The Dangerous Kingdom of Love
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- Create Date：2021-07-11 00:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Neil Blackmore
- ISBN：1786332671
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Summary
The kingdom of love is a frightening place。 A dangerous place。 What kind of fool wants to live there？
How have I， Francis Bacon， well-known as the cleverest man in England， been caught in this trap？ For years I survived the brutal games of the English court， driven by the whims of the idiot King James I - and finally， I was winning。 Forget what my friends Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare say about love。 I had that which men truly crave above all else: power。
But now， at the moment of my greatest success， a deadly alliance of my enemies has begun closing in on me。 Led by the King's beautiful and poisonous lover Carr， this new alliance threatens to turn our foolish King against me， so that I may rot in the Tower。
I refuse to go down without a fight。 I have concocted a brilliant new plan: I will find my own beguiling young man and supplant Carr in the King's bed， and take power for myself。 All I need to do is find him， my beautiful and mysterious creature， my perfect chess move。
In the dangerous kingdom of love， those who understand desire win。 And I intend to win， at all costs。
How have I， Francis Bacon， well-known as the cleverest man in England， been caught in this trap？ For years I survived the brutal games of the English court， driven by the whims of the idiot King James I - and finally， I was winning。 Forget what my friends Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare say about love。 I had that which men truly crave above all else: power。
But now， at the moment of my greatest success， a deadly alliance of my enemies has begun closing in on me。 Led by the King's beautiful and poisonous lover Carr， this new alliance threatens to turn our foolish King against me， so that I may rot in the Tower。
I refuse to go down without a fight。 I have concocted a brilliant new plan: I will find my own beguiling young man and supplant Carr in the King's bed， and take power for myself。 All I need to do is find him， my beautiful and mysterious creature， my perfect chess move。
In the dangerous kingdom of love， those who understand desire win。 And I intend to win， at all costs。
Reviews
Jessica
，
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was a fascinating book。 The Stuarts get ignored for their Tudor cousins all of the time， so I was happy to see James I's court in the spotlight I knew little about Francis Bacon， aside from reading a few parts of tracts， making him a great protagonist- it felt like I was seeing the court from a new angle。 As an historian who has studied the period in decent depth， I appreciated "getting to know" George Villiers。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was a fascinating book。 The Stuarts get ignored for their Tudor cousins all of the time， so I was happy to see James I's court in the spotlight I knew little about Francis Bacon， aside from reading a few parts of tracts， making him a great protagonist- it felt like I was seeing the court from a new angle。 As an historian who has studied the period in decent depth， I appreciated "getting to know" George Villiers。 In a lot of books， he is reduced to "James' favourite， Charles' friend"， and Blackmore allows him to be his own person。 While it isn't historically accurate， I think that this book will be a great hook for more people "finding" the Stuart period in England。 Blackmore has a fantastic way with storytelling， and he covers many different episodes while still weaving them together seamlessly into the larger plot。 He is certainly a talented writer！ The one aspect that I found difficult about this book was how crude it could be， and how frequently sex was brought up。 I tend not to read incredibly graphic sex scenes， so that aspect was not for me。 。。。more
Katie Bogdan
，
4。5 starsThe Dangerous Kingdom of Love is a humorous and heartbreaking journey through the mind of Francis Bacon as he navigates life as a gay man in 17th century England。Neil Blackmore does an absolutely incredible job of creating the central character of Bacon and his voice is one of the strongest I have seen from a narrator in quite some time。 The tensions of court and country really help to propel the story and give Blackmore as Bacon a myriad of opportunities to comment on the banality and 4。5 starsThe Dangerous Kingdom of Love is a humorous and heartbreaking journey through the mind of Francis Bacon as he navigates life as a gay man in 17th century England。Neil Blackmore does an absolutely incredible job of creating the central character of Bacon and his voice is one of the strongest I have seen from a narrator in quite some time。 The tensions of court and country really help to propel the story and give Blackmore as Bacon a myriad of opportunities to comment on the banality and hypocrisy of human existence。 While we as readers know that Bacon's surrender to the temptation of love could prove to be his undoing， watching it happen is just so satisfying。 Honestly， the only thing that made me knock off the half star was some slow pacing around the middle of the book。 All in all， it is an engrossing exploration of how a dangerous love can transform even the most intelligent men into fools。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hutchinson for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review！ 。。。more
Across the Sky In Stars
，
This book tells the story of Francis Bacon， a gay man living in Jacobean England （and obviously a real-life historical figure） as he plots and schemes his way through the court of King James I。 On his journey， he crosses paths with other notable historical figures， the biggest name of which is William Shakespeare。The story starts when Francis’ enemy， who also happens to be the lover of the King begins plotting。 Francis， in his need to secure his position at court， devises an opposing plan。 He wi This book tells the story of Francis Bacon， a gay man living in Jacobean England （and obviously a real-life historical figure） as he plots and schemes his way through the court of King James I。 On his journey， he crosses paths with other notable historical figures， the biggest name of which is William Shakespeare。The story starts when Francis’ enemy， who also happens to be the lover of the King begins plotting。 Francis， in his need to secure his position at court， devises an opposing plan。 He will team up with the Queen and find a young love interest for the King to take his enemy’s place。 （For anyone wondering about the problematic nature of this relationship， I can’t tell you it’s not in anyway problematic， but the person chosen is above the modern age of consent。）In the course of Francis scheming， he fails to account for one thing: human nature。 It becomes very clear that our main character is a natural plotter， but he fails to recognize the human element in the people he plots against。 This leads to his ultimate downfall。One thing I really liked about this book was that Francis Bacon is portrayed as an unreliable narrator。 I wish it had been made more clear earlier on in the book。 In my opinion， the reveal at the end was a bit too late。 However， it does add to the book positively。 This book gave me similar vibes to As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann。 That is also a book with a gay unreliable narrator who plots and schemes， and is also set in a similar time period （though that one is during the English Civil War）。Overall， I’d recommend this book if you like retellings。 I thought this was a great way to make the personalities and situations from history stand out and be more palatable to a modern audience。 While I cannot confirm the accuracy of the portrayals， they do make for a compelling read。 I found myself not wanting to put the book down。This book was given to me as an Advance Reading Copy by Netgalley。 。。。more
Eric
，
Although this is very easy to read， for me it was not a particularly enjoyable or enlightening experience。I had often thought that the reign of King James VI and I was a fertile area for historical novel， most especially one which explored the ramifications of the King's sexuality， and not just the political aspects of the period。I found the depiction of James hard to take and to believe。 A man who survived the machinations of his time as King of Scots to reach the throne of England and survive Although this is very easy to read， for me it was not a particularly enjoyable or enlightening experience。I had often thought that the reign of King James VI and I was a fertile area for historical novel， most especially one which explored the ramifications of the King's sexuality， and not just the political aspects of the period。I found the depiction of James hard to take and to believe。 A man who survived the machinations of his time as King of Scots to reach the throne of England and survive there， could not possibly have been as weak in intelligence as shown here。 On the other hand his Queen， Anne is strongly and sympathetically portrayed。As for Francis Bacon， there are two observations to be made。 Firstly he had a wife who does not appear in this novel。， a rather odd omission。 Secondly his need for sex with other men seems to rule him to an extent which does not ring true。Overall， I was disappointed and unconvinced。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy。3。5 stars。 。。。more
Giada
，
Me downloading the book: it seems quite interesting， but is Francis Bacon a captivating character enough to carry a whole book？Me after 48 hours， having finished the book because I couldn’t put it down: wellThe dangerous kingdom of love starts exactly like that: like a book interesting enough to be read， but as someone who studied Francis Bacon and New Atlantis in college I was quite skeptical about him being able to carry a whole book on his back， as main character and narrator。Boy， I was wrong Me downloading the book: it seems quite interesting， but is Francis Bacon a captivating character enough to carry a whole book？Me after 48 hours， having finished the book because I couldn’t put it down: wellThe dangerous kingdom of love starts exactly like that: like a book interesting enough to be read， but as someone who studied Francis Bacon and New Atlantis in college I was quite skeptical about him being able to carry a whole book on his back， as main character and narrator。Boy， I was wrong。Neil Blackmore starts immediately giving us a very interesting protagonist and narrator， he depicts Francis Bacon as an intellectual， sarcastic， and relatable （at least to me） person， as soon as page 3 I found myself already captivated by Bacon as a narrator and his story。Cue to 48 hours later: I put that book down only to feed and sleep （and because two or three times I identified so strongly in Bacon I had to stop reading to compose myself）。Recommended if: you love history - especially about english monarchy - but do not despise a more fictional retelling of it， queer characters and complicated love stories， books very well written。 And I emphasize the last part because as I said Mr Blackmore had my undivided attention since page 3 and I loved every minute of this novel。 。。。more
Sharyn
，
I am sorry to say that I have given up on this book at 18%。。 I had been looking forward to it as I loved The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle。 But it just isn't working for me; I am ok with swearing and sex but I find the book boring。。 Maybe too much swearing and focus on sexual behaviour。 Maybe me and Bacon just don't get on。 With thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this book。 I am sorry to say that I have given up on this book at 18%。。 I had been looking forward to it as I loved The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle。 But it just isn't working for me; I am ok with swearing and sex but I find the book boring。。 Maybe too much swearing and focus on sexual behaviour。 Maybe me and Bacon just don't get on。 With thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this book。 。。。more
Anne-Marie
，
#TheDangerousKingdomofLove by #NeilBlackmore I quite like a good swear however I was taken by surprise by the amount of gratituous swearwords used in this book。 In spite of this， I will be looking into more of Neil Blackmore’s work。 I am not sure what I had expected when I picked a historical fiction set during the reign of King James about a man loving another man。 From the beginning we see Francis Bacon， the cleverest man in the country， start plotting in order to secure his place at court and #TheDangerousKingdomofLove by #NeilBlackmore I quite like a good swear however I was taken by surprise by the amount of gratituous swearwords used in this book。 In spite of this， I will be looking into more of Neil Blackmore’s work。 I am not sure what I had expected when I picked a historical fiction set during the reign of King James about a man loving another man。 From the beginning we see Francis Bacon， the cleverest man in the country， start plotting in order to secure his place at court and out of the Tower。 Francis’ world is full of lies and schemes and he is good at pulling whoever he needs to into his world to fulfill his plan。 This fictionalised retelling of history is original， sharp and edgy。 Bacon is likeable despite being arrogant。 The lingering question was he a bad man， or was he just a man playing the game？Thank you to #Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jthbooks
，
Oh I wanted to love this one so badly。 So badly。 I didn’t love the authors first one and I was desperate to love this one。 But I didn’t。 I crave queer historical fiction but this didn’t do it for me。 I didn’t like the characters。 I didn’t like the romance。 I just think with the story and the time period it was set in， it could’ve been brilliant。 But it fell flat。 It fell flat in every way。 Thanks to the publishers for my copy。 It’s out in July。
Roman Clodia
，
Although the stories at the heart of the book （Robert Carr and Frances Howard: see the recent 'A Net for Small Fishes'， and that of George Villiers， 1st Duke of Buckingham （the Buckingham from 'The Three Musketeers' who is in love with Anne of Austria） have been told before and， I would guess， are fairly well known， what this book brings to the party is linking them through the rambunctious voice of Francis Bacon。 For me， it's Bacon's narration that makes the book: he's crude and coarse， he's cl Although the stories at the heart of the book （Robert Carr and Frances Howard: see the recent 'A Net for Small Fishes'， and that of George Villiers， 1st Duke of Buckingham （the Buckingham from 'The Three Musketeers' who is in love with Anne of Austria） have been told before and， I would guess， are fairly well known， what this book brings to the party is linking them through the rambunctious voice of Francis Bacon。 For me， it's Bacon's narration that makes the book: he's crude and coarse， he's clever and vain， he's aware that he's surrounded by enemies， and he's on a mission to plot his way to the top while taking down his detractors， especially the Howard family。 Along the way， he has more than one eye on our present with sneaking asides about how lying and deceit are no longer flaws in public servants and Westminster rulers， on how greed and ambition rule and the wealthy continue to prop up their ascendency; an especially funny diatribe on how a nascent system of 'medicines everywhere， in every town， in every village， ready to be used at any moment， a national service' is bound to be stymied by questions of 'where was the money for such a scheme？' King James might have just spent a fortune from the public purse on jewels for his favourites but 'not a single Member of Parliament （save perhaps me） was going to pay to stop injured peasants dying of blood poisoning'。 So this is very much historical fiction with a postmodern outlook: deliberate anachronisms in diction， and social commentary combine with a slanted retelling of history （in reality， the puritanical James was never this shameless and there are still scholarly debates on whether he actually slept with any of his male favourites）。 I especially like that this reclaims the Stuart courtly romp from all the ultra-feminised tellings that make it a place where women's subjectivity rules with stories of female friendship， forced marriages， lush love affairs and lots and lots of glossy clothing descriptions。 This is entertaining， fun and necessarily bawdy， but also politically astute and has a more heartfelt element that emerges， particularly near the end。 Thanks to Penguin for an excellently read audio book via NetGalley 。。。more
Rosie G
，
From before the first page when I read the Dramatis Personae and saw King James I & IV described as 'a sodomite and a failed intellectual' followed further on by William Shakespeare as simply 'another playwright' I knew this book was going to be one for me。 Blackmore uses language that is honest and crass but felt completely appropriate to the story。 An historical tale told in a modern way。 Narrated brilliantly by Sir Francis Bacon who speaks to us directly and paints himself repeatedly as an ou From before the first page when I read the Dramatis Personae and saw King James I & IV described as 'a sodomite and a failed intellectual' followed further on by William Shakespeare as simply 'another playwright' I knew this book was going to be one for me。 Blackmore uses language that is honest and crass but felt completely appropriate to the story。 An historical tale told in a modern way。 Narrated brilliantly by Sir Francis Bacon who speaks to us directly and paints himself repeatedly as an outsider in the court of King James。 He is 'the cleverest man in Britain' and has many enemies plotting his downfall while Bacon himself plots to elevate his own position。 He presents himself as morally superior to his aristocratic 'superiors' while simultaneously working with the queen to replace King James lover Robert Carr with one of their own - George Villiers - in order to have the king's inner ear。 However trouble begins when Bacon and Villiers begin a relationship themselves and Bacon despite his better judgment falls for the boy。 The story is one of power and love。 Both the power of love and the love of power and how either can elevate and corrupt。 Bacon narration is what really makes the book。 He realisations not only of his position and those who work against him but also he realisations of himself and how he is perceived and perceives his actions。 A great read。 。。。more
Queer Reader
，
Francis Bacon， the cleverest man in England （in his own words） believes that power trumps love。 When Bacon suspects the King’s ‘favourite’ Robert Carr is plotting to turn the King against him， he goes to great lengths to find another suitable young man to supplant Carr in the King's bed and take power for himself。It is a dangerous game of which Bacon believes he has the upper hand。 But does he？I listened to the audio version and it was superbly narrated。 The voices and accents were brilliant， pa Francis Bacon， the cleverest man in England （in his own words） believes that power trumps love。 When Bacon suspects the King’s ‘favourite’ Robert Carr is plotting to turn the King against him， he goes to great lengths to find another suitable young man to supplant Carr in the King's bed and take power for himself。It is a dangerous game of which Bacon believes he has the upper hand。 But does he？I listened to the audio version and it was superbly narrated。 The voices and accents were brilliant， particularly King James was laugh out loud funny。Although there is romance， there is nothing fluffy about this book。 It’s sex first and feelings later。 Feelings that Bacon says aren’t meant for men like him。 But even he is not immune， and when he catches feelings for George Villiers （the young man he has moulded for the King） there is only so long he can deny that it is the very thing that terrifies him - love。I found myself listening to an explicit scene in a coffee shop at 9am and had to double check my headphones were definitely connected and I wasn’t broadcasting it to everyone first thing in the morning！ This book may not be to everyone’s taste but I appreciated Blackmore’s take on things for being bold， blunt and unashamedly queer。Francis Bacon is just the right amount of unlikeable to make things interesting。 I was rooting for him by the end and although not a tear jerker， I did find the story heart breaking。 To think just how long people have had to deny their truths for fear of punishment and death and the lengths at which they might go to to protect themselves。 And how many centuries it took for anything to change。 Blackmore's vivid portrayal of these historical figures really brings them to life and riveting story had me hooked until the end。Thank you Penguin and Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review。 。。。more
Zoe M
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Set in the 1600's this book tells the story of Francis Bacon and although it wasn't anything like I was expecting I did enjoy it to a degree。 There seemed to be a lot of characters， some familiar names like Shakespeare。 There was a lot of crudeness and swearing but if you can get past all that it is quite a fun read。 The exploits he gets up to are really quite funny and a bit silly。 If I can liken it to something similar it would be the TV show Blackadder。 Set in the 1600's this book tells the story of Francis Bacon and although it wasn't anything like I was expecting I did enjoy it to a degree。 There seemed to be a lot of characters， some familiar names like Shakespeare。 There was a lot of crudeness and swearing but if you can get past all that it is quite a fun read。 The exploits he gets up to are really quite funny and a bit silly。 If I can liken it to something similar it would be the TV show Blackadder。 。。。more
Nicola
，
I loved how it was based on historical fact and actually quite informative on the history of these times。 It was an interesting perspective of court， the politics， shenanigans and all that goes on within the highest of circles。 Following Francis Bacon and his endeavours in the courts， Francis must hold his own in this dangerous world， avoiding an ungainly end by his enemies within the court and turning it to his favour。 What I wasn’t expecting was the language！ Wow there was a lot of swearing in I loved how it was based on historical fact and actually quite informative on the history of these times。 It was an interesting perspective of court， the politics， shenanigans and all that goes on within the highest of circles。 Following Francis Bacon and his endeavours in the courts， Francis must hold his own in this dangerous world， avoiding an ungainly end by his enemies within the court and turning it to his favour。 What I wasn’t expecting was the language！ Wow there was a lot of swearing in this and hugely crude and foul mouthed characters， throwing F bombs and C words left right and centre。 If this bothers you then maybe this isn’t your book， but if you don’t mind it and can see past it into the story， you’ll be grand。 This also isn’t a book where you warm and grow to love the characters involved I found， at least I didn’t anyway but the story was interesting。 It was well written and effortlessly narrated。 The narrator was brilliant and really brought it to life， with his range of accents， acting and easy way of reading the story， it made it enjoyable to listen to。 I’m still unravelling from this book but if you want a book that doesn’t hold back on the swearing and court play， this is the one for you！ Thank you to the author and publishers via NetGalley for this audiobook， in return to give my honest thoughts and review。 。。。more
Ola
，
