The Boleyns of Hever Castle by Owen Emmerson, Claire Ridgway

Hever Castle is a picture-postcard fortified manor house nestled in the Kent countryside. It is famous for its links with the Boleyns, an East Anglian gentry family who rose and fell dramatically at the court of King Henry VIII.

 

In The Boleyns of Hever Castle , historians Owen Emmerson and Claire Ridgway invite you into the home of this notorious family. Travel back in time to those 77 years of Boleyn ownership. Tour each room just as it was when Anne Boleyn retreated from court to escape the advances of Henry VIII or when she fought off the dreaded 'sweat'. See the 16th century Hever Castle come to life with room reconstructions and read the story of the Boleyns, who, in just five generations, rose from petty crime to a castle, from Hever to the throne of England.

 

Owen Emmerson and Claire Ridgway have combined their considerable knowledge of the Boleyn family and Hever Castle to create this luxurious book. Packed with history and full-colour images, The Boleyns of Hever Castle will educate and enlighten you.

Publisher: MadeGlobal Publishing | Genre:  Nonfiction | Source: Purchased  | Rating: 4.5 

As someone with a keen interest in the Tudors and that era, I was intrigued when I heard about this book. Then I bought it, stuck it on my Tudor bookshelf, and immediately forgot about it because it slid down the back of the shelf (hangs head in shame). I rediscovered this book whilst redoing my shelf and knew I had to give it a read.

Given the title, I knew this was going to be mainly about the Boleyn family but, given the synopsis, I was expecting a little more about Hever Castle during the Boleyn era. Out of 152 pages, only 26 are dedicated specifically to the house, which was a little disappointing, but it did offer a nice, if short, biography on Hever. While it didn’t go into the intricacies of the architecture, which I wasn’t expecting it to, it still offered a look at the original details of the castle. There’s also a short look at Hever after the Boleyns and Hever in pop culture as Anne of a Thousand Days was filmed there.

The biographies offered an interesting glimpse into the Boleyn family. It chronicles their origins, their rise to power, the rise of Anne Boleyn, as well as their downfall, and a brief bit about Elizabeth. What I found rather interesting was the origins of the Boleyn family. While I have read snippets about their start, it’s not something that I normally read, or find, in most Anne Boleyn biographies. Of course, the majority of the book does focus on Anne.

While I wasn’t surprised at the amount of information about Anne Boleyn, I was a little surprised at some of the content, such as including Karen Lindsey’s belief that Anne was a victim of sexual harassment based on Wyatt’s poem Whoso List To Hunt. I found that inclusion to be a little odd and out of place. I was also disappointed that very little was included about Mary as it would have been nice to have more about her time at Hever. There was a bit more about George but nothing that went too deep.

I did appreciate the amount of images included. There’s sketches, paintings, photographs, floor plans, and copies of letters but I think there could have been a few more photographs of Hever included. I would have also appreciated more of the discussions, such as the photograph of King Henry VIII’s personal lock. While the image description states it was ‘in Hever’s great hall’, they do not discuss why or when the lock was installed.

I want to take a minute to talk about the format of the book. This is an 8.5 by 8.5 inch paperback. While the book isn’t thick (under an inch in thickness), it’s floppy and the cover feels slightly thinner than a standard paperback. While I do like the size of the book as it allows for larger images, it’s not the sturdiest. I’m not hard on my book but, sadly, this is already showing signs of wear on the front cover (it did arrive slightly dinged up). For the price, just under $30 on Amazon, and the aesthetic, this should have been a hardback. It would have made for a lovely coffee table book.

Overall, this is a nice, if short, glimpse of Hever Castle and the Boleyn family from their origins to their downfall. It was lacking a few images as well as descriptions (and I’m not a fan of the format) but this is well worth the read. 

Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen by Sarah Jane Downing

The broader Regency period 1795-1820 stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history unlike anything that went before or after. It was the most naked period since Ancient Greece and before the 1960s, and for the first time England became a fashion influence, especially for menswear, and became the toast of Paris. With the ancient regime deposed, court dress became secondary and the season by season flux of fashion as we know it came into being, aided and abetted by the proliferation of new ladies' magazines.

 

Such an age of revolution and innovation inspired a flood of fashions taking influence from everything including the newly discovered treasures of the ancient world, to radical new ideas like democracy. It was an era of contradiction immortalized by Jane Austen, who adeptly used the newfound diversity of fashion to enliven her characters, Wickham's military splendor, Mr. Darcy's understated elegance, and Miss Tilney's romantic fixation with white muslin.

Publisher: Shire Books | Genre: Nonfiction/Fashion | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 4.5 

I found this to be an interesting, if short, history of fashion during the Regency era. It explained the influence that both the French and American revolutions had on fashion and the way the women’s clothing returned to a more classical and freer style rather than the more confining style of previous years. It also touched upon how war heroes brought their own flair to both men and women’s fashion such as Nelson with the Nelson cap.

