Blackmail. Betrayal. Lust.Just standard fare in the court of Henry the Eighth.Joan Larke has heard all her young life that this is so, but she is completely unprepared to be dragged into the midst of it. Dragged she is, though, when the beautiful girl falls into the hands of the powerful and power hungry Thomas Wolsey: cardinal, confidant, and finally, lord chamberlain to the king. Wolsey knows … king.
Wolsey knows how many secrets are passed in the bedchamber, and shamelessly enlists any woman who comes within his influence as his spy. He turns each one, under duress, into a whore who brings him information from her pillow talk with the movers and shakers of the early 16th century. But he needs love, too, and he keeps Joan to himself—for a time.
When Joan finds that she is no longer wanted and in peril of spending the rest of her life in a convent, she turns to Lady Anne Boleyn, who is rapidly supplanting Queen Catherine in Henry’s affections. But treachery is a double-edged sword, and the betrayer often becomes the betrayed in the shadowy world of Tudor court intrigue.
Although Joan has secrets of her own she can trade, in the end, she can do nothing but watch and tremble as the cardinal and the would-be queen battle behind the scenes for the love of their king, and to keep from winding up under the axe, as so many did in those dark days.
Publisher’s disclaimer: The Cardinal’s Whores contains graphic sexual descriptions, along with detailed depictions of torture and death as practiced during this historical era. If you find such scenes offensive or excessively disturbing, please do not read this book.
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AS HE GOT MORE POWERFUL, HE BECAME GREEDIER AND SOMEHOW LOST HIS WAY
I found this to be a fascinating story based on historical facts around King Henry, his reign, his wives, and mistresses, along with certain people in his court. Thomas Wolsey, a man of God under the Catholic faith, serves the King, and steadily gains positions, with more power and wealth. By chance, he sees Joan Larke, sister to Tom Larke, and he wants her and is determined to have her. There can be no marriage, but he promises her his love, a home, and care for any children. “The Lord works in mysterious ways, my dear. And who are we to interfere?”
Joan Larke was an innocent woman, hoping for a decent marriage, and was in a way a pawn used by Thomas Wolsey and her own brother Tom Larke. She is a bit impetuous, and her loose lips, hasty judgment, and rash decisions lead to the demise of her brother and place others in grave danger.
The plot of the story is told with artistic creativity based on actual historical facts recorded during the reign of Henry the Eight, and those surrounding him. Lust, love, desire, greed, power, control and deceit all play critical roles in this story. Wolsey is a charismatic man, has the ear of the King, and in reality, he does hold allegiance with England, the Crown, and the Catholic church. Even right before Wolsey’s death, he stated, “I see the matter against me how it is framed. But if I had served God as diligently as I have done the King, he would not have given me over in my gray hairs.” Thomas Wolsey let his own greed become his downfall, it ruined his love affair with Joan, taking on several other lovers, and eventually his battle with Anne Boleyn.
Note: For typical readers of Blushing Books, this story has no discipline, spanking, or BDSM elements. It is, in fact, a detailed erotic story with explicit sex scenes throughout the book.
The Cardinal’s Whores is the first book by this author I have read, and with the intriguing mix of fact and fiction she twisted into this story, she is definitely one on my watch list.
Joan Larke is a young woman, living with her brother, and hopeful for a marriage to a noble. However, when her path brings her to the attention of Thomas Wolsley, her life takes a different route. We stay with Wolsley throughout most of this book, but also see things from other’s perspectives. This story touches on actual figures and events from that period of history, and then puts the author’s take on things to make them fit here.
This was a very well written story, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. The pacing was smooth, and the transition from one person’s POV to the next was seamless. For those that like historical stories, something with a bit of steam, then I have no hesitation in recommending this one. Thoroughly enjoyable.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
If you like the tv series The Tudors then you will love this book. it follows the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey.
The court of Henry the 8th was filled with intrigues, drama, politics and back stapong. Climbing the ladder to the top and then someone will push you right off.
It was an enjoyable read filled with a spin on historical characters.
History told from the female participants’ view
Superbly written and researched, The Cardinal’s Whores is Adrienne Blake’s fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (C. 1473-1530 AD) who was the most powerful man in England during the early foreign of Henry VIII. He was ambitious and power-hungry, and rose to prominence in both secular and religious circles thanks to a Machivellian mastery of the politics of both. Among his reputed tactics for information gathering/blackmail was the practice of introducing the men at court to women who became their mistresses – women who were Wolsey’s spies. This story is told through the focus of the most well-known of those women – Joan Larke, Bessie Blount, Anne Sheffield, and both Mary and Anne Boleyn. The historical accuracy in this novel is astonishing. Telling the tale from the viewpoint of the women Wolsey used is a stroke genius. Author Blake infuses history with passion, temptation, and a sense of precarious personal safety as the women are drawn into Tudor court intrigues only to find themselves bound to a spymaster who would use them as pawns in his high-stakes chess game of power. Blake’s fine characterizations put personality, emotions, and motives to the events of the time, making the story alive and personal. Vivid and detailed descriptions of the brutality and licentiousness of 16th century English nobility may offend some readers – heed the publisher’s disclaimer – but I personally found it added to the realism of the novel. For those who like their historical fiction with a whopping dose of history as well as sex, romance, drama and danger, this is your book! My thanks for the ARC from BookSprout, and this is a most enthusiastic voluntary and independent review.