Cover design includes portrait of the earl of strafford, painted after sir anthony van dyck, thanks to the national portrait gallery.
REVIEWS:
Jathan Fink: If you’re looking for a novel that rivals the best of Ken Follett and Edward Rutherfurd, then you won’t be disappointed with The Earl in Black Armor. Nancy Blanton delivers!
Stephen Cooper: For the general reader, this is a rattling, and at the same time moving, story, told by someone who has immersed herself in the historiography, but does not let it show.
D.B. Moone: “I highly recommend this 5 STAR novel.”
Melisende’s Library: “This is a well researched and crafted tale.”
Frankie Reviews: This book is astoundingly good! It’s a real marvel of historical fiction writing, reading this for me was like locking a chocoholic in Cadbury World for the weekend and telling them to help themselves.
Melanie Kimble, NetGalley reviewer: “It's strong points are how well written it is and how interesting the characters are. I'm definitely glad that I got a copy of this.”
Phyllis Grifman, Amazon customer: “Blanton's ability to tell a story through the eyes and words and heart of her characters is inspiring. She allows time and place and voice to show the reader the story instead of telling it; her research and interpretation are exquisite and impeccable.”
Loyalty, betrayal, honor, and tyranny in the reign of King Charles I
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PODCAST INTERVIEW
IRELAND, 1635: When the clan leader sends Faolán Burke to Dublin to spy on Thomas Wentworth, the ruthless Lord Deputy of Ireland, the future of his centuries-old clan rests upon his shoulders. Wentworth is plotting to acquire clan lands of Connacht for an English Protestant plantation. To stop him, Faolán must discover misdeeds that could force King Charles to recall Wentworth to England.
Leaving his young daughter Elvy in the care of his best friend Aengus, Faolán works as a porter in Dublin Castle, and aligns with the alluring Denisa, Wentworth’s personal assistant. She, too, spies on Wentworth, but for very personal reasons.
While Faolán knows he should hate Wentworth, he admires his prosecution of pirates and corrupt nobles who prey on Irish merchants. Supremely arrogant and cruel to his enemies, Wentworth shows loyalty, warmth and compassion for family, friends and a few select others.
A common mission takes Faolán and Denisa from Dublin to London and Hampton Court; to York and Scotland; and to the highest levels of court intrigue and power. But secrets, fears, war and betrayal threaten their love—and even their lives. And as Wentworth’s power grows, so grow the deadly plans of his most treacherous and driven enemies.
Charlotte Brownhill, PhD: I have just finished reading The Prince of Glencurragh, swiftly followed by The Earl in Black Armor, and I just wanted to write to say how much I loved them! I spent 5 years researching and writing my PhD on Wentworth, focusing on his relationships with his advisers such as George Radcliffe and Philip Mainwaring and it was so exciting to see them brought to life in your books. I thought your interpretation of Wentworth and his actions was wonderful - your character was just how I imagined him when reading his correspondence in Sheffield Archives. There is the most amazing Van Dyke portrait of Wentworth in the Harley Gallery on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, nearby where I used to live, and I used to sit before his portrait, completely spell bound. Your book has made me feel the same way! Just fabulous! Congratulations:-)
