Congratulations to Adrienne Dillard on the release of her debut historical novel Cor Rotto: A Novel of Catherine Carey which has just been released on Amazon Kindle (paperback coming soon). I’ve got to know Adrienne well over the last few years and I’m so happy that her novel is finally out there.
My husband’s publishing company is behind the publication of Cor Rotto so I have been lucky enough to read an advance copy of it and it is a wonderful read. The Boleyn, Carey and Knollys families are close to my heart and Adrienne does an excellent job at bringing these people alive, and she has obviously spent many years researching them. The fact that I shed a tear at the end of this book shows how connected I became with the Catherine Carey of this book. I hope others will enjoy it as much as I have.
If you’re wondering who Catherine Carey was, she was the daughter of Mary Boleyn and the niece of Anne Boleyn.
Book Blurb and Details
The dream was always the same … the scaffold before me, my aunt’s head on the block. I stared on in horror as the sword sliced the head from her swan-like neck. The executioner raised her severed head into the air by its long chestnut locks. The last thing I remembered before my world turned black was my own scream.
Fifteen year-old Catherine Carey has been dreaming the same dream for three years, since the bloody execution of her aunt Queen Anne Boleyn. Her only comfort is that she and her family are safe in Calais, away from the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court. But now Catherine has been chosen to serve Henry VIII’s new wife, Queen Anne of Cleves.
Just before she sets off for England, she learns the family secret: the true identity of her father, a man she considers to be a monster and a man she will shortly meet.
This compelling novel tells the life story of a woman who survived being close to the crown and who became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s closest confidantes.
Paperback: 312 pages (coming soon!)
Kindle File Size: 4084 KB
Publisher: MadeGlobal Publishing (November 4, 2014)
ASIN: B00P98760U
ISBN-13: 978-8493746476
Available from Amazon.com, Amazon UK and Amazon’s international stores. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.
I just finished reading Cor Rotto. It was absolutely captivating! Thank you for sharing the information about it with us. Adrienne did an incredible job with this subject. I could not put this book down. She found a way to give life to all of the characters as well as create a connection between them and the reader. I would be interested in any book Ms. Dillard writes after reading this. I highly recommend Cor Rotto, ESPECIALLY if you enjoy reading about Tudor history. Wonderful job!
That’s ok, I’m always happy to share books I’ve enjoyed and this one moved me to tears. I hope that Adrienne writes another one too.
I was teary too. She really did a nice job. Please share with us if she writes anymore, as I will definitely be wanting to read them 🙂
Thank you both so much for your kind words! I am so happy that you have enjoyed my novel! I do intend to write another one, this time focusing on Jane Rochford. I am hoping to get started some time next year as I still have some research to do on her! Thanks again for the lovely review!
Please keep us updated! I’ll be looking forward to it! 🙂
Thank you for that. I would be very interested in a Jane Rochford novel and would be very curious as to what your research finds. That woman has often been vilified as a jealous monster and I’ve always wondered if she was really the horrific she-devil she’s usually portrayed as. I just read an excerpt of Cor Rotto and will be purchasing it. I look forward to reading it! Oddly enough I feel suspenseful reading it, even knowing what’s to come later!
Just started Ms Dillard’s book and I’m looking forward to it, since my wife and I are direct descendants of Mary Boleyn, reading the first chapter has been a thrill, being able to “hear the words spoken” by our g…….grandmother. I noticed Ms Dillard presents Catherine as the daughter of Henry VIII, while many other historians are not so hasty in making such a claim. The matter of relationship with Henry doesn’t bother me that much, I just hope that over the centuries, if I am indeed a direct descendant of Henry, all his despicable characteristics have vanished before getting to me! I don’t want “Boleyn” to start calling ME ugly names. (smile)
Thank you so much for offering this insight into our distant family. I can’t wait to continue reading your book, and thank you Claire for recommending it.
Barnettbluff,
Thank you so much for sharing that! How wonderful to be descended from such an amazing family. I do present Catherine as the daughter of Henry VIII, mostly because that is my interpretation of the evidence, but there certainly is plenty of evidence that points to William Carey as her father. Certainly most historians, with the biggest exception of Alison Weir, agree that William was her father, so I am definitely in the minority! However, I think that both sides of the argument definitely have merit! Hopefully technology will advance enough that we could determine her paternity without disturbing their remains, but until then I will definitely enjoy the lively debate!
Thank you so much for your kind words and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!
I am also a descendent. Her daughter Anne West is my many greats maternal grandmother. I was always told that Henry VIII was in my family. It’s what the Wests have always said through the generations. I realize families often have false stories passed down, but this is an eduring one in ours. One question I have is if tbe portrayal of Catherine and Mary are based on historical accounts, or just on what you think she would have said and thought. There are certain phrases that the Wests have passed down…honestly not a nice group of people, and I am surprised at Mary being portrayed with a big heart. Not that they are not caring, but there have always been greater priorities with the family, such as title and position….just wondering. I do find it to be fascinating.
I have just finished reading Cor Rotto and I had to tell you how much I enjoyed it.
I cried at the death of Catherine and was pleased that her husband never remarried.
I loved the title and evertything about the book. Well done!