Royal Blood: A Novel of Tudor Englad

During King Henry the VIII reign of England, a young princess is sent to join the king and his court. Princess Renee de Valois of France is on a dangerous mission for her country. The princess is to spy upon King Henry's court. Gathering information for King Francis and Cardinal Medici, Renee embarks upon an exciting mission of deception and power. Passion soon finds the young princess and it's not long before Renee's emotions forge a battle with wit. Michael Devereaux comes to court on a mission of his own. It is during the annual Celebration of the Garter that Michael is enchanted by the glitter of King Henry's court. Beautiful women and plentiful parties prove to delight the young man until he meets Princess Renee. The mysterious young lady captures his heart, setting the royal stage for a deliciously intriguing tale. Princess Renee is blackmailed into doing what is 'best ' for her country. Against her will, Renee is forced to play a hand in deceiving King Henry's court, while garnering information for the king's foe. Gaining entry to the court, Princess Renee has a firsthand view of the powerful monarch's history making reign. She must report his doings to King Frances and Cardinal Medici, so that he may use it to their benefit. Glamour and roses go only so far for Michael Deveraux as well. The opulence of court soon fades as a killer's deadly reign sets in. After the body of the queen's lady in waiting is found with apparent bite marks on her neck, Cardinal Wolsey enlists Michael's aide to help find the killer. Unfortunately for Michael, the murderer turns out to be a vampire. As he searches for the killer, Michael is haunted by disturbing images of of violence that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Empowered with the aid of Renee, Michael sets out on a mission that could forever change or quickly end both his and the princess' life. Royal Blood is a deeply moving, high paced story of love, betrayal, glamour and violence. Richly set during King Henry the VIII's powerful yet notably mad reign, history and fantasy work side by side in this wonderfully written novel. A fresh approach at portraying the Tudor period, Rona Sharon scores immensely with her riveting tale of lust and intrigue.

Wow... This author can write. What-a-book! I just finished it and am still haunted by stunning images of Tudor England. The richness of the court on one side of the Thames, the murky stews on the other, and the great characters that belong to both worlds and to neither. I feel like I've returned from a ferocious adventure and fallen madly in love. Michael and Renee are the most intriguing, compelling, passionate pair of lovers/adversaries I encountered in a long time. Desire, violence, purpose, strength, angst, betrayal, wit, tenderness, and triumph--this book has it all. The writing is superb. Sharon writes with intelligence and insight into what drives people to desperation and what brings them back. I totally disagree with reviewers who warned against the over-literary English. I thought the period language was great and authentic. The story flowed for me. I could not put this first-rate novel down. What a treat! Very highly recommended.

There are quite a lot of books written these days about Tudor England and all that comes with it. Henry the Eighth and his many women, Cardinal Wolsey, the Catholic Church and all of that juicy stuff. I've read and enjoyed many of them. However they can start to blend together and become a little bland. Still, I pick up every one of them I can get my hands on. That's what drew me into buying Royal Blood by Rona Sharon. When I was about one hundred pages into it however, I realised that I was not simply reading another Tudor book. Royal Blood is full of the usual Tudor fare, but there are many twists and turns that truly make it stand out. The story follows Michael Devereaux, the foster son and heir of the Earl of Tyrone as he ventures from his comfortable home in Ireland to bring honor to his family name in the Tudor Court. Also travelling to the Court is Princess Renee, youngest daughter of the late King of France. Renee is not on so honorable a mission as Michael; she's after a treasure that will secure her future as a Duchess if she can find it. These two, and a colorful cast of secondary characters clash as a plot to kill the King as well as several odd murders are unearthed. This is where the paranormal, vampire twists really start to come into play. The great thing about Royal Blood, besides the original plot, is the characters. Michael is a rake and loved by all the maidens to be sure, but he is also flawed and imperfect, a man with a long way to go in terms of growth. I love that the author wasn't afraid to take risks when it came to her character's personalities. Princess Renee was delightfully devious and strong and I found myself speed reading to get to the parts with her in them because she was so much fun to read about. The secondary characters have a lot of spark too and that's always a good thing. There is plenty of romance here and a HEA, not to mention several steamy scenes, but it is more of an historical fiction read. A great historical fiction read too! Lots of research went into this book; the scenes were full of period flavor and details. I got a real sense of atmosphere and daily life in Tudor England. The only thing that bugged me was the language. Probably just a personal thing, I don't really care for period talk. Other than that, this was an enthralling read. I'm thrilled to see that Rona Sharon had two other historical romances, I can't wait to get my hands on them!

4.5 stars. For those wondering like I did, Royal Blood *is* a historical romance with a paranormal (vampire) twist, but the publisher (Kensington) categorizes it as Historical Fiction. It is that too, but there is definitely a love story complete with sexual tension, a few hot bedroom scenes and an HEA (happily ever after). However, it is not the typical (and predictable) historical romance. The writing quality and retelling of actual historical people and events reads more like great historical lititure. The language is period based, which took me a bit of time to get used to. Michael and Renee made a great hero/heroine duo. Their romance/love match felt so real. Raised in Ireland, he is sent to the Royal Court for his first time to represent his Earl and make favors with the king. Upon meeting Princess Renee his entanglements at court life quickly escalates. Renee's purpose for being at court is explained early in the book, but I still wouldn't want to give that away as it was fun to read. Needless to say it requires her to make some hard and impossible decisions while in England. The physical part of the romance wasn't rushed so don't expect bedroom scenes too early in the book, but when they heat up - OMG does it heat up! The tension building between these two was taught. Renee is one of my favorite heroines. All authors should write strong princess characters like her. She was likeable but strong, smart but vulnerable...etc. She is true to her character - the daughter of barbaric king who taught her how to make tough decisions, even the execution of a man who betrays their cause. The vampire twist starts slow and builds momentum. It really worked in the contexts of the story. The book concludes with a great and realistic (considering there are vampires!) ending. The book has a lot of characters which was confusing to start, but the main focus does stay on Michael and Renee. It is written using the period language (1500s, Tudor England) and therefore does read more like historical literature. Also, most of the characters and events are based on real people/events from history -- including the heroine Renee (who just gets a different ending than in reality!) This book is a departure from her last two books in terms of the writing style, but the depth of historical detail and a passionate love story still holds true. (`My Wicked Pirate' is another one of her books that combines both wonderfully!)

"In the Tudor court of 1518, your friends and enemies can be one and the same". I stayed up all night reading this book, I couldn't put it down. It's that good. Rona Sharon's writing is exciting, fast paced, rich in detail, and brings tudor court history to life in a way that surpasses even the best movies and television series. You can close your eyes and 'see' the story. If you love movies, this book is for you. And if you love good historical fiction, this book really is for you. As the story unfolded in the most unexpected, original ways, I fell in love with the two main characters, Michael and princess Renee de Valois. The characters are romantic, exciting, smart, intelligent and have a sense of humor. They are as exciting as the most fantastic characters in fiction, but their actions feel right and make total sense. The ending was extremely satisfying and I felt that everything in the book fell into place. Princess Renee uses all of her senses and abilities to succeed in the secret and potentially fatal mission she was forced into. Although a very young princess, she is no pushover and is able to navigate the devious ways of the french and tudor courts in ways you least expect her to. What really caught me unawares, was the vampire twist in the plot. It was a welcome shock which gave the whole story a new perspective, and unveiled hidden layers all the way to a smash-hit ending. I am planning to gift this book to 3 upcoming friends' birthdays.