Following Jasper Tudor, uncle to the future Henry VII, this book tells the sweeping tale of how the Tudor dynasty came to be.

I loved the prose, the characters and the unique pov it was told from.

I have read a lot of books about the Wars of the Roses so when this title came up for review I jumped on it. Of course, many of the books about the wars surround the main players (the kings and queens etc) but I had never read anything from the point of view of Jasper Tudor. It was refreshing. I had found him to always be a bit a player in other fictions and histories so it was nice to find out more about what happened to him in between the time of Henry VII being born and growing up.
Despite this being a fiction, it is full of detail based on history and the author does a very good job at bringing Jasper and the other characters to live, having no historical facts or documentation to go on at times. I am looking forward to the next installment.

In this new novel, Hickson again takes us back to the War of the Roses, however this time we are firmly on the Lancastrian side, as this story focuses on Jasper Tudor. Jasper is the younger son of Queen Catherine and her second husband, Owen Tudor, who has grown up far from the intrigue of the royal court. But as young men, he and his older brother Edmund are summoned to London, by their half-brother, King Henry VI, who takes a keen interest in their futures – bestowing Earldoms on them both which helps to bolster the support around him and his precarious hold on the throne.

Until now Jasper Tudor has been one of those key historical figures that is always there on the perimeter of many a historical novel. So I was thrilled when I heard Hickson had chosen him to be the protagonist for this, and what an excellent job she has done bringing him to life. Jasper comes across as a sensible, loyal, brave and intelligent man, who has a true affection for his fragile king and takes real care in the responsibilities he is given. And he will need all his guile and courage to preserve the throne and his family from the rising threat of their Yorkist cousins.

As well as seeing Jasper through all the political intrigue and hard battles, we also see him as a loving family man. His first, thwarted, love was for the heiress Margaret Beaufort, who had a short and doomed marriage to his brother Edmund, and his devotion to her never wavers. Fortunately he does find true comfort in the arms of Jane Hywel, a Welsh cousin. While Jane is a fictional character, Hickson has cleverly pieced her together from a real name and the fact Jasper did have two illegitimate daughters. Jane is also our second narrator through whom we have a window into the domestic life of Jasper, which helps to make him a more well rounded, believable and likeable character; and their love gives a more personal jeopardy to the war.

Overall, I thought First of the Tudors was a brilliantly researched and written piece of historical fiction, that had me enthralled from the beginning to the end; my only niggle would be I wanted more! However at the end of the book, Hickson’s promises another book from the point-of-view of Jasper’s nephew Henry, so I look forward to that.

I like to dabble in historical fiction every now and again. Thanks to Hilary Mantel I have a fondness for the Tudors. First of the Tudors sounded right up my street. I really enjoyed this book. It’s flawless. The character are well developed and really come to life. I loved the plot. I know very little about the early days of the Tudors so felt I learned a lot from this book. There is fairy disturbing event in the book when a thirteen-year-old girl is married and falls pregnant. I understand this was fairly normal during the time period but it still made my flesh crawl. I thought this was a great historical fiction novel and look forward to the sequel. I’d recommend it.

Is it possible to fall in love with the fictional version of someone who was alive hundreds of years ago? If so, Joanna Hickson has managed to make me do just that in this wonderful book about Jasper Tudor. A self confessed history geek, this book appealed to me instantly. However I completely underestimated just how brilliant it was going to be. You find yourself transported back in time as you follow Jasper and his mistress Sian as they tell their side of the story. This alone offered a brilliant take on the story and you quickly find yourself admiring Sian and falling for Jasper. It almost seems like a sequel should be written however, especially as it finishes prior to Henry taking the throne - here's hoping! Absolutely loved loved loved it!

THis is very much a novel that delivers what it promises. It's historical fiction but more accurately historical romance. It is Henry VI so a bit different from the Tudor characters of Henry VIII and refreshingly so. It is an excellent read for those who like romance but a bit lacking in substance for those wanting more of the historical element. Joanna Hickson is a very popular author and has found her niche and this one will sit nicely in it.

asper Tudor, son of Queen Catherine and her second husband, Owen Tudor, has grown up far from the intrigue of the royal court. But after he and his brother Edmund are summoned to London, their half-brother, King Henry VI, takes a keen interest in their future.
Bestowing Earldoms on them both, Henry also gives them the wardship of the young heiress Margaret Beaufort. Although she is still a child, Jasper becomes devoted to her and is devastated when Henry arranges her betrothal to Edmund.
He seeks solace in his estates and in the arms of Jane Hywel, a young Welsh woman who offers him something more meaningful than a dynastic marriage. But passion turns to jeopardy for them both as the Wars of the Roses wreak havoc on the realm. Loyal brother to a fragile king and his domineering queen, Marguerite of Anjou, Jasper must draw on all his guile and courage to preserve their throne - and the Tudor destiny…

An excellent, easy to understand historical novel - worth a read.

