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In The Court of Henry VIII #1
The Secret Bride
For fans of The Tudors comes a captivating drama about the only woman who could defy Henry VIII -and keep her life.
Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VIII, has always been her brother's favorite-but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before extracting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny.
The Secret Bride is the triumphant tale of one extraordinary woman who meant to stay true to her heart and live her life just as her royal brother did- by her own rules...
Mary Tudor, the headstrong younger sister of the ruthless King Henry VIII, has always been her brother's favorite-but now she is also an important political bargaining chip. When she is promised to the elderly, ailing King Louis of France, a heartbroken Mary accepts her fate, but not before extracting a promise from her brother: When the old king dies, her next marriage shall be solely of her choosing. For Mary has a forbidden passion, and is determined, through her own cunning, courage, and boldness, to forge her own destiny.
The Secret Bride is the triumphant tale of one extraordinary woman who meant to stay true to her heart and live her life just as her royal brother did- by her own rules...
398 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
About the author
Diane Haeger
17 books321 followersDiane Haeger is the bestselling author of fifteen published novels, including Courtesan, The Ruby Ring and My Dearest Cecilia. Her work, to date, has been translated into 18 different languages and has been featured in the LA Times and Harper's Bazaar Magazine. She loves telling real stories from history. She lives in California with her husband and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
February 22, 2011
The Secret Bride / 978-0-451-22313-5
Here's an excerpt from the opening pages of "Secret Bride". To set the stage, children Mary and Henry have just learned that their brother Arthur is dead. Relative adult (at age 18) Charles Brandon has made an inappropriate smirk as to the likelihood of the widow Katherine being pregnant:
---
"Oh come now," Charles remarked, seeing Mary's expression. "We only hope to put a bit of a brave face on a horrid tragedy."
"And how difficult for you is that?" she asked tautly, sounding much older than her years. "Now your dearest friend will next be king. Arthur barely knew you, and what he knew he did not much like. But my brother Henry adores you. It seems to me great fortune for you in the tragedy of another."
"Mary!" Henry charged. "I understand you are upset - we all are. But you really must apologize for such words."
"I will not," she stubbornly declared, tipping up her chin with a defiance like his own, which ran so thickly through her blood that she could not have tamed it. "Charles is arrogant and selfish and I do not like him."
"Yet I do. And it is I whose command you shall be made to follow soon enough."
"You can command my compliance, Henry, but never my heart!"
---
I feel that this passage neatly sums up all the problems with this book and with Haeger's writing. As such:
1. Haeger's characters all sound the same. Read that passage again. Can you tell that Mary is 8 years old? Can you tell that Charles Brandon is 18 years old? Can you see a difference between Mary a princess of the blood, and Brandon a disenfranchised orphan dependent upon the goodwill of the royal family? Is there a difference in speech between Henry the favored price and new heir, and Mary a marriage pawn and relatively powerless princess? Put another way, if Haeger removed all names and pronouns from the passage, could you tell who was speaking which part? I cannot.
2. Haeger's characters do not sound human. "Arthur barely knew you, and what he knew he did not much like." It's important to talk like this when providing plot exposition to an invisible reader hovering over the room, but in an actual conversation it would not be necessary to reiterate a well-known fact among the conversation participants that Arthur and Charles were strangers and did not much care for each other. In Haeger's narrative, everyone speaks as if there's a 21st century observer looking over their shoulder.
3. Haeger's characters do not act within the narrative. Arthur, older brother of Mary and Henry, has just died. These young children have been reminded suddenly and sharply of their own mortality. Furthermore, Henry is now heir to the throne, with all the responsibilities, tutoring, and "un-fun" stuff that being an heir entails. Their world has forever been changed: divided between Before-Arthur's-Death and After-Arthur's-Death. Instead of reacting realistically to these sudden, jarring, terrifying changes, the children are posturing and silly, with Mary raising her chin in youthful defiance, "sounding older" than her eight years, and carefully hashing out the bounds of Henry's regal power over her heart and actions. There are no tears, no shocked silence, no rages against the heartless god that allowed a brother to die and a royal bloodline to be threatened, nothing that we would expect of actual humans. Why should there be? There's a narrative to get on with!
4. Haeger's characters have read novel's dust jacket description. There's really no other explanation for this dialogue than that. Why does Mary defiantly insist that Henry can't control her heart? He hasn't suggested that he even wants to! He's told her to behave herself to Brandon regardless of her feelings in the matter; her rejoinder that her heart is still her own is irrelevant and begs a response of, "Yeah, that's why I didn't order you to LIKE him." The only context in which this conversation makes sense is if it is read as a wink-and-a-nod to the reader - "Remember the premise of this book? Mary is going to follow her own heart! The heart that Henry can't control!" This removal from the narrative is distracting and simply awful writing. We see this repeatedly in Charles Brandon's suicidally rude treatment of Mary: an orphan dependent upon the good graces of King Henry does not openly mock his daughter, especially in a barely established court that is deeply paranoid about being seen as legitimate. However, Charles Brandon the Character realizes that he's in a romance novel and that the romance will be more interesting if Mary hates him in a sexual tension sort of way.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that the book is just terrible. These literary sins occur on every page and the narrative is distractingly bad. In the end, I couldn't resell the book fast enough.
~ Ana Mardoll
Here's an excerpt from the opening pages of "Secret Bride". To set the stage, children Mary and Henry have just learned that their brother Arthur is dead. Relative adult (at age 18) Charles Brandon has made an inappropriate smirk as to the likelihood of the widow Katherine being pregnant:
---
"Oh come now," Charles remarked, seeing Mary's expression. "We only hope to put a bit of a brave face on a horrid tragedy."
"And how difficult for you is that?" she asked tautly, sounding much older than her years. "Now your dearest friend will next be king. Arthur barely knew you, and what he knew he did not much like. But my brother Henry adores you. It seems to me great fortune for you in the tragedy of another."
"Mary!" Henry charged. "I understand you are upset - we all are. But you really must apologize for such words."
"I will not," she stubbornly declared, tipping up her chin with a defiance like his own, which ran so thickly through her blood that she could not have tamed it. "Charles is arrogant and selfish and I do not like him."
"Yet I do. And it is I whose command you shall be made to follow soon enough."
"You can command my compliance, Henry, but never my heart!"
---
I feel that this passage neatly sums up all the problems with this book and with Haeger's writing. As such:
1. Haeger's characters all sound the same. Read that passage again. Can you tell that Mary is 8 years old? Can you tell that Charles Brandon is 18 years old? Can you see a difference between Mary a princess of the blood, and Brandon a disenfranchised orphan dependent upon the goodwill of the royal family? Is there a difference in speech between Henry the favored price and new heir, and Mary a marriage pawn and relatively powerless princess? Put another way, if Haeger removed all names and pronouns from the passage, could you tell who was speaking which part? I cannot.
2. Haeger's characters do not sound human. "Arthur barely knew you, and what he knew he did not much like." It's important to talk like this when providing plot exposition to an invisible reader hovering over the room, but in an actual conversation it would not be necessary to reiterate a well-known fact among the conversation participants that Arthur and Charles were strangers and did not much care for each other. In Haeger's narrative, everyone speaks as if there's a 21st century observer looking over their shoulder.
3. Haeger's characters do not act within the narrative. Arthur, older brother of Mary and Henry, has just died. These young children have been reminded suddenly and sharply of their own mortality. Furthermore, Henry is now heir to the throne, with all the responsibilities, tutoring, and "un-fun" stuff that being an heir entails. Their world has forever been changed: divided between Before-Arthur's-Death and After-Arthur's-Death. Instead of reacting realistically to these sudden, jarring, terrifying changes, the children are posturing and silly, with Mary raising her chin in youthful defiance, "sounding older" than her eight years, and carefully hashing out the bounds of Henry's regal power over her heart and actions. There are no tears, no shocked silence, no rages against the heartless god that allowed a brother to die and a royal bloodline to be threatened, nothing that we would expect of actual humans. Why should there be? There's a narrative to get on with!