This book is tiny, just 63 pages, but filled with a mixture of paintings, cartoons, and fashion plates from the era as well as photographs of items belonging to Jane Austen and the Austen family. It was nice to be able to look at the clothing and accessories discussed.  Also included are Jane Austen’s thoughts on fashion.  While there’s little mentioned in her novels, her letters contained quite a bit on the subject and I enjoyed the snippets shared in this book.

While I knew most of the information included, a few things surprised me. I was surprised to learn that Jane Austen and her family embroidered and stitched together their own shoes (slippers) as I always assumed that they came from the shoemaker. I was also surprised just how transparent the muslin gowns were. I knew they were described as diaphanous and I had seen them in museums (with undergarments) but the photos included have the gowns placed on a black background, which allowed their full transparency to show through.

Overall, this was a nice glimpse into the fashion of the Regency era. The writing has a nice flow and doesn’t drone on like a lecture, which I think most people will appreciate.

I think this book will appeal to fans of fashion, Jane Austen, and/or the Regency era.  

Solace House by Joy Ellis

Holly Stewart moved into Solace House thinking it would be a fresh start for her and her family. She knew a tragic murder had taken place there, but she didn’t know the full ghastly history of the house.

Now, her husband has lost his job, the children are bullied at school, and someone is prowling around the garden at night. Someone who wants them gone.

Detective Jackman wants to help. Instead he’s been pulled into a 20-year-old cold case. The gruesome murder of a young woman whose head was never found. A new witness comes forward. He claims to have crucial evidence on what really happened that night.

Days later, a group of litter-pickers uncover black sacks containing dismembered human limbs. Attending the scene, DS Marie Evans is shocked to see a strange symbol carved into the victim’s flesh: the same symbol found on the headless girl all those years ago.

The murders must be connected. But why has the killer struck again — after 20years?

As the threats to the Stewart family escalate, Jackman must choose between helping people in the present and solving the crimes of the past.

Series: Jackman and Evans #9 | Publisher: Audible  | Narrator: Richard Armitage  | Length: 11 hrs 56 min | Genre: Thriller/Mystery | Source:  Publisher | Rating: 5 

Spooky houses, ritualistic cults, and random body parts popping up make for a thrilling time as Detectives Jackman and Evans race to crack the case in the latest installment of Jackman & Evans. Keep reading to see why this is my favorite book from the series.

 

I’m not going to lie, I’ve had my ups and downs with the series. Something happened in the middle of this series and the writing seemed to go downhill for a minute, but it’s been building back up and I’m happy to say that this one was a 5-Cup book for me.

 

Here’s what’s going on:  When the constabulary has a lull in cases, they decide to look into the dark history of Solace House to figure out who could be behind a string of events terrorizing the young family that recently bought the place. Although things aren’t quiet for long. When body parts are discovered and a member of a cult decides it’s time to break his silence, things start swiftly moving although the team’s not sure if all is what it appears. As the investigation heats up, a death of one of their own rocks the constabulary leaving a key member sidelined.

 

Oh my goodness, this was the best book in the series, honestly, the best book I’ve read so far this year. Not only are there shady things going on at Solace House, there’s a creepy cult that’s into ritualistic murders with a member ready to talk, and there’s also an unexpected death. There was so much happening in this book but every single detail was in place and was woven seamlessly together without overcrowding the others.

 

The investigations in this one were in depth and full of twists and turns. There were a few avenues that turned up interesting clues and brought previous characters back into play. The Solace House aspect was interesting as it was the scene of a previous investigation that took place off the pages at the start of the series, while it was referenced to in different books it never really went into too much detail so it’s shown here in full view. Things do get a little creepy with the cult but it’s not overly graphic or gory. There’s also the start of a new plot arc that formed in this book and I’m curious to see where it goes and how it develops because it has a very sinister feel.

 

While the investigations are a prime aspect of the book, there’s always a bit of personal history mixed in so that we get to know the characters, especially Ruth Evans and Rowan Jackman but this one provided even more insight into the characters and I enjoyed that. We also get to see softer side of Jackman and Evans.

 

Very rarely am I shocked with plot twists, especially when it comes to this series, but when the unexpected death occurred, I had to stop the audiobook and sit for a moment because I did not see it coming. I remember saying, “What just happened?” and trying to sort it out.

 

This was a long audiobook, just a little under 12 hours but it was so fast-paced that it felt as though it flew by yet nothing was missing from the story and it wasn’t rushed. Of course, as always, Richard Armitage does such a brilliant job narrating this one; he truly brings the characters to life and I’m excited to see how it goes when he plays Jackman in the television series.

 

While this book could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading this series in order to get the feel for the characters and the situations they find themselves in.

 

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better installment. The book knocked me for a loop and I’m excited to see where the lovely and talented Joy Ellis takes the series next. 

Jackman and Evans Series

Their Lost Daughters

The Murderer's Son

The Fourth Friend

The Guilty Ones

The Stolen Boys

The Patient Man

They Disappeared

The Night Thief

Solace House