Publisher: 20th July 2022 by Sapere Books
Pages: 400 pages
Genre: historical fiction, Tudor
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
Marquess House is under threat…
London, 1527
Nineteen-year-old Jane Seymour arrives at court to take her place with Queen Katherine of Aragon. Discovering a court already beginning to divide into factions between Katherine and Jane’s second cousin, Anne Boleyn, Jane finds herself caught between the old world and the new. Determined to have a son, the king appears to be prepared to take whatever steps he deems necessary to secure the Tudor dynasty.
When King Henry VIII finally succeeds in his pursuit of Anne, Jane witnesses the slow unravelling of his interest in the new queen as she, too, fails in her task to deliver a son. Having watched both Katherine and Anne fall from grace, Jane has no ambition for the throne, but when the king begins seeking her out, Jane realises the decision may be out of her hands…
Pembrokeshire, 2020
When a set of papers called The Pentagram Manuscript makes its way to Perdita and Piper at Marquess House, they find they have a new mystery to unravel. The manuscript is the tale of five women on a quest to find true love, written while Anne Boleyn was queen. As Perdita begins to unravel the text, she discovers a code that leads to a whole new outlook on Henry’s relationship with Jane Seymour.
But before they have a chance to reveal all, the twins find themselves under threat from a different source. Their second cousin, Xavier Connors, is determined to wrest Marquess House from them. As Marquess House must be passed down through the female line, and Perdita and Piper do not have children, Xavier sees his twin daughter as being next in line. And when Piper is nearly driven off the road, they realise he will stop at nothing to get what he wants…
What really happened to Henry VIII’s Tudor queens? Why was history rewritten?
Will Piper and Perdita be able to unravel all of the secrets before it’s too late…?
My Thoughts
I have read and enjoyed all the books in this series -The Marquess House - it was meant to be a trilogy, however, Alexandra states that Jane’s story kept arising and I am so glad she put pen to paper for this one. It was a breath of fresh air to see the demure Jane portrayed with strength and spunk! If you love English history, particularly the Tudor period, then this is most definitely the series for you. I believe it is essential that you read all the books in sequence for both the historical events and present day character development to make sense. Both narratives - past and present - in all books thus far are engaging and entertaining.
As with Alexandra’s previous books, this instalment 'The Jane Seymour Conspiracy' is a massively researched undertaking that is structured and planned to perfection. The historical premise of an alternate narrative to this Tudor period is so well written that it appears entirely plausible. This is linked wonderfully well with the present day and the theory that there are movements to suppress undiscovered truths. As in dual time narratives, it requires a solid link between the two stories to work and I believe Alexandra weaves the two together well. If you love a good conspiracy theory then this series has them by the dozen.
‘Throughout her life, Jane had been schooled to understand her destiny was not her own to choose, that her husband would be selected for her and she would live a life decreed by the men around her. Yet, here was a group of women asking her to become involved in political intrigue. It was a heady feeling and the idea tingled with danger.’
The last book went a little off track for me, so I am happy to report that this instalment was right up there with the original book one. These are long reads and the amount of information can become overwhelming at times. I loved reading about Catherine Howard (book 1) and Elizabeth Tudor (book 2) . I did not warm to Arbella Stuart (book 3) but Jane Seymour’s story (book 4) is wonderful. You simply must suspend your rational thinking and just enjoy the ‘what ifs’ proposed - it’s fun pursuing a mystery. The current day story still offers its own mystery, overlooking the information dumps by the lead characters and their interacting dialogue often basic and robotic at times.
“… check the manuscript and discover what really happened to Jane Seymour. There is something strange here and my heart tells me there was no happy ending for anyone this time.”
Jane Seymour (third wife of Henry VIII) is such an interesting character to study. As Alexandra herself writes: “Often passed over for the more dramatic queens of Henry VIII, to me her depiction as the demure, shy wife has never tallied with the description of her behaviour - flirting with the king, accepting gifts, preparing her marriage chest while Anne was in the Tower of London, attempting to persuade Henry to return to Catholicism and trying to bring his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, back into Henry’s lives. These are the actions of a woman who knows how to survive and has a strong streak of determination, not an inexperienced wallflower.”
“Jane is there,” Perdita had said, “but she’s in the shadows and we need to bring her forward into the light.”
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It proved fascinating reading but be warned it is an intriguing yet complex read. For those who love a good conspiracy theory related to the Tudors you simply must read the books of the The Marquess House series. This book will truly make you reconsider the current accepted historical facts and warm your heart that in this male dominated world, female solidarity likely existed.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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