History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Kath arine Parr: The Sixth Wife (Six Tudor Queens #6) Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2021 Pages: 544 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir brings her Tudor Queens series to a close with the remarkable story of Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, who manages to survive him and remarry, only to be thrown into a romantic intrigue that threatens the very throne of England.      Having sent his much-beloved but deceitful young wife Katheryn Howard to her beheading, King Henry fixes his lonely eyes on a more mature woman, thirty-year-old, twice-widowed Katharine Parr. She, however, is in love with Sir Thomas Seymour, brother to the late Queen Jane. Aware of his rival, Henry sends him abroad, leaving Katharine no choice but to become Henry’s sixth queen in 1543. The king is no longer in any condition to father a child, but Kathari...

Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen (Six Tudor Queens #5) Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2020 Pages: 480 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir tells the tragic story of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, a nineteen-year-old beauty with a hidden past, in this fifth novel in the sweeping Six Tudor Queens series.        In the spring of 1540, Henry VIII is desperate to be rid of his unappealing German queen, Anna of Kleve. A prematurely aged and ailing forty-nine, with an ever-growing waistline, he casts an amorous eye on a pretty nineteen-year-old brunette, Katheryn Howard. Like her cousin Anne Boleyn, Katheryn is a niece of the Duke of Norfolk, England’s premier Catholic peer, who is scheming to replace Anna of Kleve with a good Catholic queen. A flirtatious, eager participant in the life of the royal court, Katheryn read...

Anna of Kleve, The Princess in the Portrait (Six Tudor Queens #4) Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2019 Pages: 527 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review Synopsis: T he surprising and dramatic life of the least known of King Henry VIII’s wives is illuminated in the fourth volume in the Six Tudor Queens series—for fans of Philippa Gregory, Hilary Mantel, and The Crown .      Newly widowed and the father of an infant son, Henry VIII realizes he must marry again to ensure the royal succession. Forty-six, overweight, and suffering from gout, Henry is soundly rejected by some of Europe's most eligible princesses. Anna of Kleve, from a small German duchy, is twenty-four, and has a secret she is desperate to keep hidden. Henry commissions her portrait from his court painter, who depicts her from the most flattering perspective. Entranced by the lovely image, Henry is bitterly surprised when A...

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen (Six Tudor Queens #3) Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: May 15, 2018 Pages: 557 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Acclaimed author and historian Alison Weir continues her epic Six Tudor Queens series with this third captivating novel, which brings to life Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s most cherished bride and mother of his only legitimate male heir.                         Ever since she was a child, Jane has longed for a cloistered life as a nun. But her large noble family has other plans, and as an adult, Jane is invited to the King’s court to serve as lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The devout Katherine shows kindness to all her ladies, almost like a second mother, which makes rumors of Henry’s lustful pursuit of Anne Boleyn—also lady-in-waiting to the queen—all the more shockin...

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: May 16, 2017 Pages: 561 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: In this second novel of Alison Weir’s epic Six Tudor Queens series, the acclaimed author and historian weaves exciting new research into the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s most infamous wife, a woman ahead of her time whose very life—and death—forever changed a nation.      Born into a noble English family, Anne is barely a teenager when she is sent from her family’s Hever Castle to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. This strategic move on the part of her opportunistic father also becomes a chance for the girl to grow and discover herself. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations. She also begins to understand the inequalities a...

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen (Six Tudor Queens #1) Author: Alison Weir Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2016 Pages: 602 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic six-book series in which each novel covers one of King Henry VIII's wives. In this captivating opening volume, Weir brings to life the tumultuous tale of Katherine of Aragon. Henry's first, devoted, and "true" queen.      A princess of Spain, Catalina is only sixteen years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage - and Arthur, Prince of Wales, and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry ...