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| About the Book |
Book Title: The Lydiard Chronicles (A Trilogy)
Author: Elizabeth St.John
Publication Date: 2016-2020
Publisher: Falcon Historical
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Lady of the Tower (Book #1)
By Love Divided (Book #2)
Written in Their Stars (Book #3)
by Elizabeth St.John
Duty, passion, and power collide in The Lydiard Chronicles, a gripping trilogy inspired by
true events. Follow three courageous women—survivors, strategists, and storytellers—who defy the constraints of society to shape their family’s fate and England’s future. Their voices echo through time. Their legacy changed a nation.
The Lydiard Chronicles is an award-winning, best-selling historical family saga which brings to life the remarkable true stories of the St.John family. Spanning three compelling novels—The Lady of the Tower, By Love Divided, and Written in Their Stars—the series follows the legacy of resilient and intelligent women who lived as spies, courtiers, and diarists during England’s most turbulent century, navigating the quicksand of love and war, political upheaval, and personal sacrifice.
Bound by fierce family loyalty and unforgettable love, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles defy the limits of their time with passion, courage, and unshakable independence. They endure captivity in the Tower of London, exile in the Louvre Palace, and the heart-wrenching divisions of the English Civil War—fighting not just for survival, but for their beliefs, their families, and the right to choose their own fate. Meticulously researched and vividly told, this epic saga reveals how these women created history from the shadows, leaving a legacy of resilience, defiance, and enduring influence.
Rooted in original diaries, letters, and family papers, The Lydiard Chronicles offers an intimate, biographical portrait of women who moved behind the scenes of power. Serving as trusted secret agents, military wives, and confidantes of kings, they were deeply engaged in the political and religious conflicts of their time. Through tragedy and triumph, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles shape their destinies—and the fate of a nation—in this richly researched and vividly told historical epic.
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Author Bio:
Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England's kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.
Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.
Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.
Elizabeth's works include The Lydiard Chronicles, a family saga set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, and The Godmother's Secret, which unravels the medieval mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. Her latest release, The King’s Intelligencer, follows Franny Apsley in the treacherous court of Charles II as she risks everything to uncover the dangerous truth behind the discovery of the princes’ bones.
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| read an excerpt |
Excerpt 2
By Love Divided ... A Conflict Brews
The fire is most fervent in a frosty season.
Luce
21st August, 1642
These were the times in which Lucy Apsley questioned if God had deserted her.
Around the table, her children gathered. When had they grown into men and women? Where went the innocent Allen, the child in Luce? These young people talked recklessly tonight.
Lucy shook the ghosts of yesteryear from her thoughts.
Be grateful for the hour at hand, the joy shared in this pleasing home.
Still, the doubts chattered in her mind. The past crept close tonight, the door ajar between dead and living.
This dinner was a happy occasion, a celebration of Allen’s knighthood. A fresh carp caught in their own fishponds graced the table. Elegant clothes were unpacked from trunks, dried lavender shaken from the skirts. Even Luce, always careless with her dress, wore a fine gown of blue watered silk, dotted with moonstones.
And then, as unpredictable as a summer storm, a lightning exchange heralded dispute.
For the king. Against the king. Favored by Villiers. Betrayed by Parliament.
Those old arguments restored her husband’s memory, twelve years departed from this life. And now, their past disputes echoed in her children.
“Where lies your loyalty, Allen?” demanded Luce. “Your family deserves the truth.”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders strong under the fine holland shirt, the beautifully cut doublet. Court was good to her son.
“Why, Luce,” he replied, “As God is my witness, I am loyal to His Majesty and faithful to the Parliament. My heart lies with the men of this country, and their wish for peace.”
“By forming armed bands of Cavaliers?” cried Luce, her voice rising. “My heart is loyal and faithful too—loyal to the Parliament who represent the rights of men, faithful to the tradition of monarchy. Consider your own world order, not mine.”
Allen stood too, his soldier’s physique suddenly charging the atmosphere. His color rose. “The king is as a father to the people of this nation. He knows what is best for them.”
“Is that why he commandeers our ammunition, leaves our towns defenseless, our woman and children vulnerable to any band of armed men?”
“Keep to your writing and notebooks, Sister, and leave the business of government to men.”
Lucy prayed for the storm to subside. Thus always ranged their arguments, until one caught the other’s eye, and a shared smile would appear, contagious and healing.
Please, God, let this night be no different.
“Tomorrow, we ride to Nottingham to attend King Charles,” she said. “He speaks to unite our country, to stand down the armies. Tonight, let not differences divide us.”
A mother knows what is best for her children. And still, they seek out their own destinies. Perhaps, once more, she could protect her children with a lie.
God save us. For again, the fate of my family and of England lies within this deceitful king’s hands. And if he cannot have his way, he will destroy us all.
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| My Thoughts: |
***** 5 stars all the way!
I have read - no, I have devoured - all Elizabeth St.John's wonderful English Civil War novels, (several of them, read more than once!) and each one I think to myself, 'this is the best so far'. Each is crisp and absorbing, with characters who come alive the instant you meet them, and plots that are never predictable ... outside of the facts of history, that is. And those facts are meticulously researched, which makes the author a lady to be entirely trusted with these traumatic events of the past.
I think, what makes these novels particularly fascinating is that the characters, although fictional within the pages of these novels, were real, live, people - and are Ms St.John's actual ancestors, which totally doubles their believability and my fascination.
I hope we have more treats to come!
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