I have loved Tudor history ever since my first visit to Hampton Court when I was 9 yrs old and on a school trip. 
Since that time I have devoured book after book about Henry VIII and life during his reign – however, most books skim over Anne of Cleves so my knowledge of her was pretty brief and if I’m honest she never attracted my attention – I was more caught up by the intrigue and tragedy of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. 
So reading Sarah-Beth Watkins book – Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s Unwanted Wife was a bit of a revelation for me! 

This is a very reader friendly book – she doesn’t make the subject too complex. Research must have been difficult as of course there is much less personal information about Anne, than there is about Henry’s other wives.  It’s hard to gage a fully rounded picture of the person that was Anne of Cleves – however the author does a marvellous job in bringing Anne to the forefront of what was going on during Henry’s turbulent reign and it can’t be underestimated the terror Anne must of felt given Henry’s previous relationship history! 
What I particularly loved about this book was learning of Anne’s relationships with Henry’s children and his wives after Anne.  I was also fascinated by the way Anne navigate the politics of the time so successfully – as with the succession of Edward VI and the events surrounding Lady Jane Grey
I would like to have known more about the lead up to Anne’s death – she died at a relatively average if not even good age for Tudors at that time but still tragically young at just 41. 
This is a quick book to read – I read it over three days – but I feel I learned so much from it and would definitely recommend this publication if you’d like to know a bit more about Anne and what was going on in England during her lifetime. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers John Hunt Books for providing me with a digital advance reader copy for my honest and unbiased review.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Anne of Cleves sounds like a fascinating person. This book covers Anne's story from her early days until her death. How she becomes Henry VIII's fourth queen and how she lost it all. We also get to see how her life turns during the reign of two more queens, Queen Katherine and Queen Mary I (Known as Bloody Mary).

I liked how the author included the letters between the different personalities which made the reading more interesting. The book is not long but it gives you an adequate impression and information on what Anne of Cleves was as a person and how her relationship with King Henry VIII affected her. 

I have been provided with a digital advance reader copy of this book by John Hunt Books (Thank you) through NetGalley and this is my honest unbiased review.

A nice, quick read for anyone who is just beginning to have an interest in the Tudor time period or who would like to discover a little more about Anne of Cleves than is in the general history book. 
A really good starting point.

Anne of Cleves is a bit like Anne Bronte- you appreciate her more when you’re older. Sure, you crave the glamour and drama of Anne Boleyn/Wuthering Heights as a teenager, but you come to understand the importance of keeping your powder dry and not putting your head above the parapet (or on the block) to get your message across.
I have always been fascinated with Anne of Cleves. As a young Tudor enthusiast in Year 4, I remember having a heated conversation with a boy called Ryan when he said she was ugly and I passionately defended her. I’ve visited the mis-named house in Lewes a few times and I even dyed some yarn based on the most famous portrait of her.

I also recently learnt that she owned the land my very house was built on as part of her divorce settlement from Henry VIII. The woman was a badass- she SURVIVED. She had a good relationship with one of the biggest dictators this country has ever had. She deserves more than to go through history being defamed as a ‘Flanders mare’ (which, btw, Henry never called her) and stinky (which… he kind of did. Rude, considering he had a FESTERING ULCER ON HIS LEG THAT WOULD HAVE STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN.) Obviously, when this biography appeared on Netgalley, I snapped it up.
I must confess that I came to this book having read quite a few biographies of Henry VIII and his wives, including Antonia Fraser’s (the best biographer of queens, in my opinion), David Starkey’s (much quoted here) and Alison Weir. So I have more than an passing interest in the subject, albeit from the distance of a few years since I read them.
This book feels quite light on analysis and relies heavily on primary sources, some of which are quoted in full. This is fine, although I would prefer an author to pick these apart with some detail. As a biography, this feels like more of an introduction than an in-depth exploration of its subject. I get that historical women are ill-served by male-dominated record keeping and I understand this is frustrating (what I would give to have a brilliant biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine). But I felt that the socio-political environment that meant Anne was packed off from what was essentially a provincial dukedom was not explored as it could be. I felt that I didn’t really learn who Anne was, or what really happened to her after Henry’s death. I wanted more about the relationship between Anne and her step-daughters Mary and Elizabeth. I didn’t quite understand just how Anne got to the decision to go along with Henry’s divorce. I just didn’t get… much of her. She feels less like the joke of history and more of a Tudor Miss Haversham, constantly asking money in her later years.
Overall, I’d consider that this book is a primer, rather than a full biography. It’s be a great place to start before going on to the more detailed, fuller biographies mentioned above. I think it’ll be quite a while- if ever- before any of Henry’s wives receives the full biography she deserves.

