CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: The Tapestry by Nancy Bilyeau Review and Giveaway!

North America & UK Publication Date: US Publication Date: March 24, 2015
UK Publication Date: April 24, 2015
Touchstone Publishing
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Pages: 390

Series: Joanna Stafford, Book Three
Genre: Historical Mystery

In THE CROWN, Sister Joanna Stafford searched for a Dark Ages relic that could save her priory from Cromwell’s advancing army of destruction. In THE CHALICE, Joanna was drawn into an international conspiracy against Henry VIII himself as she struggled to learn the truth behind a prophecy of his destruction.

Now, in THE TAPESTRY, Joanna Stafford finally chooses her own destiny.

After her Dominican priory in Dartford closed forever—collateral damage in tyrannical King Henry VIII’s quest to overthrow the Catholic Church—Joanna resolves to live a quiet and honorable life weaving tapestries, shunning dangerous quests and conspiracies. Until she is summoned to Whitehall Palace, where her tapestry weaving has drawn the King’s attention.

Joanna is uncomfortable serving the King, and fears for her life in a court bursting with hidden agendas and a casual disregard for the virtues she holds dear. Her suspicions are confirmed when an assassin attempts to kill her moments after arriving at Whitehall.

Struggling to stay ahead of her most formidable enemy yet, an unknown one, she becomes entangled in dangerous court politics. Her dear friend Catherine Howard is rumored to be the King’s mistress. Joanna is determined to protect young, beautiful, naïve Catherine from becoming the King’s next wife and, possibly, victim.

Set in a world of royal banquets and feasts, tournament jousts, ship voyages, and Tower Hill executions, this thrilling tale finds Joanna in her most dangerous situation yet, as she attempts to decide the life she wants to live: nun or wife, spy or subject, rebel or courtier. Joanna Stafford must finally choose.

Praise for The Tapestry

"Nancy Bilyeau's passion for history infuses her books and transports us back to the dangerous world of Tudor England. Vivid characters and gripping plots are at the heart of this wonderful trilogy, and this third book will not fail to thrill readers. Warmly recommended!" - Bestselling author Alison Weir

“Illuminated by Bilyeau’s vivid prose, minor players of Tudor England emerge from the shadows.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In THE TAPESTRY, Nancy Bilyeau brilliantly captures both the white-hot religious passions and the brutal politics of Tudor England. It is a rare book that does both so well.” —Sam Thomas, author of The Midwife’s Tale

“In spite of murderous plots, volatile kings, and a divided heart, Joanna Stafford manages to stay true to her noble character. Fans of Ken Follett will devour Nancy Bilyeau’s novel of political treachery and courageous love, set amid the endlessly fascinating Tudor landscape.” —Erika Robuck, author of Hemingway’s Girl

“These aren't your mother's nuns! Nancy Bilyeau has done it again, giving us a compelling and wonderfully realized portrait of Tudor life in all its complexity and wonder. A nun, a tapestry, a page-turning tale of suspense: this is historical mystery at its finest.” —Bruce Holsinger, author of A Burnable Book and The Invention of Fire

“A supremely deft, clever and pacy entertainment. This is Nancy Bilyeau's most thrilling—and enlightening—novel in the Joanna Stafford series yet.” —Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist and The Damned

“A master of atmosphere, Nancy Bilyeau imbues her novel with a sense of dread and oppression lurking behind the royal glamour; in her descriptions and characterizations... Bilyeau breathes life into history.” —Laura Andersen, author of The Boleyn King

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About the Author

Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Ladies Home Journal. She is currently the executive editor of DuJour magazine. Her screenplays have placed in several prominent industry competitions. Two scripts reached the semi-finalist round of the Nicholl Fellowships of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her screenplay "Zenobia" placed with the American Zoetrope competition, and "Loving Marys" reached the finalist stage of Scriptapalooza. A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013. THE TAPESTRY will be released in March 2015.

Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Stay in touch with her on Twitter at @tudorscribe. For more information or to sign up for Nancy's Newsletter please visit her official website.

My Thoughts

The Tapestry is the third book featuring Joanna Stafford. Joanna is a former nun from the priory in Dartford that has been closed, ordered by King Henry VIII. She does have some royal blood but court is the remotest place she wants to be. She is brought to the Tudor court, reluctantly, and is tasked with creating a tapestry for the King and inventory his many tapestries. On her first day at court, she is attacked by an unknown assailant. Thus starts her journey back into court life and it's many intrigues and backstabbing politics among the major players in the Tudor court. She is not a fan of King Henry VIII because of his dissolution on the monasteries and just his cruelness, but the King is currently married to Anne of Cleeves and has his sights set on Catherine Howard who Joanna is friends with. Catherine is young and very impressionable and Joanna wants to protect her from the scheming and irascible man that the king has become.

Joanna becomes fast friends with German painter Hans Holbein, who paints a picture of Catherine Howard that Joanna will incorporate into the tapestry she is tasked with creating. She uses her position of Tapestry Mistress to travel to Paris and Flanders and through Germany, she has an ulterior motive though. She found out that her friend and former fiancee, Edmund Sommerville, is in Germany but no one has seen or heard from him in a long time. So with her protector Geoffrey Scoville and Hans Holbein they travel into an area that is suffering from famine. During this time, Joanna has to figure out what the course of her life will be, does she want to marry or wait until England becomes a Catholic nation again so she can continue her life as a nun.

I did enjoy the previous two books in the series, but I think I liked this one the best. Joanna is a very likable character, finally able to see what it is she desires, to live a peaceful life away from the machinations of a corrupt court. Nancy Bilyeau is one of those kind of authors that tells a historical fiction story that is based on historical events and does so in an enjoyable and entertaining way. I loved the series for it's intrigue and suspense. I would recommend that you read the series starting with The Crown as it sets up the story right from the beginning. It is not a stand alone novel. I highly recommend this series for the Tudor fan and if you enjoy historical fiction in general.