It is 1501, and Paul, great-grandson of Eleanor Morland, has inherited the estate and has a son to follow him. But he fathers an illegitimate boy by his beloved mistress, and bitter jealously between the half-brothers causes a destructive rift that threatens to destroy them all.

Paul's niece Nanette has her own passions, and becomes maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. At the court of Henry VIII, she witnesses firsthand the events leading up to the rift with Rome, her mistress's execution, and the further efforts of the sad, ailing king to secure the male succession. And through all the turmoil of Henry VIII's reign-from drought to floods, from religious reform to court intrigue-the Morlands find new ways to come together while the world seems intent on tearing them apart.

On her website, author Cynthia Harrod Eagles writes that the original plan for the Morland Dynasty series was to cover 500 years of British history in twelve volumes, presumably fictionalising the past to make a lot of dry old dates and names more interesting. Only, the characters she created started to fill more and more of the pages, and the author admits to getting carried away with history: "For one thing, I found I wanted to include so much more than had been planned for: not just the kings, battles and Parliaments, but how people lived, what they wore and ate, how they gave birth and died, how they built their houses and related to their servants, how they travelled, what they believed in."

And her devotion shows. Even in the second part of the now thirty-strong Morland series, set during the reign of Henry the Eighth, Cynthia Harrod Eagles' passion for historical detail and her incredible skill for combining fact with fiction are what drive the story on, and compel the reader to stick with such a wordy novel. History is told from a human angle, and the ever-increasing Morlands are at the heart of the action. The Dark Rose begins with Paul, Eleanor's great-grandson (I must confess to being confused by the different generations, and needing to refer back to the family tree), and overlaps into the story of Nanette, Paul's half-brother's eldest daughter. (I think.) Paul is initially nothing more than a man of the age, abusing his wife and keeping a mistress, but he grows into a more sympathetic character after suffering the usual grief and hardships of life. His relationship with 'Little Bear' is touching in the extreme, and the carved symbol of his love for her is another of Cynthia Harrod Eagles' neat touches. Nanette is another Eleanor, a strong woman who holds together the family through each new generation. She becomes a close friend to both Ann Boleyn and Katherine Parr, and observes the many intrigues of Henry the Eighth's court firsthand, outliving the larger than life monarch to counsel his young daughter, Elizabeth.

I know the bare bones of Henry's reign, of course, but Cynthia Harrod Eagles really fleshed out both the man and the king for me. His portrayal is honest but fair, told in part from Anne Boleyn's point of view, but with sympathy for Henry's position. He needed male heirs to secure the royal line and prevent civil war after his death, and although he genuinely seemed to love his wives, duty to his country always came first. Fascinating.

For any lovers of historical fiction who haven't tasted Cynthia Harrod Eagles' Morland Dynasty, start now! ( )

The Dark Rose (Moreland Dynasty - Book 2) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

(For review from Sourcebooks)

Synopsis:

This, the second book in the Morland Dynasty series begins in 1501 around the time that King Henry VII dies and ends during King Edward VI's reign or actually the Regency's reign. Interspersed with the history of the Tudors is the fictional family the Morlands. It is a story of continuing court intrique, treachery, love and hate during a time in history where a person could be charged with treason just by saying the wrong thing or following the 'wrong' religion. Most everyone knows the story of Henry VIII so I will not go into detail. It is a story about the Catholics and the Protestants and the struggle that ensues. The first third of the book surrounds the life of Paul Morland, great grandson of Eleanor Morland. It tells of the marriages and births and deaths within the family. There was a lot of intermarrying within the cousins. This was a very common practice at that time to keep the bloodlines pure and to keep lands and other holdings within a family. There were also illegitimate children born of the Morland family who had no claims to the dynasty. The second part of the book is about the character of Nanette who goes to court and becomes first a friend of, then maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. Nanette forsakes her own happiness for her service to Queen Anne. Nan spends time between the court and her home at Morland. The last part of the book goes into more of Nanette and the other members of the Morland family, the next generations if you will.

Thoughts:

The Moreland dynasty is an epic series that spans many generations of English History. Book 2, The Dark Rose, focuses on one of my favorite time periods, the reign of the Tudors. The Story of King Henry VIII has always fascinated me. This book goes into great detail of what might have happened behind the scenes and what historical characters like Ann Boleyn and the King himself may have been feeling. The story of the Moreland family is woven into this setting when your religious affiliation could be your undoing.

Paul Moreland is now head of the Moreland family and he is most concerned with making sure he has an heir to succeed him as head of the family. His relationship with his wife, Anne is less than wonderful and he has come to truly despise her, even though she provided him with the necessary heir, in Amyas, Paul's son. He father's an illegitimate child with his mistress and is in turmoil of what to do for his love child. I really felt sorry for Paul in some ways, he was put in a difficult situation. During that time wives and husbands were chosen by your family not because of love, but because of what the match would offer the family and Paul's character really suffered from this practice. It seems that his affection is always misplaced and he forever choses women he cannot have. We see Paul grow as a character and try to fix his mistakes. Providing for his brother Jack's children, and making sure that his son Adrian is taken care of. I liked Paul he was a brooder, which always makes for an interesting character.

A good deal of the book is given to Nanette, who is Paul's niece. Nanette goes to court and eventually becomes one of Queen Anne Boleyn's attendants. She gives up much of her life to be with Anne and to help her as she becomes Queen. She is there when Elizabeth is born and see's many things change within the court. Nanette's character is one of dark beauty. She is a beautiful woman who is well educated and becomes one of the court's favorites. But she has secrets of her own that keep her from her home at Moreland Place. Nan reminds me of a young girl who has a hard time suppressing her own desires and conforming them to what is expected of her.

The Dark Rose is available now from your favorite bookseller.

This is a great book. I can't wait to read book 3! I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag.

This, the second book in the Morland Dynasty series begins in 1501 around the time that King Henry VII dies and ends during King Edward VI's reign or actually the Regency's reign. Interspersed with the history of the Tudors is the fictional family the Morlands. It is a story of continuing court intrique, treachery, love and hate during a time in history where a person could be charged with treason just by saying the wrong thing or following the 'wrong' religion. Most everyone knows the story of Henry VIII so I will not go into detail. It is a story about the Catholics and the Protestants and the struggle that ensues. The first third of the book surrounds the life of Paul Morland, great grandson of Eleanor Morland. It tells of the marriages and births and deaths within the family. There was a lot of intermarrying within the cousins. This was a very common practice at that time to keep the bloodlines pure and to keep lands and other holdings within a family. There were also illegitimate children born of the Morland family who had no claims to the dynasty. The second part of the book is about the character of Nanette who goes to court and becomes first a friend of, then maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. Nanette forsakes her own happiness for her service to Queen Anne. Nan spends time between the court and her home at Morland. The last part of the book goes into more of Nanette and the other members of the Morland family, the next generations if you will.

As in any epic style novel, there are characters too numerous to mention, some historical inaccuracies, wars, deaths, births, jealousy between siblings and also happiness. I enjoyed this book as I did the first one in the series and look forward to the next in the series. For the person who loves a great story and a very interesting time in the history of England will be sure to like The Dark Rose. ( )

As usual, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles places a strong female character in the lead; this time, of course, it’s Nannette. But the author never makes her characters seem too modern, which is what I like in historical fiction. Since Nannette is at court, she is present to witness history being made, and as such we see all six of Henry VIII’s wives (though only two get speaking parts). Too, I was fascinated here with how the introduction of Protestantism affected the Morland family; it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out over time. ( )