the
page from start to finish.
A secret agent for Princess Elizabeth, Brendon
Prescott has just returned from exile with Sir Francis Wallsingham. Now that Elizabeth will be Queen, Brendon
plans to continue keeping the Elizabeth safe and keeping the truth about his
birth secret. He also hopes to reconcile
with Lady Kate, one of Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting. Only nothing goes according to his plans and
Brendon soon finds himself sent on a secret assignment to locate Lady Parry,
Elizabeth’s most trusted and favorite lady in waiting. He also finds himself having to contend with
the hatred and suspicion of people in Elizabeth’s inner circle, and Sir Robert
Dudley in particular.
Mr.
Gortner does a good job developing Brendon’s
character, though I have to admit that there were a few times when I felt he
was whinny and when he did things that were extremely naïve for a spy. Overall Brendon is a man devoted to serving
his Queen and his country – and it’s based on more than just duty and
honor. Brendon does grow as a character,
and as a spy, throughout the book and the man he is at the end is not the man
he was at the beginning. The pace is
fairly even throughout the book, though it does start out rather slowly. The action definitely picks up mid-way
through the book and we get to see Brendon at his best.
Mr. Gortner
also does a good job developing the secondary characters and incorporating the
mystery of why Lady Parry has gone missing into the story. He lets us know from the start it’s tied to
some of the intrigue taking place at court and a whopper of a secret Elizabeth
herself has. I especially enjoyed getting to know Shelton, a man from Brendon’s
past who becomes Brendon’s “employee” when Brendon is sent to Vaughn Hall to
try to locate Lady Parry. I also liked
Nan, Shelton’s girlfriend/lover, a young boy named Raff, who is tied to the
mystery, and Lady Kate, who is a very forgiving woman.
Will Brendon be able to carry out Elizabeth’s
task in time? Will he and Kate ever be
able to leave court and have a regular life?
You’ll have to read The Tudor Vendetta to
find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Mr. Gortner’s work.
My
Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns 
C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA
in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of
California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising in San Francisco.
A fan of British history, especially history tied to their colorful kings, I choose to read and review The Tudor Vendetta by C.W. Gortner, even though I had not read the first two books in the trilogy. Fortunately I was able to read and enjoy this book on its own, though I did have a bit of a learning curve when it came to the some of the characters. Filled with the pageantry of the past, a mystery that needs to be solved while keeping Queen Elizabeth I safe, and a touch of romance, Mr. Gortner’s book kept me turning the page from start to finish.
A secret agent for Princess Elizabeth, Brendon
Prescott has just returned from exile with Sir Francis Wallsingham. Now that Elizabeth will be Queen, Brendon
plans to continue keeping the Elizabeth safe and keeping the truth about his
birth secret. He also hopes to reconcile
with Lady Kate, one of Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting. Only nothing goes according to his plans and
Brendon soon finds himself sent on a secret assignment to locate Lady Parry,
Elizabeth’s most trusted and favorite lady in waiting. He also finds himself having to contend with
the hatred and suspicion of people in Elizabeth’s inner circle, and Sir Robert
Dudley in particular.
Mr.
Gortner does a good job developing Brendon’s
character, though I have to admit that there were a few times when I felt he
was whinny and when he did things that were extremely naïve for a spy. Overall Brendon is a man devoted to serving
his Queen and his country – and it’s based on more than just duty and
honor. Brendon does grow as a character,
and as a spy, throughout the book and the man he is at the end is not the man
he was at the beginning. The pace is
fairly even throughout the book, though it does start out rather slowly. The action definitely picks up mid-way
through the book and we get to see Brendon at his best.
Mr. Gortner
also does a good job developing the secondary characters and incorporating the
mystery of why Lady Parry has gone missing into the story. He lets us know from the start it’s tied to
some of the intrigue taking place at court and a whopper of a secret Elizabeth
herself has. I especially enjoyed getting to know Shelton, a man from Brendon’s
past who becomes Brendon’s “employee” when Brendon is sent to Vaughn Hall to
try to locate Lady Parry. I also liked
Nan, Shelton’s girlfriend/lover, a young boy named Raff, who is tied to the
mystery, and Lady Kate, who is a very forgiving woman.
Will Brendon be able to carry out Elizabeth’s
task in time? Will he and Kate ever be
able to leave court and have a regular life?
You’ll have to read The Tudor Vendetta to
find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Mr. Gortner’s work.
My
Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
The Tudor Vendetta Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, October 20
Review at The Maiden's Court
Guest Post at Mina's Bookshelf
Tuesday, October 21
Review at Historical Fiction Obsession
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, October 22
Review at Back Porchervations
Review at Always With a Books
Thursday, October 23
Review at 100 Pages a Day - Stephanie's Book Reviews
Friday, October 24
Review at Bibliophilia, Please
Interview at Back Porchervations
Monday, October 27
Review at JulzReads
Review at Queen of All She Reads
Tuesday, October 28
Review at Beth's Book Reviews
Review at A Bibliotaph's Reviews
Wednesday, October 29
Review at Making My Mark
Review at Writing the Renaissance
Guest Post at Bookish
Thursday, October 30
Review & Guest Post at Drey's Library
Review & Interview at The Copperfield Review & From Meredith Allard
Interview at Writing the Renaissance
Friday, October 31
Review at Book by Book
Monday, November 3
Review at Mari Reads
Review & Gues Post at JM Ledwell Writes
Tuesday, November 4
Review at A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, November 5
Review at One Book at a Time
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair
Thursday, November 6
Review at Booktalk & More
Friday, November 7
Review at Build a Bookshelf
Monday, November 10
Review at CelticLady's Reviews
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Tuesday, November 11
Review at A Book Geek
Review at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, November 12
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, November 13
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Friday, November 14
Review at Book Nerd
Spotlight at Paranormal Book Club
Monday, November 17
Review at Broken Teepee
Review at The Never-Ending Book
Tuesday, November 18
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Guest Post at What is That Book About
Wednesday, November 19
Review at Kate Forsyth's Blog
Thursday, November 20
Review & Interview at The Tudor Enthusiast
Friday, November 21
Review at Griperang's Bookmarks
Monday, November 24
Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at The True Book Addict
Tuesday, November 25
Review at Historical Tapestry
Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection
Wednesday, November 26
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, November 28
Review at Books in the Burbs
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
Giveaway
To win a complete set of CW Gortner's
Spymaster Chronicles Trilogy (The Tudor Secret, The Tudor Conspiracy, and The
Tudor Vendetta) please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway
is open to US residents only.
Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on November
28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on November 29th and notified via email.
Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on November 29th and notified via email.
Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
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