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    The House of Allerbrook
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    The House of Allerbrook
    Unavailable
    The House of Allerbrook
    Ebook542 pages12 hours

    The House of Allerbrook

    By Valerie Anand

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Lady-in-waiting Jane Sweetwater's resistance to the legendary attentions of Henry VIII may have saved her pretty neck, but her reward is a forced and unhappy marriage with a much older man and a harsh life on his farm. Her only consolation is that she still lives upon her beloved Exmoor, the bleak yet beautiful land that cradles Allerbrook House, her family home.

    Played out in this remote, forbidding place, Jane's long and storied life is fraught with change: her fiercely protective nature leads her to assume responsibility not only for her own husband and child, but also for the rebellious son of her wayward sister. In time, she regains the position of a woman with status and property, but she cannot ignore the rumblings from London, as the articles of faith change with every new coronation.

    Jane's small world is penetrated by plotting, treachery and even thwarted love as those she holds dearest are forced to choose between family loyalty and fealty to the crown.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateAug 15, 2012
    ISBN9781459248434
    Unavailable
    The House of Allerbrook
    Author

    Valerie Anand

    Born in London, Valerie Anand knew at the age of six that she wanted to be an author. At the age of fifteen, she saw MGM's film Ivanhoe. She walked into the cinema knowing that she wanted to be a novelist and walked out of it knowing that historical novels were the kind she most wanted to write. Over the course of her long and distinguished writing career, Valerie has written many works of historical fiction and is well known for the Ursula Blanchard series of Elizabethan mysteries written under the pen name of Fiona Buckley. Still living in London, Valerie Anand is a frequent visitor to Exmoor, the setting featured in The House of Lanyon.

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    Reviews for The House of Allerbrook

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Another slice of historical family saga from one of my favourite authors of historical fiction, this time set in the Tudor period and centred around the inevitable effects of religious turmoil on a divided family. The usual page-turning stuff, with one addition, that of the character of Ursula Stannard/Blanchard from the author's own series of murder mysteries penned under her Fiona Buckley pseudonym. The Ursula here is a flintier character, though, coming across as just a female Walsingham. I must read the last in the Ursula series, to see how she is portrayed there.
    • 4/5
      This sequel to House of Lanyon, skips a generation to begin in 1535. It is not necessary to have read the original book; only one brief reference to a stained glass window is incomprehensible without it. The story once again is more historical novel than romance, although the loves of the characters remain part of the subplot. Anand is apparently a great believer in love at first sight. As Fiona Buckley, Anand also writes a spy/mystery series about Ursula Blanchard Stannard, a secret agent for Queen Elizabeth I. The two series cross in this novel, as a member of the family at Allerbrook is recruited by Sir Francis Walsingham, the [in]famous spymaster.The result is a compelling story stretching over about five decades and three generations of the family. Once again, Exmoor is lovingly described, and becomes almost as much a character in the story as any human being. Once again, the characters are caught up in the complexities of ambition, arranged marriages, and romance; social duties conflict with individual inclinations and loyalties. In this era, they are particularly whipsawed by the constant changes in religious doctrine. Someone once remarked that Henry VIII was very sincere in his religious convictions, unfortunately, neither he nor anyone else was quite certain what they were. Then his children follow, each with a different take on religion. An above average historical novel for anyone interested in this popular era.