Review: Rebel Bride (Lust in the Tudor Court #2) by Elizabeth Moss
Series: Lust in the Tudor Court
Paranormal Romance
Released: December 1, 2015
Sourcebooks
Reviewed by Sheena
Hugh Beaufort, favoured courtier of King Henry VIII, likes his women quiet and biddable. Susannah Tyrell is neither of these things. She is feisty, beautiful, opinionated and brave. And Hugh is fascinated by her – despite himself.
When Susannah pulls her most outrageous stunt yet and finds herself lost in the wilds of England, Hugh must go to her rescue. Neither of them is prepared for the dangers that lie in wait. But most dangerous of all is their desire for one another. Alone together in the forest, far from the restraints of court…
“There is no need for you to walk, good sir. You will ruin your fine courtly hose amongst these briars. Besides, I cannot sit that saddle, it is not fit for me.”
The wench was mocking him. You will ruin your fine courtly hose. Why, he was wearing nothing but what was fashionable in the Southern reaches! Thrown off by her laughter, Hugh struggled to keep his patience, unaccustomed to being mocked by young women. Especially by young women with eyes as blue as the sky in summer.
Much about the time of King Henry VII’s reign has been sensationalized in historical romantic fiction. Usually told from the perspective of the King and his ill fated wives, The Lust in the Tudor Court series offers an alternative perspective, one that is exciting and full of Tudor court politics. I loved seeing the drama of Henry and his wives from the eyes of some of his most interesting courtiers. Hugh Beaufort is flourishing in the tenuous graces of the very fickle King Hnery VIII. He keeps his head down or rather under the skirts of carefully curated maids and manages to fly under the radar- until the unruly Susannah Tyrell crashes into his life and completely knocks his compass off kilter.
Ah, Susannah! This heroine was my shero! I loved her devil-may-care attitude and fierce will to own her own destiny. Even in her folly she was brave and not just a prop for an exceptionally well crafted hero to hump up against- a trapping that many heroines fall into in these period romance tales. Readers back from the awesome-sauce that was book one, Wolf Bride, will remember Susannah as the brash and suffocating sibling to book 1’s heroine Eloise, bound and determined to make her own way, only unable to see or stop herself from barreling into danger. Stubborn to an absolute fault and bordering on just plain obstinate across the board, Susannah’s charm definitely lie in her details as she was wonderfully colorful, resourceful and free thinking in a way that was a starkly refreshing contrast to the cookie cutter young women of her time. I usually hattteeee when a heroine leads my hero on wild goose chases and orchestrates Olympic style hurdles to win her affections, but in Susannah’s case it was hysterical to witness Hugh surviving her gauntlet.
In Rebel Bride, Susannah is barely eighteen and refuses to succumb to the arranged marriage to her fathers old (and woefully unattractive- and and elderly!) friend. On pain of certain punishment, Susannah is distraught and desperate to escape her fate. She disguises herself as a young man and journeys to London to appeal to her sister’s sanctuary at the viperous court of King Henry VII, where her sister, Eloise, lives with her husband, the intimidating and influential Lord Wolf.
Hugh Beaufort is a modestly employed court clerk and not at all looking for trouble. He is charged with locating and bringing her to safety as the southern trek to London from her home is obviously inherent with its own special kind of danger for vulnerable and naive travelers like our Susannah. Hugh finds and rescues Susannah- annd here is where the fireworks begin and spark and explode until the end of the novel. Though she is utterly the opposite of the kind of woman he looks for, Hugh can not help his uncontrollable attraction and passion for Susannah. The close quarters and forced nocturnal intimacies ratchets up their barely leashed passion, several notches. Head strong and stubborn as she may be, Susannah is also a woman intrigued and devises her own plan to manipulate her circumstances to insure her freedom. Didn’t I say our girl was nothing short of resourceful! *wink*
The quickest way for a young woman to torpedo an engagement in this world is to undermine and sully her reputation. Thanks to her night of passion with Hugh, Susannah’s reputation is in tatters and Hugh, being well, Hugh, seeks to do the nobel thing and marry her, however, Susannah is having none of it and turns him down flat. Repeatedly. Annnd hilariously, decisively. Here the author rides a fine line with me, and rides it well as I like a little spine in my heroine, but too much of the lady doth protesting too much, and I can get turned off in a major way. Susannah’s refusals were her armor, she had to fight for her right to live her life on her own terms and marrying Hugh, even as she loved him, in relation to any sense of duty or propriety sent her reeling in the opposite direction. I could totally respect that and for the most part, championed her efforts.
Rebel Bride is action packed and super steamy. It has all the hallmarks of a good historical romance and I enjoyed it immensely. I imagine the flush of passion and the quirk of humor played across my features as I read this novel as both intertwined quite nicely to make for a truly solid experience. Not to mention that the darkness and intrigue of the Tudor court wove into the story in an intricate way, so much so that it was as much a part of the story as Hugh and Susannah’s romance. Tudor court fiction done right is extremely kick ass!! I absolutely appreciate the different vantage point to the King’s reign of terror. This was a court where whispered lies can send you to meet the headman’s axe and the wrong truth earned you a space to dangle at the gallows- the sense of self preservation and desperation and pervasive egg shell walking gave a great sense of tension and mystery to the story. These characters never really felt safe because they never really were safe and this added an authentic attachment and sense of angst while reading. Very well done.
Rebel Bride can stand alone for the most part, however, reading Wolf Bride first is not only a treat in and of itself, but it lends itself quite nicely when you have the familial backstory and some little nuances that enhance the experience of book 2. The wary fondness for Lord Wolf and appreciation for Eloise and her newlywed wins and fails also have greater context here! Ha! Definitely some enjoyable sub-context when reading as a part of the series. There is a definite and well earned HEA and I enjoyed rooting for this couple. Book three, Rose Bride is the next in the series and spoiler alert- it too was a hit for me as it bucks tradition and dares to be different. For sometime now, I seriously thought Philippa Gregory had cornered the market in this genre, and I was absolutely wrong. And I’m so freaking cool with that! Can I also say that these re-issues have great covers!
Previous Elizabeth Moss Reviews: Wolf Bride
Grade: A
Goodreads I Author’s Info I Series
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