The Briar Rose

Woodham #3

by Dinah Dean

The year 1540 was a time of changes at King Henry’s court Woodham Abbey would soon cease to exist. Then what would become of her, wondered Mistress Kate Cressy daughter of the bailey?

Genres: Romance, Medieval, Historical, 16th Century, Historical Romance, British Literature

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 1987

About the author

Dinah Dean is known mainly for the historical romances she wrote in the 1980s for the Mills & Boon Masquerade Historical Romance imprint. Historical romances then, as now, included a wide range of both writing quality and historical accuracy. Dinah Dean is at the top end of the scale for both. While she does not confine herself to any one period or place, most of her books are set during the early 19th century, in either Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, or in Russia. As a resident of Waltham Abbey and the secretary of the Waltham Abbey Historical Society Dinah Dean is well informed about the history of the town and she uses this in her books which are set between 1060 and 1808. She is also knowledgeable about Russia and, as well as her romances about the early 19th century, she set one book there in the late 11th century.

Dinah Dean also published under the names Jane Hunt and Marjorie May.

Reviews

[DD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book expecting a continuation of the residents of Woodham, in the nineteenth century. But no we're still in Woodham but back in the days of Henry the eighth and the dissolution of the monasteries when he broke away from the church in Rome.
Woodham is home to a large monastery, it's at the centre of the town, so when it's known the king is closing and stripping monasteries and his people are lining their pockets with the proceeds as well as putting many out of work, the town people are hoping that as the King is a frequent visitor he may make us a cathedral rather than stripping it.
Kate is daughter to an employee of the monastery, and when it closes he loses not only his job but their home too as he can't afford to rent it. When he tells Kate that he can stay in the house is she married one of the men, Matthew, who was involved in the closure she's furious, but her father is more so.
Matthew took the job as part of the team to ensure all were treated fairly, but when he sees the corruption at court he resigns and goes to live in the house he was given when he stopped the king being attacked. That house was Kate's and her fathers, and Kate is already distrustful of Matthew due to his part in closing the monastery.

So not what I expected, but Matthew is an ancestor of Robert from book two,so there is a link.
So very nearly five stars.

[Lisa Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little insipid on the romance side of things. A young girl is captivated by the brightness of a male courtier and eventually realises that his lies and manipulations are of no value, in fact he is penniless and forced to marry for money and that her true love lies much closer to home. The story of the dissolution of the monasteries in King Henry's time was much more interesting. In modern times we tend to gloss over this event and it was good to think about the emotions of the workers who served and abbey and the people that worshipped there.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

È l'ultimo libro di questa serie che leggo (non mi sono attenuta all'ordine cronologico!) e la mia valutazione è costantemente positiva. L'autrice conosce bene il suo periodo storico, e riesce a trasportare il lettore in nell'Inghilterra ai tempi in cui il re Henry VIII passava senza remore da una moglie all'altra, espropriando abbazie e tagliando teste come se non ci fosse un domani.
Il 'romance' che ne intreccia la trama è tenue, ma gradevole, i personaggi assolutamente credibili.

[Louise Broadfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this book nice. a little slow in some parts but alright really. i enjoyed how the hero and heroine are with each other. this book was just a nice little read.