Virginia Henley (née Virginia Syddall; born 5 December 1935 in

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

, England), is a British writer of

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

s. She is well known for her

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

and other period piece romance novels.

Biography

Virginia Syddall was born on 5 December 1935 in

, England. Her mother, Lillian Syddall, taught her to love history, she later on obtained a university degree in History. Virginia married Arthur Henley in 1956 and they remained together until his death in 2013. They had two sons, Sean and Adam; four grandchildren, Daryl, Michael, Tara and Ryan; and two great grandchildren, Aireanna and Elizabeth. The marriage took place in

Grimsby, Ontario Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is at the eastern end of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. It is named after the English fishing town of Grimsby in north-east Lincolnshire. The majority of re ...

, where she was a housewife, who read ''The Wolf and the Dove'' by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, and decided to start to write. She sold her first novel ''The Irish Gypsy'' in 1982 to Avon Books. She became a friend of other prominent writers such as Kathleen E. Woodiwiss,

Bertrice Small Bertrice Small (December 9, 1937 – February 24, 2015), was an American ''New York Times''- bestselling writer of historical and erotic romance novels. Bertrice lived on Long Island, New York, with her husband George Small. She was a member ...

Heather Graham Pozzessere Heather Graham Pozzessere (born March 15, 1953) is a best-selling American writer, who writes primarily romance novels. She also writes under her maiden name Heather Graham as well as the pen name Shannon Drake. She has written over 150 novels ...

, Kat Martin,

Christina Skye Christina may refer to: People * Christina (given name), shared by several people * Christina (surname), shared by several people Places * Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States * Christina, British Columbia, Canada * Chri ...

Marsha Canham Marsha Canham (born November 19, 1950) is a Canadian writer of historical romance novels since 1984. She has won two '' Romantic Times'' Lifetime Achievement Awards, as well as multiple awards for individual books including Best Historical of ...

and Susan Johnson. Now retired, she lives in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

Writing career

Virginia Henley is the author of thirty historical novels, including ''The New York Times'' bestsellers ''Seduced'' and ''Desired'', as well as three novellas. Her work has been translated into fourteen languages.

Style

Virginia Henley's novels are not typical 'bodice rippers' - attention is paid to many details such as historical events, which are integrated seamlessly into an otherwise fictional story. This attention to historical details is a hallmark of her novels. From the practices and traditions of the day, to the trends in fashion and down to the lives of prominent families in history - Henley combines them to create a rich background for her characters. Apart from the male and female protagonists, Henley's romance novels also contain colorful supporting characters, each with their own adventures and romances which at times even rival those of the main protagonists. Henley has won several awards for her work - including the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, Waldenbooks' Bestselling Award, Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers. She is also regularly praised and given rave reviews by Affaire de Coeur, Heartland Critiques, Rendezvous and

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

Publishing houses

Virginia Henley first published her books under Dell Publishing. From the 1980s to 1992, all her novels were published by Dell. In 1993, Island Books, a division of Dell Books, began publishing her works. There are marked differences between Henley's books published by Dell and those published by Island Books. The novels published by Dell had illustrated cover pages, with a plot synopsis on the back cover. The books published by Island had only her name and the novel's title over a background image of a particular flower with the illustration appearing on the second page.

Bibliography

Single novels

* ''The Irish Gypsy'' (1982) = ''Enticed'' (1994) * ''Bold Conquest'' (1983) * ''Wild Hearts'' (1985) * ''The Raven and the Rose'' (1987) * ''The Hawk and the Dove'' (1988) * ''The Pirate and the Pagan'' (1990) * ''Seduced'' (1994) * ''Desired'' (1995) * ''Enslaved'' (1995) * ''Dream Lover'' (1997) * ''A Woman of Passion'' (1998) Based on the life of

Bess of Hardwick Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...

* ''Ravished'' (2002) * ''Undone'' (2003) * ''Insatiable'' (2004) * ''Unmasked'' (2005)

Medieval Plantagenet Trilogy

# ''The Falcon and the Flower'' (1989) # ''The Dragon and the Jewel'' (1991) # ''The Marriage Prize'' (2000)

Clan Kennedy Saga

# ''Tempted'' (1992) # ''The Border Hostage'' (2001)

De Warenne Family Saga

# ''A Year and A Day'' (1998) # ''Infamous'' (2006) # ''Notorious'' (2007)

The Peer of the Realm Saga

# ''The Decadent Duke'' (2008) # ''The Irish Duke'' (2010) # ''The Dark Earl'' (2011)

Omnibus in Collaborations

* "''Christmas Eve''" in ''A Gift of Joy'' (1995) (with Jo Goodman, Brenda Joyce and

Fern Michaels Fern Michaels (born Mary Ruth Kuczkir; April 9, 1933) is an American author of romance and thriller novels, including nearly 150 best selling books with nearly 200 million copies in print. Her ''USA Today'' and ''New York Times'' best selling b ...

