This new novel in the “wonderfully absorbing” ( Library Journal ) Secrets of the Tudor Court series, features a tailor’s daughter who suspects she is an illegitimate offspring of King Henry VIII. Audrey Malte is illegitimate, though her beloved father—tailor to King Henry VIII—prefers to call her “merry-begot,” saying there was much joy in her making. Then Audrey visits the royal court with her father, and the whispers start about Audrey’s distinctive Tudor-red hair and the kindness that the king shows her. Did dashing Henry perhaps ask Malte to raise a royal love child? The king’s favor, however, brings Audrey constraint as well as opportunity. Though she holds tender feelings for her handsome music tutor, John Harington, the king is pressuring her to marry into the family of treacherous, land-hungry Sir Richard Southwell. Audrey determines to learn the truth about her birth at last. The answer may give her the freedom to give her heart as she chooses . . . or it could ensnare her deeper in an enemy’s ruthless scheme. Tudor England saw its share of drama,which is plumbed in Emerson’s oddly uneventful take on the life of apossible “merry-begot” of King Henry VIII. Born in 1528, the royaltailor’s stepdaughter, Audrey Malte, rivets everyone in the king’scourt due to her gold-red tresses, which are shared only by the kinghimself. Audrey is blessed with training from private tutors,personal gifts from the king, and the sometimes pointed stares ofthose who silently wonder about her parentage. As she grows, shefalls in love with a man who holds her heart but can never hope tohold her hand due to his lack of any means in comparison to her ownsizable dowry. When Audrey begins to push against her constraints,both as a woman and as the widely believed illegitimate daughter ofthe king, she discovers just how far she can go as well as just howmuch she might have to lose when facing down the deadly courtintrigues she has always avoided. Surprisingly slow in places, theplot wanders from its main point enough to bog down one’s reading attimes, despite nice period details. Any Tudor England fan, however, is likely to pick this up. --Julie Trevelyan "Readers with a voracious appetite for Tudor-set novels will take Emerson’s Secrets of the Tudor Court series to heart. It is more than the careful research, dramatic events, and lush details they savor; it is how Emerson merges little known historical personages and history into a powerful novel where ordinary people take center stage. This new outlook on history makes for realism, while tugging at readers’ hearts and stimulating minds to learn more about the era. Well-crafted historical fiction, romance and passion fill every page.” -- Romantic Times Book Reviews, four and a half star review "Imagining the life story of Audrey Malte, an actual historical figure, [Emerson] reliably mixes court intrigue and the complicated politics of Henry’s life and multiple wives with the fascinating private journey of a young woman who gradually becomes aware of her royal heritage...Another satisfying, page-turning addition to Emerson’s series." -- Publishers Weekly “5/5 Kate did it again! She might as well be called the Tudor goddess. I loved every page of "Royal Inheritance" because it was so exciting...makes for excellent reading. I highly recommend all of Kate’s novels because they are so much fun to read. They seem to surprise me every time.” -- Historically Obsessed "A wonderfully absorbing novel that is full of enough historical detail to satisfy even the most hard-core Tudor fan. Emerson beautifully depicts the difficulty of living in a treacherous period in which one had to do what the king’s pleasure demanded, in spite of the risk of losing one’s head.” -- Library Journal "Sparked by an actual letter written by a Spanish ambassador in 1534, Emerson creates a believable scenario rich in accurate detail where her fictional Thomasine strolls comfortably next to real-life figures.“ ― Publishers Weekly "An engaging tale of loyalty, love, and treachery in the court of King Henry VIII." ― Fresh Fiction "Intrigue, romance and treachery abound in this well-researched, sensitively written book." ― Renaissance magazine "In the first in Emerson's series, it's hard to tell where reality ends and fiction begins. Rich and lushly detailed, teeming with passion and intrigue, this is a novel in which you can happily immerse yourself in another time and place." -- Kathe Robins ― RT Book Reviews "It is this heroine that separates this book from the pack. The characters are subtle and well-drawn.." ― Publishers Weekly Kate Emerson was born in Liberty, New York, and attended Bates College and Old Dominion University. She currently lives in Wilton, Maine. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and other professional organizations. Emerson also writes a Scottish mysteries series as Kaitlyn Dunnett. She currently lives i