Mailbox Monday

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday is now on tour, and this month’s host is Cindy’s Love of Books. 

For Review:

Hunter’s Prize (July 1, 2012) by Marcia Gruver

Meander down to Marshall, Texas, through the pages of Marcia Gruver’s third Backwoods Brides novel. Addie McRae accepts a job as governess to young Cedric Whitfield, but she has no idea what lies ahead—especially when a string of attempted robberies and a kidnapping threaten the peace of the Whitfield household. Enter Pearson Foster, a visiting treasure hunter, looking for the lost treasure of the steamer Mittie Stephens. When Addie comes to Pearson for help, can the unlikely pair get to the bottom of recent events? Is anyone safe from the uncertainty rampant in Texas?

The King’s Damsel (Secrets of the Tudor Court #5) (August 7, 2012) by Kate Emerson
In the fifth novel in Kate Emerson’s highly acclaimed Secrets of the Tudor Court series, a young gentlewoman catches King Henry the Eighth’s roving eye.In 1533 and again in 1534, Henry the Eighth reportedly kept a mistress while he was married to Anne Boleyn. Now, that mistress comes to vivid life in Kate Emerson’s The King’s Damsel.
A real-life letter from Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys, written on September 27, 1534, reported that the king had “renewed and increased the love he formerly bore to another very handsome young lady of the Court” and that the queen had tried “to dismiss the damsel from her service.” Other letters from Eustace reveal that the mystery woman was a “true friend” of the Princess (later Queen) Mary, Henry’s daughter by Catherine of Aragon. Though no one knows who “the king’s damsel” really was, here Kate Emerson presents her as young gentlewoman Thomasine Lodge, a lady-in-waiting to King Henry’s daughter, Princess Mary. Thomasine becomes the Princess’s confidante, especially as Henry’s marriage to Catherine dissolves and tensions run high. When the king procures a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn, who is suspicious and distrustful of Mary, Mary has Thomasine placed in Anne’s service to be her eyes and ears. And that’s when she gets the attention of the king…
Rich in historical detail and featuring a wealth of bonus material, The King’s Damsel is sure to keep readers coming back for more in the exciting series!

I’ve read all of her novels in the series, and highly recommend them for those interested in the Tudor era. They always feature someone new, with something different than any of the other Tudor novels.