“The various battles, including Pavia, receive nice overviews and examinations of the consequences… The dynastic struggles of the early 1500s can be difficult to follow, but this book does a good job of providing an overview. Enjoyed it." Read the full review [link=https://hmgs.org/blog/2026/04/24/renaissance-monarchs-at-war-battle-of-pavia-1525/]here[/link]
The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"...the focus here is on the structures of British military intelligence and the individuals who worked within it, and it does that job well." Read the full review [link=https://www.historyofwar.org/bookpage/parritt_intelligencers.html]here[/link]
History of War

A wonderfully, thought provoking book on the history of witches primarily in Scotland but also its effects and roots from other countries. Brilliantly researched and written in a way that won't make you feel like you are sitting in some boring history class. As always, A bonus for me, it comes with pictures and some great illustrations.
NetGalley, Christine Cazeneuve

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars A new voice on the Tudor scene, bringing a fresh and welcome perspective. We all think we "know" the six wives of Henry VIII. But we know very little about their views, how they saw their regal roles, and their actual stance on religion beyond being labelled Catholic or Protestant. I like how Carey-Bunning develops a couple of key themes for each queen. For Catherine of Aragon (using the author's spellings of the queens' names) how her upbringing and knowledge at a very young age that she would be queen of England dictated her refusal to relinquish her throne and marriage. For Anne Boleyn, how her choice of headwear suggests how she felt about her Royal role. How popular with the people was Jane Seymour? The terrible challenges facing Anna of Cleves, unable to speak English, unfamiliar with the court and most importantly, knowing nothing about her husband. We all think she emerged relatively unscathed after just 7 months of marriage, but her settlement was.. Read more
NetGalley, Gail Hanlon

This book provides a lot of interesting background for the famous people and plays in the early English theatre. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Burbage, and Jonson are just a few of the many playwrights and actors - the sheer numbers of playwrights, actors (including children but not women), managers, owners, plays, and theatres are quite remarkable, although most of the plays don't seem to have survived. What is even more remarkable is how the theatre itself survived; right from the start it was under attack from in-fighting, lawsuits, the plague, and the Puritans. Nicholas Fogg puts the development of the theatre in the context of society, politics, the aristocracy, and the royal court and shows in a very entertaining way how it survived one crisis after another until it was finally shut down in 1642 by Puritans who had become powerful in Parliament as Charles I gradually lost his grip on the country. Although the theatre started in the reign of Elizabeth Tudor, approximately half the book deals.. Read more
NetGalley, Yvonne Strong