"From the author of the international best-selling Tudor Trilogy, the true story of the Tudor dynasty continues with the daughter of King Henry VII, sister to King Henry VIII. Mary Tudor watches her elder brother become King of England and wonders what the future holds for her.
Born into great privilege, Mary has beauty and intelligence beyond her years and is the most marriageable princess in Europe. Henry plans to use her marriage to build a powerful alliance against his enemies. Will she dare risk his anger by marrying for love?
Meticulously researched and based on actual events, this 'sequel' follows Mary's story from book three of the Tudor Trilogy and is set during the reign of King Henry VIII.
I'm pleased to say that, even though this novel is described as a 'sequel' to the Tudor trilogy, it is very readable as a standalone story (I haven't yet read the Tudor trilogy, though it's on my list!).
This was a really enjoyable novel, following a figure from Tudor history who doesn't often star in her own story. I'm only aware of a few other novels that center on Mary's life, so this was a treat for me. I was especially interested to see how Tony Riches would handle Mary's first marriage to Louis XII of France - as this is a marriage and period of her life that can be interpreted a number of different ways. Was he a decrepit old man who she shuddered to be around (as depicted in Showtime's The Tudors? Was he a kindly and understanding man who proved good company, if not the romantic love she desired?
I actually really enjoyed the way Riches handled this relationship, and the way he characterized Mary and her kindness in general. Her relationship and marriage with Henry VIII's best friend and courtier, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was equally good and convincing - though I was surprised to see the way the aftermath of their secret wedding was described. Henry was not nearly so angry and punishing of them in this novel as (I believe) he was in real life, and this played a relatively small part in their relationship. I defer to Tony on these details, as he no doubt did quite a lot more research on this than I have done... but it did surprise me! I was bracing myself for drama between Mary, Charles, and Henry - and yet, the king seemed fairly pleased with the arrangement.
The handling of Mary and Charles's marriage - especially towards the end - was handled well, and we see much more of Mary's relationships with Henry's deposed queen, Catherine of Aragon, and new queen, Anne Boleyn. This is an interesting viewpoint by which to look at the king's 'Great Matter' and the political upheaval of the late 1520s-early 1530s. By the time I reached the final pages of the novel, I felt connected to Mary and her story, and was sad to see it end. We (as Tudor enthusiasts) know where her husband's story will go from there, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Mary... and that's the sign of a good, engaging novel!
It was a pleasure, and I'm excited to move on to book #2 in the trilogy - Brandon: Tudor Knight! Be sure to stop back here next Monday (20 September) for my review and spotlight of that novel.
In the meantime, pick up or download your own copy of Mary: Tudor Princess, and connect with author Tony Riches at the below links:
- Purchase the novel at Amazon HERE
- Connect with Tony on Twitter (@tonyriches) / Instagram (@tonyriches.author) / Facebook (Tony Riches Author)