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I really can’t get enough of this series. I did think that this was going to be a sequel to The Shadow Cabinet (a resurrected Anne Boleyn seemed like a very good idea to me!), but it’s a prequel to the series as a whole. The story of the one who started the idea of the HMRC. Although, it’s a slightly different story to the one we may know of Anne Boleyn.
We all know what happened to Anne Boleyn, and this book doesn’t change that OR the reasons. In fact she was called a witch in her own time. The HMRC series takes that one step further though, and Anne Boleyn really IS a witch. Her coven supports her, and after Henry VIII does his worst, they carry on her work.
This is a truly fabulous read - a reworking of history that gives women more muscle and autonomy.
And magic!
If I have any complaint, it’s that it was over far too quickly!
And now I must wait for the next book…
We all know what happened to Anne Boleyn, and this book doesn’t change that OR the reasons. In fact she was called a witch in her own time. The HMRC series takes that one step further though, and Anne Boleyn really IS a witch. Her coven supports her, and after Henry VIII does his worst, they carry on her work.
This is a truly fabulous read - a reworking of history that gives women more muscle and autonomy.
And magic!
If I have any complaint, it’s that it was over far too quickly!
And now I must wait for the next book…
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Anne Boleyn: A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens #2) in Books
Oct 10, 2021
165 of 250
Book
Anne Boleyn:A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens book 2)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by bestselling historian Alison Weir, author of Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, is the second captivating novel in the Six Tudor Queens series. An unforgettable portrait of the ambitious woman whose fate we know all too well, but whose true motivations may surprise you. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.
'Offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne's true nature . . . Enthralling' Sarah Gristwood
The young woman who changed the course of history.
Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.
But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.
Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.
ANNE BOLEYN. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
I absolutely love how this author writes! I was hooked from the start with this book. Anne Boleyn is one of those women who started with such good intentions but then became all dark and twisted! I have zero sympathy for how her life played out but found her story totally captivating. This is definitely a series worth reading!
Book
Anne Boleyn:A Kings Obsession (Six Tudor Queens book 2)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by bestselling historian Alison Weir, author of Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, is the second captivating novel in the Six Tudor Queens series. An unforgettable portrait of the ambitious woman whose fate we know all too well, but whose true motivations may surprise you. Essential reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick.
'Offers a spellbinding solution to the mystery of Anne's true nature . . . Enthralling' Sarah Gristwood
The young woman who changed the course of history.
Fresh from the palaces of Burgundy and France, Anne draws attention at the English court, embracing the play of courtly love.
But when the King commands, nothing is ever a game.
Anne has a spirit worthy of a crown - and the crown is what she seeks. At any price.
ANNE BOLEYN. The second of Henry's Queens. Her story.
History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
I absolutely love how this author writes! I was hooked from the start with this book. Anne Boleyn is one of those women who started with such good intentions but then became all dark and twisted! I have zero sympathy for how her life played out but found her story totally captivating. This is definitely a series worth reading!
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Boleyn King (Boleyn Trilogy, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
An historical entertainment more than a traditional historical novel, this imagines that Anne Boleyn had a son, ergo she wasn't discarded and her son became king on the decease of Henry VIII. Potentially I thought this might be very, very bad, but actually it was pretty well written and entertaining, A few odd Americanisms in there ("visit with" etc.), but overall better than I expected.
Nancy Bilyeau recommended The Concubine in Books (curated)
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen in Books
Nov 10, 2021
186 of 250
Book
Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen ( Six Tudor Queens book 3)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
THE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR.
Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.
She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.
This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne. In doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?
I went into this not knowing very little of Jane Seymour and I found the book enchanting. She was a pure soul and in Alisons words she was portrayed so well. You felt the love she had for Katherine and the love she had for Henry and of course the shared dislike for Anne! I actually cried reading the last two chapters it was a very unjust end for a woman who had just become a mother to a son that was craved so much! I absolutely love this period and I find Alisons books just a brilliant outlook on the events. After i read Anne Boleyn I was just angry with the ending of this I’m saddened. Highly recommend such a beautiful tale of a short lived queen.
Book
Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen ( Six Tudor Queens book 3)
By Alison Weir
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
THE WOMAN HAUNTED BY THE FATE OF HER PREDECESSOR.
Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King.
She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son . . . or face ruin.
This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne. In doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?
I went into this not knowing very little of Jane Seymour and I found the book enchanting. She was a pure soul and in Alisons words she was portrayed so well. You felt the love she had for Katherine and the love she had for Henry and of course the shared dislike for Anne! I actually cried reading the last two chapters it was a very unjust end for a woman who had just become a mother to a son that was craved so much! I absolutely love this period and I find Alisons books just a brilliant outlook on the events. After i read Anne Boleyn I was just angry with the ending of this I’m saddened. Highly recommend such a beautiful tale of a short lived queen.
Hayley Hornibrook (48 KP) rated Innocent Traitor in Books
Jul 6, 2018
Alison is my favourite historical author - her characters are as close to their true stories as fiction can possibly allow them to be. She can get inside the time period and their heads to take the reader on an emotional and exciting journey. It is the plight of Tudor women she does this with best; and the two books about Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey are my favourites. I have loved devouring her books - easy reads and original twists.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Queen's Promise in Books
Dec 21, 2018
Yes, it's another Tudor historical novel and yes, it's another Tudor historical novel about Anne Boleyn!
This one I think is worth reading though. Although Anne carries one of the main narrative threads the book is really more about Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who had some sort of understanding with Anne before she caught the eye of that other Henry. I don't think his life is as well documented as other more prominent figures at court, but there is enough information there to give a foundation to his story. Our other main character is Will Chatton, who, along with his wife, is a fictional character created to give us a broader view of Tudor society and to assist Henry Percy and move the narrative along. Will is also friends in the novel with Robert Aske, who was a real historical figure.
Henry Percy has not generally been given much prominence, even in fiction, so this was a new angle, drawing out his character. His is not really a happy story, but he is certainly a sympathetic character and the author uses the forced break up of their relationship as a sort of catalyst for the change in Anne's behaviour to a harder outlook, so the reader can still sympathise with her. One thing that does puzzle me in 'real' history, and which I feel the author didn't convincingly explain in her own narrative, was why it was found necessary to break up Anne and Henry's relationship? That point aside, I thought this was a good read and a bit different to the usual court focused novels.
This one I think is worth reading though. Although Anne carries one of the main narrative threads the book is really more about Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who had some sort of understanding with Anne before she caught the eye of that other Henry. I don't think his life is as well documented as other more prominent figures at court, but there is enough information there to give a foundation to his story. Our other main character is Will Chatton, who, along with his wife, is a fictional character created to give us a broader view of Tudor society and to assist Henry Percy and move the narrative along. Will is also friends in the novel with Robert Aske, who was a real historical figure.
Henry Percy has not generally been given much prominence, even in fiction, so this was a new angle, drawing out his character. His is not really a happy story, but he is certainly a sympathetic character and the author uses the forced break up of their relationship as a sort of catalyst for the change in Anne's behaviour to a harder outlook, so the reader can still sympathise with her. One thing that does puzzle me in 'real' history, and which I feel the author didn't convincingly explain in her own narrative, was why it was found necessary to break up Anne and Henry's relationship? That point aside, I thought this was a good read and a bit different to the usual court focused novels.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Other Boleyn Girl in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Going into <b>The Other Boleyn Girl</b> I already knew that the historical details weren't very factual, but I had this laying around and needed something both light and set in the past, so I figured this would do nicely. The writing itself is perfectly fine, and mostly, I did enjoy the book. Although, for the first half, it seemed as if everyone only wore red and by the end I got so sick of hearing about Anne's "B" for Boleyn necklace I could scream.
Mary Boleyn, the narrator, is a strange character: sympathetic and of reasonable intelligence one minute, a moronic irritant the next. Personality-wise she went up and down and back and forth. First she was fine not being the King's favorite anymore and seeming to want to leave the court life for the country to be with her children, then she was jealous of a title Anne received, years after the affair between Mary and Henry was over. Possibly this was put in as part of the rivalry between the sisters, but it didn't contextually fit. Her development could have used more work and she didn't mature or change much throughout the whole book, especially between the years 1522 to 1533. I seriously got tired of everybody's patronizing and calling her a fool all the time. They should have just named the book, <b>The Foolish Boleyn Girl</b>. I find it hard to believe Mary was so ignorant the king would have continued to have her as mistress for four years, give or take. She had to offer something other than good looks and being great in the bedroom. Anne herself sure was a piece of work, and even though she was pretty much evil throughout the book, I did still feel sorry for her at the end. Jane Parker was a one-dimensional malicious harpy who wasn't given a reason why she was that way; she was just the resident baddy to the Boleyns. To me, it felt like defamation of character.
