The first three books in the romantic multigenerational saga by a New York Times–bestselling author whose novels have sold over 100 million copies. The Miracle at St. Bruno’sDuring the tumultuous reign of King Henry VIII, Damask Farland, named after a rose, is captivated by the mysterious orphan Bruno. Discovered upon the abbey altar on Christmas morning, then raised by monks, Bruno becomes the great man whom Damask grows to love—only to be shattered by his cruel betrayal. The Lion TriumphantWhile the rivalry between Inquisition-torn Spain and Elizabethan England seethes, Captain Jake Pennlyon thrives as a fearsome and virile plunderer who takes what he wants—and his sights are set on Catherine Farland. Blackmailed into wedlock, Cat vows to escape. Fate intervenes when she’s taken prisoner aboard a Spanish galleon . . . unaware that she’s a pawn in one man’s long-awaited revenge. The Witch from the SeaLinnet Pennlyon, proud daughter of a sea captain, finds herself in a vicious Pregnancy has forced her to marry the cunning Squire Colum Casvellyn. Once their baby is born, she devotes herself to their son. Yet, little by little, against her will, Linnet finds herself drawn to her passionate, mercurial husband. Dark secrets lurk in their castle, and when a beautiful stranger washes up on the shore, Linnet suddenly finds she’s no longer in control of her family—or her life. A legendary literary talent who also wrote as Victoria Holt and Jean Plaidy, among other names, Philippa Carr was a master of romance, mystery, and historical sweep—and the Daughters of England series is among her greatest accomplishments.
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Anna Percival and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities. -Wikipedia
Enjoyed the generational story pattern with historical overtones. It kept me wanting to read what would lie ahead for each level of their family during the difficult time they lived in. However, I found the author's writing of the men's continual abusive treatment of their wives to be overly offensive... and the women's loving an grateful ACCEPTANCE of it which did not make sense to me. A thumbs up read turned thumbs down.
Complex and gripping historical fiction , set in the time of Henry VIII , Elizabeth and James I. The characters are vividly alive the background historical scene scholarly .
who do dastardly deeds but have a modicum of attractiveness. The author conveys a sense of historical events as they would have been experienced bybtge people of that era.
I've always liked historical fiction but I never read anything by Philippa Carr. I really liked all three of these books in The Daughters of England series and would recommend these to anyone who enjoys historical fiction
Absolutely riveting historical read. If you are a fan of Phillipa Gregory, you will love these books. Page turning suspense keeps,you guessing on the mystery right up until the end of each novel.
Damask, Catherine, Linnet, Tamsyn…are the strong, independent female protagonists in this fascinating saga of The Daughters of England. The first clue that these stories are more along the lines of historical adventures than romances is the use of the first person. The reader's knowledge of the thoughts of the other characters comes directly from the narrator's thoughts and beliefs—and because she is sometimes mistaken, the reader finds herself equally astonished when certain truths are revealed.
Damask comes from a wealthy family; her father is a devout Catholic who watches Henry VIII's gradual power grab from the Church with concern. These are dangerous times for men with consciences, for anyone who disagrees openly with the king may soon find himself bending over a chopping block. Damask, like all girls, must marry, and she finds herself with a choice of her worthy distant cousin and another young man, whose birth was said to be miraculous, and who, unbeknownst to her, harbors lofty ambitions.
Her daughter Catherine finds herself on the Spanish island of Tenerife, the victim of a revenge plot. With little hope of rescue, she tries to make the most of her situation, and when her liberation is finally at hand, she is horrified by the direction it takes and fears that there will be worse problems ahead. Great description of the events leading up to and following the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Linnet is well on her way to becoming the wife of a worthy businessman when she suddenly finds herself wed to a cocky brute eerily reminiscent of her own father. Although theirs is a volatile relationship, they share a passionate nature, and Linnet is content. But then a beautiful Spaniard washes up on the shore, and suddenly Linnet begins to have doubts about her marriage…and her husband's mysterious occupation.
These books will take you through a hundred years of English history as though you were there living it yourself. I'd forgotten how much I liked the first-person point of view, since it's fallen out of fashion in recent years, but in these stories, its use strengthens the link between the narrator and the reader, to the point where you feel you are Damask, Catherine, Linnet, and Tamsyn.
Although Philippa Carr (aka Victoria Holt) began her sprawling Daughters of England series before I was born, I stumbled across some ancient copies at our local library one summer break. I can still smell the mildew when I think about my terrific find, and I laugh when I think about how thrilling her books were to me then. I am delighted that Open Road Media is reissuing these gems of gothic and historical romance, so I can re-read them and recommend them to a new generation of readers. Age and experience have made reading these three books slightly less thrilling than when I was a teenager, but they are still a solid source of entertainment for modern readers of historical romance with a hint of intrigue. Although the first volume, The Miracle at St. Bruno’s, gets off to a bit of a slow start, the second and third volumes included in this bundle are much faster paced. The pirate-themed second book, The Lion Triumphant, provides page-turning action and adventure. The Witch from the Sea takes place in Cornwall and was my all-time favorite Phillipa Carr title.
I look forward to purchasing these reprints for our school library, since the content is clean and very easy to read. Recommended for lovers of clean, historical romance, who prefer plot-driven fiction over historical analysis.
I've read all 3 of the Daughters of England and thoroughly enjoyed all.
I chose this rating because it carried from one generation to another. It allowed me to see how one generation affected the other. Also it allows one to see that happiness can be had even under undesirable circumstances. Each woman of a generation looked to their mothers for advice when trying times came wherever they could. An excellent lesson for today's generation. I would recommend this book to oldest teens and adults. .
Part of a series of mother to daughter generations stories telling the history of England from Henry VIII to WW II. Fabulous to read them all in order. Each one is a gem; each is surprising and well written.
This edition of kindle had the first three books grouped; it was a little misleading as you watched how far you had read in the book...but it was for all three books...so the first finished about a third of the way.
Wonderful re-release of classic Carr! These are sweet romances perfect for all ages. If you think Book 1 – the Miracle at St. Bruno is a bit slow – KEEP READING! Soon you won’t want to stop. Very well written. Enjoy! NetGalley provided an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars!