It is 1536 and expert swordsman, Jean Rombaud, has been brought over from France by Henry VIII to behead his wife, Anne Boleyn. On the eve of her execution Rombaud swears a vow to the ill-fated queen, to bury her six-fingered hand at a crossroads in France. However, in a Europe ravaged by religious wars other powerful forces also want the hand for their own nefarious reasons. So when the he is attacked, left for dead and the hand taken by an Archbishop who witnessed the execution, Rombaud must battle against seemingly insurmountable odds to regain it and fulfil his promise. Rombaud accumulates a colourful assortment of displaced souls along the way equally determined to see him accomplish his goal. So begins a fight between good an evil.

Although this novel is set during the Tudor era, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the main focus of the story was Jean Rombaud and isn't a simple retelling of that period's history. This is a swashbuckling adventure novel with plenty of fight scenes alongside numerous twists and turns with a touch of fantasy thrown in too.

Now I'm always a bit of a sucker for historical fiction and adventures stories in particular but whilst I really enjoyed the swashbuckling elements I felt that the plotting was a little bit off, it seemed overly long with much of the tale simply setting the scene for the next big battle scene rather than having any intrinsic value itself. This is a decent piece of escapism that runs along at a decent pace but nothing out of the ordinary for me. ( )

As a fan of this authors writing voice, I was very happy to see that this series is now being offered in eCopy. Even after reading the synopsis, I was pleasantly surprised by the plot, and especially by the characters. This is not your average historical fiction and that, at least for me, was very good.

I’ve read so many Tudor historical fictions that sometimes I think I’m way too familiar with the subject. Well, color me happy with this story!

As much as I find Anne Boleyn’s character intriguing, it’s the swordsman who wielded the sword at her execution that I find fascinating. How many of us have ever even given a thought about the executioner who was specifically sent from France to execute Queen Anne Boleyn? I never did! CC Humphreys obviously had and he wrote a fascinating story about him.

I also liked and appreciated that this story was presented as an adventure, filled with plenty of swashbuckling, yet still had plenty of history to make it an all around entertaining read.

If you’re looking for an exciting novel populated with intriguing and fascinating characters, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and I will admit that I have enjoyed several other books by the author. I will admit that I found it a bit removed from most Tudor fiction and in some ways that was good and in others it was not. I do know that it is probably the book with the words "six fingered hand" mentioned most often and it would provide great drinking game opportunities - yes, the phrase appears that frequently. It was starting to distract me from the plot.

All six fingers aside - and from some things I've read it's been debunked that Anne even had an extra digit - the book was interesting. It has a mystical bend so don't go into it expecting a straightforward story or you will be disappointed. Mr. Humphreys does write in a way that draws you into the story. In this case the story of the executioner following Anne Boleyn's request to bury her six fingered hand in a special place at a certain time. But he is thwarted when it is stolen from him. So begins the wild adventure of retrieving the Queen's hand and completing his task.

I do love a good adventure tale now and then and this did not disappoint on that measure - there were a lot of sword fights and racing about the countryside on horseback. The sword fights were sometimes a bit hard to follow and gory but what such type of fight isn't? Our hero Jean, has a very sad back story and very unpleasant career so taking on this task for the once Queen of England is a kind of redemption for him. He is joined on his quest by a couple of misfits and they find themselves in several difficult situations and even end up as slaves on a galley ship at some point. But they work together to do what the Queen wanted.

It was a good read if a touch confusing in some points. I did appreciate the twist on Tudor history - I do love looking at the old and turning it upside down. And Mr. Humphreys does have a way with word.s ( )

“The French Executioner” is C.C. Humphreys’ first novel and I was quite excited when I finally obtained a copy. The first half of the volume delivers, containing many of the intrigues and dynamism that make Mr. Humphreys’ later works marvelous reads. However, “The French Executioner” begins to falter half-way through becoming a mishmash of rescues, counter-rescues and “don’t kill him yet” scenarios. Even though the story is enjoyable and the plot swift, I don’t feel Mr. Humphreys’ sly wit and writing strength are strongly present here. ( )

Page turning historical fiction of the 1500's. Anne Boleyn's sixth finger is in great demand. ( )