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The Pleasure Palace

(Secrets of the Tudor Court #1)

Kate Emerson

3.68 · Rating details · 4,181 ratings · 228 reviews

Beautiful. Seductive. Innocent. Jane Popyncourt was brought to the court as a child to be ward of the king and a companion to his daughters -- the princesses Margaret and Mary.

With no money of her own, Jane could not hope for a powerful marriage, or perhaps even marriage at all. But as she grows into a lovely young woman, she still receives flattering attention from the v ...more

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Paperback, 372 pages

Published February 3rd 2009 by Pocket (first published January 22nd 2009)

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Start your review of The Pleasure Palace (Secrets of the Tudor Court, #1)

Apr 19, 2010 Kristy rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, historical

When I bought this I was afraid of it; I was scared of what the title "The Pleasure Palace" would infer into this book. I thought it was going to be littered with erotica. I was afraid it would be all sex and no story.
I also thought it was going to deal with "the tudors", as in the encore show, as in Anne Boelyn and Jane Seymour, etc....

Wrong on pretty much all accounts. There was hardly any sex in this one at all and the scenes included were very short and left much for you to fill in for your ...more

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Feb 22, 2009 Misfit rated it really liked it

Shelves: tudor-lite, get-it-from-the-library, historical-fiction, one-time-read-only

(3.5) Emerson's first book in what I believe is going to be a series set during the Tudor period is based upon Jane Popyncourt, a member of the Tudor Court and of whom very little is known, giving the author more leeway to craft her tale. When the French King dies mysteriously Jane's mother flees to England with her daughter and seeks shelter with her twin brother at Henry VII's court. Jane is taken to Eltham to be raised with the royal children and after the mysterious death of her mother she i ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Bookish Ally rated it it was ok

2.75 wavering stars.

I found a historical inaccuracy and that, in itself, would have been a huge mark against it. I love the premise of Jane Popincourt but found this book to be a fluffy piece about a woman without a lot of personal dignity. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone but the most casual reader of historical fiction.

I am removing everything by this author from my list to read. I do not mean that as scathing. It would be a good first book for someone to read about this era. I just m ...more

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May 20, 2013 Elena rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Elena by: Goodreads

Shelves: tudors, read-in-english, cover-love, historical-fiction, england, 2014, reviewed, library-books

Borrowed from Open Library.

Jane Popyncourt is a name that sometimes pops up in Tudor biographies. She was a french woman who arrived at the English Court to teach french to Mary and Margaret Tudor, daughters of Henry VII. She probably had a brief affair with Henry VIII, and was also the notorious mistress of the duke de Longueville. Apart from that, little else is known about Jane, and this gives Emerson vast possibilities to develop her story.

The Pleasure Palace is heavy on the fluffy side: its Borrowed from Open Library.

Jane Popyncourt is a name that sometimes pops up in Tudor biographies. She was a french woman who arrived at the English Court to teach french to Mary and Margaret Tudor, daughters of Henry VII. She probably had a brief affair with Henry VIII, and was also the notorious mistress of the duke de Longueville. Apart from that, little else is known about Jane, and this gives Emerson vast possibilities to develop her story.

The Pleasure Palace is heavy on the fluffy side: its attention is primarily on Jane and does not waste much time on important historical events. However, it is also historically accurate: its strongest point is, in fact, its rich, detailed and accurate setting. Emerson fully explores what it meant being a courtier at the English Court: descriptions of the masques, tournaments and festivities are meticulous and engrossing. I have read many Tudors novels, but most of them tend to focus mostly on the characters' relationships and present only a vague setting. Emerson's novel, instead, truly succeeds in bringing the Tudor Court to life.

Another remarkable, original characteristic of the book is that it features, even if as secondary characters, historical figures who are usually not much used in historical fiction: for example Henry VIII's companions and friends, and also fascinating women like Princess Mary, Bessie Blount and Catherine Gordon.

