I have been fascinated by Henry VIII and the Tudor period for a long time.  Alison Weir’s books, in particular, have been a favorite.  I always knew Katheryn Howard was silly and foolish, but until reading this book, I was not aware of how badly she was manipulated by others.  The Howards, once again, showed how blindly ambitious they were in setting Katheryn up in getting her married to the King, knowing full well her past indiscretions could cause a lot of trouble if Henry ever found out.  I still haven’t figured out Jane Rochford’s endgame in continuously harassing Katheryn in meeting Thomas Culpeper.  All in all, Alison Weir’s series about each of Henry’s wives have been very fascinating and I am looking forward to the next one.  Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the copy.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Very highly enjoyable book. I have loved Weir's retelling of The Six Wives. All have been enjoyable and full of twists, which is hard to do. Read them from the beginning!!

I’ve been reading Alison Weir non- fiction since The Six Wives of Henry VIII was published in 1991.  And I’ve read every one of the non-fiction books. When Ms. Weir began writing historical fiction, I was a bit disappointed because I believe the English monarchy during the medieval through Tudor period was fascinating enough without embellishment. So I gave myself a break after reading Innocent Traitor.

However, I’ve remained enthralled with all things Henry VIII and his wives since PBS televised The Six Wives of Henry VIII nearly 50 years ago. So I could not resist Alison Weir’s novel about each wife.
Katheryn Howard in particular was an unfortunate girl who was used., abused by the Howard’s as a political pawn, & executed because of her family machinations and immaturity. Yes, she was embroiled in scandal, but she was the least intelligent and least politically astute of his wives. 

The book is well researched and tells a tragic tale about Katheryn Howard, the queen I knew the least about. I love how Alison Weir writes. I love the historic details.. can’t wait to read about Catherine Parr.

I have read books by Alison Weir in the past, both fiction and nonfiction. I enjoyed this one the most. In fact, I have read a lot of Tudor fiction over the years, and this is the best Tudor fiction I have read in a long time. 
The author successfully developed Katheryn's character. I wanted to shake Katheryn and tell her to stop being so reckless and stupid. I desperately wanted things to turn out differently for her. I liked her. Weir created a sympathetic, likeable young woman whose family took advantage of her. She was young and wanted a relationship with a man. She wanted love, like any other young woman. She was a bit of a party girl. And all of that might have been okay had she not been maneuvered into marrying Henry. She liked the prestige, drama, and rich lifestyle. Katheryn behaved like a kid acting out a fantasy until it got old (just like Henry) and she wanted a young attractive man in her life and bed. I felt the tension building as Katheryn continued to foolishly press her luck with her lover. I felt her anxiety and hysteria as she wondered who ratted her out and how much the king actually knew. And, of course, would Henry be merciful or not? Weir's writing and storytelling evoked these reactions in me as a reader. 
Weir told a powerful story. This was an excellent book. 
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another hit about the wives of Henry the 8th.  Weir does a famous job of drawing her reader into the Tudor Court and showing the lives of this not very known Queen.  Her mastery of history is impeccable.  A must read.

I love Ms. Weir's writing and I was glad I was able to read this book. Ms. Weir is able to give these historical figures a wonderful voice and I really enjoy reading them.

I loved reading about Katheryn Howard. She was so fascinating through the eyes of this book. I felt so bad for her, having to marry a much older man that reportedly smelled very bad! She was not very worldly, and certainly didn't deserve her fate. Alison Weir has done an amazing job of portraying each of the Queens in this series.

Allison Weir delivers enthralling history and drama again. Could not put it down. The details in years of history come alive and characters that were a footnote in history are written anew.

Alison Weir just knows how to kill it every SINGLE time she writes a book!  I've always loved reading about the Tudors, and getting to read about Katheryn Howard's life was amazing!  Weir writes this historical fiction with just the right details to really captivate the reader.  

I highly recommend this book for any historical fiction fan!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this author's writing. Fans of Philippa Gregory will enjoy this series. This book is part of a series of 6 but can be read as a standalone. A lot of juicy details so it reads like a cross between history and the National Enquirer. Katheryn Howard is a girl with no dowry from a powerful family. As she grows and makes mistakes that teenagers do, the mistakes take on a larger to significance as she rises to power. The story of her rise and fall is one that is powerful about how your past mistakes can come back to bite you!

*received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
I actually really enjoyed this glimpse into Catherine Howard. I know that there was mostly creative license on this in certain aspects but to look at it from this perspective, I do agree as I always have honestly that Catherine was a naive child who was truly the victim here.

Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen is a great addition to the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir. I thought it was a great read. Five stars.

This book tells the tale of young Katheryn who becomes the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. 
There were so many things that could've been great about this book however, the author chose to focus on much of the sexual escapades that surrounded Katheryn at her grandmother's home. As her life advances and she become the wife of Henry, we must endure more details of their marriage bed and of her affair with her cousin, Tom. It is a fact but revolting that Henry would choose such a young girl to wife.
I wanted to read this because the members of this family are my ancestors but I didn't enjoy the details that played out nearly every meeting between her and the husband or the lover. 
For my preference, it was the wrong direction. My views are my own. Thank you NetGalley & Random House.

Katheryn Howard the Scandalous Queen, a novel of the fifth wife of Henry VIII, is told in the voice of the young woman, beginning at the death of her mother in childbirth when Katheryn was seven. (Her precise date of birth is debated according to Weir, which might well impact her behavior in her short life, i.e. immaturity in spite of her setting) Not long after, her father, a spendthrift member of the Howard family, sent all of his children away, Katheryn to the home of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk where she will grow up with other young women of similar backgrounds.

This is where the novel began to disappoint and lose me. Here at the Dowager Duchess’ castle, Katheryn gradually comes to know of the other women’s/girl’s lives in their “dorter,” a communal space the women shared with inadequate supervision (according to Katheryn). While Katheryn had a personal chamber, her curiosity led her eventually to ask to join the others and at a point (? Twelve) she was allowed. There was feasting. There were visits from young men also quartered with the Duchess. Here Katheryn was introduced to sex. And we hear all her thoughts, hopes, worries, fears, etc, etc, etc. Here the novel moves into the realm of sexy romantic historical fiction. More teenage romance and sex than history for a few years.

There is more, such as the crude Howard family plot to use Katheryn to ensnare Henry, who believes she is a chaste, pure young thing, and Katheryn’s internal musings on what might have been with a younger lover. It became a bit much for me as I found her voice tiresome. And of course there is only one way for the novel about the fifth wife of Henry VIII to end...

I know that I am outnumbered in my feelings about this book by others’ praise but this simply hit me wrong, while I did like Weir’s novel about Ann of Cleves. I believe it’s the romance novel aspect that got me.

2.5* rounded to 3*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a rich narrative that was compelling to read.  I learned so much from the historical aspect. I must seek more of Ms. Weirs’ work. 
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the fifth book in the Six Tudor Queen series by Alison Weir, This one focuses on Katheryn Howard.  Just like the previous books in the series you get the backstory of one of Henry's queens. While this one was just as well written and researched as the others in the series this one wasn't my favorite. And it had nothing to do with the story, but with the simple fact that Katheryn Howard was my least favorite of Henry's wives.

First line: Katheryn was seven when her mother died.

Summary: Katheryn Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, lead a very scandalous life before her marriage. She grew up as a charity case, living off of the kindness of family. However, she got the great chance of living with her step-grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. While there she meets several men who she falls quickly in and out of love with. And then one day she earns a place among Queen Anna of Kleves household which puts her in the path of the King. She is delighted but when the King sets his sights on her she begins to worry that her past will catch up with her.

My Thoughts: I have enjoyed all of Weir’s Six Wives books. I think she did a great job bringing Katheryn’s story to life. Unfortunately the girl made some terrible mistakes and had to pay for them so dearly. I learned more about her earlier life. I was fairly familiar with her time in the Duchess’ household and in Henry’s court but before that was a mystery to me.

It’s sad that she was pushed around from house to house. It makes it easy for me to see why she was constantly looking for someone to love and love her back. Out of all the women I think her story is the saddest. She was so young. She was being maneuvered by her family into the King’s life. She had very little choice over her life. I am looking forward to the final novel about Katherine Parr.

FYI: This is book 5 in the series.

A terrific historical fiction installment in the wives of Henry VIII.  The characters were relatable and enjoyable given their historical significance.  It was a wonderful, personalized fictional history,

As you may have noticed I’ve been on a touch of a historical fiction kick this year. I was thrilled when NetGalley approved me to read an ARC of Katheryn Howard! As a fan of Six the musical I have become more and more interested in Katheryn Howard over the last few months. Earlier this year I read a young adult novel about her story, but I have to say that Alison Weir’s take on her life gave greater insight into who Miss Howard was.

To me this story was a long drawn out cautionary tale. While I didn’t always love Katheryn’s decisions, they made sense with how her life played out. Her willful naivety and easily swayed heart left her life to be one of tragedy and ruin. To me it was astounding that someone who became queen would care only for the frivolous of court, when that court could be a vipers nest. Nevertheless, Weir shows that she gave her love wholeheartedly which led to her rise and downfall.

I appreciated seeing a character so different from me, yet one that you could understand. To envision the story as it happened, and accurately weave in both truths and myths of her reign was artfully done. I will gladly be picking up the others in this series! I will warn that it is a slow paced read, better for those looking for a long journey rather than a quick romp through history.

Thanks to NetGalley, Allison Weir, and Ballantine Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really did not like this book. It took me a while to finish and I struggled with how long it was. It could have been a lot shorter and I did not like the characterization at all. I usually love historical fiction but this book was not good.