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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Wilcoxson offers a sympathetic view of Mary I, from the later reign of Henry VIII to her death, often in drabble style vignettes. The problem is that there's nothing new here, no deep research, and some glaring oversights: in British titles, a person who is, for example, Sir Henry Carew, is addressed as "Sir Henry," not "Sir Carew," as this book jarringly does over and over.

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.

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.

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.

Written from the perspective of Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII. The tone is storytelling but highly detailed and somewhat dry. I found the emotional perspectives of Mary to be a strength of the book, particularly her struggles in dealing with her father, brother and step-mothers, but overall the pace was slow and too detailed at points. I think it would be an acceptable accompaniment to studies of the Tudor era but I did not find it terribly engaging.

Many years ago I used to read a serious amount of Historical Fiction as I was fascinated by the subject and felt that it gave me a better grasp of the subject. What I have been left with in relation to Bloody Mary, is an impression of a very vulnerable young woman who was destined to live her life in a very unstable position whilst her father lived. Her position was not much improved during the reign of her brother and it was only when she ascended the throne to become Queen Mary 1 that things changed for her at least on the surface.

To a degree my impression seems to agree with the character in The Queen of Martyrs but I feel uncomfortable about this portrayal. My impression was that Elizabeth and Mary were quite close as they shared a household and shared the uncertainties of their respective parentages and position in the court. In addition I was surprised that the religious intolerances were not given much attention but rather focused on the executions of people more directly known to Mary. Did Philip not introduce the Spanish Inquisition to England – for that is my understanding?

Where Wilcoxson did succeed though, is in her portrayal of Mary as a woman suffering through ill-health no doubt due to the stress of her unstable position in the Tudor court. Overall I did not feel as much sympathy for our protagonist as I would have expected and indeed held prior to reading this interpretation. Hats off to the author for her research and an interesting take on Mary’s relationship with Cardinal Reginald Pole.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

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.