The QUEEN OF HISTORICALS Returns

BLOOD BETWEEN QUEENS

the THORNLEIGH saga

book 5

Kensington

Following her perilous fall from a throne she’d scarcely owned to begin with, Mary, Queen of Scots, has fled to England, hoping her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, will grant her asylum. But now Mary has her sights on the English crown, and Elizabeth enlists her most trusted subjects to protect it.

Justine Thornleigh is delighting in the thrill of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to her family’s estate when the festivities are cut short by Mary’s arrival. To Justine’s surprise, the Thornleighs appoint her to serve as a spy in Mary’s court. But bearing the guise of a lady-in-waiting is not Justine’s only secret. The weight of her task is doubled by fears of revealing to her fiancé that she is in truth the daughter of his family’s greatest enemy.

Duty-bound, Justine must sacrifice love as she navigates a deadly labyrinth of betrayal that could lead to the end of Elizabeth’s fledgling reign…

Praise for 

THE THORNLEIGH SAGA

A middle-class English family's rise through three tumultuous Tudor reigns during which they make hard choices about loyalty, allegiance, duty, family and love.

"A complex and fast-paced plot mixing history with vibrant characters"  Publishers Weekly on The King's Daughter

"Riveting...adventurous...superb!" Historical Novels Review "Editor's Choice" on The Queen's Gamble

"Meticulous research...perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory" lovereading.co.uk on The Queen's Lady

"An all-action thriller bringing to life the passion and perils of the Tudor period" Lancashire Evening Post on The King's Daughter

BARBARA KYLE

Barbara is the author of the Tudor-era novels The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady, all published internationally. Barbara previously won acclaim for her contemporary novels under pen name ‘Stephen Kyle’ including Beyond Recall, a Literary Guild Selection. Over 400,000 copies of her books have sold. Her latest contemporary novel of suspense, Entrapped, written under her own name, is available as an e-book. Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the U.S. She lives in Ontario with her husband, where they enjoy sailing their Cal-46 ketch on beautiful Georgian Bay, Lake Huron.

QUESTIONS FIT FOR A QUEEN
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

ELIZABETH: Anytime the people of my realm feature as heroes. Frenchmen and Spaniards - bah, they have none of the bold enterprise of Englishmen. I do confess that I am partial to any story about that lovable rogue, my friend Adam Thornleigh.  

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading? 

MARY: Oh, poetry! I get lost in the romance of it! Pardonnez-moi, the name of the book escapes me, but it was French. I was raised in the French court, you know, with the French royal family. I never did warm to the barbaric language of the Scots. Nothing compares with the elegance of French poetry!

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

ELIZABETH: Any used by my clever subject William Shakespeare. I do rather like "thou goddess."

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

MARY: Young William Douglas helped me escape my Scottish prison, a tower on an island in Loch Leven. He was in love with me - so many men are, you know - and he stole the keys from the laird and rowed me across the lake to my waiting loyal noblemen.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

ELIZABETH: The words of any bold, privateering seadog saying, "Your Majesty, I bring you spoils in gold, silver, and gems."

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?

MARY: Oh, who has time for reading? I much prefer to dance! Though I do love having some handsome fellow read French poetry to me.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

ELIZABETH: My father, Henry VIII. He beheaded my mother, Anne Boleyn, when I was three. Hard to grow up with that image of your parents' marriage. After executing her he also disinherited me. Still, I have a grudging admiration for the old bear. He always acted like a king.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

MARY: My cousin Elizabeth. When I fled my enemies in Scotland I sought sanctuary in her realm, and what did she do? Kept me under house arrest for nineteen years! We share Tudor blood, and I'll give her this: she lives up to her Tudor name.

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

ELIZABETH: Sweets. I adore marchpane, a kind of marzipan that my chefs do marvelous things with, and I also adore comfits, delectable candied fruits. I'm afraid my teeth are turning rather black from so many sweets. Still, if a queen cannot indulge, who can?

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

MARY: People say I am somewhat vain. But really, when one hears oneself described as "the most beautiful woman in Europe" (by the Venetian ambassador, no less) one does perhaps have cause.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: While researching or writing BLOOD BETWEEN QUEENS, did you find that you liked Elizabeth or Mary the best?  

BARBARA'S GOTTA ANSWER: I pity Mary. She was raised in France to be a pampered, passive royal wife and was out of her depth in the shark-infested world of Anglo-Scottish politics. Her passionate, impulsive nature led her make disastrous leadership decisions during her brief reign by which she lost her kingdom, twice. Elizabeth was made of sterner stuff. She took her job as monarch very seriously and ruled for forty-three years. She never married, a decision that caused her some personal anguish; she often said her people were her family. If four decades of peace, prosperity, world exploration and an unprecedented flowering of literature are marks of a successful reign, Elizabeth can still be called England's greatest ruler.

FIND BARBARA

Contact  Website   Facebook   Twitter @BKyleAuthor
   Goodreads   Previous GLIAS interviews

PREVIOUS RELEASES

THE QUEEN’S LADY 
The Thornleigh Saga Book 1
KensingtonEXCERPT

THE KING’S DAUGHTER

The Thornleigh Saga Book 2

Kensington

EXCERPT

THE QUEEN’S CAPTIVE
The Thornleigh Saga Book 3
KensingtonEXCERPT

THE QUEEN’S GAMBLE

The Thornleigh Saga Book 4

Kensington

EXCERPT

ENTRAPPED
ASIN: B0056AEQVI
EXCERPT

JOIN BARBARA on her blog tour as she continues chatting about the BLOOD BETWEEN QUEENS.

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join us tomorrow when Alexa hosts Kate Meader. I’ll be back next week with the fabulous Tawny Weber. Remember to check back daily to GET LOST in your favorite stories! ~Angi

BARBARA WANTS TO KNOW
I've found that people have strong opinions about the famous rivalry between Elizabeth I of England and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, so I'd love to hear readers' answers to this question: Which queen do you root for?

Barbara Kyle

A NEW QUEEN OF HISTORICALS

BARBARA KYLE
Barbara is the author of the Tudor-era novels The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady, all published internationally. Barbara previously won acclaim for her contemporary novels under pen name ‘Stephen Kyle’ including Beyond Recall, a Literary Guild Selection. Over 400,000 copies of her books have sold. Her latest contemporary novel of suspense, Entrapped, written under her own name, is available as an e-book. Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the U.S. She lives in Ontario with her husband, where they enjoy sailing their Cal-46 ketch on beautiful Georgian Bay, Lake Huron.

~ ~ ~
Barbara's latest book is a current release with a new contemporary suspense also available. I couldn't chose which book to feature so decided to show all.

THE QUEEN’S LADY The Thornleigh Series Book 1KensingtonSet in the nerve-jangled court of Henry VIII during his battle with the church for a divorce, THE QUEEN’S LADY is the story of Honor Larke, a ward of Henry’s chancellor, Sir Thomas More, and a lady-in-waiting to Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Forced to take sides in the religious extremism of the day, Honor fights to save the church’s victims from death at the stake, enlisting Richard Thornleigh, a rogue sea captain, in her missions of mercy, and finally risking her life to try to save Sir Thomas from the wrath of the king.

“Riveting, heady, glorious, inspired.” Susan Wiggs

EXCERPT

THE KING’S DAUGHTERThe Thornleigh Series Book 2KensingtonWhen Henry VIII’s bitter daughter, Queen Mary, launches her reign with a vow to annihilate heretics, young Isabel Thornleigh must act quickly to save her family. Determined to rescue her father from prison, she entrusts her mission, and herself, to ruthless mercenary Carlos Valverde. But Isabel is also pledged to spy for the rebel leader whose men are bent on overthrowing the Queen. Caught up in a dangerous maelstrom of intrigue and shifting loyalties, unsure of who is friend and who is foe, Isabel knows only that she must unmask the mysterious traitor bent on destroying her family.

“A complex and fast-paced plot, mixing history with vibrant characters.” Publisher Weekly

EXCERPT


THE QUEEN’S CAPTIVE
The Thornleigh Series Book 3Kensington

England, 1554. In the wake of the failed Wyatt Rebellion, a vengeful Queen Mary has ordered all conspirators captured and executed. Among the imprisoned is her own sister, twenty-year-old Princess Elizabeth. Though she protests her innocence, Elizabeth’s brave stand only angers Mary more.