Politics and the separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church were merely mentioned in passing as court life and its primary players took center stage. The whole incest plot, I could have done without. Now if it were the absolute truth then it'd be okay, but since it's highly debatable and based on hearsay, I found it unnecessary and gratuitous. Around the two-thirds mark, the pace let up and it became more sluggish and boring, and it wasn't until the last sixty pages that it recaptured my attention again.
As long as readers know going into this book that the history has been twisted around and invented for pure sensation, then it's fine as a fictional read, but take any "facts" with a grain of salt. While it was an okay read, I didn't love it, but it managed to divert my attention for a few days.
One last note dealing with the fourth question in the Q&A with Philippa Gregory in the back of the book:
<blockquote>How about Mary and Anne's brother, George? Did he really sleep with his sister so that she could give Henry a son?
<i>Nobody can know the answer to this one. Anne was accused of adultery with George at their trials and his wife gave evidence against them both. Most people think the trial was a show trial, but it is an interesting accusation. Anne had three miscarriages by the time of her trial, and she was not a woman to let something like sin or crime stand in her way--she was clearly guilty of one murder. I think if she had thought that Henry could not bear a son she was quite capable of finding someone to father a child on her. If she thought that, then George would have been the obvious choice.</i></blockquote>
Obvious? How in the world is that obvious? You cannot be serious, Ms. Gregory. Now I'm far from an expert in Tudor England, but I cannot imagine that being a common practice. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about this time could tell me if that ever happened, because it just boggles my mind that George would be the "<i>obvious choice</i>." Not to mention, who the hell did Anne supposedly kill? I hadn't heard that anywhere. Even my searches are coming up blank.
Mary Boleyn, the narrator, is a strange character: sympathetic and of reasonable intelligence one minute, a moronic irritant the next. Personality-wise she went up and down and back and forth. First she was fine not being the King's favorite anymore and seeming to want to leave the court life for the country to be with her children, then she was jealous of a title Anne received, years after the affair between Mary and Henry was over. Possibly this was put in as part of the rivalry between the sisters, but it didn't contextually fit. Her development could have used more work and she didn't mature or change much throughout the whole book, especially between the years 1522 to 1533. I seriously got tired of everybody's patronizing and calling her a fool all the time. They should have just named the book, <b>The Foolish Boleyn Girl</b>. I find it hard to believe Mary was so ignorant the king would have continued to have her as mistress for four years, give or take. She had to offer something other than good looks and being great in the bedroom. Anne herself sure was a piece of work, and even though she was pretty much evil throughout the book, I did still feel sorry for her at the end. Jane Parker was a one-dimensional malicious harpy who wasn't given a reason why she was that way; she was just the resident baddy to the Boleyns. To me, it felt like defamation of character.
Politics and the separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church were merely mentioned in passing as court life and its primary players took center stage. The whole incest plot, I could have done without. Now if it were the absolute truth then it'd be okay, but since it's highly debatable and based on hearsay, I found it unnecessary and gratuitous. Around the two-thirds mark, the pace let up and it became more sluggish and boring, and it wasn't until the last sixty pages that it recaptured my attention again.
As long as readers know going into this book that the history has been twisted around and invented for pure sensation, then it's fine as a fictional read, but take any "facts" with a grain of salt. While it was an okay read, I didn't love it, but it managed to divert my attention for a few days.
One last note dealing with the fourth question in the Q&A with Philippa Gregory in the back of the book:
<blockquote>How about Mary and Anne's brother, George? Did he really sleep with his sister so that she could give Henry a son?
