I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in past history of the British isles. To king is portrayed in a new light in his political and social life.

It is rich in scope and whilst it discusses those events pertinent to King James VI/I's reign in England (1603 - 1625), the author offers something a little different in his book. The witch hunts, the Gowrie conspiracy and his unification of Scotland and England into a United Kingdom are all expectedly there.

However, we learn much about King James the man. Mr. Coleman portrays the contradictory lifestyle led by James VI/I. On one hand, he portrayed himself as a husband and father. On the other, he openly displayed and elevated a series of 'favourites,' all men who were believed to be his bedfellows. As an historically apparent homosexual, (although the author explains that the concept of homosexuality was not the same as we understand it today) he would still have been expected to fill the royal nursery and provide the country with an heir.

Mr. Coleman's book has been extensively researched and is presented in an accesible manner. I have read many books on this period in history and this is an excellent addition to the canon. It is suitable for those who are already familiar with Stuart history or to those who are new to the period. It explains much about King James himself and would entice a reader to find out more about the historical events of the period. It is an excellent book which I highly recommend.

I've read lots of books about the Tudors recently, so I was excited to continue the chronological historical journey by reading about James I, who's usually just a brief mention in books focused on Elizabeth or Mary, but as I didn't know much about him going into this, I'm not sure if this was the best book to start with.

I did learn some interesting tidbits about James that I never knew, but when I finished I felt like I was still missing some critical pieces on his historical legacy and significance. Some of the chapters were grouped together thematically in ways that felt like they obscured some of the more crucial facts in favor of more "fun fact" pieces of information.

I think many will enjoy this, and it probably has its place among other books on James, but I probably wouldn't recommend this as someone's only biography on James I.

James VI of Scotland and I of England was the only child and heir to the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. King of Scotland from the age of only thirteen months following his mother's forced abdication, his ambition to unite Scotland with England would come into fruition when he assumed the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. It would not be all plain sailing as intrigue, religious strife and court politics would plague his reign, eventually leading to the fateful demise of his son and successor, Charles I.

Keith Coleman has not written a traditional biography on King James. While true, Coleman examines the important events relating to the king's reign such as the Gunpowder Plot, the Witch Hunts and the clashes between the Protestant and Catholic factions, there is a great emphasis on the king as a person - the James Stuart behind the throne.

Coleman presents a uniquely sympathetic and unbiased perspective to the Stuart King as the reader is introduced to the child who was brought up in a demanding schoolroom (while also being taught to hate his own mother), the man who had a vast love of poetry, his strong sense of humour that was often lost on his English companions and finally his intimate relationships with his favourites.

I greatly appreciated the author taking an unbiased stance on the latter example, even pointing out that sexuality as we know it did not exist in the 17th century. This made for a completely refreshing non-judgemental insight to a complex character.

A well written and deeply psychological examination of the famous Stuart King who lived during one of the most fascinating periods in history.

I love this imprint's English history, and while this semi-qualifies, I clearly find Mary, Queen of Scots the only interesting Scot. Sorry not sorry. James VI/I is kind of boring. I've said this in a previous review, and I know it has to do with the times, but can we please stop using the word sodomy? Anyway, he's a boring king and a boring individual.

Boohoo, Catholics v. Protestants. Calvinists v. Lutherans. Who cares? Ah, probably the same contingent that cares now. I will probably keep requesting these for historical value. It is interesting to see how these eras play out in different areas.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I think the author in writing this book assumes his audience has previous knowledge of James VI/I, and as someone who really knew almost nothing about the first of the Stuart monarchs, it was not the book for me. Even though it's very loosely chronological, the chapters are thematic, and it does jump back and forth between time periods, which I found confusing. I think there is an audience for this book, perhaps those who know more about James and can appreciate the angle that the author takes with his scholarship, but I needed something more general and traditionally biographical.

The English had a rude shock in 1603 when Queen Elizabeth I died after 45 years on the throne and James I rode down from Scotland to take her place. The son of Mary Queen of Scots, James had ruled Scotland as James VI since his earliest infancy. Dubbed "the wisest fool in Christendom," the new monarch believed in the Divine Right of Kings, suffered from gout and slobbered and spat when he talked. He would go on to survive the Gunpowder Plot, establish his own Bible and was the first King of the United Kingdom, establishing the Stuart dynasty in the process. This book tells his story.

James I, the King who United Scotland and England by Keith Coleman is a look at King James from birth to death. Looking mostly at his relationships with his Favourites.

The book was well written and had a lot of well researched facts in it. An interesting read but not one I would go back to again. I am more interested in his beliefs and the issues that were caused during he witchcraft trials.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for the ARC Copy of the book.

Once it is available for review on amazon and goodreads I will post my review there.

James I, The King Who United Scotland and England by Keith Coleman is a look at James VI and I, who assumed control of the throne after the death of Elizabeth I and attempted to unite his homeland of Scotland with his new base of England in vain.

This book is different in scope than what I have to assume most books are when focusing on James, which is to say speaking mainly about the Gunpowder Plot, his hand in the witch hunts, or the way religion's divisiveness led to a failure in bringing his kingdom into a cohesive unit and bubbled up into his son Charles losing both his throne and his head. Instead, the author looks more at the man himself. Yes, he mentions the witch hunts, but he speaks of his attempts at poetry and writing, his love of the hunt, and his character and personality. The book also touches on relationships with his favourites, which is a subject I've always found interesting and also frustrating, given that when you do a surface level search on the internet, there's always a strong reticence toward speaking about it, with lots of caveats about how "we can't be certain" as to the nature of his relationships and various "historians disagree whether"s dotting the text. I enjoy that here, at least, it's all laid bare before the reader with only a warning that our view of sexuality is different than what it was in the past.

It's a quick read, and there are images at the back of various paintings and illustrations to supplement the reading. My only quibble really is that there were quite a few words dropped in sentences or errors that could do with another sweep of proofreading. Perhaps that will be done before the book is published; it does not affect my scoring, at any rate.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An accomplished biography of one of England’s most complicated monarchs to really understand.

From his very difficult childhood to his still controversial demise, the author manages with brio to paint a compelling and intimate portrait of King James especially through his social and emotional interactions.

A fascinating psychological portrait of a very complex man and a brilliant look at a pivotal reign in English history.

Highly recommended and to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I am a huge reader of royal histories and found this one very well written and researched.

Loved, loved, loved this book. It's refreshing to find someone with the almost uncanny talent to make history tales entertaining, comprehensible and addicting. I'd never read anything about James VI and I and I was completely captivated by his life story.

I liked that there was no prejudices when talking about the king's favourites, something that I've definitely have seen in other cases.
Loved the attention to detail and how I got an overview of every aspect of James' life.

I am eager to read more about the author and I'm forever grateful to have been given this ARC.

James VI and I is one of England and Scotland’s most researched kings and one that is continuously written about for the masses. This book is well-written and easy to read, but adds nothing new to previous popular books about James I. I would encourage the author to try and write about a king that is not as well written about in the future.