The Handwriting of the Kings Queens of England by WJ Hardy

Excerpt: The method I intend to adopt in presenting the reader with specimens of the handwriting of successive English sovereigns, and in some instances of their children, from the time of Edward III to the present day, is to preface each example of writing with a few words, giving, if undated, its approximate date, explaining the circumstances under which it was written, and pointing out any special feature of interest it may contain. 

In order to make this volume 'useful' as well as 'curious,' I have given examples of all the forms I have met with of the signatures of English sovereigns. Prior to Henry VIII, the same king often altered considerably the form of his signature; and by giving examples of those various forms I hope the volume may be a guide to those who endeavour either to gauge the authenticity of a document professing to bear a particular royal auto graph, or to fix the actual reign to which belongs an instrument that might, from the signature upon it, equally well be of the reigns of Henry IV.

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Examples of English royal handwriting through letters, documents, signatures, translations dating from Edward the Black Prince to Queen Anne.

Definitely one for royalists.

Read: January 2026

The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn With Notes

Synopsis: The Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn is perhaps the most remarkable document of the kind known to exist. The letters appear to have been written after Anne Boleyn had been sent away from court, in consequence of reports injurious to her reputation, which had begun to be publicly circulated. Her removal indeed was so abrupt that she had resolved never to return. The king soon repented his harshness, and strove to persuade her to come back; but it was a long time, and not without great trouble, before he could induce her to comply. 

This book is very different from other works on the same topic and two of its letters - the fifth and the thirteenth - are not comprehended in the Vatican collection. Of the seventeen letters here included eight were written in English and nine in French.

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"The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn With Notes" will be of special interest to those who love Tudor history.These are a series of letters from Henry to Anne c.1528 (after she had left court), and have been formatted to ensure they are in chronological order for easier reading.

Review: The Tudor Heresy by Samantha Burnell

Sysnopsis: A short story Introduction to the Tudor Mystery Trials. This short pre-quel sets the stage for the full length book - A Queen's Spy.

A gripping Historical Adventure set in 16th Century Tudor England. Elizabeth Tudor needs a hero. Murder, Mystery & Intrigue with a Splash of Romance.

Based on actual historical events, an epic tale of a young Tudor nobleman’s courage as he tries to keep his future Queen safe in one of England’s most turbulent eras.

Richard Fitzwarren is a Tudor nobleman with a dubious past who takes risks for a living.

His close friendship with Princess Elizabeth leads to his banishment to France, but when he returns he remains loyal to her.

At his side is Jack, his bastard sibling, and their relationship is a troubled one due to a family secret and their opposite personalities.  Will he keep the future Queen safe?

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Short story / novella (prequel) set in 1548 to a series involving young Richard Fitzwarren, who was banished from England when set up as a fall guy for the lecherous Thomas Seymour, whose "relationship" with Princess Elizabeth in the house of his wife, dowager Queen Katherine Parr, created one almighty scandal, tarnishing the reputation of the young Elizabeth and sending Seymour to the scaffold.

This is his (adequate though hardly gripping) backstory in preparation for the following series.

Read: January 2026

Review: The Tyburn Guinea by Richard Blake

Synopsis: London 1696 - War. Treason. Espionage. Financial chaos. Speculation.

Sarah Goodricke writes plays. It pays the rent. It keeps her in tobacco and laudanum. She has a play to finish. Then she gets caught up in a hanging procession to Tyburn. She agrees to perform a last service for one of the convicts. It goes wrong. It goes terribly wrong. Sarah runs. Sarah thinks she is safe. But can she hide in a city filled with plotters, all desperate to lay hands on the packet of letters she has carried away from Tyburn?

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Draft version of an unpublished novel which, despite the premise,  failed to captivate and engage. And yes - I was disappointed that I was not left in suspense as promised. Narrative was just not for me. And so continued by run of DNFs.

Review: The Wolf God by Dan Davis

Synopsis: A young chief. An escaped demon. A quest for immortality. The Eurasian Steppe, 3000 BC.

As Perseyus leads his clan across the plains, the mighty wolf god Kolnos appears on the horizon.

The death serpent Medohis has escaped from the immortal mountain to bring chaos to the world.

And of all the men of the clans only Perseyus has strength enough to defeat her.

For Perseyus is godborn. Born to a mortal mother, his father is the lord of the gods.

But now Perseyus must sacrifice everything he has fought for and journey south across the plains to the mountain lair of the serpent demon.

Standing in his way are treacherous clan chiefs, wealthy lords of the settled peoples, and the corrupted acolytes of the serpent demon.

Will Perseyus merely walk the path of men or will he fulfil his destiny as one who is godborn and choose to walk the path of the gods?

This novella takes place in the world of the new mythological fantasy series Gods of Bronze from the bestselling author of the Immortal Knight Chronicles.

Gods of Bronze explores the world of the 3rd millennium BC where gods and demons battle for power over the peoples of early bronze age Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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Expanding my reading remit with this prequel to a series set in the Bronze Age.  Just didn't cut it.  Not for me and thus marked as DNF.

