Forsaking All Other by Catherine Meyrick
Publication Date: April 1, 2018
Courante Publishing
eBook & Print; 291 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Love is no game for women; the price is far too high.
England 1585.
Bess Stoughton, waiting woman to the well-connected Lady Allingbourne, has discovered that her father is arranging for her to marry an elderly neighbour. Normally obedient Bess rebels and wrests from her father a year’s grace to find a husband more to her liking.
Edmund Wyard, a taciturn and scarred veteran of England’s campaign in Ireland, is attempting to ignore the pressure from his family to find a suitable wife as he prepares to join the Earl of Leicester’s army in the Netherlands.
Although Bess and Edmund are drawn to each other, they are aware that they can have nothing more than friendship. Bess knows that Edmund’s wealth and family connections place him beyond her reach. And Edmund, with his well-honed sense of duty, has never considered that he could follow his own wishes. Until now.
With England on the brink of war and fear of Catholic plots extending even into Lady Allingbourne’s household, time is running out for both of them.
You can read the first chapter here.
The beautiful cover for the novel was designed by Jennifer Quinlan of Historical Fiction Book Covers.
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My Review: I’m just going to start this review by recommending this book right off.
Yes, I’m serious.
No, I’m not kidding.
This book is an absolute first for me. I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that every single Tudor Era book that I have picked up has been about a Tudor. (Bear with me, here.) From Margaret Beaufort to Elizabeth I, to Henry VIII and his wives, to Elizabeth Woodville and the princes in the tower, Tudor Era books center around the Tudors. So imagine my delight (I mean that quite literally) when I discovered that Forsaking All Other was a different type of Tudor book altogether. Forsaking All Other is a book about fictional characters, set against the historical background of the Tudor Era. And it is masterfully done.
Catherine Meyrick is a born storyteller. (She seriously needs to make writing her one-and-only day job. Because Dear Author, I need more!) Attention was given to historical detail, which made jumping into the setting of the book effortless. But the characters are what made the book for me. First, I kept forgetting that Bess and Edmund were fictional. The time-period and authenticity of the characters seamlessly flowed across each chapter. But it was the complete “humanness” of Bess and Edmund that drew me in completely. From Bess being torn between obedience and rebellion to Edmund’s rough edges and princely heart, I found myself completely in love with the both of them. This story was a treat from beginning to end, and one that you should buy for yourself and every other single human within your sphere of influence.
About the Author
Catherine Meyrick is a writer of historical fiction with a particular love of Elizabethan England. Her stories weave fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record – tales of ordinary people who are very much men and women of their time, yet in so many ways not unlike ourselves.
Although she grew up in regional Victoria, Australia, she has lived all her adult life in Melbourne. She has worked as a nurse, a tax assessor and finally a librarian. She has a Master of Arts in history and is also a family history obsessive.
For more information, please visit Catherine Meyrick’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, June 4
Review at Broken Teepee
Excerpt at Teaser Addicts Book Blog
Tuesday, June 5
Review at Impressions In Ink
Review at Books and Glamour
Wednesday, June 6
Review & Excerpt at Laura’s Interests
Thursday, June 7
Review at Donna’s Book Blog
Interview at Let Them Read Books
Friday, June 8
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews
Saturday, June 9
Review at Cup of Sensibility
Sunday, June 10
Review & Excerpt at Clarissa Reads it All
Monday, June 11
Review at What Cathy Read Next
Tuesday, June 12
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Wednesday, June 13
Excerpt at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Thursday, June 14
Interview at Books and Glamour
Feature at Faery Tales Are Real
Friday, June 15
Review at WS Momma Readers Nook
Saturday, June 16
Feature at Passages to the Past
Monday, June 18
Review at The Caffeinated Bibliophile
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 2 paperback copies of Forsaking All Other! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Thank you for the wonderful review, I am so happy you enjoyed it.
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