) * "''Letter of love''" in ''Love's Legacy'' (1996) (with

Madeline Baker ''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series a ...

Mary Balogh Mary Balogh (born Mary Jenkins on 24 March 1944) is a Welsh-Canadian novelist writing historical romance, born and raised in Swansea. In 1967, she moved to Canada to start a teaching career, married a local coroner and settled in Kipling, Sas ...

Elaine Barbieri Elaine may refer to: * Elaine (legend), name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend, especially: ** Elaine of Astolat ** Elaine of Corbenic * "Elaine" (short story), 1945 short story by J. D. Salinger * Elaine (singer), ...

Lori Copeland Lori Copeland (born June 12) is an American author of over 95 novels. Biography Lori Copeland had a relatively late start in writing, breaking into publishing in 1982 when she was forty years old. Over the next dozen years, Copeland's romance ...

Cassie Edwards Cassie Edwards is a best-selling American author of over 100 historical romance novels. She has been published by Dorchester Publishing, Signet Books, Kensington Publishing and Harlequin. Biography Edwards began writing romances in 1982 an ...

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...

Catherine Hart Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Chris ...

Penelope Neri Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...

, Diana Palmer and

Janelle Taylor Janelle Taylor (born June 28, 1944 in Athens, Georgia) is an American author of historical romance novels. Biography Janelle Diane Williams was born June 28, 1944 in Athens, Georgia. She graduated from Athens High School in 1962, and spent t ...

) * "''Love and joy''" in ''A Christmas Miracle'' (1996) (with

Katherine Kingsley Katherine Kingsley (born 24 December 1981) is an English actress. Early life Born and raised in Cambridge and schooled at Parkside Community College and Long Road Sixth Form College, Kingsley moved to London to study with the English National Oper ...

, Stephanie Mittman and Rebecca Paisley) * "''Christmas Eve''" in ''Let It Snow'' (2003) (with Holly Chamberlin,

Marcia Evanick Marcia may refer to: People * Marcia (given name) *James Marcia, Canadian psychologist *Stefano Marcia (born 1993), South African Olympic sailor Other uses * ''Marcia'' (Beccafumi), a c. 1519 painting by Domenico Beccafumi * ''Marcia'' (bivalve ...

and

) * "''Christmas Eve''" in ''Deck the Halls'' (2004) (with

, Lisa Jackson,

and

Linda Lael Miller Linda Lael Miller (born 1949 as Linda Lael), is a best-selling American author of more than 100 contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James. Personal life Linda Lael was born in 1949 in ...

) * "''Smuggler's Lair''" in ''Lords of Desire'' (2009) (with Kristi Astor, Victoria Dahl and

Sally MacKenzie Sally MacKenzie is a ''USA Today'' bestselling romance novelist who has currently published eight books, ''The Naked Duke'' (2005), ''The Naked Marquis'' (2006), ''The Naked Earl'' (2007), ''The Naked Gentleman'' (2008), ''The Naked Baron'' ( ...

) * "''Beauty and the Brute''" in ''Lords of Passion'' (2010) (with Kate Pearce, and Maggie Robinson)

Kindle e-books from Amazon

* "''Master of Paradise''" (2011) * "''Hot as Fire''" (2011) hristmas Eve renamed* "''A Rough Wooing''" (2012) * "''Scandal by the Ton''" (2013)

Awards

* 1988 Winner of the Romantic Times Award for Best Elizabethan Historical Romance by ''The Hawk and the Dove'' * 1989 Winner of the Romantic Times Award for Most Sensual by ''The Falcon and the Flower'' * 1990 Winner of the Romantic Times Award for Best English Historical Romance by ''The Pirate and the Pagan'' * Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award * Waldenbooks' Bestselling Award * Affaire de Coeur * Heartland Critiques * Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers * Rendezvous Award * ''

'' Award

References or sources

Virginia Henley's official website

External links

Virginia Henley's webpage
in Fantastic Fiction website

in Internet Book List website {{DEFAULTSORT:Henley, Virginia English romantic fiction writers 1935 births Living people English women novelists People from Bolton Women romantic fiction writers English historical novelists Women historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period