I’m not a big historical fiction reader, but I am a bit of a fan of timeslip – so I couldn’t resist the fun of joining the blog blitz for The Last Plantagenet? by Jennifer C Wilson.
The fireplace hadn’t looked like a time-portal. All Kate had wanted was a fun, relaxing day out, watching the knights jousting at Nottingham Castle. What she ended up with was something quite different. Transported in a heartbeat from 2011 to 1485, how will Kate handle life at the Ricardian court? Even more importantly, how will she cope when she catches the eye of the king himself?
At a scant 68 pages, it would be wrong to expect this one to be in-depth on the historical detail – and what’s here is very much history-lite, although the author plainly knows her facts. But I enjoyed it for its originality and the sheer fun of it – Kate can’t help but win your heart, and the story itself is well-written, with a nice touch of forbidden romance and such a great ending. I would have liked a little more fleshing out of the characters, a little more detail in the settings – but that’s just me. The timeslip – in both directions, particularly the problems around the return to the present – was particularly well done, and I liked the way the historical context was woven into the story. If you’re looking for a quick read with a bit of a different twist that leaves you with a smile on your face, this one really will fit the bill very nicely.
About the author
Jennifer is a marine biologist by training, who developed an equal passion for history whilst stalking Mary, Queen of Scots of childhood holidays (she since moved on to Richard III). She completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Hull, and has worked as a marine environmental consultant since graduating. Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the north-east reignited Jennifer’s pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and also continues to work on developing her poetic voice, reading at a number of events, and with several pieces available online. Her Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books and available via Amazon.
I enjoyed this, its quite an unusual take on Richard Third’s story.