I’ve always been a writer. I’ve been writing stories since I learned how to hold a pencil, asking my dad how to spell words while I worked under the bar stools at our kitchen counter.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is exactly why I love historical fiction.
To say that I have been waiting impatiently for this book to get into my grubby little hands would probably be an understatement. I have always loved historical fiction and when I stumbled upon Katherine Longshore’s Gilt I was instantly a fan of hers. She mixes in a great deal of history but as a reader, I am never overwhelmed and of course, there is the swoony stuff which I love.
Brazen is about Mary Howard’s life beginning on the day of her marriage and I have to admit, I loved this book from the very first page. Mary is thrown into a marriage at the age of fourteen to Henry Fitzroy, the bastard son of Henry VIII. Once the marriage takes place, they are not allowed to be together though and in all honesty, that is the only thing either of them want once they get to know each other.
I loved Mary. She was an interesting mix of personalities and I have to believe that is because of who she is and how she grew up. I loved when she would dare to challenge the norms of society and do what she wanted. This was usually when it was something related to Fitz. Obviously, as a woman in the sixteenth century, she didn’t really have many choices but as a member of the Tudor court, she was able to bend some of the rules, with the help of her brother and her friend.
Fitz was an interesting character. He was a good friend of Mary’s brother and he knew Mary distantly when they were married. As they get to know each other better, it is clear that Fitz walks a fine line. Yes, he is the son of the King but he is also illegitimate so while Henry keeps him close, he also doesn’t see him as a “true” son. Fitz fights constantly for Henry’s respect and ultimately doesn’t really get it….which made me so sad for him. On the other hand, Fitz is swoony…no question. All he wants is to be with his wife and love her but because of decisions that Henry has made, he can’t even do that.
I loved Fitz and Mary together. Both of these characters are being used by their families but despite that, they end up loving each other and even though they can’t technically be together, they find ways to get to know each other and ultimately fall in love. I’m not going to lie here…things don’t necessarily go as they would hope but I was glad to see that these characters had a bit of happiness together. I honestly wish they had had more time together but I suppose that wouldn’t be accurate.
One of the other things I enjoyed about this story was the way Longshore tied the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII back into this book. It was done well and I was able to see how their relationship deteriorated while still focusing on the story of Mary and Fitz. It was definitely frustrating to see Henry blame everyone else for his issues in having an heir. The things he got away with just make me cringe.
I am in no way doing this story any justice – I know this and it is mostly because there was so much to this book that I don’t even know where to start. Unfortunately this happens to me with books I love. All you really need to know about this book is that I loved it and couldn’t put it down…literally. I think the only reason I did put it down was because I had to get off the plane. Regardless, this book was exactly what I wanted to read. It has love, betrayal, friendships, and some fantastic characters. If you love historical fiction, definitely check this one out when you can.
Thank you to Viking/Penguin Group for the review copy.
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