Guest Post: Nothing Proved (Regina #1) by Janet Wertman
- Archaeolibrarian
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
Book details:
Book Title: Nothing Proved
Series: Regina
Author: Janet Wertman
Publication Date: May 19, 2025
Publisher: Janet Wertman
Pages: 376
Genre: Historical Fiction
@cathie.dunn1 @thecoffeepotbookclub
@janetwertman @thecoffeepotbookclub
Danger lined her path, but destiny led her to glory…
Elizabeth Tudor learned resilience young. Declared illegitimate after the execution of her mother Anne Boleyn, she bore her precarious position with unshakable grace. But upon the death of her father, King Henry VIII, the vulnerable fourteen-year-old must learn to navigate a world of shifting loyalties, power plays, and betrayal.
After narrowly escaping entanglement in Thomas Seymour’s treason, Elizabeth rebuilds her reputation as the perfect Protestant princess – which puts her in mortal danger when her half-sister Mary becomes Queen and imposes Catholicism on a reluctant land. Elizabeth escapes execution, clawing her way from a Tower cell to exoneration. But even a semblance of favor comes with attempts to exclude her from the throne or steal her rights to it through a forced marriage.
Elizabeth must outwit her enemies time and again to prove herself worthy of power. The making of one of history’s most iconic monarchs is a gripping tale of survival, fortune, and triumph.
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So many people, myself included, have long been fascinated by the Tudors and their stories. One of the reasons often cited for this obsession is the abundance of dramatic parallels and reversals of fortune that crop up everywhere. Some parallels: Catherine of Aragon waited seven years for Henry to marry her, then seven years for him to return; the well-known refrain ‘divorced/beheaded/died/divorced/beheaded/survived’; and the sinking of the Carraquon, (the French flagship) days before the Mary Rose. Meanwhile, the reversals include the general ups and downs of the Howards, the Dudleys, the Poles – and of course, the Seymours. Elizabeth is a microcosm of this unto herself with all the many parallels and reversals surrounding her, some across her full lifetime and some in the short span set forth in Nothing Proved.
The most fundamental parallel I covered in this book is the one between her fate and that of her mother’s: both women were sent to the Tower for crimes they did not commit, at the mercy of monarchs who wanted them dead. Anne Boleyn was executed on May 19, 1536; Elizabeth was released eighteen years later – to the day. This also set up one of the principal reversals of the Tudor Era: the journey from Anne’s disgrace to Elizabeth’s accession to the English throne.
Of course, the details of that transformation carry the heart of the story. Elizabeth learned important lessons, including what she could do and how, and who she could trust and why. Indeed, Nothing Proved was the chance to set down the origin stories of her core friendships, attitudes, and beliefs – all of which she would retain for the rest of her life. Admittedly, much of the payoff will come in later novels – but I did try to make sure that each of these stories was central to this one as well.
By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction – indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R.
Her Seymour Saga trilogy (Jane the Quene, The Path to Somerset, The Boy King) took her deep into one of the era’s central families – and now her follow-up Regina series explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon.
Janet also runs a blog (www.janetwertman.com) where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it’s like to write about them.
Author Links:
Website: https://janetwertman.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetwertman/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetwertman
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Janet-Wertman/author/B01CUSMWFA
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you so much for hosting Janet Wertman today, with a fabulous post linked to her compelling new novel, Nothing Proved. Take care, Cathie xx The Coffee Pot Book Club