Dynasty 2: The Dark Rose

By: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Narrated by: Nigel Graham

1501: the turbulence of Henry VIII's reign brings passion and pain to the Morlands as they achieve ever greater wealth and prestige.Paul, great-grandson of Elanor Morland, has inherited the Morland estates, and his own Amyas is set to be his heir. But Paul fathers a beloved illegitimate son, and bitter jealousy causes a destructive rift between the two half-brothers which will lead to death.

Paul's niece, Nanette, becomes a maid-in-waiting to Anne Bolyen, and at the court of Henry VIII she becomes embroiled in the King's bitter feud with Rome.Through birth and death, love and hatred, triumph and heartbreak, the Morlands continue proudly to claim their place amongst England's aristocracy.

©1981 Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (P)1998 Isis Audiobooks

Enjoyable!

I loved this second in a long series of historical novels placed in northern England near York! It continued the saga of the Morland family from 1501 into the reign of young King Edward after the death of his father, Henry VIII. I love this period of English history so following the Morlands through it was especially enjoyable. I hope the next in the series will continue with Elizabeth I since she is my very favorite of all the English monarchs.

Others have summarized the plot of this novel so I will not repeat their efforts. This is a long book, a little over 21 hours on the audiobook, but I finished listening to it in less than 4 days. Although I do have a life, I found it difficult to take off my earphones and stop this story. I guess it’s a good thing that batteries do need to be recharged occasionally. I was even happy with the ending. I read the preceding book, but this one could stand on it’s own without losing much.

Love this multi generational story

Would you consider the audio edition of Dynasty 2: The Dark Rose to be better than the print version?

This is the first of many books, but I will be listening to the rest!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The matriarch - Eleanor

Not as good as Book 1, yet I'm still in

This author hooked me after War at Home series, all 5 books. I chose this series strictly because of the author's gift for writing historical fiction. Her War at Home series was fabulous, but this series is still worth it. The problem with Book 2 of Dynasty series seems to be how slowly the story continues, plus way too many undeveloped characters are introduced. Starting about the second half of Book 2, the story builds well. The reader becomes drawn in completely toward the end. Now I plan to purchase Book 3.