What the novel sadly lacks is a strong and absorbing plot. The story follows Jane's life, and mostly revolves around her love stories and the mystery surrounding her family (Jane and are mother had to flee from France when she was a child, and her mother died shortly after arriving in England). However, nothing much happens in the whole book: the mystery is easily guessable, and it is so lightly featured in the story that it was difficult to become involved in it. In fact, Jane starts to wonder about her mother's secrets only after she meets again with a childhood friend, many years after she fled from France. I found highly unbelievable that she had not thought about her mother for such a long time. Even after she decides to discover the truth, her investigation is slow, difficult and not at all satisfactory.
As for Jane's relationships with men, I liked how Emerson explained the rumours about her affair with Henry VIII, and I was pleasantly surprised that she did not idealize her affair with the duke of Longueville. As for her relationship with Guy, (view spoiler)

In the end, The Pleasure Palace is worth a try because of its beautiful setting and of its focus on less known historical figures, but I would not recommended it if you like a plot with many twists and turns. I am not sure if I will continue with the series: after all, this book was an enjoyable experience, but I am not really intrigued by the next books' premises. ...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Elysium rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, historical, tudor, read-in-2012

2.5 stars

After the king of France dies, Jane’s mother flees to England where her twin brother lives in the court of King Henry VII. Jane is taken as a ward by Henry VII and to be raised with the royal children. She is just settling down to the new life when her uncle tells her the news of her mother’s death.

As an adult Jane serves princess Mary when her life takes a turn when French prisoner comes to court with his bastard half-brother who happens to be Jane’s childhood friend. Now that her frie ...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Tanzanite rated it it was ok

Actually, 2.5 stars (average). Overall, a light fluffy read with an interesting storyline that failed to live up to its potential. Few facts are known about the real Jane Popyncourt, giving the author quite a bit of creative latitude which she fails to take advantage of. The big mystery as to why Jane and her mother left France was weak and not very interesting. Since the author admits to making it up, it really could have been so much more spectacular.

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Jun 23, 2011 Orsolya rated it liked it

Shelves: mistresses-royalty, tudor-england, historical-fiction, library

I read this book relatively recently (okay, within the past year) and can't remember much about it aside from the name of the main character and that I looked her up on the internet after reading the book. That says something, right? I do remember liking it but obviously not a standout novel. Please note: I actually have a strikingly good memory. ...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Jordan Taylor rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, european-royalty, renaissance, 1500-s-england, not-another-tudor-book, published-2000-s

From beginning to end, this was a fluffy book that made for painful reading.

It is the story of Jane Popyncourt, who flees 1500's France to England with her mother at a young age. There, she does her best to blend into the royal court of King Henry VIII.

I was bored by the hollow characters here, especially Jane herself. Her thoughts seemed so wooden and scripted.
The writing was abrupt and hurried through, certain things struck me as a bit too unrealistic, and there were a few plot points that wer From beginning to end, this was a fluffy book that made for painful reading.

It is the story of Jane Popyncourt, who flees 1500's France to England with her mother at a young age. There, she does her best to blend into the royal court of King Henry VIII.

I was bored by the hollow characters here, especially Jane herself. Her thoughts seemed so wooden and scripted.
The writing was abrupt and hurried through, certain things struck me as a bit too unrealistic, and there were a few plot points that were never really tied up.
The basis of the story, which has Jane's mother fleeing her country, is never fully explained.

For a few chapters, Jane spends a great deal of pages coming up with an involved, elaborate plan to get the king alone in order to speak with him privately. However, this never made much sense to me because Jane seems to have a good relationship with the king, and sees him as often as she wishes. Surely she could simply ask to speak to him privately, or lower her voice? But no. Instead, she hatches a scheme to pretend-seduce the king, culminating in his being in his bedroom with her and about to undress her (is that alone enough?). At this moment, Jane tells him that actually, there will be no sex. In fact, quite the opposite - she wants him to do a favor for her. Considering the fact that Henry VIII was known for being so lusty and prone to tantrums (not to mention being a man), I found it very suspicious that he accepts this bewildering changing of the tides with little more than a twinge of disappointment. And to make everything even worse, Jane's secret request isn't even secretive. It wouldn't have mattered if she had asked the King in public after all. The whole thing was ridiculous.

