4 stars

Our story begins with the arrival of the English fleet at Lisbon. Catherine of Braganza is to be married to England’s King Charles II during the 17th Century.

This book traces the period of time during which Catherine was married to Charles II. She was sorely tested by Charles’ philandering and many at the court did not like her for her Catholic beliefs. They plotted against her in a vicious manner.

She was married to Charles for more than twenty years and although pregnant a number of times, she was never able to have a live birth.

Charles was a very stubborn man and refused to give up parading his mistresses in front of Catherine. Unable to get a ship back to Portugal, Catherine was trapped. At the same time, Catherine refused to take his main mistress into service with her and this caused much grief.

This is a sad and trying novel. I felt bad for Catherine, but knowing the mores of the day, it was okay for men to have affairs, but not women. It states that Catherine was aware of her brothers acting the same way, but forcing the other woman into Catherine’s face seems a bit much.

This is a very well written and researched book. I found it fascinating. I will look into more of Sarah-Beth Watkins’ books.

I want to thank Netgalley and John Hunt Publishing Ltd/Chronos Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most informative book to read.

Quite frankly, I know very little about history and thus it is not my go to subject in my juniors, however, after reading Brazen by Katherine Longshore, I grew interest of learning more about the Tudors. This book focuses more on Catherine’s marriage life with Charles II. The author is very straightforward and descriptive. This is a very light novel that is perfect for those who sees History the way that I do.

I received a free e-Arc from Netgalley.

Although a historian myself, anything after the Tudors does almost defeat me because it's not a period I've studied at great length - and this is probably just the right sort of book for me to read about a time period I know little about.

The author's tone is light, and dispenses with any sort of discussion about sources and their reliability, rather focusing on what can be pieced together about Charles II's Queen, which doesn't seem to be a great deal. It is told in a chronological order - which I always like - and while I would have quite liked a list of Charles II's mistresses and illegitimate children - Charles does not feature massively in the text. Not that he's not there - and there are a few times when I was struck by Charles' regard for his wife, unable to give him the legitimate sons he needed, and yet fiercely loyal to her for all that - apart from perhaps in his younger days when his treatment of her was quite scandalous.

Overall, a very enjoyable and quick read - I especially enjoyed the mentions of the French court as it brought back all my memories of studying Louis XIV. I think it would help to have some understanding of the time period when reading the book - but as I discovered while reading, I did actually know more about the time period than I thought I would.

This is a gossipy, light, popular biography of Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles II. It's short and to the point, is descriptive rather than analytical and includes no original research, just information from other books. Watkins is especially interested in Catherine's marriage in the face of Charles' well-know string of mistresses, and her inability to deliver an heir, despite a number of pregnancies.

The book barely sketches in the political and historical background: there's no discussion of libertinism or the culture of the Restoration court, and while the Anglo-Dutch wars happen, Watkins doesn't bother explaining what they're about. The second part of the book does become a bit of an engagement diary as the king and Catherine go visiting around the country.

So this is perfect for someone who prefers their history to be a reflection of historical novels: Watkins uses straightforward language (on Louise de Kerouaille, 'her popularity put Nell's nose out of joint') and isn't above some teen-girl exclamations (on archery, 'Catherine was so good that she hit the bullseye!'). A light, romp of a read.