I ate this book！ It's full of delicious drama， gossip， scandal， political plots to destroy your enemies。 The title is really fitting， the book gives us a lot of love， romance， sex， and all of it is highly dangerous。 The main character is Francis Bacon。 I know little of him， but it's a familiar name。 There are more characters that we all know from history。 The book is inspired by history but is modernized for our reading pleasure。 It brings up serious subjects of homophobia， double standards， per I ate this book！ It's full of delicious drama， gossip， scandal， political plots to destroy your enemies。 The title is really fitting， the book gives us a lot of love， romance， sex， and all of it is highly dangerous。 The main character is Francis Bacon。 I know little of him， but it's a familiar name。 There are more characters that we all know from history。 The book is inspired by history but is modernized for our reading pleasure。 It brings up serious subjects of homophobia， double standards， performative religiousness。 Those are not however the main topics of the story， at the heart of this is love， longing for love， the terrible things we may do for love。 And it is about how one perceives their actions as just and reasonable， when the hurt others and are not in fact better than the actions of people we despise。 The ending really brings this point home， it is really powerful。 。。。more
Kayla Lords
，
**I received an ARC from Netgalley。**I didn’t expect to finish this book the same day I started and I didn’t expect to fall into it so completely。 Written purely from Francis Bacon’s perspective — indeed we are in his head the entire time — we intimately hear his thoughts of himself， his work， and the “game” he plays。 Being so thoroughly in his head， I forgot to question some of his decisions — which he clearly didn’t question。 During his downfall， in a confrontation with George Villiers I was w **I received an ARC from Netgalley。**I didn’t expect to finish this book the same day I started and I didn’t expect to fall into it so completely。 Written purely from Francis Bacon’s perspective — indeed we are in his head the entire time — we intimately hear his thoughts of himself， his work， and the “game” he plays。 Being so thoroughly in his head， I forgot to question some of his decisions — which he clearly didn’t question。 During his downfall， in a confrontation with George Villiers I was woken up to the fact that while his planning （replacing a dangerous rival and the King’s lover with someone of his own） never took into account how others felt being used as pawns。 I don’t know how true to history this has been but it was definitely entertaining。 In the beginning， I found it slightly difficult to follow the narration as it felt like a jumble of thoughts。 But once I found Bacon’s mental rhythm， I felt more immersed。 I think the ending what slightly rushed especially after the amount of thought and detail were given of the main plot。 It felt like his downfall was something to be gotten through as quickly as possible。 I enjoyed the moments where the narrator breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to us the readers but I did wonder where that came from。 There was no set-up for the narration — was he writing memoirs， talking to someone？ We were just ghostly witnesses in Francis Bacon’s story。 The writing was （mostly） fast paced and showed Bacon’s quick wit and self-deprecating moments。 A few of his parenthetical thoughts made me laugh out loud。 Overall， I enjoyed it。 。。。more
J。A。 Ironside
，
Audio Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewAudio review: Perfect choice of narrator。 He added layers of nuances to the characters especially Francis Bacon。 He managed pitch perfect humour and horror and cynicism by turns。 Amazing performance。Book review: I’m not sure what I was expecting when I was invited to read this but it wasn’t a fast paced intrigue set in the court of King James I featuring Francis Bacon as he tries to put his own 'favourite' in the king's bed。 Embraci Audio Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewAudio review: Perfect choice of narrator。 He added layers of nuances to the characters especially Francis Bacon。 He managed pitch perfect humour and horror and cynicism by turns。 Amazing performance。Book review: I’m not sure what I was expecting when I was invited to read this but it wasn’t a fast paced intrigue set in the court of King James I featuring Francis Bacon as he tries to put his own 'favourite' in the king's bed。 Embracing the scheming of Machiavelli， Bacon is feeling slighted and deposed in influence and sets up a nefarious scheme to claw back power。 What follows is a House of Cards style narrative where Bacon occasionally mutters snarky asides to the reader who is fully in his confidence。 Bacon tells us right from the start that he does not love。 Love is a dangerous past time for a man like him。 In fact he's faintly disgusted at the way the King carries on。 The most important thing is power because power is all that is real， all that will make a man happy。 The astute reader can already see where this is going and the historian will have some idea of Bacon's life and how it drew to a close。 This version of it is glorious， both in Bacon's self deceiving cleverness， his wit and the sheer lushness of the world and time brought to life。 As well as being a bald and uncompromising queer romp， this is also a clever meditation on power: what's really valuable？ What should you really persue？ Can you abuse power without realising it？ In the end， power is as difficult to hold onto as love。 But no spoilers。 This was scandalous， amusing， wickedly good fun and salaciously queer。 I can see it won’t be for everyone but if you don’t mind what is now considered offensive language （but wasn’t especially in 16th C） you’ll enjoy this pre-enlightenment era romp。 A cracking read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Annette
，