The above paragraph is simply one example of writing that often made no sense. A smaller thing would be that Jane recognizes her brother immediately after not seeing him since she was 9 (I cannot remember how old she was at the time, but most likely around 20), and doesn't even make that big of a deal of their reunion.
Jane is always being described as innocent and good and child-like, though she does take a lover, which would almost certainly have lost her these titles in her day and age. The King himself calls her "child" when she is in her 30's, and not as a pet name. Um...
I was annoyed at Jane constantly referring to her romantic interest, Guy, as if it was the first time the reader was hearing of him. Hundreds of pages after we first meet Guy, she is still saying "I saw his brother, Guy..." or "I say a young man named Guy Dunois walking by..." Alright, we know who he is now!

I cannot think of anything I enjoyed about this poorly written book. ...more

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May 31, 2012 Angela rated it it was ok

The Pleasure Palace was a fast-paced Tudor romance with dashes of mystery and a great dose of scandal that cannot be a Tudor historical without. The Pleasure Palace is a fictional account of the life of Jane Poppycourt, friend of Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII's sister. Transforming a woman with little historical evidence, Kate Emerson creates a wonderfully imagined, yet believable story behind the woman who sent letters to Mary.

Jane Poppycourt is a young girl when she and her mother move to Engla The Pleasure Palace was a fast-paced Tudor romance with dashes of mystery and a great dose of scandal that cannot be a Tudor historical without. The Pleasure Palace is a fictional account of the life of Jane Poppycourt, friend of Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII's sister. Transforming a woman with little historical evidence, Kate Emerson creates a wonderfully imagined, yet believable story behind the woman who sent letters to Mary.

Jane Poppycourt is a young girl when she and her mother move to England from France for mysterious reasons that her mother is not willing to divulge. Finding herself in a new land, forced to learn a different language and customs, not to mention fitting in with the royal children of England, Jane gains powerful connections that last when she matures as a teenager, and finally in her twenties. During her stay at the Tudor court, Jane learns of the love, scandal and passion that all possess deep in their hearts.

Honestly, The Pleasure Palace is not an extraordinary Tudor historical fiction. There is the notoriety that all novels possess, but lacks in the description department. Much of the descriptions are omitted or extremely brief, which forces the reader to imagine much of the court themselves, which is difficult for people who do not read Tudor fiction often, such as me.

There is also the ridiculousness of Jane. Jane is one of those heroines who you want to slap often for her unrealistic, not to mention pathetic decision making. It is understandable that she is human, therefore she is bound to make mistakes. However, Jane has this innocence, which takes the blame for her errors, that is impossible to find in such a setting as Tudor court. The book mentions her learning of sexual intercourse and other things that a woman is bound to already know at such an old age. It is indeed unfortunate that Jane does not.

The romantic feel of The Pleasure Palace is also lacking. There is not passion, or real passion, in fact. Scenes between Jane and her love interest are rare and few in between until the end. The whole plot, in fact, is anti-climatic. No real exciting events are portrayed in this account of Jane Poppycourt. Love between Jane and "He Who Shall Not Be Named" seems paltry in comparison to the other ones who are supposedly obscured in favor of Jane's love, but are truly not. Those passionate relationships are so much more vivid and colorful.

The Pleasure Palace is definitely not a genius of historical fiction. The writing is well done, so I must give the author some credit, despite the dry, choppy story line.

...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Heather rated it liked it

Author Kate Emerson has picked the Tudor Court during Henry the VIII's reign as the setting for her novel "Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace." I absolutely adore historical fiction (former "Dear America" junkie here) so the premise for this book was quite appealing. However, this book is an example of the good idea that's needs better execution (perhaps on the guillotine, non?).

For starters, Emerson could have tried harder not to give away the love interest of her main gal Jane Pop ...more

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May 25, 2009 Haley rated it really liked it

Shelves: tudor-history, historical-fiction, read-in-2009, couldn-t-put-down

(4.5) I was REALLY reluctant to not give this 5 stars, but I’m trying to not be such a softie on the ratings. The flow stalled occasionally and it’s a bit of a slow start but it is most definitely worth the read if you fit into my recommended to section.
I’ve read a fair amount of Tudor history novels, and also check out that section in Barnes and Noble/ Borders, and I’ve got say, this is probably the most original premise, the most original heroine, I’ve read or heard of concerning the genre.
Jan ...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it liked it

Shelves: history, mystery

The first in the historical fiction series, Secrets of the Tudor Court, Pleasure Palace takes place through the eyes of Jeanne/Jane Popyncourt from age 8 through 26 in the last 11 years of Henry VII and the first 7 years of Henry VIII.

Jane has a particularly up close and personal view of the court as she immediately is assigned to the Royal Nursery to speak French with the young Tudors, primarily the Princesses Margaret and Mary forming a part of Mary's court when Margaret marries James IV of Sc ...more

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Sep 04, 2018 Beverly Diehl rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, tudors

3.5 stars. I love Tudor history, real or fictionalized, so I was sure I would love this book. Instead I liked it, a lot. The main character, Jane Popyncourt, was a real historical figure at the Tudor courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII, and not a whole lot is known about her.

I loved plunging into that era, and the details are rich and evocative. But it felt like it (the book) didn't quite know what it wanted to be. There was romance, but that wasn't the main thread; what I found did not work for ...more

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Aug 07, 2019 chucklesthescot rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, monarchy, tudors-wotr, historical

On the death of King Charles VIII of France, Jeanne's world is turned upside down when her mother, a lady at the Court, suddenly flees with her to relatives in England, changing her daughter's name to Jane and hers to Joan. Joan takes up a position as lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, wife to King Henry VII, while Jane joins Princess Mary and Margaret to teach them better French. Jane becomes friends with the princesses and the sons of several well known courtiers being educated with them. She On the death of King Charles VIII of France, Jeanne's world is turned upside down when her mother, a lady at the Court, suddenly flees with her to relatives in England, changing her daughter's name to Jane and hers to Joan. Joan takes up a position as lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, wife to King Henry VII, while Jane joins Princess Mary and Margaret to teach them better French. Jane becomes friends with the princesses and the sons of several well known courtiers being educated with them. She finds she has to rely on their support after the sudden death of Joan, leaving her at Court purely on the kindness of the King.

Jane was a real person at the English Court and the author has decided to use her as the main character in this Tudor drama, creating a whole colourful backstory for her that is probably mostly fiction. She serves Princess Mary until Mary is sent to France to marry the French King, and Jane has to remain in England. Her romances begin with a flirtation with the handsome Charles Brandon, closest friend of young Prince Henry but he soon loses interest in Jane in favour of wealthier prospects, something she fears will constantly be a problem in her future. Things seem to improve when a prisoner of war is brought to be housed in London and Jane develops an instant attraction to him, and him to her. Their affair begins secretly with Jane seduced by the hope that this wealthy man will take her back to France with him when he is finally ransomed. As far as I'm aware the affair with the Duke was real and Jane was notorious because of it.

Jane, at least in this story, has another reason for wanting to go to France. She is bothered by the details coming out about her mother's death which is starting to sound like a deliberate poisoning rather than a fever sickness but trying to track down everyone who knew her mother at that time is difficult and she is soon warned about sticking her nose into things that don't concern her. She starts to wonder if Joan's possible murder is connected to the unknown reasons that made Joan flee the French Court for the assumed safety of England. The arrival of her childhood friend Guy who serves her new Duke lover, tells her she and her mother were assumed dead and that there was a big search for Joan in the days after she went missing.

I admit that this is not my favourite Tudor book. I did like the early pages with Jane's journey to England and settling in at the Palace where she makes friends with the children of well known courtiers, growing up with the likes of Will Compton. It was as the book goes on that things started to get a bit tedious for me. I was fine with the Charles Brandon plot which was interesting and I wish it had been more developed, whether it was based on fact or fiction not bothering me one way on the other. His character has always interested me. I didn't find the Duke anywhere near as interesting though I guess it was ok to read about their secret affair and the problems it caused Jane when people found out. I would rather have seen her relationship with Henry VIII as the main focus for the story as there have been rumours that she really was the mistress of Henry. Instead the author went for focus on just the Duke and a historical side story which was a little disappointing.

