I was invited to receive an ARC from NetGalley on this.  I love history so much that this book was just a page turner! I love the hustle and bustle over court life. The behind the scenes of it all. Secret notes and blood lines and rank. I had no idea these siblings had to go through so much and I was very sad at the end. This is a must read for any history lover. KUDOS

This was a relatively quick and comprehensive book on the lives of the (surviving) sisters of Charles II, who are so often overlooked when exploring the life of the monarch. It gives a solid introduction in the women, from their births and incredibly tumultuous upbringing during the English Civil War, to their subsequent marriages and lives abroad in France and Holland, commulating in their early deaths. I felt the text did I pretty good job all round of summing up a complex period of British history, and explained the various histories and major players in the women’s lives relatively well. It also gives a glimpse in Charles II’s early life as an outlawed king, and the various difficulties he faces before his return to England as monarch, which was a nice touch. 

This is by no means a complete historical guide to the sisters, and a large portion of the book centres mainly around Henrietta Anne, the youngest sister who would become Madame, sister in law to the great Sun King himself, Louis XIV. She in particular has an interesting life, often playing advocate and referee between Louis and her brother Charles in their quest for power and European domination. It’s also her children with Phillipe who would go on to dominate the European family tree. 

I do think the author tends to play on the side of sensationalism as opposed to facts at times, referencing court gossip surrounding the Queen of France for drama instead of presenting the true life events, with no solid references to back up her claims. Large portions of the text are also taken up by primary sources, such as letters between Charles and Henrietta Anne, which could have been better spent in the index as they detracted from the ‘story’ at times. I also would have liked a bit more information on the day to day court life that Henrietta Anne experienced, as I know that the French Court was at the forefront for fashion and often complicated and complex daily rituals. 

I’ve read better biographies of both Louis and Charles II which touch upon the sisters lives briefly in relation to these two powerful men, but I’ve never read a biography so dedicated solely to the women, and for that I can certainly appreciate this for what it is and hope there are more biographies to come of these forgotten women behind the men of the era.

After faithfully viewing 3 seasons of Versailles, I became a bit suspicious of the story plot.  Everything just wrapped up a bit too tightly in the final segment.  Reading this book kind of put everything right for me.  I couldn't put this ebook down until the last page.  I still have so many questions but I think that is what a good author intends.  Watkins gives us the facts and lets us decide for ourselves who bedded who and how they died.  
If you are experiencing withdrawals from Versailles, this is the book for you.

The Tragic daughters of Charles I.
After reading the authors previous book on Anne of Cleves (Which I loved, and highly recommend), I was very pleased to receive a digital advance reader copy of this book on the three daughters of Charles I, Mary, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Anne. 

I love Sarah-Beth' s writing, she completely draws you in and you find yourself becoming lost in the pages of her work. 
The story is told in such an informative and engaging way, that you can't help but feel for the girls and the hard times they endured. 

I found this hard to put down, a fascinating story of a time that I'm now compelled to find out more about. 

5 stars. 
Thank you to the Author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

A fascinating book, throughly tells the story of king Charles 1 daughters and how the revolution impacted their lives 
and what happened to them, can't wait to read more from this author

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

From the publisher, as I do not regurgitate the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it.


Mary, Elizabeth and Henrietta Anne, the daughters of King Charles I and his queen, Henrietta Maria, would be brought up against the background of the English Civil War. Mary would marry William, Prince of Orange, and be sent to live in the Netherlands. Elizabeth would remain in England under Parliamentary control. Henrietta Anne would escape to France and be the darling of the French Court. Yet none of the Stuart princesses would live to reach thirty. The Tragic Daughters of Charles I is their story. 

Well, it certainly sucked to be a Stuart Princess, that is for sure. Tragic does not even begin to describe their lives - these girls went through hell.  13-year-old Elizabeth had to be there for her father when he was executed by Oliver Cromwell and his ilk and was moved around as a pawn of the government until she died of pneumonia. As a further insult, she was buried at St. Thomas's Church, Newport, on the Isle of Wight and her s gravestone was only marked with the initials "ES" for Elizabeth Stuart.

Henrietta was bounced about by the French and English Royal Courts and saw her mother o.d. and was known to have anorexia nervosa. This anorexia may have been the cause of the pains in her stomach that led many to think that she was poisoned but despite 100 witnesses to her autopsy, no agreed conclusion was found. She was 26 and left behind 3 children and became part of the TV show "Versailles".

The eldest girl, Mary, had her only child, William who succeeded her husband as Prince of Orange (he was born three days after his dad died) and later reigned as King of England, Ireland and Scotland. She was hated by the Dutch and they did not miss her, at all, when she died of smallpox at age 29, 

Sarah-Beth Watkins is an excellent writer and historian and I have loved all her books - this one did not disappoint, either. As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