I would like to thank the Author, the Publisher and Netgalley for issuing me generously with ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Author has written several non-fiction books covering the Tudor period and her latest book is not a disappointment either. The least known and favoured by writers Anne of Cleves certainly deserves more attention. Just like Sarah-Beth Watkins proves, she was an intelligent woman who knew how to move in the labyrinth of Henry's court and later after his death she was aware that making Mary Tudor an enemy would be a mistake. The Author digs deeply into Anne's childhood and presents readers with authentic accounts regarding for instance the marriage negotiations and contract and even her last will. A highly reccmmendable read for those interested in the Tudor period.

One of the two of Henry VIII's wives who survived his death (the other being Katherine Parr), Anne of Cleves is usually dismissed as a bit of a lucky joke by surviving because Henry VIII just didn't want to stay married to her. While I had hoped this biography would give us more information about Anne's character and personality, in general this biography just didn't seem to dig deep enough. It may be because there was no information about her other than conjecture and rumor, but if so, why write the biography? Overall, I would have liked more depth.

I've read tons of books on Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon but apart from seeing a bit of a comedy version on drunk histories I really don't know much about Henry VIII's 4th wife so for me this is a fascinating story. 

It's an easy, quick read with lots of information. It's not in-depth but as a starting point it gives me plenty to go on and the intrigue to go find out more. Really enjoyed this

Thanks to netgalley for the free arc

Wonderfully written. The book takes you into the scandal filled and exuberant life of  King Henry VIII and his household. 
Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of Henry. Their marriage was a political maneuver, however Henry wasn't pleased with his new wife. 
The book sheds light on Anne's life after marriage and later after her divorce, as a "sister" to the king.  
The reader can't help but feel sympathetic towards Anne. She is one of the least talked about queens of Henry, but she is the only one who avoided wrath of the King.

A good read. Also includes illustrations and quotes letters of the ministers and residents of Henry's court.

This topic I do not go fully in, and go with the author when stating not much is done about Anne or a focus on her. It is a good read for those who do like the topic of Henry VIII and his wives or this time in history.

This is a nice concise entry level introduction into Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England.  It gives us an entree into the life of a woman, who despite her royal lineage, was never destined to be queen, and it seemed, was quite content to remain a "homebody" at the court of her family.

She was, when the search for a new wife for Henry VIII began in @ 1537, "... one at the end of an unflattering list ... report not favourable .."  And yet, queen she became - and she seemed to make the most of her life as an independent woman of means following the divorce from Henry when " .... my husband hath nevertheless taken and adopted me for his sister ...." 

A base for further reading.

Book: Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s Unwanted Wife
Author:  Sarah-Beth Watkins 
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Chronos Books, for providing me with this ARC. 

I would like to start out by saying that I really didn’t know all that much about Anne of Cleves, beyond the basics. This is the first book that I have actually read just about her alone. I have came across her in documentaries and books about Henry VIII’s wives. I do actually feel really bad for her.  Now, she did actually end up coming out on a good end, but to be cast aside just had to hurt.  

I found this to be a very easy read with lots of good stuff in it. We get a look at Anne from her early life until the end in a really short read, but with lots of details. I loved seeing just how actually important she was on the international scale and getting to her life after the divorce. Most of what I have read and watched about her ends after she was thrown to the side by Henry VIII. For example, I didn’t realize that Mary and Anne were only a year apart in age. I liked how Sarah-Beth went into a little detail about this relationship. I personally would have liked to have seen more, but I’m not sure if there’s really enough research material out there to go further into the relationship. I also didn’t know that Anne really suffered under Edward’s rule. 

I enjoyed just how easy this was to read. I know some reviewers have pointed out that this isn’t written in a scholarly way and they didn’t like that. I personally like the narrative format; to me, it feels like I’m being entertained instead of learning. The writing here kind of reminded me of Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb. It still sticks to history, but has that beautiful storytelling touch to it.  As a teacher, I look for books like this to add to my classroom library. I think my students will really enjoy this, especially my girls who like reading about women in history. Granted, Anne may not be the strongest figure for them to read about, but she will give them another view of Tudor England.  Although she will show them an example of a woman in history doing whatever it took to survive. 

I just really enjoyed this one and really do wish that it was longer. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I will be checking out her other books. I think she could be the next big figure in Tudor England. I strongly recommend that Tudor history lovers pick up this one. 

This book will be out on October 26, 2018. 

(Review is already on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon on release date.)

In this biography of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife, Sarah-Beth Watkins offers a casual overview of the short-reigning queen's life. Watkins quotes from contemporary documents at length, presenting anecdotes and important events in Anne's life in equal measure. While this could have been a good introduction for readers new to the Tudor period, the book is unfortunately rife with grammar and punctuation errors, Watkins is also in the habit of making assumptions about various figures' feelings, opinions, and desires without any kind of evidence to back these up. This sloppy writing and scholarship may not bother some readers, but I can't condone it.

My review has been posted to Goodreads. 

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

This book was amazing. After recently discovering that I'm related to Anne (distantly of course) I have been devouring everything I could that told me anything about her and this by far was one of the better researched of the books about her. highly recommend this book!

As a massive fan of anything Tudor, I was absolutely delighted to be sent a pre release copy of this wonderful, wonderful account of the life of Anne of Cleves. I dove straight in and literally devoured the pages. 

Written by Sarah Beth Watkins, this easy to read book was a fab biography of the life of Anne of Cleves. My heart really felt for her, having to leave her home and all she knew, for a life in a strange country, not knowing the language, it must of been utterly terrifying. And that's without the knowledge of what had become of Henry's past wives!
 
Although the marriage was used to create an alliance between England and Germany, Henry wasn't particularly taken with his new wife, which upset Anne when she was faced with the fact that her short marriage was coming to an end. Despite this she conformed to Henry's wishes and agreed on a divorce settlement which left her known as 'the kings beloved sister'  and kept in high regards, she was free to live a very wealthy lifestyle and outlived the King. Unfortunately Anne faced financial difficulties towards the end of her life which must of been awfully hard for her. 

I particularly loved the illustrations in the book as well as the wonderful account of this very brave lady. 

Would recommend to any fan of history.  Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read In return for an honest review. Five stars.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
From the publisher --- 

Anne of Cleves left her homeland in 1539 to marry the king of England. She was not brought up to be a queen, yet out of many possible choices she was the bride Henry VIII chose as his fourth wife. But, from their first meeting the king decided he liked her not and sought an immediate divorce. After just six months their marriage was annulled, leaving Anne one of the wealthiest women in England. This is the story of Anne's marriage to Henry, how the daughter of Cleves survived him and her life afterwards. 

I am an admitted Tudor freak and Anne of Cleeves has always fascinated me as she took her “rejection” by Henry VIII and parlayed it into a better life. Why a better life? Well, he didn’t behead her for one thing or shame and exile her back to Cleeves or to the nether regions of England like he did his first wife. Yes, he did call her “The Mare of Flanders”, but she could cry into her bags of money instead of going out, finding a lover who loved her for her and losing her head over it.

(A fun rhyme I made up to remember the wives by Divorce, Behead, Dead (her). Divorce, Behead Dead (him). Henry also had a thing for his wives having the same names: Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine, Catherine --- I remembered them in order with “Canadians are just all coffee crazy “. If you understood the Tim Horton’s obsession of my fellow countrymen, that is an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy mnemonic to remember!)
That aside, this book is wonderfully written and researched and does not read like a history textbook like many biographies than the be. A solid five stars and a hearty recommendation that it be a book club pick as it speaks so much about surviving rejection and making a better life as a result…take the money and run!!!