Yes, I’ve been reading yet another Wars of the Roses novel! One of the things I’m enjoying about reading so many books set in the same time period is seeing the variety of ways in which different authors choose to approach the same subject as they search for a new angle and some fresh insights. In First of the Tudors, Joanna Hickson takes us right back to the early days of the conflict and the beginnings, more or less, of the Tudor dynasty to tell the story of Jasper Tudor, uncle of the future Henry VII.

As the sons of Welshman Owen Tudor and Henry V’s widow, Catherine of Valois, Jasper and Edmund Tudor are half-brothers to Henry VI, who is King of England as the novel opens in 1451. Being closely related to royalty but with no real claim to the throne for themselves, Edmund and Jasper are welcomed to court by Henry who rewards them with lands and titles, making Edmund Earl of Richmond and Jasper Earl of Pembroke. Edmund also wins the hand in marriage of Margaret Beaufort, which is seen as a great accomplishment as Margaret, despite being little more than a child, has royal blood and is one of England’s richest heiresses.

When Edmund dies at Carmarthen Castle in 1456, possibly of bubonic plague, he leaves Margaret pregnant with his child. The baby, when it is born, is named Henry and is taken into Jasper’s care (before later being placed in the custody of the Yorkist William Herbert). As the years go by and Henry grows into a man, Jasper is occupied with looking after his estates, trying to keep the peace in Wales and supporting his brother the king as unrest grows and the country heads towards civil war. Based closely on historical fact, we see all of this through Jasper’s eyes, as he narrates his own story in his own words.

But there’s also a fictional story, built around the idea that Jasper had a cousin, Sian (or Jane) Hywel, who became his mistress. There is no historical basis for this, but it is known that Jasper did have illegitimate children, so I have no problem with Joanna Hickson inventing the character of Jane, especially as she makes clear in her author’s note which parts of the novel were factual and which weren’t. However, I felt that too much time was devoted to Jane – she narrates around half of the book – and I would have preferred to concentrate more on Jasper and the other historical figures. This is just my personal opinion, though, and I’m sure other readers will like the domestic scenes and the love story more than I did.

I’ve always found Jasper Tudor intriguing, maybe partly because he tends to be overshadowed in historical fiction by other, more well-known characters. I had been looking forward to seeing him take centre stage for once, but I didn’t really find his portrayal in this novel entirely convincing. I can’t quite explain why, other than to say that his narrative voice was almost identical to Jane’s and that I could never fully believe in him as a 15th century man. I did like the portrayal of Margaret Beaufort, however, which made her seem slightly more endearing than in other fictional portrayals I’ve read! I also enjoyed the focus on Wales, the descriptions of the Welsh castles and the Welsh people who played a part in this fascinating period of history – one secondary character whom I found particularly interesting was the poet Lewys Glyn Cothi.

First of the Tudors ends abruptly, leaving the feeling that there is much more of this story still to come, and the author’s note confirmed what I had already expected: there will be a sequel and Henry Tudor will take more of a central role in that one. If you’ve never read Joanna Hickson before you may also be interested in The Agincourt Bride and The Tudor Bride, which tell the story of Catherine of Valois, or Red Rose, White Rose, the Wars of the Roses from Cicely Neville’s perspective.

A very thorough and exciting novel about Jasper Tudor and the tumultuous times in Britain during King Henry VI. I love well written historical novels because of the insight in to our history they provide and the "bringing to life" of characters (some fictional but mostly factual) from centuries ago that influenced how our lives and country are today; this book was no exception and was addictive reading. I'm pleased to read in the epilogue that a follow on book will detail the next chapter in history and follow Harri Tudor, I look forward to reading this.

This was an excellent novel. With brilliant main characters and a wonderful plot, this book is a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book.