Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is $2.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal and is being price-matched. You can check out the other deals today here. This is the story of Henry VIII’s court from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. This is the first book in Mantel’s series, and it was a HUGE word of mouth phenomenon when it came out, but some readers mentioned that had trouble getting into the writing. Have you read this one? Did you love it or hate it?
In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII’s court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king’s favor and ascend to the heights of political power
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king’s freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum.
Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?
In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage. With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.
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The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe is 99c! This is the first book in Abe’s Drakon historical paranormal romance series. I really enjoyed this book and the world Abe created with dragons. The hero is definitely an Alpha hero and can be a jackass at times, which some readers found off-putting. But I went on to read the rest of the Drakon series. Book one in Abe’s paranormal YA series is also on sale.
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary….
Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the drakon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the drakon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half drakon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?
From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the drakon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist….
In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.
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RECOMMENDED: Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron is $1.99! This was mentioned on a previous podcast and a previous Whatcha Reading. The second book, One Good Dragon Deserves Another, is also on sale! Sarah loved this book:
Nice Dragons Finish Last is fast-moving fantasy adventure with outstanding worldbuilding. It’s an experience to read.
As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn’t fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.
Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ–a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit–Julius has one month to prove that he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are considered monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test.
He only hopes humans are more trustworthy than dragons…
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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The Forbidden Duke by Darcy Burke is 99c! This is a romance between a “ruined” heroine and the man who ruined her. The romance is on the shorter side, which readers either loved because they wanted a quick read, or disliked because the characterization wasn’t as fleshed out as they would have liked. It’s the first book in the Unmentionables series and it has a 3.8-star rating on Goodreads.
Spinster Miss Eleanor Lockhart is suddenly homeless and employment is her only option. Ruined after succumbing to a scoundrel’s excessive charm nearly a decade ago, she’s lucky to obtain a position as a paid companion and committed to behaving with the utmost propriety. She definitely shouldn’t be in the arms of a man capable of utterly destroying what little remains of her reputation…
Titus St. John, Duke of Kendal, is known as the Forbidden Duke, a mysterious, intimidating figure who enters Society just once each year at his stepmother’s ball. A decade ago, he was a devil-may-care rake until his idle roguery brought about the ruin of Eleanor Lockhart—and his resulting self-imposed isolation. Now she’s back, and she needs his help. But by “saving” her, he may just ruin her life all over again.
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I had some nits with the worldbuilding in the Heartstrikers books, but otherwise they were a nice quick read and a lot of fun.
I tried to read Wolf Hall, but didn’t like the writing. There were a lot of long conversations with no context, so I couldn’t tell who was talking.
I adored Wolf Hall! Readers who (like me) have trouble reading about violence against children might want to skim/skip the first chapter, which portrays eight-year-old Cromwell’s escape from an abusive household. But it’s a brilliant book: smart, sexy, and stunningly well-written. Mantel’s sentences are mouth-wateringly good; for instance:
“In the forest you may find yourself lost, without companions. You may come to a river which is not on a map. You may lose sight of your quarry, and forget why you are there. You may meet a dwarf, or the living Christ, or an old enemy of yours; or a new enemy, one you do not know until you see his face appear between the rustling leaves, and see the glint of his dagger. You may find a woman asleep in a bower of leaves. For a moment, before you don’t recognize her, you will think she is someone you know.”
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack. You may find yourself in another part of the world. You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife. You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?
(Sorry. Couldn’t resist, and can’t imagine that style would be tolerable to me for more than a 4-minute song.)
Erin I’m no doubt being thick and not reading properly, but which is the Heartstriker book please?
I’m not generally a fan of first person narration, but second person really puts that in perspective. It is excruciating. So Wolf Hall was tough for me to get through, but worth it. Making Cromwell sympathetic was something I would have said simply could not be done.
@Jazzlet: Heartstrikers is the Rachel Aaron dragon series. 🙂
I can’t imagine writing (or reading) a whole book written in second person!
Wolf Hall is amazing. I wasn’t sure I’d love it but I tore through it and found it fascinating and touching.
I can also vouch for The Smoke Thief. I think I feel a reread coming on.
Thank you Carolyn!
Wolf Hall is amazing. It’s laborious, difficult, and heartbreaking. I realized I couldn’t read it anywhere I did not have complete concentration. I rarely cry during books and I sobbed. I also liked that it doesn’t spell out everything about the Tudor era for the reader. But yes, skim the first chapter if necessary. I think there’s an Amazon review that makes the good point of clarity that says whenever Mantel writes ‘he’ without specifying who, it’s always Cromwell. Mantel is also an interesting character whom I admire very much.
I listened to the audio version of Wolf Hall and it was wonderful. Simon Slater’s narration is superb. His tone and inflections make Cromwell an appealing character with a sardonic sense of humour, and the effortless variation in all the different voices makes it easy to tell who’s speaking, so much so that I never noticed any odd stylistic choices. But Mantel’s lyrical and thoughtful prose still shines through; I have never concentrated so much during an audiobook before (or paused it so often to reflect and savour) but I loved every minute of it. I was so disappointed to find that the sequel has a different narrator, so I had to read the print version of that one. Slater WAS Cromwell and I couldn’t get his voice out of my head. It did help that I already had some basic knowledge of the key figures of the era, though.
What Melissa said. A great book.
And I still find “Call me Risley” hugely funny, as I’d tried for years to figure out how in the world one would pronounce “Wriothesley””.
Wolf Hall also shines a slightly different historical light on various figures: Katherine of Aragon and Thomas More are much less sympathetic characters than usual, and Princess Mary (the future Bloody Mary) much more sympathetic.
I loooooooved Nice Dragons Finish Last. I thought the world was cool and I really liked the beta hero. If it’s on sale, I hope that means the next one is coming out!!!
I do agree that there are some issues with the world building but I liked the story enough that it didn’t ruin the series for me.
Neither Wolf Hall the book or mini-series held my attention. I got about half way though each and gave up. I’d rather read The Other Boleyn Girl again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m also in the camp of “couldn’t finish Wolf Hall”… I love reading about the Tudor era, I was reading it in a private cabin on a 26-hour train journey, but I just couldn’t get in to it and decided that life is too short to read books I’m not enjoying.
I’m a huge historical fiction fan, so when WOLF HALL came out I was first in line to grab it. Mantel’s writing style is definitely different, and it took me a handful of times just to get through the first chapter and figure out who was saying what (she refers to Cromwell only as “he” throughout the first scene, which is hugely confusing). But once I got through the first couple chapters, I was totally hooked. WOLF HALL is probably one of my favorite books ever, and I even went to see the plays while I was in London a couple years ago. The miniseries is also very good, but subtle in a way many “costume dramas” aren’t (which I loved, but if you’re expecting the camp and cheese of, say, THE TUDORS, look elsewhere). Moral of the story: worth your time, especially for $2.99. Give yourself some time to figure it out, because when you do, it will blow your freaking mind.
Add me to the camp of people who was amazed that someone could make me feel sympathy for Cromwell, of all people. I now live a Wolf Hall appreciation life. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve rewatched the series, I squee about Marlinspike the kitten and Mark Rylance’s dear face on tumblr, I adore Hilary Mantel’s writing, and I read Cromwell/Mary Boleyn fanfic on AO3. I have no shame.
If no one else is going to squee about THE SMOKE THIEF then I will! I never miss a chance to recommend this book, as it was one of my first gateway drugs into paranormal, and steampunk, and is still one of my all time favorites!
I read The Smoke Thief about once a year. The writing is beautiful, the story is compelling, and the romance/chemistry is delicious. The heroine is as alpha as the hero. Love this one! I highly recommend it!
After Wolf Hall was recommended so many times, I finally broke down and tried to listen to it. (I listed to far more books than I read these days, thanks to my endless commute.) Alas, I struggled.so.much that I gave up on it. I kept hitting “replay last 30 seconds” and hitting retart. I finally just gave up.
Gah … “Listen” not “listed” and “restart” not “retart” … although I guess that could work for a prostitute who tried to go straight but then “retarted.”