Queen of Martyrs

I often read about the Tudor period but squeezed between such luminaries as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Queen Mary certainly usually receives less attention. I was very curious to see what a book devoted to her life would be like, and found myself surprised by Queen Of Martyrs. The author has penned a very sympathetic story, with the devout Mary doing a lot of hand wringing and praying before inevitably sending her enemies to their deaths. Though it isn't my personal take on this period in history, I always appreciate reading different perspectives on these events. Though Mary certainly suffered her own version of Tudor madness, her life like the lives of all her siblings seemed to be spent on righting the wrongs of their father. I didn't learn anything new, but I did enjoy the book and will be happy to look forward to the next in the series.

Queen of Martyrs by Samantha Wilcoxson is the 3rd in a Trilogy of the “Plantagenet Embers”.
This is about Henry VIII’s Daughter Mary I.
This is a fabulous novel that only Ms. Wilcoxson could create about the sad, lonely life of Mary I.
A devoutly Catholic woman, she never waivered from her faith despite the way her mother Catherine of Aaragon was treated, and how she was treated by her father and “husband” later in life. I even daresay I sympathize with how she was treated by her half sister Elizabeth I.

This is a must read yet again. 5/5.

Thank you NetGalley for this read in return for my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

The trilogy continues with the story of Mary Tudor as she survives through the reign of her brother Edward and the time of Lady Jane Grey to become the Queen of England.
A well-written historical fiction account of her life, and a more sympathetic view of Mary than I have read before.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for this wonderful book. I agree with the author, there aren't any books from Mary Tudor's point of view and this was very refreshing. I knew Mary had her heart set on Philip and I wondered while reading this if she ever felt her life was shadowing her mother's. The fact that it made me think proves how well it was written in my opinion.

I am an absolute history buff, and even though I know historical fiction can sometimes be more fiction than historical, I was surprised with how much I loved QUEEN OF MARTYRS. This was the first book I've read by Samantha J Wilcoxson, but I will definietly be following up with the rest of her books.

This books stays true to the tragic facts of Mary I's life, but Wilcoxson displays it from such a personal view that it's hard to feel anything but empathy for the woman commonly known as Bloody Mary. The storyline follows Mary from her mid-twenties to her death, and shows the trials and tribulations she had to endure through her father's often tyrannical later years, and her young brother's cold and calculating reign. And her struggles are far from over when she takes the crown.

In all, this book was an entertaining quick read and I would recommend it to people who love history, or just love an engaging tale of a young women's path in a world of men.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book for free in return for a review. I loved watching the White Queen and White Princess on STARZ! That made me interested in Elizabeth of York so I read the first book in the series Plantagenet Embers. I loved learning more about the real Elizabeth. This book focused on Queen Mary. I loved how this book told the story of her life and it made me more sympathetic to her (I have not been in the past). This story started when Anne Boleyn was executed until Mary's death years later. While I found Elizabeth of York a more interesting character and story, I enjoyed this book as well.

I really enjoyed this book! Though the origins of the story are quite complicated (the throne and the espionage behind the families involved) this was a great read that encompassed many of the original characters.
Though this is book 3 in a series I found it did well as a standalone (since I didn't read books 1 or 2) and was able to follow along easily.
I loved the writing style and felt that it easily drew me in. I wish I didn't have to do "real life" and was able to read this more rather than setting it down and coming back to it.

This is the first book I have read in this series but it could easily be read on its own. It delves into "Bloody Mary" and how she came to make the decisions she did. Whilst I will never forgive Mary what she did, I found myself almost feeling sorry for her. Samantha paints a picture of how a woman becomes a deadly Queen. Power, desperation, love and the desire to be understood pave her path to destruction. When Mary's policies fall short she compensates by burning the innocent. While it was nice to see another side of Mary she will forever be a villain to me so I found those tiny redeeming moment lacking the desired impact. Overall this book is well written and helps us see the other side of the coin.

Such a lot of historical fiction is available about Henry VIII and his wives, and even his daughter, Elizabeth. But not so much is available on Mary, his first daughter. This was a welcome reading pleasure for me. She was definitely her mother's daughter, a devout believer in the Catholic faith. Well documented and with enough detail to keep the story alive, Bloody Mary comes to life in this well written novel. Recommended reading.

QUEEN OF MARTYRS by SAMANTHA WILCOXSON is an interesting historical novel which tells the story of Mary Tudor. As she does in the first two books in the series, the author gives us amazing insight into the life of the English monarchy during the sixteenth century.
Mary, who was called Bloody Mary for her determined killing of those she called heretics - those who no longer wanted to be under the Pope and the Roman Catholic church - has been portrayed by the author as a woman who has wanted to be loved for herself ever since her unhappy childhood.
Her brother, King Edward, who had become a Protestant and had banned the rituals of the Catholic church, turned against her completrly when she refused to obey, and she always feared her sister Elizabeth was planning to take over her throne. Add to that, marriage to Philip of Spain, who barely tolerated the wife who adored him, and two pregnancies which turned out to be something else, and you have a woman who only really found happiness in her religious rituals.
It is sad that religious persecution was so rife, sad that kngs and queens proudly exalted themselves above the God they professed to serve as "head of the church."
I recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from BooksGoSocial. the opinions in this review are completely my own.

The story of Mary I, England's first reigning queen, is well known, and this author doesn't really add anything new to the knowledge. However she does document Mary's life in a credible and sympathetic manner.

Born the eldest child of Henry VIII, Mary's life is a rollercoaster as she drops from potential heir to being named illegitimate, suffers a plethora of step-mothers, tries to keep the Roman Catholic faith of her mother in the face of the English Reformation, and has to endure her young brother's short reign, seeing him guided by his ambitious Seymour uncles. Following his death and the abortive attempt to put Jane Grey on the throne, Mary finds herself queen. However, one gets the impression that while she was brought up to be royal, she was never really trained for government.