<i>Nobody can know the answer to this one. Anne was accused of adultery with George at their trials and his wife gave evidence against them both. Most people think the trial was a show trial, but it is an interesting accusation. Anne had three miscarriages by the time of her trial, and she was not a woman to let something like sin or crime stand in her way--she was clearly guilty of one murder. I think if she had thought that Henry could not bear a son she was quite capable of finding someone to father a child on her. If she thought that, then George would have been the obvious choice.</i></blockquote>
Obvious? How in the world is that obvious? You cannot be serious, Ms. Gregory. Now I'm far from an expert in Tudor England, but I cannot imagine that being a common practice. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about this time could tell me if that ever happened, because it just boggles my mind that George would be the "<i>obvious choice</i>." Not to mention, who the hell did Anne supposedly kill? I hadn't heard that anywhere. Even my searches are coming up blank.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen in Books
May 3, 2018
Tudor England at it's best!
Everyone knows the stories of Henry VIII and his six wives, don't they? Jane Seymour always seems to be the quietest, almost childlike, always doing as she's told. This novel paints a very different picture of her. She is a young woman of her time: obedient to her parents and the males in her family, religious, and ready to do her part as a woman (and that means bearing children!).
This novel looks at how she probably wasn't as innocent as we have always been led to believe. In all honesty, she lived at court - a place where family loyalties and wealth were above all else in importance: she couldn't afford to be an innocent.
I like the Jane that Weir portrays. She's resilient and cares deeply about her family and HER Queen (Katherine of Aragon). I really liked this book and all of the courtly intrigues: Tudor England has always fascinated me. It was such a sad end for Jane, and the authors extended notes at the end really explained well what she and some experts thought had really happened to her and why she died (heres a clue: it wasn't childbirth). I will be going back to the first two books in this series to read about Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in preparation for Katherine Howard (wife #4 - and that should be a good one!!).
This novel looks at how she probably wasn't as innocent as we have always been led to believe. In all honesty, she lived at court - a place where family loyalties and wealth were above all else in importance: she couldn't afford to be an innocent.
I like the Jane that Weir portrays. She's resilient and cares deeply about her family and HER Queen (Katherine of Aragon). I really liked this book and all of the courtly intrigues: Tudor England has always fascinated me. It was such a sad end for Jane, and the authors extended notes at the end really explained well what she and some experts thought had really happened to her and why she died (heres a clue: it wasn't childbirth). I will be going back to the first two books in this series to read about Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in preparation for Katherine Howard (wife #4 - and that should be a good one!!).
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen in Books
Jun 3, 2024
Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen by Nicola Tallis is such an interesting non-fiction account of Elizabeth’s life: from her mother, Anne Boleyn meeting Henry VIII, to the day she succeeds to the throne. In those intervening years, Elizabeth is pronounced a bastard after the execution of her mother, is predated on by her stepmothers husband, is accused of trying to topple her sister Mary from the throne, is imprisoned in the Tower and other great houses - as long as she is out of Mary’s way. She is spied on and may well have really been involved in plots against her sister.
Elizabeth was far too clever to be caught, and that comes across really clearly. She was her parent’s daughter: clever, resilient and she knew the best people to have around her. These personality traits and the things that happened to her, formed the young woman and queen she would later be.
Nicola Tallis read through, and included, a lot of Elizabeth’s personal correspondence. It must have been exhausting for Elizabeth. She was constantly under suspicion of treason. She may well have been though, and she certainly didn’t conform wholeheartedly to Catholicism as Mary wanted her to.
This was such a fascinating read - and I’m notoriously picky with non-fiction. I often find it dry and hard to concentrate on, but not with Young Elizabeth. It was riveting, and held my attention from start to finish!
Elizabeth was far too clever to be caught, and that comes across really clearly. She was her parent’s daughter: clever, resilient and she knew the best people to have around her. These personality traits and the things that happened to her, formed the young woman and queen she would later be.
Nicola Tallis read through, and included, a lot of Elizabeth’s personal correspondence. It must have been exhausting for Elizabeth. She was constantly under suspicion of treason. She may well have been though, and she certainly didn’t conform wholeheartedly to Catholicism as Mary wanted her to.
This was such a fascinating read - and I’m notoriously picky with non-fiction. I often find it dry and hard to concentrate on, but not with Young Elizabeth. It was riveting, and held my attention from start to finish!