Francis Bacon， known as the cleverest man in England， finds himself in a threatening position。 King James I is unpredictable and is being influenced by his lover Robert Carr， who is an enemy of Francis。 Now， Francis needs to concoct a new plan， so he doesn’t end up at the Tower。Francis’ voice is a bit of an arrogant with foul language， but if you can get passed that， he is good at grasping your attention and he sharply relates the story。 He vows to stay away from love since his kind of love is p Francis Bacon， known as the cleverest man in England， finds himself in a threatening position。 King James I is unpredictable and is being influenced by his lover Robert Carr， who is an enemy of Francis。 Now， Francis needs to concoct a new plan， so he doesn’t end up at the Tower。Francis’ voice is a bit of an arrogant with foul language， but if you can get passed that， he is good at grasping your attention and he sharply relates the story。 He vows to stay away from love since his kind of love is punishable， despite the king flaunting it in everyone’s face。 For the rest， this kind of love is too dangerous and can cost your life。Francis’ world is full of lies and schemes and he is good at pulling whoever he needs to into his world to fulfill his plan。 His story is interesting。 As for those who are familiar with this piece of history， and as it is with any kind of story that was told before you need to bring some originality and edge to make something known being interesting again。 And the author certainly achieves that。 It is very original and sharp。 The only problem I have is the vulgarity， which I personally do not like and because of that I couldn’t bring myself to rate it as 5 stars。 Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anastasia Curtis
，
Francis Bacon， currently on the outs with King James， begins a series of plots to get back into his graces。 But these plots have consequences。（I was given this book as a ARC or Advanced Reader Copy given through NetGalley as an audiobook for an honest Review。 All of these thoughts are mine and at no point was I pressured or swayed in my opinion）This book comes out 15 Jul 2021 This is a adult， LGBTQ+， Historical fictionFrancis Bacon wants powerBut Carr， lover and current favorite of King james is Francis Bacon， currently on the outs with King James， begins a series of plots to get back into his graces。 But these plots have consequences。（I was given this book as a ARC or Advanced Reader Copy given through NetGalley as an audiobook for an honest Review。 All of these thoughts are mine and at no point was I pressured or swayed in my opinion）This book comes out 15 Jul 2021 This is a adult， LGBTQ+， Historical fictionFrancis Bacon wants powerBut Carr， lover and current favorite of King james is in the way。 Worst he is plotting to get Bacon out of the way。But Bacon won’t just take this lying down。 He will live to plot another day。 He just has to find the right way to go about this。 Just a little time and he’ll have his own plot to get what he wants。And he might have found the perfect person to use to get his wayBut the person that he set up to remove Carr？ He might turn out to be Bacon’s own downfall if he doesn’t watch his step。And the kingdom of love is a dangerous。 And it can lead to anyone’s downfall。 But Bacon refuses to let something like love make him fall。 He refuses to fall。This was a all around 5/5 for me。This book was written in a way that kept me hooked and made for an enjoyable read。 I could not put this book down， needing to know how the plotting of the characters where going to go。Even knowing how history plays out doesn’t change this。The Characters were enjoyable to followNeil Blackmore’s writing of the characters made me stick around。 Every character was fun to follow。 None of the characters were boring to be in a scene with。Even the villains were entertaining to read。 And Bacon， our POV characters， thoughts and inner monolog about the characters around them made for good entertainment。But the plot what was what made me read this in one sittingI could not put this book down。All the schemes that where running were interesting and made me want to stick around to find out how they were going to end。 Who was going to come out on topAnd when one scheme wrapped up， another one just as interesting took its place。 I was hooked to the very end。Speaking of the ending。The ending broke me。 This is a historical fiction with real life characters， so you can guess how things play out。But even with that in mind Neil Blackmore shifted things enough that things didn’t play out exactly how history does。 And when it does go the way that it does in history， how we get to those events where interesting and changed at places。And so the ending broke me。 But it wasn’t just because of how history plays out。Toward the very end a revelation comes out that shook me to the core。 Now some people might be able to have seen this。 And might have taken this revelation in from the very start of things。 But I didn’t， and it made me take everything in， in a different way。This will make any re-read a new experience if you didn’t get the revelation （Like I did） making this a book that you can take in more than once。So please give this book a change if any of this is your thing。Because I definitely will be coming back to this book an some point。 。。。more
Siâni
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Gosh， I found this book incredibly sad。 Not sure what I expected from historical fiction about a man loving another man during the reign of the Stewards， but this wrecked me。 This is a story about Francis Bacon told by Francis Bacon。 King James is already on the throne by the time we meet Francis， and he is already known as one of the smartest men in all of England。 Quite quickly， we see Francis start plotting in order to secure his place at court and out of The Tower， I found Francis to be quit Gosh， I found this book incredibly sad。 Not sure what I expected from historical fiction about a man loving another man during the reign of the Stewards， but this wrecked me。 This is a story about Francis Bacon told by Francis Bacon。 King James is already on the throne by the time we meet Francis， and he is already known as one of the smartest men in all of England。 