Christy English

Fabulous Reviews for TO BE QUEEN

Monday, April 11th, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Reviews, The Writing Life, To Be Queen | No Comments

So far, so good. The reviews for TO BE QUEEN are trickling in, and they are all positive. Four and five stars, which is amazing. I am reveling in it. No doubt there will be someone at some point who doesn’t like what I’m doing or understand my vision, but so far, that has not been the case.

Good reviews are gratifying, because each reviewer is a reader first. They too want to read a good story and be transported to another world. To see that Eleanor has done that not only for me, but for them as well, is a wonderful thing.

Here are two of the reviews, along with an announcement of the Live Chat that I will be doing with Amy tomorrow evening on Passages to the Past at 6:30PM EST.

From Scandalous Women…thank you Elizabeth! Elizabeth Kerri Mahon has written her own non-fiction book, SCANDALOUS WOMEN which happily includes a chapter about Eleanor, my favorite woman of all time.

“I was beyond excited when I received my copy of English’s newest novel, TO BE QUEEN from NAL in the mail.  At the same time I was anxious.  Would this second novel live up to the promise of the first? Well, I’m happy to report that TO BE QUEEN is an even better, more accomplished novel.”

http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com/2011/04/scandalous-women-in-fiction-to-be-queen.html

And Kayla Ponsey of the Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner…thank you Kayla!

“To Be Queen” will be one of the best written and captivating historical fiction novels of the year as it features a writer who loves and understands the figure she is writing about, portrays one of the most complex and dynamic women in history, and is a captivating coming of age story.  “To Be Queen” is a historical fiction novel you will not want to miss!”

http://www.examiner.com/historical-fiction-in-pittsburgh/book-review-to-be-queen-by-christy-english

Such lovely reviews… and tomorrow night I will be on Passages to the Past, enjoying a Live Chat with Amy…please come and join us! Tuesday, 6:30PM EST on http://www.passagestothepast.com We’ll be giving away a coffee mug with the cover of TO BE QUEEN emblazoned on it…

Exciting Reviews for TO BE QUEEN

Friday, April 1st, 2011 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Away, Reviews, To Be Queen | 4 Comments

I am honored and thrilled to see these amazing reviews of TO BE QUEEN. My day is officially made…heck my whole year!

We have Historical-Fiction.com with 5 stars…thank you, Arleigh!

http://historical-fiction.com/?p=3090

The Burton Review with 4 1/2 stars…thank you Marie!

http://burtonreview.blogspot.com/2011/04/giveaway-book-review-to-be-queen-by.html

And last but not least, we have The Maiden’s Court with 4 and 1/2 stars…thank you Heather!

http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-to-be-queen-by-christy.html

Tune into the Historical Fiction Round Table today…we are giving away a TO BE QUEEN mug along with an Eleanor of Aquitaine mirror…

http://historicalfictionroundtable.com/?p=945

“I sang of a magic mirror that showed each woman herself as she truly was. The power of a woman’s inner strength, held clear in her own mind, could conquer the world.” ~ Eleanor, TO BE QUEEN

Tags: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Give Aways, Reviews, TO BE QUEEN

Penelope’s Daughter

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 | Laurel Corona, Reviews | No Comments

I have been reading PENELOPE’S DAUGHTER by Laurel Corona. I am two months behind in reading this one…it came out in October. Princess of Ithaca, Odysseus’ and Penelope’s daughter, and cousin to Helen of Sparta, ( or as she is commonly known, Helen of Troy), Xanthe is a voice that holds the reader from the prologue on, a vision of the world that it is impossible to turn away from. 

In the prologue, Laurel Corona opens a window on the world of Xanthe, writing, “Xanthe…has taken her place beside her mother at the loom, to learn the skills by which the value of a woman is measured.”

Women are valued little in the world of classical Greece, but Laurel Corona has honored the countless silent women of that culture by writing this novel, and by giving Xanthe a voice.

Lovely Review of The Queen’s Pawn

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 | Princess Alais, Reviews, The Queen's Pawn | No Comments

Lisa Sanderson was kind enough to give a lovely review of  THE QUEEN’S PAWN on Suite1o1. I am always thrilled when someone understands what I am trying to do with my work, as Lisa did, but I love it even more when a reader or reviewer tells me something about my book that I never saw before.

http://www.suite101.com/content/review-of-the-queens-pawn-by-christy-english-a314344

Lisa mentions that Alais is a soul divided between the light and the dark, and that Alais’ relationship with Henry reflects the dark aspects of her personality, and her relationship with Richard reflects the light. I thought that was a very compelling statement and a true one. But more importantly, it was something I had never seen in my own novel.

Thank you for the review, Lisa and for teaching me something about my own book…

The Anne Boleyn Files and The Queen’s Pawn

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 | Reviews, The Queen's Pawn | No Comments

Another lovely review for my ladies, this time on The Anne Boleyn Files…thanks, Claire!

http://reviews.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-queens-pawn-by-christy-english/462