I really didn't care much for the historical side story. This paragraph does contain spoilers for the main twist in the book so read ahead with caution, though it wasn't difficult to guess from the start of the book that this was where the plot would eventually lead. Joan was actually the bastard daughter of Henry VII when he was in exile, and he took in her and earlier her brother in positions at his Court, keeping it as the family secret. The hints are that Henry's mother Margaret murdered Joan because of this. I'm really not sure why she's murdering Joan one minute and is happy to let her brother live? A bastard son is more dangerous than a bastard daughter! Why kill Joan but not Jane? What is the purpose to it? It didn't really make sense to me. I found it a pretty weak and uninteresting plot. The search for answers was just dull and dragged on for most of the book and it never became interesting.

Jane herself was a pretty weak character. A lot was made of how pretty she was but she was also an airhead. She was constantly warned about sullying her reputation by hanging around the likes of Charles Brandon and her affair with the Duke but seemed to be motivated by lust, and then she wondered why she was unfairly seen as the Court slut. She was far from subtle about her digging for information so she is a ridiculous figure for Henry VIII to use as his spy. I really feel that I ploughed through this book more than read it. It felt so slow and dull in places and I wasn't really enjoying the plot or the way it was delivered. I kept going because there were interesting bits in it but the rest of it was padding that I wasn't liking. I really wish the focus had been more toward Henry and less of the Duke and his aide.

I have the other books in this series to read but there needs to be a massive improvement in style and content for me to finish the next offering.

2.5 stars. ...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Annie rated it liked it

This Tudor England, historical/fiction novel was one of the better ones I've read, but if I could give all writers looking to write one of these a piece of advice from the reader: Make them shorter! For heaven's sake! We don't need to cover someone's entire life to get the idea of what's going on! "The Pleasure Palace" (by the way, the name is no good. Everyone thought I was reading a Harlequin Romance Novel!) is better than a lot of other one's I read, but it spanned nearly 30 years! At some po ...more

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Apr 02, 2009 Anne rated it liked it

Like The Other Boleyn Girl this book gives the reader a glimpse of life in the Tudor court from the imagined prospective of a minor figure in history. Although we know very little about Jane, we do know that she was a witness to an era that continues to fascinate people nearly five hundred years later. Henry VIII and his court changed the way governments work and the relationship between church and state.

This book gives the readers a glimpse of what it might have been like to have been both an ...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Rio (Lynne) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, but this book never grabbed me. Since we don't know much about the real Jane Popyncourt, the author had a lot of room to make things interesting. She never really brought her to life. She seemed to not really know where the character was going. One minute she wanted Charles Brandon, the next she easily jumps into bed with the Duc. Then she starts having feelings for someone she didn't even notice in the beginning. It just didn't flow for me. I never cared a ...more

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Nov 01, 2011 NayNay rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book, in my opinion, it is written very well. Kate Emerson's writing captivates the time and place. Details are well placed and the attention to the life in the Tudor court (things like clothing and sports and tournaments) are very vivid. The characters are well developed and realistic. This novel is part of a series called Secrets of the Tudor Court; there are three more books in the series, and I am looking forward to reading them all.
I would highly recommend PLEASURE PL ...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Angie rated it liked it

Shelves: summer-2009, historical-fiction

This is a nice piece of historical fluff. I usually like something a little more historically based, but this is historically acurate with a frilly romantic story attached. This is a great beach book, and worth reading for the entertainment factor.

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Nov 17, 2010 Gloria rated it liked it

Recommends it for: those interested in historical fiction - esp. King Henryviii court

Recommended to Gloria by: Barnes & Nobel

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

It was an enjoyable read. It wasn't as "meaty" as Philippa Gregory's books, but still gave some info. on Henry's court life. It was kinder to Henry than Gregory's, but it told the story of one of the "lady's in waiting". ...more

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Mar 11, 2015 Emma rated it it was ok

Shelves: did-not-finish, historical-fiction

I'm on a roll of unpleasant reads, it seems. I normally love historical fiction but when this didn't catch my attention within the first 60 pages, I decided to put it away.

