Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light (Book Three) in The Henrician Chronicle series
By Judith Arnopp. Published: February 2024 / 302 pages
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With youth now far behind him, King Henry VIII has only produced one infant son and two bastard daughters. More sons are essential to secure the Tudor line and with his third wife, Jane Seymour dead, Henry hunts for a suitable replacement.
After the break from Rome, trouble is brewing with France and Scotland. Thomas Cromwell arranges a diplomatic marriage with the sister of the Duke of Cleves but when it comes to women, Henry is fastidious, and the new bride does not please him. The increasingly unpredictable king sets his sights instead upon Katherine Howard and instructs Cromwell to free him from the match with Cleves.
Failure to rid the king of his unloved wife could cost Cromwell his head.
Henry, now ailing and ageing, is invigorated by his flighty new bride but despite the favours he heaps upon her, he cannot win Katherine’s heart. A little over a year later, broken by her infidelity, she becomes the second of his wives to die on the scaffold, leaving Henry friendless and alone.
But his stout heart will not surrender and leaving his sixth wife, Katheryn Parr, installed as regent over England, Henry embarks on a final war to win back territories lost to the French more than a century before. Hungry for glory, the king is determined that the name Henry VIII will shine brighter and longer than that of his hero, Henry V.
Told from the king’s perspective, A Matter of Time: Henry VIII: the Dying of the Light shines a torch into the heart and mind of England’s most tyrannical king.
Buy Links: Universal Buy Links to the three titles in the series: A Matter of Conscience: https://mybook.to/amoc / A Matter of Faith: https://mybook.to/amofaith / A Matter of Time: https://mybook.to/amot
Here’s a snippet from the book:
November 1541 Henry prepares for mass
It is good to be home, and my spirits remain high. I jest with my gentlemen as my beard, greyer now than gold, is trimmed, my nails clipped. I select a doublet of black with silver thread embellishing the cuffs, the slashes across the sleeves and chest revealing a fine silk shirt beneath.
My looking glass reflects a king, a man in his prime, a wise and honest man. As my dress sword is arranged at my hip, I take the gloves Denny is offering and tuck them into my girdle.
“Where is my psalter?” I ask, and it is instantly produced. I tuck it beneath my arm and make my way to the chapel, wondering as I go if Katherine will make it to Mass so early.
My mind is not on prayer this morning. I am feeling spry enough to go for a ride. Brandon has returned to court this week, perhaps we can ride out together as we used to, if he is feeling up to it. I often forget that he too grows old.
The sound of the choir greets me, their voices ascending to the dizzy heights of the blue and gold ceiling. Immediately, I feel contrition that my mind had strayed to sport rather than giving thanks to God for another day. Before I enter and take my seat, I rearrange my face into a pious expression. But as I sit down, I notice a folded slip of paper. I pick it up, look about the chapel to discover the author of the note, but when no man meets my eye, I unfold the message and … the world around me crumbles.
Author Bio:
A lifelong history enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds a BA in English/Creative writing and an MA in Medieval Studies. She lives on the coast of West Wales where she writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is best known for her novels set in the Medieval and Tudor period, focusing on the perspective of historical women but recently she has been writing from the perspective of Henry VIII himself.
Judith is also a founder member of a re-enactment group called The Fyne Companye of Cambria which is when she began to experiment with sewing historical garments. She now makes clothes and accessories both for the group and others. She is not a professionally trained sewer but through trial, error and determination has learned how to make authentic looking, if not strictly historically accurate clothing. Her non-fiction book, How to Dress like a Tudor was published by Pen and Sword in 2023.
Her novels include:
A Song of Sixpence: the story of Elizabeth of York / The Beaufort Chronicle: the life of Lady Margaret Beaufort (three book series) / A Matter of Conscience: Henry VIII, the Aragon Years (Book One of The Henrician Chronicle) / A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix (Book Two of The Henrician chronicle) / A Matter of Time: Henry VIII, the Dying of the Light (Book Three, Coming soon) / The Kiss of the Concubine: a story of Anne Boleyn / The Winchester Goose: at the court of Henry VIII / Intractable Heart: the story of Katheryn Parr / Sisters of Arden: on the Pilgrimage of Grace / The Heretic Wind: the life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England / Peaceweaver / The Forest Dwellers / The Song of Heledd
Previously published under the pen name – J M Ruddock. The Book of Thornhold / A Daughter of Warwick: the story of Anne Neville, Queen of Richard III
Author Links:
Website: www.judithmarnopp.com – Blog: http://www.juditharnoppnovelist.blogspot.co.uk/ – Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudithArnopp – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetudorworldofjuditharnopp – LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/judith-arnopp-ba999025 – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tudor_juditharnopp/ – Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tudor_juditharnopp – Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jarnopp.bsky.social – Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/jarnopp/ – Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judith-arnopp – Amazon Author Page: https://author.to/juditharnoppbooks – Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088659.Judith_Arnopp
Thank you for hosting Judith Arnopp and Henry today, Paul!
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club