Read: January 2026

Review: The Veiled Assassin by QV Hunter

Synopsis: Marcus wagers that surviving a deadly spy mission will earn him freedom from slavery, but he hasn't bargained on betrayal by the man he respects most in the world.A thrilling espionage adventure set in the fourth-century Roman Empire, "A Veiled Assassin" takes us to a broiling Numidian desert suffering from military occupation, sabotaged oil exports, and fanatical terrorists.

This is the first in an exciting series that pits Marcus against religious suicide martyrs, Gallo-Frankish army rebels as well as the corrupt imperial eunuchs ruling the East--all of them embers of a world blindly smoldering towards its extinction.

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Prequel to a series set in the Roman period of the 4th Century.

Not for me - modern day plot posited into the 4th Century. DNF and will not pursue the series.

Read: January 2026

Review: She Fell Away by Lenore Nash

Synopsis: In this gripping thriller, a diplomat must confront the ghosts of her past as she searches for a missing American woman in a pulse-pounding race against time.

Lake Harlowe may not appear to be your typical State Department diplomat. With the number of skeletons in her closet exceeding the tattoos on her skin, she moves to a new country every few years to keep one step ahead of her personal demons. After two grueling years working in Cambodia, Lake’s desperate for a break and a new posting to sleepy Wellington, New Zealand, seems like a dream come true.

That is, until eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter Bowie Bishop mysteriously vanishes shortly after American NFL player Bruce Walter is found dead in his hotel room. An exchange student from Las Vegas, Bowie was a world away from her possessive, washed-up stage mom who won’t stop calling until Lake finds her superstar daughter.

All at once, Lake finds herself ensnared in a network of deception involving Bowie’s high-profile host family, a shadowy music producer, a casino magnate, and the US ambassador—her boss. Obsessed with finding the truth, Lake soon realizes that to find the missing girl, she must confront her own dark past in this unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page.

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Kudos for type of main character and the setting in the Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand).

But as with the title - I fell away.

Read: January 2026

Review: King's Ransom by Glenn Pierce

Synopsis: 1486: A time of treachery - brother against brother - as Richard III takes possession of the throne of England, and the Houses of Lancaster and York threaten to split the country in civil war. As storm clouds rise over Richard's embittered reign, two young princes are murdered in their beds. And kinsmen are banished or beheaded in a land plagued by fear and suspicion.

1986: Beneath Westminster Abbey, two archaeologists discover the writings of a Cistercian monk from the fifteenth century, As they painstakingly decipher the manuscript of Richard's most trusted servant, heinous crimes of state are revealed on horrifying detail. The parchments portray Richard in a new light, not at all the sadistic even monarch described by Shakespeare and others, but a tragically embattled king, less a villain and more the victim of betrayal by family and friends. He led the last battle of the Wars of the Roses and marched into history ... alone

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I love reading about Richard III but this ....

Modern-day author posits themselves in their own story - albeit for only the first and last chapters. The bulk of the book is the narrative of one Godfrey of Leicester, Cistercian Monk and Chum of RIII. His grave has been uncovered (1986) and a long hidden scroll revealed. This is the story - from the time Godfrey entered into Richard's service till Richard's death at Bosworth. It is a rehash of the history of the wars of the roses and the revelation of who killed the princes in the tower.

Spoiler alert - author is a RIII fan.

Read: February 2026 (although has been on my bookcase for so long it literally fell apart as I was reading it)

Review: Death In A Hansom Cab by Kerry Segrave

Synopsis: This is the story about two lovers riding in a hansom cab in New York City on June 4 1904. A single shot rang out and Caesar Young was dead. Nan Patterson soon came to be charged with murder in the first degree. 

Three trials followed; three mistrials ensued. But the trials of the 21-year-old woman weren’t so much about establishing the “facts” about Young’s death as they were about persecuting a young woman. Editorials were often printing pointing out that Nan deserved to be punished, regardless of the Young death. In their view she needed to be punished for her so-called moral lapses. She committed adultery and she was a home wrecker, a charge not leveled at Young. She was an actor and they were held in low esteem, especially the females, who were all immoral. Also, she stayed out late and participated in champagne suppers.

The story is about appalling media coverage that alternated between publishing smear pieces about the young woman, and making up tales about interviews with Nan that had not happened. It is about a poor quality prosecution that consisted mainly of lies and fanciful, bizarre theories about the death of Young. It is about the state refusing to grant bail and to set speedy trial dates. 

The story of Nan Patterson is the story of the persecution of a young woman under the guise of prosecution.

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The topic and sensationalism of the crime and trials that followed should have made for an interesting book. Should have being the operative word. Unfortunately, the author relied solely upon newspaper articles - sensationalised, most often incorrect, and most definitely not a source to rely upon for context and information. Were any trial transcripts or other source documents available?? I don't know - a google search only throws up newspaper items. However, as a reader, one would expect trial notes to be available and used - afterall, there were three trials and subject matter took up much newsprint at the time.

I would have liked to be able to compare this work with "The Nan Patterson Case" by Newman Levy (unfortunately don't have a copy of that one) to see what sources were used and available for that tome.

For what it was, it was an okay book that at least showed how the perceived perception of both victim and alleged perpetrator can sway and be swayed by public opinion, either for or against, despite (and in spite of) the evidence at hand.

Read December 2025

Note: not to be confused with The Mystery Of A Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume