The Dark Rose

The Dark Rose, the second in the Morland Dynasty series, roughly covers the reign of Henry VIII, from 1501 to about 1549. Paul Morland is the head of the family now, and his niece Nannette goes to the court of Anne Boleyn and then Katherine Parr as lady-in-waiting. Meanwhile, at Morland Place, Paul faces a series of challenges, including a struggle between his son Amyas and his illegitimate son Adrian. 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.

Anglophiles who are historical fiction buffs will enjoy each of Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' Morland Chronicles. They tell the story of the Morland family of northern England as it struggles to prosper as the world changes. Characters are not static and are interesting. Historical facts are well researched and provide a real background for this ongoing story. Read them all!

I have all twenty one books of this series from volume one upto twenty one. I started collecting them approximately sixteen or seventeen years ago. The stories are great the characters are facinating, but it is her historical bases for these novels that is so brillant and makes them very readable. I look forward to every new episode of this story that comes out, and I am waiting with baited breath for the next installment.

They start off set in the Wars of the Roses and in the most recent book the American Civil War has just ended. Ms Harrod-Eagles must be one of the most talented and dedicated authors around as the historical detail is impeccable and when you couple that with the characters it makes for compulsive reading. These are my favourite books ever - I try to read the whole series at least once a year. What I love most about it is the way the author creates such strong female characters - Eleanor, Nanette, Annunciata, Jemima, Lucy, Charlotte, Mary - they're wonderful and I love reading about them. Volume 22 is coming out soon and I can't wait for it. The only bad thing about these books is having to wait a whole year for the next installment! If anyone wants to email me to discuss the books go ahead - I don't know anyone else who reads them.

This is the second book about the Morland family of Yorkshire. The Morland Dynasty started in 1434 with The Founding. This book picks up in 1513, 27 years after The Founding ended in 1486. It has as much historical detail as the first. It follows the Morlands through the hard times of Henry VIII's riegn. Nanette, maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn is drawn back to home by a strong passion which she can no longer ignore.