Brazen
Historical fiction often challenges a writer to weave an entertaining story around actual events and people. But the more the audience knows about a time period, the more criticism of embellishing is apt to surface. In her third novel about Henry VIII’s reign, Longshore circumvents this dilemma by choosing as her heroine Mary Fitzroy, the rarely referenced 14-year-old bride of Henry’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond. History tells us little except that Mary was outspoken in defense of her land and title after her husband’s untimely death. Longshore has crafted this tidbit into a delightful character study of a quiet, yet spunky young woman who skirted the edges of treason and subsequent censure in part due to her friendship with members of the court. With detailed descriptions of both the lavish royal lifestyle and the brutal horror of Henry VIII’s determination to become the head of the church, readers will find themselves both fascinated and terrified as this independent young woman fights to live and love on her own terms. Grades 9-12. --Frances Bradburn