Sisters of treason

Citation: Fremantle, Elizabeth, Sisters of treason, New York: Simon & Schuster 2014

Sisters of treason is the second novel by Elizabeth Fremantle. There are lots of books about Lady Jane Grey, the Tudor pawn who spent nine days on the English throne before being usurped by Mary I. Jane’s two sisters. Elizabeth developed a new angle of Catherine and Mary, get royal succession after Edward VI's death. Neither sister is well suited to a dangerous life at court, both girls have inherited the Tudor blood that is more curse than blessing. The book is engaging and rich in details, readers will be captured by Fremantle’s fascinating storytelling. (Ref NoveList)

Henry V

Citation: Shakespeare, William, Henry V [sound recording] , [Germany?] : Naxos AudioBooks, p2000.(3 CDs)

Character: Henry V

Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s best history plays, believed to have been written in approximately 1599. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. The play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. In Henry V, the young prince has become a mature man and embarks on a successful conquest of France. Cast includes Samuel West, Timothy West and Cathy Sara. (Ref: Amazon)

Bertie & Elizabeth

Citation: Bertie &Elizabeth(Widescreen). [London] : ITV Global, [2002] (1 DVD)

Character: George VI, King of Great Britain, 1895-1952 

          Elizabeth Queen, consort of George VI, King of Great Britain, 1900-2002 

Bertie and Elizabeth is the story of the courtship and marriage of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The story starts as they meet in 1920 and ends after Bertie’s death in 1952. Bertie and Elizabeth became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in December 1936 when Edward VIII gave up the throne for the woman he loved, just before the outbreak of World War II. George VI and his Queen led the British monarchy through World War II. James Wilby ("Gosford Park") and Juliet Aubrey ("Middlemarch") play Bertie and Elizabeth.  (Ref: Amazon)

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King Arthur: Dark Age Warrior and Mythic Hero

Citation:Matthews, John. King Arthur : Dark Age warrior and mythic hero (2004 ed). New York: Gramercy Books, 2004

Character: Arthur King

King Arthur: Dark Age Warrior and Mythic Hero is a beautiful illustrated book contains 120 color and balck and white images.John Matthews is an historian, Arthurian expert, folklorist and author.This is a collection of many of the various myths and works surrounding the King of the Britains, Arthur.  The tales of King Arthur are rooted in history, but over the years, it is hard to distinguish between facts and myth.John tried to reveal the truth from mysteries of Arthur's Britain, as well as background on the many characters that make up the legends, including the Merlin, Guenevere, Lancelot, the Holy Grail. (Ref: goodreads)

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Diana

Citation:Diana,[Australia] : Madman Entertainment,2007.

DVD

Character: Diana, Princess of Wales

The fairy story of Cinderella ends with her marriage to prince. In real world, life goes on. . Ever since her fairy tale marriage in 1981, Diana captivated the world with her beauty both internal and external. Throughout her short life, Diana, Princess of Wales undertook many hundreds of engagements on behalf of charities and engagements.   The Prince and Princess were divorced on 28 August 1996. The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales occurred on Sunday 31 August 1997 following a car accident in Paris, France.This programme maps the key events in her life concluding with the funeral and the incredible pictures which captured a nation’s grief.

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Katherine

Citation: Anya Seton and Philippa Gregory. Katherine, [USA]:Chicago Review Press, 2004.

Character: Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family

Anya was the pen name of the American author of historical romances, Ann Seton. Katherine is based on the true story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family in the 14^th century. The love story alone is compelling, and description is in depth and full of details. No one was immune to the Black Death, the society was in dirty poverty. This epic novel of conflict, war, murder, cruelty, and love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954. (ref: goodreads)

Here be Dragons

Citation: Penman, Sharon, here be Dragons , [London]: Pan, 2012.

Character: Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, 1240 

Here Be Dragons is a first book of Welsh Princes serials, it draws readers into the legendary world of thirteenth-century Europe. . It is the story of one man, a Welsh prince called Llewelyn the Great, and his bride, Joanna, the illegitimate daughter of England's King John.Penman focuses her novel on the tempestuous emotional and political battles that Joanna is forced to endure as both the daughter and wife of warring kings.  Almost all of the major characters are factually based,personalities were well defined and vivid alive. With bulks of details, we re-live through 3 kings and endless wars. This book was over 700 pages of fantastic reading.(Ref: GoodReads)

Just a Girl

Citation:Caro, Jane. Just a girl (1st ed),St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press , 2011.

Charactor: Elizabeth Queen of England I, 1533-1603

This novel ‘Just a girl’ begins on the eve of Queen Elizabeth the first’s coronation. Elizabeth competed with her siblings and has won for love and for Britain’s throne. Even though she was just a girl, she had already lived a lifetime. Her life is full of betrayals, murderous plots and beheadings. With her courage and her wits, this young woman became one of the greatest monarchs the world has ever seen. If you like history, the book is fantastic with historical details. 

The White Queen

Citation:Gregory, Philippa. The white queen, New York: Touchstone, 2009.

Charactor: Elizabeth, Queen, consort of Edward IV, King of England, 1437?-1492

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer, a worldwide bestseller. Her book ‘The white queen’ is the first book of Cousin’s War serials. Elizabeth Woodville,a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition,captures the attentions of the newly crowned King Edward IV and marries him in secret. While Elizabeth fights for herself and her family, her two sons become pawns in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in theTower of London.Gregory weaves a compelling story with complex and vivid characters. Love and betrayal, intimate relationships, supernatural, all these elements make this book fresh and amazing. (Ref NoveList)

The Chalice

Citation: Bilyeau, Nancy. The chalice. London: Orion, 2013

Charactor: Henry VIII, 1509-1547

Winner of the Best Historical Mystery Award from the RT Reviews, The Chalice is a sequel to The Crown (2012), continuing the story of Joanna Stafford. Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last. She struggles to forge a life for herself, fighting for herself and the nation.

Fast pace, intricately plotted story line, Suspenseful tone, nun and spy, “a curse to kill a king, a fight to save a nation”(cover), all these make the novel attractive, you couldn't wait to see what happens next.