Elizabeth longs to gain her liberty – and her sister’s crown – and in Honor and Richard Thornleigh and their seafaring son, Adam, the young princess has loyal allies. When Mary releases her from the Tower, hoping she’ll make a false move and condemn herself, the Thornleighs return from exile to help Elizabeth in the fight of her life.

To save her family and Elizabeth, Honor must turn a headstrong princess into a queen before "Bloody Mary" destroys them all.

“An exciting tale of the intrigue and political maneuvering in the Tudor court.” Booklist

EXCERPT

THE QUEEN’S GAMBLEThe Thornleigh Series Book 4Kensington
Young Queen Elizabeth I’s path to the throne has been a perilous one, and already she faces a dangerous crisis. French troops have landed in Scotland to quell a rebel Protestant army, and Elizabeth fears once they are entrenched on the border, they will invade England.

Isabel Thornleigh has returned to London from the New World with her Spanish husband, Carlos Valverde, and their young son. Ever the Queen’s loyal servant, Isabel is recruited to smuggle money to the Scottish rebels. Yet Elizabeth’s trust only goes so far—Isabel’s son will be the Queen’s pampered hostage until she completes her mission. Matters grow worse when Isabel’s husband is engaged as military advisor to the French, putting the couple on opposite sides in a deadly cold war.

“Action-packed adventure that expertly blends fiction with history ... a pulsating story of valor and greed, love and passion, and the tremendous cost of loyalty.” Publishers Weekly blog

EXCERPT


ENTRAPPEDASIN: B0056AEQVISet in Alberta, Canada, Entrapped is the story of Liv Gardner, an ambitious young oil executive intent on stopping farmer Tom Wainwright who is sabotaging her rigs after a spill of lethal “sour” gas poisoned his wife. Desperate to save the company she built, Liv plants evidence to frame Tom. But when the evidence is used to indict him for a murder he didn't commit, only Liv can save him.

“A cast of vivid characters, and none of them, from the slick oil baron to the vengeful radical to the not-quite-professional investigator are quite what they seem ... many jolts and twists and turns that will leave no one unsatisfied.” Giles Blunt, internationally acclaimed award-winning author of Crime Machine

EXCERPT

QUESTIONS & ANSWERSANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
BARBARA: Always, if it’s a well told story. It can be any genre. If the characters grab me, I’m theirs.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?
BARBARA: That’s easy: my husband. We’re sailors, and while I’m often nervous, even scared, he’s always calm and resourceful – and he never yells 

ANGI: What turns you off like nothing else?
BARBARA: People who deny the seriousness of environmental problems.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?
BARBARA: I read a lot of research material for my writing, and that’s pretty constant. (I enjoy it, too.) For pure pleasure I read fiction and non-fiction that’s NOT for research, every night, in bed.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?
BARBARA: Wind riding through the trees.

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?
BARBARA: A short story about an opera singer. It was awful. Thankfully, I’m a quick learner *grin*

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
BARBARA: It’s a tie: “Howard’s End” and “As Good As It Gets”

ANGI: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?
BARBARA: Definitely! Every time.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Barbara, you write and think in two completely different time periods. Will your historical fans see a connection to your contemporary thriller work?
BARBARA’S GOTTA ANSWER: Yes, I think they will. I always feature a strong woman, and my characters always face huge challenges, so those are constants in both genres. Also, the heroines in my historicals and my suspense thrillers have to make hard choices about loyalty, another constant. I think such choices fascinate readers because we all face hard choices in our own lives.

BARBARA WANTS TO KNOW: I believe that, although the settings of my books are 450 years apart, human nature never changes. I’d be very interested to know if readers agree!

In honor of Barbara’s visit, I have a handful of romance trading cards to mail to a blog commenter. (Winner chosen by Random.org)
Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

Fans can CONTACT BARBARA at bkyle@barbarakyle.com
Website Facebook Twitter

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter (#GetLostStories) or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join us tomorrow when Maureen hosts Lena Coakley. I’ll be back next week with Melanie Atkins, Theresa Ragan and Andrienne Giordano. Remember to check back daily to GET LOST in your favorite stories! ~Angi