Quite quickly， we see Francis start plotting in order to secure his place at court and out of The Tower， I found Francis to be quite a likeable character。 He was funny， quite sarcastic， and quite naïve when it came to feelings of love。 As characteristically arrogant as he was， when it came to feelings of love， he was quite dumb。 I usually go for historical fiction novels set during the Tudor reign therefore I did not know much about King James nor Francis Bacon。 It was quite refreshing to read a piece of work set during King James’s reign that did not have anything to do with the Gunpowder Plot nor the killing of witches。 I enjoyed having a glance at this time in history through Francis’s experience。 Though， as I have already said， it was sad。 It can still be difficult to read about men not being able to openly love other men whilst living in a time when it is generally accepted。 It is good to go back to see how far we have come but I do wish that we could go back to all of the Francis Bacon’s of the time and tell them that their way of love is generally celebrated。 What I also liked about this book was the question at the end。 Was Francis a bad man？ He was a man playing the game at court but when it came to Villiers， was he immoral？ I wish they could have lived as the old married couple， but I could not help but feel that Villiers version of the truth did stand。 It makes you think about who narrates the history of these people and what their truth is。 Life at court muddied the water when it came to morality， friendship and love。 Overall， I felt tremendous sadness for Francis。 I will be reading more of Neil Blackmore’s books after reading this。 。。。more
Roye Julian Serrano
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Neil Blackmore has a way with words， enchanting his readers to read more and more。 I simply couldn't put the book down once I started reading it。 The story has several layers and the narrative is quite nice。 Blackmore uses profanity， and there are references to sex， so these things may turn off some readers。 However， there are complex themes that make this book a solid read and shouldn't be defined by the aforementioned。 Overall， I would recommend this book Neil Blackmore has a way with words， enchanting his readers to read more and more。 I simply couldn't put the book down once I started reading it。 The story has several layers and the narrative is quite nice。 Blackmore uses profanity， and there are references to sex， so these things may turn off some readers。 However， there are complex themes that make this book a solid read and shouldn't be defined by the aforementioned。 Overall， I would recommend this book 。。。more
Jean-Luc
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What a magnificent and malevolent Jacobean tapestry！ The royal court of the first Stuart， a teeming world of petty jealousies， venomous intrigues， back-stabbing courtiers and muderous intents。 A beautiful novel centered around Francis Bacon's quest to survive the treacherous waters surrounding the throne of a moronic ruler， and his fiendish determination to destroy his enemies by grooming & preparing a young and innocent George Villiers to become the king all powerful new male lover。 Elegantly w What a magnificent and malevolent Jacobean tapestry！ The royal court of the first Stuart， a teeming world of petty jealousies， venomous intrigues， back-stabbing courtiers and muderous intents。 A beautiful novel centered around Francis Bacon's quest to survive the treacherous waters surrounding the throne of a moronic ruler， and his fiendish determination to destroy his enemies by grooming & preparing a young and innocent George Villiers to become the king all powerful new male lover。 Elegantly written & blessed with a cast of very colorful and unforgettable characters， this delightful & often humorous historical romp is also a captivating and engrossing portrait of the English homosexual world and underworld at the beginning of the 17th century！ A fabulous fictional journey that deserves to be enjoyed without moderation！Many thanks to Netgalley and Random/Hutchinson for this marvellous ARC 。。。more
Dan Bassett
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How have I， Francis Bacon， well-known as the most cleverest man in the whole of England been ensnared in such a trap？For many years I survived the daily brutal games of the English court， solely driven by the whims of that idiot King James… and for once， I was finally winning。 Forget what my friends Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare say about love。 The only true and real thing men crave above everything is simple: power。Francis Bacon must endure the daily task of seeing the great King James jau How have I， Francis Bacon， well-known as the most cleverest man in the whole of England been ensnared in such a trap？For many years I survived the daily brutal games of the English court， solely driven by the whims of that idiot King James… and for once， I was finally winning。 Forget what my friends Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare say about love。 The only true and real thing men crave above everything is simple: power。Francis Bacon must endure the daily task of seeing the great King James jaunt around all day with his pretty， perfect and poisonous lover Robert Carr who is more than happy to satisfy the king both in and out of the bed chamber， much to the disdain of the Queen， but this is simply how things are。That is until Francis decides to concoct a devilish scheme to remove the ever-present and overbearing man-child that is Carr， and aim the kings affections at someone who could help Francis gain the power he so rightly deserves and craves。This seems simple at first， with even the Queen herself agreeing to finally remove Carr from the lap of the king， but when Francis finally tracks down the man who seems perfection personified， he soon starts to forget his plan when it turns out that perhaps this beguiling young man is the love he has been so longing for but as he ends up losing himself within the maze of his emotions， someone is waiting for their moment to drop the sword of Damocles which is dangling just above Bacon…。However， the game of chess is a messy business and should Bacon make one wrong move， we will lose it all along with perhaps the only true love of his life。Witty， provocative， cut-throat and lavish， the author envisions Francis Bacon as such a lovable character you will find yourself chuckling and blushing in equal parts！ 。。。more