4. Haeger's characters have read novel's dust jacket description. There's really no other explanation for this dialogue than that. Why does Mary defiantly insist that Henry can't control her heart? He hasn't suggested that he even wants to! He's told her to behave herself to Brandon regardless of her feelings in the matter; her rejoinder that her heart is still her own is irrelevant and begs a response of, "Yeah, that's why I didn't order you to LIKE him." The only context in which this conversation makes sense is if it is read as a wink-and-a-nod to the reader - "Remember the premise of this book? Mary is going to follow her own heart! The heart that Henry can't control!" This removal from the narrative is distracting and simply awful writing. We see this repeatedly in Charles Brandon's suicidally rude treatment of Mary: an orphan dependent upon the good graces of King Henry does not openly mock his daughter, especially in a barely established court that is deeply paranoid about being seen as legitimate. However, Charles Brandon the Character realizes that he's in a romance novel and that the romance will be more interesting if Mary hates him in a sexual tension sort of way.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that the book is just terrible. These literary sins occur on every page and the narrative is distractingly bad. In the end, I couldn't resell the book fast enough.
~ Ana Mardoll
August 18, 2013
Ms. Haeger's characters are flat and her plot as threadbare as one of Catherine of Aragon's dresses. She also doesn't hesitate to dust off every ridiculous romance novel cliche she can get her hands on.
The worst part of this book for me, though, was how Ms. Haeger seems to go out of her way to deliberately introduce factual errors into her books that pull even a moderately knowledgeable reader right out of the story. I know, I know: it's horrifically unfair for me to expect that the writer would expend the immense energies required to type "Catherine of Aragon" into Google Image Search before describing her appearance in minute detail. Ridiculous that I expected her to double-check Mary Tudor's actual date of birth in one of those nasty encyclopedias. How awful I must I be to have noticed that the protagonist's mother is still alive well after her funeral takes place. And can you believe my sheer effrontery in wanting the year 1509 to occur only once?
Feh.
The worst part of this book for me, though, was how Ms. Haeger seems to go out of her way to deliberately introduce factual errors into her books that pull even a moderately knowledgeable reader right out of the story. I know, I know: it's horrifically unfair for me to expect that the writer would expend the immense energies required to type "Catherine of Aragon" into Google Image Search before describing her appearance in minute detail. Ridiculous that I expected her to double-check Mary Tudor's actual date of birth in one of those nasty encyclopedias. How awful I must I be to have noticed that the protagonist's mother is still alive well after her funeral takes place. And can you believe my sheer effrontery in wanting the year 1509 to occur only once?
Feh.
June 7, 2013
2.5 stars
Mary has known Charles Brandon since childhood and doesn’t hide her dislike. But growing up she notices her feelings starting to change, yet she knows that a princess can’t have a future with a duke. Mary does her duty by marrying the old French king and after her husband dies, she and Charles follow their hearts knowing Mary’s brother will be furious.
The book leaned more towards romance than straight historical fiction but unfortunately I couldn’t feel the passion between Mary and Charles. I kept waiting something to happen and sparks starting to fly but nothing. I didn’t really connect with Mary to be fully interested to know what happened with her. She was too naïve and well… maybe not too bright. And of course beautiful. Which we heard many, many times.
And there were too much sneaking around corners and secret meetings. How could Mary had the opportunity to do half of what she was doing?
This was rather easy and quick read but didn’t quite reach the expectations.
Mary has known Charles Brandon since childhood and doesn’t hide her dislike. But growing up she notices her feelings starting to change, yet she knows that a princess can’t have a future with a duke. Mary does her duty by marrying the old French king and after her husband dies, she and Charles follow their hearts knowing Mary’s brother will be furious.
The book leaned more towards romance than straight historical fiction but unfortunately I couldn’t feel the passion between Mary and Charles. I kept waiting something to happen and sparks starting to fly but nothing. I didn’t really connect with Mary to be fully interested to know what happened with her. She was too naïve and well… maybe not too bright. And of course beautiful. Which we heard many, many times.
And there were too much sneaking around corners and secret meetings. How could Mary had the opportunity to do half of what she was doing?
This was rather easy and quick read but didn’t quite reach the expectations.
July 23, 2009
I adore the against-the-odds love story between Charles Brandon (Henry VIII's friend, but a commoner) and Mary Tudor (Henry's sister, and destined for a European royal marriage), and in this book their tale is told simply, easily and romantically. It won't appeal to serious historical fiction readers as it's fluffy and cute, but the swoony sap in me really enjoyed it! Picturing Henry Cavill from the TV series The Tudors as Brandon was the icing on the cake ;-)
October 23, 2016
Bored. Bored. Bored. Mary Rose should be a soothslayer.
