Book Title:                 What Love E’er Meant

Series:                                    Regina            (Book #2)

Author Name:                       Janet Wertman

Publication Date:      September 7, 2026

Publisher:                  Janet Wertman

Pages:                                     432

Genre:                                    Historical Biographical Fiction

Any Triggers:                        n/a

Twitter Handle:        @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle:   @janetwertman @toomuchtudor @thecoffeepotbookclub @AuthorMichael57

Hashtags:                   #WhatLove #HistoricalFiction #BiographicalHistoricalFiction #Tudors #ElizabethI #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/09/blog-tour-what-love-ever-meant-by-janet-wertman.html

Book Title and Author Name:

What Love E’er Meant

by Janet Wertman

Blurb:

A new queen must prove she deserves the throne God gave her, while the path everyone insists will secure it might cost her everything

Against all odds, Elizabeth Tudor has become Queen of England. Determined to fulfill what she sees as a divine responsibility, she sets out to heal a country ravaged by religious discord, war, and debt – and vindicate the legacy of Anne Boleyn, the mother who did not deserve her fate.

But Elizabeth’s crown is not fully secure: to the Catholic world, her cousin Mary Stuart is the rightful Queen of England and there are rumblings to put her there. Shoring up defenses requires that Elizabeth challenge France’s control of Scotland and Spain’s dominance on the seas, as well as calm internal strife. Above the din of menace, one question dominates all others: who will she marry?

William Cecil, her trusted Secretary of State, urges her to secure an alliance through a strategic match. Robert Dudley, the love of her life, pressures her to choose him. And Mary herself presents a cautionary tale. In the end, Elizabeth chooses not as a woman but as a queen, and learns the sobering truth of sovereignty: to rule is to stand alone.

What Love E’er Meant, the searing second volume in the Regina Trilogy, captures a young queen’s struggle to balance love and power, duty and desire…and the profound cost of choosing crown over heart.

Excerpt 1:

December 14, 1558

Elizabeth made her way down the gallery, determined to appreciate the waning hours of her stay at Somerset House and gird herself for the symbolic start to her responsibility. Today was Mary’s funeral, the last Requiem Mass that would be sung in England, and only now would Elizabeth move into an official royal residence. What started out as convenience had turned into brilliant political strategy: with Mary’s final debts presented in the days after her death, Elizabeth’s absence created a visceral reminder that she could not be blamed for them.

Just in front of her, William Cecil stepped out of his office. “Ah, Cecil, you are coming to supper? You may escort me.”

He raced to give her his arm. “You do me too much honor. Though I am told nowhere near as much as you offer Robert Dudley.”

There was an edge to his voice. Jealousy or judgment? Maybe both. “Oh?”

“Is it true you receive him in your apartments late at night? I worry for your reputation if this becomes known. People will call you…people will talk.”

Embarrassment at Cecil’s disapproval ceded quickly to resentment, and she determined to continue visits she deeply enjoyed. Cecil had always been a prude. She had done nothing wrong, which made this about power, not morality. If Elizabeth bent now, petty opinions would always control her. She needed to quash this, or nothing she ever did would ever be enough. “I do receive him, just as I would receive you or any Councilor, surrounded by my ladies.”

“He is a married man.”

“And you are not?” She put an exaggeratedly quizzical look on her face. “Has something happened to Mildred?”

Cecil bowed his head as if acknowledging his hypocrisy, but continued. “You should not show such favor to—”

“I will show whatever favor I please. Especially to my advisors.”

“Hence my worry. Robert Dudley’s motives are always self-interested.”

“He wishes to serve me. As many do,” she said calmly, not caring that she would never change Cecil’s mind about Robin. They were perfect foils, and that served her: her father’s worst mistakes had come from heeding a single perspective.

“Could he not do so during the daytime?”

“I have always conducted myself properly,” she said, each word crisper than the last. “I daresay, if I were a man, I would already have done far worse.”

“The eyes of the world—”

“Are judging me unfairly if they are judging me at all. You should be defending me and my prerogative.”

He winced. “I do and I always will. But privately I believe it would be fatal to your reputation to be called an adulteress.”

The word stung. But the accusation had been falsely leveled at her before, and now it only fueled her defiance. “Adulteress? For playing cards with all my ladies surrounding me?”

“It is not about the truth; it is about what people believe. And if they believe you an adulteress, they will turn against you.”

“I cannot control people’s opinions. And slinking away with my tail between my legs will only lend truth to the slander. I will not validate anyone’s evil judgment when I am doing nothing wrong.”

“You represent the Protestant ideal and should—”

“Thank you,” she said, as if his argument contained only compliment. “I am always aware of that – as I am of the rights God has given me.”

That stopped him. “I never meant to suggest otherwise. Please forgive me.”

They walked on in silence. She paused at the entrance to the Great Hall, ostensibly to survey but also to give herself a moment to shake off the conversation and the feeling of guilt that lingered despite her victory.

Flirting was not adultery, she reminded herself. Besides, testing her virtue was the best way of proving it. God is more pleased with a man who is able to sin but does not, than with a man who has no opportunity to sin.

Buy Links:

Amazon & Apple Ebook Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4XqdD7

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/what-love-e-er-meant?

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-love-eer-meant-janet-wertman/1151015402

Author Bio:

Janet Wertman’s critically acclaimed, character-driven historical novels reflect a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she stayed up late at age eight 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 (Nothing Proved and What Love E’er Meant out now, Forever Gloriana to come) explores Elizabeth’s journey from bastard to icon.

She shares interesting takes on the Tudors at http://www.janetwertman.com  and her YouTube channel @TooMuchTudor.

Author Links:

Website:                     https://janetwertman.com  

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

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

https://www.instagram.com/toomuchtudor

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

Pinterest:                   https://www.pinterest.com/janetwertman/

Book Bub:                  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/janet-wertman

TikTok:                      https://www.tiktok.com/@janetwertman

YouTube:                   https://www.youtube.com/@TooMuchTudor

Amazon Author Page:                     

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Janet-Wertman/author/B01CUSMWFA

Goodreads:           https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2028387.Janet_Ambrosi_Wertman