Keeping it in the family – Elizabeth St. John’s fabulous 17th century trilogy

Elizabeth St.John has been a frequent visitor to this blog. By now, I consider her a dear friend – and an amazing author! The first time we met was in Oxford in 2016 – we bonded over 17th century history (as one does) and spent several pleasant hours following in the footsteps of Charles I and his wife who spent a lot of time in Oxford during the Civil War. In difference to me, Elizabeth has people up her family tree who played central roles during this period,  people who come to incredible life in her lovely, lovely novels. At present, you can pick up any of her books in the Lydiard Chronicles for the ridiculously low price of 0.99. A bargain, dear peeps! Below, I’ve chosen to share my review for one of these books, and even if it’s been a few years since I read it, I still remember how impossible it was to put down–and how much I cried.

The Lydiard Chronicles:

The Lady of the Tower (Book #1)

By Love Divided (Book #2)

Written in Their Stars (Book #3)

Blurb:

Duty, passion, and power collide in The Lydiard Chronicles, a gripping trilogy inspired by

true events. Follow three courageous women—survivors, strategists, and storytellers—who defy the constraints of society to shape their family’s fate and England’s future. Their voices echo through time. Their legacy changed a nation.

The Lydiard Chronicles is an award-winning, best-selling historical family saga which brings to life the remarkable true stories of the St.John family. Spanning three compelling novels—The Lady of the Tower, By Love Divided, and Written in Their Stars—the series follows the legacy of resilient and intelligent women who lived as spies, courtiers, and diarists during England’s most turbulent century, navigating the quicksand of love and war, political upheaval, and personal sacrifice.

Bound by fierce family loyalty and unforgettable love, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles defy the limits of their time with passion, courage, and unshakable independence. They endure captivity in the Tower of London, exile in the Louvre Palace, and the heart-wrenching divisions of the English Civil War—fighting not just for survival, but for their beliefs, their families, and the right to choose their own fate. Meticulously researched and vividly told, this epic saga reveals how these women created history from the shadows, leaving a legacy of resilience, defiance, and enduring influence.

Rooted in original diaries, letters, and family papers, The Lydiard Chronicles offers an intimate, biographical portrait of women who moved behind the scenes of power. Serving as trusted secret agents, military wives, and confidantes of kings, they were deeply engaged in the political and religious conflicts of their time. Through tragedy and triumph, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles shape their destinies—and the fate of a nation—in this richly researched and vividly told historical epic.

Anna’s Review of Written in the Stars

First of all, I really like the title. I also like the cover which gives the reader a clear indication of what period the book is set in. After all, if you’re dying to read a regency romance and grab hold of this beautifully titled book you would know at a glance that neither the ton nor buckskin breeches will figure prominently in this novel.

Instead, Ms St.John gives us a beautifully composed story covering a decade or more of time. From the gruesome beginning when some of our protagonists witness the execution of Charles I to the isolated prison on Sandown where the story more or less ends, this is a narrative told through three female voices, those of the cousins Nan and Luce and of Frances, married to Luce’s brother, Sir Allen Apsley.

Where Nan Wilmot is a commanding soprano—what other voice to give this spymistress extraordinaire who loves her dashing royalist husband so passionately, her sons so fervently, her family so wholly—Luce is a somewhat more strident alto. For those familiar with Ms St.John’s previous books, Luce is no new acquaintance. Intelligent and devout, Luce is first of all a lady of convictions, a woman who believes in the republic, in a bright new world for all now that the corrupted monarchy has been toppled. And then there is Frances, a softer voice that weaves round the other two and somehow brings it all together.

Frances, just like Nan, works for the royalist cause. Luce, on the other hand, has had a hand in the king’s execution, convincing her husband John Hutchinson that there is no choice: for the republic to flourish, the king must die. And so John signs the execution order that leads to the death of a king on an icy January day.

Reasonably, Nan and Frances should see Luce as their enemy, but somehow these women manage to remember that no matter who rules, no matter what turmoil one lives through, family is always family. Always. And so it is Luce and her husband John Hutchinson who save Frances’ husband Allen after the battle of Worcester in 1651. It is Luce and John who give sanctuary to a badly wounded Henry Wilmot in 1655. And it is Nan and Frances who, several years later, do everything they can to save John Hutchinson from the restored king’s vengeance

Ms St. John weaves a gripping story. She drags the reader along to the impoverished exiled court in Paris, she describes the political quagmire that plagues England, the atrocities in Ireland, the excesses of the Parliamentarian government headed by an Oliver Cromwell that in Ms St. John’s depiction has nothing good or decent in him. This is consistent with the personal views of the people involved—not even Luce finds anything likeable in Oliver Cromwell. Famous people of the time such as Sir Edward Hyde, Henry Wilmot, the Duke of Buckingham (ugh!), the exiled Charles Stuart himself, the astoundingly beautiful and astutely manipulative Barbara Villiers, come alive in this excellently wrought story.

Vivid descriptions evoke smells and sounds, starlit skies and endless summer evenings. The historical setting is brought to vibrant life as are the tragedies of the people caught in the sundering of a nation, of a time when brother stood against brother on the battlefield, when one false step could send you hurtling to ruin and painful death. Add to this the beautiful and intimate scenes between man and wife, be it Nan and her beloved Henry on one of his undercover visits to England, Luce and John at their home in Owthorpe or Frances and her Allen standing under the wide, wide skies of the Fens and you have a novel that somehow manages to cover all aspects of the human condition. Most of all though, this is a story about love and loyalty, about the ties of family that cannot be denied—not even in times of bloody civil war.

Buy Links:

 Universal Series Buy Link: https://geni.us/TheLydiardChronicles

These titles are available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Hot Summer Reads:

 *Each novel is priced at just 99c / 99p July 1^st – 15^th, 2025*

Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England’s kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.

Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.

Elizabeth’s works include The Lydiard Chronicles, a family saga set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, which unravels the medieval mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. Her latest release, The King’s Intelligencer, follows Franny Apsley in the treacherous court of Charles II as she risks everything to uncover the dangerous truth behind the discovery of the princes’ bones.

Author Links:

Website:          https://www.elizabethjstjohn.com/

Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethJStJohn/

LinkedIn:        https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethjstjohn/

Instagram:         https://www.instagram.com/elizabethjstjohn/

Threads:             https://www.threads.net/@elizabethjstjohn

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elizabethstjohn.bsky.social

Book Bub:          https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elizabeth-st-john

Amazon Author Page:     https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn

Goodreads:             https://geni.us/GoodreadsElizStJohn