July 5, 2018
Okay so this had to be a DNF even before page 100. I started over with The Tudors on netflix and was so in the mood for a Tudor history book and decided to start this one and tbh I was BORED beyond compare, the writing wasn't cutting it, it was overly descriptive and focused more on that, the characters were flat and bland, and yet I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE Henry VIII court for some reason! so lasting less than 100 pages for the first time ever, and despite not finishing a book, I decided to just call it quits and honestly proud of myself that I just did a DNF haha.
I seriously have a hard time not DNF'ing and need to get in that habit and know that it's 100% okay to quit a book I'm not enjoying and I DEFINITELY wasn't enjoying this. And I'm so disappointed and it sucks. *crying internally* plus i can see why it didn't get many good reviews!
I seriously have a hard time not DNF'ing and need to get in that habit and know that it's 100% okay to quit a book I'm not enjoying and I DEFINITELY wasn't enjoying this. And I'm so disappointed and it sucks. *crying internally* plus i can see why it didn't get many good reviews!
April 27, 2014
Even imagining that Mary and Charles looked like Gabrielle Anwar and Henry Cavill from The Tudors doesn't make this book work. The writing's just plain bad. Their actual story is fascinating; it's one of those romances that really needs to be tackled by a good writer. Someone good also needs to tackle the story of Henry VIII and Mary's sister Margaret, who married into Scotland and got a divorce when her own brother couldn't, but I digress.
July 6, 2012
I have yet to figure out why Henry VIII and those that surround his life seem to interest me a great deal. I have become hooked on the show The Tudors and have enjoyed the character of Charles Brandon so to find this story to be about the love between him and Mary Tudor, Princess of England, it was worth a shot.
Haeger is a new author to me but her writing style has left me happy with the book. She trying very hard to incorporate as much history into her tales while still making the story sufficiently interesting for the reader. Her story was easy to read and entertaining throughout. She did a wonderful job of capturing the personalities of the characters she writes for making her an author I would consider again.
Charles Brandon is someone I know nothing about unless the skewed tales of Showtime's The Tudors can be called remotely accurate. Still it is true that apparently there was some kind of love affair between Mary and Charles and the were actually secretly married in France. So this book appears to be fairly accurate and entertaining.
Mary Tudor was wonderfully portrayed as a feisty woman amongst Henry VIII court and then removed to France to become Queen to Louis XII. She is probably the best in the entire book because of her fire and drive for everything she wants. I can't say if her personality was accurately portrayed but she seems to be the only one around Henry that seemed to see everything (or at least most) for how they truly were.
While I truly loved reading this book I can't say that I will read it again so I don't think it will be a book I will keep. Still I believe it was well worth the time reading it.
Haeger is a new author to me but her writing style has left me happy with the book. She trying very hard to incorporate as much history into her tales while still making the story sufficiently interesting for the reader. Her story was easy to read and entertaining throughout. She did a wonderful job of capturing the personalities of the characters she writes for making her an author I would consider again.
Charles Brandon is someone I know nothing about unless the skewed tales of Showtime's The Tudors can be called remotely accurate. Still it is true that apparently there was some kind of love affair between Mary and Charles and the were actually secretly married in France. So this book appears to be fairly accurate and entertaining.
Mary Tudor was wonderfully portrayed as a feisty woman amongst Henry VIII court and then removed to France to become Queen to Louis XII. She is probably the best in the entire book because of her fire and drive for everything she wants. I can't say if her personality was accurately portrayed but she seems to be the only one around Henry that seemed to see everything (or at least most) for how they truly were.
While I truly loved reading this book I can't say that I will read it again so I don't think it will be a book I will keep. Still I believe it was well worth the time reading it.
September 28, 2016
I found this book fascinating! Knowing next to nothing about Mary Tudor myself, this book helped me picture everything that happened. As much as I dislike the phrase, it really brought history alive.
October 10, 2018
Diane Haeger’s The Secret Bride is a novel about the romance between Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII, and Charles Brandon, a handsome and ambitious young courtier who, since childhood, had been the young King’s companion and close friend - inasmuch as Henry actually was capable of friendship.