Kirara7
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This book was a surprise for many reasons， the first is that i did not when the author said that it was base of real people， so imagine my surprise when I saw the title of Bacon's next book "New Atlantis" in that moment a lightbulb went on in my head。 I really liked the story， Bacon is a funny， intelligent， haricot character， but above all human。Throughout the book we were able to see his way of acting and thinking， how he interacted with the other characters， somehow you become fond of him and This book was a surprise for many reasons， the first is that i did not when the author said that it was base of real people， so imagine my surprise when I saw the title of Bacon's next book "New Atlantis" in that moment a lightbulb went on in my head。 I really liked the story， Bacon is a funny， intelligent， haricot character， but above all human。Throughout the book we were able to see his way of acting and thinking， how he interacted with the other characters， somehow you become fond of him and at the end of the book you realize that he is more human than you thought and that each story has two sides （ or more）The author has a way of writing that， at least for me， connects with the main character。I loved the ending， I liked Villers and each character， especially the last chapter， was 。。。 wow。 I really liked it a lot。Whether this has happened in this way， in another or everything is simply an invention， I think that in the end we know that indeed Fracis Bacon did change the world。 Thanks to Netgally for the copy！ 。。。more
Zoë
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Upon reading the blurb for ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’， it sounded like the type of historical fiction I typically enjoy most。 I am always drawn to fictionalised tales of significant figures of the past， and Blackmore’s newest release certainly fits the bill。 ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’ was so much more than that。 Blackmore has managed to weave a colourful， and intriguing fictionalised tale of the court of King James I through Francis Bacon’s eyes， and all the drama and sordid details th Upon reading the blurb for ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’， it sounded like the type of historical fiction I typically enjoy most。 I am always drawn to fictionalised tales of significant figures of the past， and Blackmore’s newest release certainly fits the bill。 ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’ was so much more than that。 Blackmore has managed to weave a colourful， and intriguing fictionalised tale of the court of King James I through Francis Bacon’s eyes， and all the drama and sordid details that come a long with such a privileged position。 Blackmore has written an immensely readable novel here， with characters， court intrigue and romance to boot。 I found it funny， shocking， and sad。 I must preface if you are not so keen on foul language and open door romance， perhaps steer clear of this one。What’s preventing this from being a 5 star read for me were a few details that felt a little out of place。 One character， who is particularly renowned in history， didn’t really seem to serve any purpose to the story whatsoever， and I found their inclusion confusing and unnecessary to the text。 I also wish the final chapters had been a little more fleshed out， I felt it were owed to Bacon’s character for there to be more。All in all， a great read！ I powered through it as I just couldn’t put it down。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Holy moly！ The first line and we’re off…The Dangerous Kingdom of Love recounts the downfall of Francis Bacon， Robert Carr et al， which is fascinating in itself， but with Blackmore’s added， imaginings and behind closed doors frolics and filling in of blanks， this is superb。 It is narrated by Bacon in the first person and addressed to the reader， to whom he frequently speaks。 There are wicked asides， confidences， stage whispers all for our ears （or is that eyes？） only， which create great intimacy Holy moly！ The first line and we’re off…The Dangerous Kingdom of Love recounts the downfall of Francis Bacon， Robert Carr et al， which is fascinating in itself， but with Blackmore’s added， imaginings and behind closed doors frolics and filling in of blanks， this is superb。 It is narrated by Bacon in the first person and addressed to the reader， to whom he frequently speaks。 There are wicked asides， confidences， stage whispers all for our ears （or is that eyes？） only， which create great intimacy and a feeling of being right at the centre of the machinations。 Blackmore uses a mix of sixteenth century and contemporary language， which holds the flavour of the age but allows a modern flow; it also works extremely well for the asides。A word of warning though…this is not for everyone; and I know some people will find the subject distasteful and the language unacceptable。 There is much use of both the F and C words but remember， these were not considered offensive in the sixteenth century。 There’s a fair amount of sex and sexual references， which whilst crude， are never graphic。This book is shocking， scandalous， witty， sad， tender。 The history is accurate， the portrayals convincing。 Neil Blackmore is a very skilled writer。Neil Blackmore writes like Hilary Mantel on acid。Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Cornerstone for the Advanced Reader Copy ofd the book which I have voluntarily reviewed。 。。。more
Anwen Hayward
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