Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace - by Kate Emerson (Paperback)

About the Book

Masterfully blending romance, drama, and historical detail, Emerson exposes the darkest corners of Tudor England with extraordinary skill, in this captivating novel based on a real-life member of the royal court of Henry VIII.

Book Synopsis

Basing her gripping tale on the life of the real Jane Popyncourt, gifted author Kate Emerson brings the Tudor monarchs, their family, and their courtiers to brilliant life in this vibrant novel.

Beautiful. Seductive. Innocent. Jane Popyncourt was brought to the court as a child to be ward of the king and a companion to his daughters--the princesses Margaret and Mary. With no money of her own, Jane could not hope for a powerful marriage, or perhaps even marriage at all. But as she grows into a lovely young woman, she still receives flattering attention from the virile young men flocking to serve the handsome new king, Henry VIII, who has recently married Catherine of Aragon. Then a dashing French prisoner of war, cousin to the king of France, is brought to London, and Jane finds she cannot help giving some of her heart--and more--to a man she can never marry. But the Tudor court is filled with dangers as well as seductions, and there are mysteries surrounding Jane's birth that have made her deadly enemies. Can she cultivate her beauty and her amorous wiles to guide her along a perilous path and bring her at last to happiness?

Review Quotes

"History, love, lust, power, ambitions -- The Pleasure Palace is a pleasure indeed." -- Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Boleyn

"In the first in Emerson's series, it's hard to tell where reality ends and fiction begins. Rich and lushly detailed, teeming with passion and intrigue, this is a novel in which you can happily immerse yourself in another time and place." -- Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

"It is this heroine that separates this book from the pack. The characters are subtle and well-drawn.." -- Publishers Weekly