The novel is full of rich detail about the social life of the Tudor court during the days when Henry was young, still deeply attached to his wife Katherine of Aragon, and ambitious to make England a major player on the European political stage. The young Mary, betrothed since childhood to the Prince of Castile, is exploring life as fully as she can while she waits to be taken off and finally married to a strange man in a foreign country. Brandon is the ambitious darling of the court. Married several times, into money and families of rank, he hopes to become a power in the country, rising above his commoner roots into the ranks of nobility.
But slowly, even knowing that the odds are vast that they can never be together, Brandon and Mary nonetheless fall in love. Politics eventually pits and end to the betrothal with the prince of Castile, but Henry almost immediately arranges a marriage between Mary and the sick and aging King of France, Louis XII. Mary begs of Henry a promise - that if she marries Louis without complaint, when she is a widow, she will be allowed to remarry as she pleases. Henry agrees - but though she believes him, the reader knows full well he says it only to get her to go without causing a fuss he’ll have to deal with.
In addition to portraying the love story between Mary and Brandon, the novel gives us a close look at how Henry himself changes from a generous young boy to a ruthless and selfish king. The disappointments of his marriage with Katherine, the long series of miscarriages and stillbirths, are seen as part of the process that sours Henry, along with the machinations of the powerful courtiers around him - Buckingham, Norfolk, Wolsey - making him suspicious, determined to have what he wants and capable of lying to himself and others to achieve it.
But through the politics of the English and French courts, and Henry’s anger, Mary and Brandon’s love finally wins out, and though their life together lacks both the wealth and position she was raised to and he coveted for much of his life, the novel suggests, as does history, that they were happy.
The novel is full of rich detail about the social life of the Tudor court during the days when Henry was young, still deeply attached to his wife Katherine of Aragon, and ambitious to make England a major player on the European political stage. The young Mary, betrothed since childhood to the Prince of Castile, is exploring life as fully as she can while she waits to be taken off and finally married to a strange man in a foreign country. Brandon is the ambitious darling of the court. Married several times, into money and families of rank, he hopes to become a power in the country, rising above his commoner roots into the ranks of nobility.
But slowly, even knowing that the odds are vast that they can never be together, Brandon and Mary nonetheless fall in love. Politics eventually pits and end to the betrothal with the prince of Castile, but Henry almost immediately arranges a marriage between Mary and the sick and aging King of France, Louis XII. Mary begs of Henry a promise - that if she marries Louis without complaint, when she is a widow, she will be allowed to remarry as she pleases. Henry agrees - but though she believes him, the reader knows full well he says it only to get her to go without causing a fuss he’ll have to deal with.
In addition to portraying the love story between Mary and Brandon, the novel gives us a close look at how Henry himself changes from a generous young boy to a ruthless and selfish king. The disappointments of his marriage with Katherine, the long series of miscarriages and stillbirths, are seen as part of the process that sours Henry, along with the machinations of the powerful courtiers around him - Buckingham, Norfolk, Wolsey - making him suspicious, determined to have what he wants and capable of lying to himself and others to achieve it.
But through the politics of the English and French courts, and Henry’s anger, Mary and Brandon’s love finally wins out, and though their life together lacks both the wealth and position she was raised to and he coveted for much of his life, the novel suggests, as does history, that they were happy.
December 30, 2019
I enjoyed this for what it was. Historical fiction. Light read and entertaining. I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes....that’s a positive for Tudor fiction.
December 30, 2008
A friend lent me this book because she knew how much I loved the Phillippa Gregory books about Tudor England. I know this friend chooses quick easy reads that allow you to escape from everyday life, so this book was about what I expected.
I gave this book a three because it was a quick easy read, and while it wasn't complicated, it did serve it's purpose of entertaining me and satisfied my cravings for more books on Tudor England.
It wasn't nearly as good as Gregory's novels and I felt that the author overused some of her literary tools, like foreshadowing. Of course, it is a novel of historical fiction and I am familiar with that period of history; perhaps other readers wouldn't pick up on the foreshadowing as much as I did.
