Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT HISTORICAL STORIES OF BETRAYAL by @JudithArnopp @AnnieWHistory et al.

Today’s team review is from Sue. She blogs here https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/

Sue has been reading Histories Of Betrayal by Judith Arnopp, Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Derek Birks, Helen Hollick, Amy Maroney, Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Tony Riches, Mercedes Rochelle, Annie Whitehead, Elizabeth St.John

5/5 stars

Historical Stories of Betrayal is a collection of twelve short fictional stories set in different periods throughout history, each with the theme of betrayal of one kind or another. The time periods range from post-Roman Britain to a 21st century alternative history and are presented chronologically. Each story has a distinctive flavour, brought to it by each of the author’s distinctive styles. They are each around forty pages long which makes it an easy book to pick up at various points throughout the day.

Learning to trust someone can take a long time and when that trust is betrayed it’s difficult to overcome the associated feelings of anger and disappointment, whatever the type of betrayal. There are many different kinds of betrayal described in this collection – by parents, lovers, friends and historical acts of treachery. There are many familiar historical characters included, such as pirates Ann Bonney and Calico Jack, explorer Francis Drake, Thomas Percy and Margaret Beaufort. My favourite stories were Judith Arnopp’s House Arrest, a tale of  Margaret Beaufort and King Richard III, set in the 15th century, and Annie Whitehead’s Love to Hatred Turn’d, a tale of courtly life and murderous plots, set in the 10th century.

There is also a wealth of authentic historical detail in these stories – these authors clearly know their chosen time periods and have done plenty of research.

I would highly recommend this collection to fans of historical fiction, stories filled with emotion and readers wanting to try out something by these particular authors before choosing to buy their full novels.

“Loyalty breaks as easily as a silken thread.”

Misplaced trust, power hunger, emotional blackmail, and greed haunt twelve characters from post-Roman Britain to the present day. And betrayal by family, lover, comrade can be even more devastating.

Read twelve tales by twelve accomplished writers who explore these historical yet timeless challenges.

AD455—Roman leader Ambrosius is caught in a whirlpool of shifting allegiances
AD940—Alyeva and cleric Dunstan navigate the dangers of the Anglo Saxon court
1185—Knight Stephan fights for comradeship, duty, and honour. But what about love?
1330—The powerful Edmund of Kent enters a tangled web of intrigue
1403—Thomas Percy must decide whether to betray his sovereign or his family
1457—Estelle is invited to the King of Cyprus’s court, but deception awaits
1483—Has Elysabeth made the right decision to bring Prince Edward to London?
1484—Margaret Beaufort contemplates the path to treason
1577—Francis Drake contends with disloyalty at sea
1650—Can James Hart, Royalist highwayman, stop a nemesis destroying his friend?
1718—Pirate Annie Bonny, her lover Calico Jack, and a pirate hunter. Who will win?
1849/present—Carina must discover her ancestor’s betrayer in Italy or face ruin.

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