Jane's background is boring and her personality seems willfully naive to the point of annoyance. No, thank you. ...more

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May 19, 2014 Laura Wiltshire rated it really liked it

Another Philippa Gregory- brilliantly adapted historical fiction, guaranteed to hook & educate you simultaneously.

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May 11, 2019 Didi rated it really liked it

This novel was not as torrid as the title suggests.
Jane Popyncourt was a woman raised in the royal nursery with Henry VIII; her role was to teach the Princesses Margaret and Mary French. Drawing from the few, yet intriguing, facts known about Popyncourt, Kate Emerson has crafted a very readable novel.

I can see why Emerson found Popyncourt a great subject for a novel- The historical Popyncourt was from France or Flanders, but raised with Henry VII's children, teaching them French. She was a close ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Dottie rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, historical

The Pleasure Palace was an absolute pleasure to read! I couldn't put it down and devoured every detail in less than 24 hours!
The story is based on the real character Jane Poppyncourt. Uprooted from her childhood in France by her mother who was obviously on the run from something, or someone. Jane was established as a ward (or child of honor) of King Henry VII. Her duties, to teach the young princesses French through daily conversation... but why Jane? Out of all the girls in France was she chos ...more

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Oct 26, 2017 Ladonda rated it liked it

I'm a sucker for historical period pieces and this one did not disappoint. At first I thought I was going to have trouble keeping all the characters straight but it was really no trouble at all. I like the fact that all the characters are based on actual historical figures. It's a fun way to get a history lesson while getting in a good read. I found myself looking forward to picking up the book to find out more on Jane's mother's secret. What in the world could it be? There was just enough roman ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 gremlin rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-reads

Imagine having such a lush and interesting era to write in with a historical figure who’s connected to so many dynamic characters while still largely being a mystery and STILL making it boring as hell.

There’s no meat to this, the pacing is weird, and the mystery wraps itself up in... what, three minutes?

Also not to be tedious but the interview with the author had her going off about “Well why else would Henry VII’s mom wear a hair shirt and repent for the rest of her days if not for my stupid i ...more

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Dec 05, 2017 Maegan Mariee rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, tudor

This was very well written and gave a plot that wasn't boring or far fetched. Near the end I was almost put off by one of the main characters choices about how to speak to Henry VIII alone, but it turned out fine in the end and turns out I had no reason to worry. <3

And the best thing about this kind of book is that while it's part of a series, it's also a stand alone. So I'm not pressured to jump into the next one just so I can keep the previous plot information in mind. YAS. ...more

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Apr 02, 2020 Janet Fry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Holds interest

What a great read, it’s long but I started reading it and could barely put it down. The book moves along at a good rate. At times I felt like I could see what was happening not just reading it. There were enough descriptions to let you see what was happening without being to wordy. I will be looking for another book that she wrote and hope it is as good as this one.

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Aug 12, 2018 Ty Barnett rated it it was amazing

I enjoy reading books on the Tudors. My daughter bought me, Kate Emerson's the Tudor Court set. I was glad to see the books told much more about the other people in the court and how they were treated. Mrs. Kate Emerson writing brings the book alive for me. I couldn't put down. I can't wait to read the next book. ...more

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May 10, 2017 Michelle Cristiani rated it liked it

Shelves: romance-historical, tudors

I liked this one. Something about it was at once too heavy and too light, though. But in all, Emerson's take on the few facts we have about Jane Popyncourt was enticing. She weaves together a great tale, really creative. Applause for that. ...more

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About Kate Emerson

Kate Emerson

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Kate Emerson is a pseudonym used by Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the Face Down Mysteries featuring Susanna Appleton, 16th century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, the award-winning How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries, and a wide assortment of other books.

She was born in Liberty, New York and recieved an A.B. from Bates College and an MA from Old Dominion University. She is a member of th ...more