Welcoming Karen Heenan and her book - Songbird - to my blog

 Today I'm welcoming Karen Heenan and her book - Songbird (The Tudor Court - Book 1) - to my blog as part of the blog tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club (founded by Mary Anne Yarde)

I'm delighted to share a review with you all, but first I will introduce the book as always.

Songbird

She has the voice of an angel...

But one false note could send her back to her old life of poverty.

After her father sells her to Henry VIII, ten-year-old Bess builds a new life as a royal minstrel, and earns the nickname "the king's songbird."

She comes of age in the dangerous Tudor court, where the stakes are always high, and where politics, heartbreak, and disease threaten everyone from the king to the lowliest musician.

Her world has only one constant: Tom, her first and dearest friend. But when Bess intrigues with Anne Boleyn and strains against the restrictions of life at court, will she discover that the biggest risk of all is listening to her own stubborn heart?

Publication Date: November 3, 2019

Publisher: Authors4Authors Publishing Cooperative

Page Length: 300 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

You can purchase the book via the following platforms -

 Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Barnes and Noble • Kobo

You can buy audio versions of the book (narrated by Jennifer Summerfield) via these platforms -

Audible • Authors Direct • Nook • Hoopla • Apple Books • Kobo • Scribd • Google Play • Amazon

Now for the review -

Bess is only two days from her tenth birthday when she is sold to King Henry VIII. Bess has the voice of an angel, and her family’s poverty forces the sale. Frightened, confused and alone, Bess feels set adrift as she watches her father leave. But when a thirteen-year-old boy takes her hand, she feels a sudden sense of peace, an anchor in this horrifying new world.

There are so many books written about the Tudor era, and in particular the court of Henry VIII, that I am finding it increasingly difficult to find a book that screams originality, so I approached Songbird with a little trepidation, hoping I was not going to be told the same old story again. Songbird, however, is not like any of the other Tudor books that have been published. It is unique because for once it is the king that is in the background and his musicians at the forefront.

In this novel we watch as Bess learns to accept the situation that she is in and, with Tom as her one constant, she becomes accustomed to her life and, perhaps, given time, she might find contentment. But Bess is to have no easy ride, and there is an awful lot that she must overcome before she can really find her place in this world.

Dear Reader, this novel is mesmerising. The historical setting, the historical scandal and the characters are vividly portrayed. Songbird is not the kind of book that once read you can walk away from. This story demands so much more from its readers than that. I have been so emotionally moved by this novel that I found myself unable to sleep as I tried to process what I had read.

If you enjoy highly emotional reads with characters that are unforgettable, then this is the novel for you. I think this book would certainly appeal to those who adored Laurie MacCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta’s “Reign”.

Karen Heenan

Karen Heenan was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She fell in love with books and stories before she could read, and has wanted to write for nearly as long. After far too many years in a cubicle, she set herself free to follow her dreams—which include gardening, sewing, traveling and, of course, lots of writing.

She lives in Lansdowne, PA, not far from Philadelphia, with two cats and a very patient husband, and is always hard at work on her next book.

You can connect with the author via these platforms -

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Book Bub • Amazon • Goodreads

You can also learn more about the book and the author by visiting the other blogs on this tour.

That's it for now.

Till the next time.

Take care Zoe.