The Favored Queen
A Novel of Henry VIII's Third Wife
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3.7 • 38 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII comes a powerful and moving novel about Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, who married him only days after the execution of Anne Boleyn and ultimately lost her own life in giving him the son he badly needed to guarantee the Tudor succession
Born into an ambitious noble family, young Jane Seymour is sent to Court as a Maid of Honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's aging queen. She is devoted to her mistress and watches with empathy as the calculating Anne Boleyn contrives to supplant her as queen. Anne's single-minded intriguing threatens all who stand in her way; she does not hesitate to arrange the murder of a woman who knows a secret so dark that, if revealed, would make it impossible for the king to marry Anne.
Once Anne becomes queen, no one at court is safe, and Jane herself becomes the victim of Anne's venomous rage when she suspects Jane has become the object of the king's lust. Henry, fearing that Anne's inability to give him a son is a sign of divine wrath, asks Jane to become his next queen. Deeply reluctant to embark on such a dangerous course, Jane must choose between her heart and her loyalty to the king.
Acclaimed biographer and bestselling novelist Carolly Erickson weaves another of her irresistible historical entertainments about the queen who finally gave Henry VIII his longed for heir, set against the excitement and danger of the Tudor Court.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Known throughout history as the third wife of Henry VIII and the only one to give birth to his son, Edward, Jane Seymour begins as a servant to Queen Catherine, and later serves Queen Anne Boleyn. She observes Catherine being set aside and Anne's eventual fall from grace, and sees that nothing will stop Anne as she tries to get her way. In this historical romance, Anne Boleyn is a vicious caricature conniving, manipulative, psychotic, and prone to wild rages, while Henry is consumed with his desire for a son. Heroine Jane doesn't seem to have much agency, which unfortunately makes her a dull protagonist. While Erickson's (The Last Wife of Henry VIII) prose is competent, there are dozens of more interesting Tudor historicals to attract readers' attention.
Customer Reviews
The Favored queen
This reader was left wondering throughout the book whether Jane was really the proper Lady the writer tried to portray. Was her marriage to Henry his idea because she was a truth bearer and confidante or was Jane more of a secuctress than depicted by the writer.
—an aside--This reader would be more comfortable with the writer if she would use “who” and ‘that” correctly.
The favored queen
Was more a story of Queen Ann then of Jane. The history is way off, but ok as a fiction alone