Mary's reign is not remembered kindly - the fires of Smithfield burned 'heretics' as her overweening ambition to return England to the Catholic faith blotted out everything else. She was popular at the beginning of her reign, but the persecutions and her choice of a Spaniard as her husband did not endear her to the English.
Sadly her marriage was solely one of convenience and she did not manage to conceive a child. Her sister Elizabeth did not come over very well in the book being pictured as a scheming and manipulative person. I suspect she was just very astute at keeping herself alive during the religious changes during her brother and sister's reigns. History being written by the victor, it is not surprising Mary doesn't get a good press from Elizabeth's standpoint.

The book is well written and entertaining. I didn't really buy into the presumed 'romance' between her and Archbishop Reginald Pole, which seemed rather contrived and not something I had seen any evidence for previously. Mary is portrayed as a pious queen, trying to bring her country back to the 'true faith', but her methods of persecution would never sit well with Englishmen, particularly when enforced by a Spanish presence. Hence history tends to remember her as 'Bloody Mary'.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary is often overshadowed compared to her more infamous sister, Elizabeth. While she was the first female ruler of England, she has often been portrayed in a negative light. In this historical fiction novel, Mary is seen as a very sympathetic character. She is a woman who believes that she is trying to save England and to restore it to its former glory. Thus, I recommend this for Tudor fans and those interested in strong rulers.

History is my passion, the Tudor age is my usual go to read, and I completely lose myself in all kinds of books about this period.

Queen of Martyrs by Samantha J Wilcoxson, was an absolute pleasure to read.

When we think of Henry Viii and Catherine of Aragon's daughter Mary I, we don't tend to think to kindly, this is most probably due to her nickname 'bloody Mary, and the stories of why she was given that title.
After reading this book, my perception of her changed somewhat, the author tells her tale in a sympathetic and enlightening manner. She almost manages to bring Mary to life... I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her, her friendships and bonds with Katherine Parr, and Margaret Pole, her war to win the throne from her cousin Jane Grey, the dedication to her faith and memory of her mother, the tragedy of being named illegitimate, and her battle with her sister Elizabeth I.

Although this is book number 3 in the Plantaganet embers series, this book can also be read as a standalone.

I've given this book 5 stars and recommend it to fans of Tudor history.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review

For anyone with an interest in the Tudor era I'd recommend giving this a read. When I saw the title I was a little confused as it's the third book in the Plantagenet Embers trilogy and technically Mary wasn't a Plantagenet, although she had Plantagenet blood via her grandmother Elizabeth of York. Anyway I gave it a go and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book spans the life of Mary from the death of Catherine Howard to her own death and covers the difficulties she faced on the throne, marriage and her sister Elizabeth. It's not often I've found a book which examines things from Mary's view so this was a refreshing change.
The author has clearly researched the subject and it was fascinating to read about the phantom pregnancy and her relationship with Philip of Spain and Reginald Pole. I do wish we'd have been given the opportunity to learn about Mary's younger life and her experiences from when her father divorced her mother.
I will certainly be reading the first two books in this trilogy but this is also perfect as a stand alone book.
I am happy to have come across this author and book and look forward to reading more.

The Tudor era is one of my favorites times in history and this book was just so great! It really put me in the mindset of Mary I and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Being a 'fan' of Elizabeth I, I was wondering if I would enjoy a novel about her half sister Mary Tudor, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. After a slow start, I ended up really enjoying the book which portrays Mary as quite sad and I felt a little sympathy for her plight in trying to restore Catholicism and produce an heir.

She has been labelled as "Bloody Mary" and now "Queen of Martyrs" which are handy for us pseudo historians, but this author has been able to correct some of this, and good for her!

Not in the Alison Weir class, but a different view of Tudor history which has to be a good thing?

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review.

Book three of Samantha Wilcoxson's trilogy tells the story of Queen Mary I. Each book can stand alone. I haven't read book one yet, but I plan to read it soon. The author has really did her homework and this is a fantastic read that will keep you turning the pages. Highly recommend to Historical Fiction Fans!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley.
All opinions are my own.

I am now an official fan of Samantha J. Wilcoxson! Queen of Martyrs was brilliantly written. I am a sucker for an impeccably written setting, and was thrilled to find myself pulled into each scene with ease. I happily invested myself in the lives of the characters, and took them with me each time I walked away from the book. (Which wasn't often, as I literally couldn't put the thing down.) Marvelously written and a definite recommend.

This was a great read and definitely not necessary to read the other two books. I'm glad it was relatively historically accurate as well.

Queen Of Martyrs weaves historical events through an extremely sophisticated framework that includes hair-raising keen observations about greed and power, high-octane action and intellectual chess are served in equal measure. The result is a well-told thriller !!

I received a free ARC.
"Queen of Martyrs" reveals a side of Mary I that I enjoyed learning. She really was to rule the way she thought best. She had a longing to be loved and understood. I found that this book made me understand Mary a bit better.
I haven't read the other books in this series, but plan to hunt them down now.

I really enjoyed reading this.

I really enjoyed this peek into Bloody Mary's life, even if it was through the lens of fiction. Usually, when you think of the Tudor dynasty you think of Henry and his *six* wives or Elizabeth I. Mary is kind of a bloody after note in the history books, and there were many things I wasn't aware of before reading this. In this book Elizabeth is more of a footnote, so if you're looking for the tension between the half-sisters, this isn't where you're going to find it. An enjoyable view into the life of Mary I.

Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.