Helen R. Davis

Cleopatra VII was raised in the tumultuous Egyptian political climate. From her infancy she was prepared by her father to one day rule Egypt beside her brother. As a daughter of Isis, Cleopatra prayed to the goddess for support and guidance. Little did Cleopatra know of the road ahead with death, deception, love, loss and the eventual happiness that Isis had in store for her when Cleopatra showed her worth.

Cleopatra Unconquered is another wonderful story of 'what if," an alternative history to Cleopatra VII life and reign if she and Marc Antony were not defeated by Octavian in the Battle of Actium. As the first of a three part series however, most of the book is deeply rooted in Cleopatra's history and not turning the tides until the end. I enjoyed learning about how Cleopatra might have grown up and the trials she had to endure, especially within her own family. I was very interested in her time away from Egypt and how she followed her father into his Exile in Rome; this seemed to have a great impact on her later decisions. A wonderful layer that was added to the story was the point of view from the Vault of Nut where Isis, Athena and Cleopatra's mother, father and others in her life who had passed could look down on her, affect her decisions and move ahead through time. This perspective allowed another layer of depth to Cleopatra's winding path through life and the choices she made. Cleopatra's story intensifies as she heads into battle and becomes a commander and financier and I was enveloped in her battle. I am so glad that Cleopatra's story no longer has to end so soon and can't wait to see where it leads next.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (meer)

"The Most Happy: An Alternate History of Anne Boleyn" by Helen R. Davis is an interesting story of what might have been. Being a fan of the Tudor period, I really enjoyed reading Ms. Davis's alternate history.

Instead of being killed, Anne Boleyn gets to live and becomes Regent of England after Henry VIII is killed in an accident. In this story, Anne is not the witch that she is normally portrayed as. Far from being evil, Anne is shown as a real human being, with many good characteristics. Anne reads her Bible, prays and is interested in the Reformation. She also has her flaws. She has doubts and fears and is very fearful of her position (as any wife of Henry VIII would understandably be). I appreciate that Ms. Davis still tries to paint Anne in a very realistic way, but doesn't shy away from showing a sometimes selfish and mean Anne, whose character grows throughout the story. I didn't like her character a lot in the beginning, but I appreciate the changes she makes in the end.

I found it especially interesting to see Anne's relationships with the women who would have been Henry's other wives and how they all interact with one another. The story is ironic at points in how things play out and it's even more fun to read if you come into this story knowing about the Tudors and Tudor history. Ms. Davis does an excellent job of weaving history with fiction and creating a believable alternate history.

Content: I give this story a PG-13 rating. This being about the Tudor era, there is more content than in the books I normally review. From the author: "There is some sex and violence but it happens off screen."

Rating: I give this book 3.5 stars.

Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction; Tudor; Medieval
I want to thank Helen R. Davis, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, and Editorial Caliope for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.… (meer)

Imagine what England might have been like if Anne Boleyn had birthed a son for King Henry VIII. This story imagines just that, instead of being cast aside after the birth of Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn gives birth to twins, Elizabeth and Edward VI, securing a legitimate male heir for the throne. King Henry VIII still entertains his womanizing ways, but his jousting accident comes before he can push Anne aside and Henry names Anne the Regent until Edward comes of age. It is now up to Anne to weather the tense political climate building between England, France and Spain and to secure the throne for her children until Edward comes of age.
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As an avid reader of all things Tudor, I was very excited to see what could be imagined for Anne Boleyn if her life was continued past her short reign as Queen. Some points in history were kept the same throughout this alternative historical fiction tale, but some were obviously changed. It was interesting to see the new roles that Henry VIII's real life next wives took, many now served Queen Anne, some more faithfully than others. I was also fascinated by the insight of Queen Anne as she aged. She was very remorseful of her treatment to Katherine of Aragon and Mary, especially since she was almost placed in the same situation. Queen Anne also explained many times that it was not she who pushed herself onto Henry, but she merely could not say no to the King. I was also intrigued how, at the end everything seemed to turn out the way that history intended. I did wish that the book went into more detail, this was a shorter story, so time moved quickly and many events simply happened and were not experienced through reading. I would have loved to be engrossed in this alternate history for a little longer and have had the characters expanded upon a bit more. Overall, an insightful look into what might have been for Henry VIII's 'Most Happy' Queen.

​This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (meer)