I’m pleased to be kicking of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours tour of The Tapestry by Nancy Bilyeau today! From the very moment I started reading The Crown years ago, the first book in this series, I was hooked. Next The Chalice came along and it only furthered the intrigue of the series which has now culminated in The Tapestry releasing on March 24. Nancy Bilyeau is truly an artist with words and she weaves fact and fiction seamlessly together in The Tapestry to offer us a glimpse into the Tudor Court with all its court intrigue, politics, and murder plots. The Tapestry brings us the Tudor Court in all of its glory along with a fine mystery and a heroine, Joanna Stafford, who the reader will find themselves rooting for at every turn.
What sets this novel, in fact this series apart, is the character of Joanna Stafford. The first time we meet Joanna in The Crown she is a nun in a Dominican priory in Dartford but it is also a time of great religious turmoil thanks to Henry VIII who was on a quest to destroy anything to do with the Catholic church and he succeeds in closing down Joanna’s priory. In The Chalice Joanna finds herself drawn into a conspiracy against King Henry VIII. When we meet with her again in The Tapestry we find a Joanna who has promised herself a much calmer life going forward. All she really wants from her life now is to weave her beautiful tapestries. It is not to be though. Joanna is summoned to Whitehall Palace because the very person she loathes – King Henry VIII – has taken an interest in her tapestries.
The court is not a place for Joanna who isn’t experienced in court politics and only yearns for the more virtuous side of life. She is happy to find her friend Catherine Howard at the court although that pleasure soon turns to dread for her dear friend’s life. Catherine has caught the eye of none other than King Henry and even worse Joanna fears that Catherine has already been compromised by the King. Joanna makes it her mission to protect the young Catherine Howard from the King and a life that she feels sure will not end in a good way for Catherine. However it soon becomes apparent that Joanna needs to be watching out for herself as well as it seems that someone is following her and quite possibly means her harm. Who though? It seems impossible to tell in a court rife with back stabbers but Joanna must or she may not survive…
With The Tapestry Joanna comes full circle in her life. She must decide what her very future holds. Does she want the excitement and danger of the court or the peace and contentment of a life filled with marriage, children, and tapestries? I urge you to begin with the first novel in this series The Crown and continue with The Chalice and now The Tapestry and immerse yourself not only in Joanna’s life but the excitement of The Tudors. It is one you will find yourself drawn into completely and when all is said and done you will miss it and her immensely. I know I already do.
I highly recommend this whole series! These novels are among the best that historical fiction has to offer!
Other stops with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
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GIVEAWAY DETAILS – OPEN TO NORTH AMERICA AND THE UK
WIN ONE OF THREE SIGNED HARDCOVER COPIES OF THE TAPESTRY
This is a tour wide giveaway and here are the rules:
Giveaway starts on March 16th at 12:01am EST and ends at 11:59pm EST on April 3rd.
Giveaway is open to residents in North American and the UK.
You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winners will be chosen via GLEAM on April 4th and notified via email.
Winners have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Please email Amy @ hfvirtualbooktours@gmail.com with any questions.
*CLICK HERE* and fill out the form to enter. Draw Date April 4/15!
Thank you. I am delighted to be kicking off my third blog tour. It is book blogger support that has been so critical for this series!
Nancy, thank you for popping in and more importantly thank you for your wonderful books. I have loved each of them!
I am a huge historical fiction fan, especially of this time period. Thanks for the review as I had not heard of these books or author before!
Oh Betty, you really should check out this series if you love historical fiction. The books are so well written and interesting. Nancy is one of my favorite authors for sure.
Oh I am so excited to get my hands on this one. Since I finished the pages of The Chalice I have been WAITING. I almost want to do a re-read of them both before I crack open The Tapestry. I think Joanna Stafford IS the reason why I love these novels – and the whole search for the relic mystery thing.
Amanda, Joanna is such a great character isn’t she. You know I had thought the same thing about re-reading the other two books before getting to this one and if there had been time I think I would have done that. Still once I started reading it all came back to me so it was ok.
Hi Stranger! Hope this finds you well.
I read the Chalice and enjoyed immensely so I will be sure to pick this one up also. Joanna is a great character and why I enjoyed the Chalice so much.
Hope everyone is well in your end of the world 🙂
Hey Jen, it’s so nice to see you here. lol. I hope you do get a chance to read this one and keep a look out. I’m going to send you a longer private email.
Yes please do when you have time. It’s such a precious commodity lately 🙂 Miss you Darlene!
So excited to have received this one in the mail today!
Lisa, it is so good. I look forward to seeing your thoughts on it.
Thanks for the giveaway. Looks like an intriguing story.