Trumpets in the West by Geoffrey Trease

Title: Trumpets in the West
Author: Geoffrey Trease
Illustrator: Joe Krush
Publication: Harcourt, Brace and Co., hardcover, 1947
Genre: Juvenile Historical Fiction
Setting: 17th century England

Description: In June 1685, the Duke of Monmouth, eldest illegitimate son of Charles II, landed at Lyme Regis in South West England where he had widespread popular support, planning to take control of the area and march on London to seize the throne from his uncle James II. The rebellion fails but not before young Jack Norwood and his irrepressible friend Jane Goodrich sneak out of their respective homes to see the battle.

A Pledge of Better Times (Book Review)

Title: A Pledge of Better Times
Author: Margaret Porter
Publication: Gallica Press, 2015, paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: A compelling historical novel set in the late 17th century about two interconnected families: the Stuarts and the de Veres, loyal servants to their monarch. Charles II, restored to his throne after years of exile, reigned merrily, yielding numerous attractive bastards but no legitimate child.