This novel explores the marriages of Henry VIII's sister (one is arranged & one is not) and was definitely a fun escape. This topic was also the subject of one of the episodes of The Tudors TV series, which also made this book interesting to me.
I gave this book a three because it was a quick easy read, and while it wasn't complicated, it did serve it's purpose of entertaining me and satisfied my cravings for more books on Tudor England.
It wasn't nearly as good as Gregory's novels and I felt that the author overused some of her literary tools, like foreshadowing. Of course, it is a novel of historical fiction and I am familiar with that period of history; perhaps other readers wouldn't pick up on the foreshadowing as much as I did.
This novel explores the marriages of Henry VIII's sister (one is arranged & one is not) and was definitely a fun escape. This topic was also the subject of one of the episodes of The Tudors TV series, which also made this book interesting to me.
June 15, 2009
Quick read. Interesting story. I knew a little about Mary Tudor, but it was interesting to get background. As always in this time period, the story is full of scandal and sex. Not the best historical fiction I've read, but certainly good. A new perspective on Henry VIII's court. Though the author was a little harsh about Anne Boleyn . . . If you've watched the Tudors, the actual story is MUCH different than what's portrayed in the show.
July 25, 2021
I had read this e-book because I have an interest in the Tudor period. I enjoyed reading this book because of the secret romance between Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor. I loved that the story was so fascinating. I thought the novel was well written. It is a must read.
Shelved as 'not-for-me'
April 28, 2009Blah...I am interested in Mary's story, but this version is not going to do it for me. Uninspired dialogue and heavy handed forshadowing at the end of every chapter. Moving on...
July 14, 2020
Born a princess, Mary Tudor knew her duty would to someday make an alliance by marriage for king and country, what she didn’t know was life had a very different plan in store.
Always the favorite of her brother King Henry VIII, Mary spent her days at court ever by his side and was adored by many including her brother’s companion Charles Brandon. At first Mary sees Charles as somewhat of a womanizer and tries to keep his affections at bay but as time goes by her love for him grows and she starts to dream what life would be like if only she had the power to choose. Unfortunately Henry VIII has already decided her future belongs in France and betroths her to the aged King XII. Sickened and heartbroken Mary excepts her fate but with one condition that her brother grudgingly agrees to, when and if she is ever free to marry again it will be of her choosing. Little does her brother know this is one promise she intends to make him keep!
My obsession with the Tudors started many years ago and although I read about many different periods, I always find myself circling back. Thankfully this book not only focuses on Mary Tudor but also brings the reader within the court life and draws a perfectly detailed description. Always a pleasure to read a book by Diane Heager and I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who is fascinated with the Tudors.
Always the favorite of her brother King Henry VIII, Mary spent her days at court ever by his side and was adored by many including her brother’s companion Charles Brandon. At first Mary sees Charles as somewhat of a womanizer and tries to keep his affections at bay but as time goes by her love for him grows and she starts to dream what life would be like if only she had the power to choose. Unfortunately Henry VIII has already decided her future belongs in France and betroths her to the aged King XII. Sickened and heartbroken Mary excepts her fate but with one condition that her brother grudgingly agrees to, when and if she is ever free to marry again it will be of her choosing. Little does her brother know this is one promise she intends to make him keep!
My obsession with the Tudors started many years ago and although I read about many different periods, I always find myself circling back. Thankfully this book not only focuses on Mary Tudor but also brings the reader within the court life and draws a perfectly detailed description. Always a pleasure to read a book by Diane Heager and I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who is fascinated with the Tudors.
May 15, 2024
Royal Reads 2024
I dont know why I just cannot read sexy mush. Well in this case it was listen. It’s not like the Story of O type it’s that bored housewife wishing for that kissy huggy let’s go to bed and act vanilla crap that drives me insane. Gabaldon is the queen of writing that genre. If those parts could somehow be dusted off a tad it was actually a pretty good story and seemed pretty accurate as far as historical fiction goes. Just reminds me how much I’d rather read the nonfiction version of these events. It deals with little Mary, Henry VIII’s baby sister, you know the one that all worshiped because she was practically the beautiful girly version of her older brother until he became the monstrous tyrant. Poor Margaret she really got the shaft. But yes if anyone out there appreciates Tudor historical fiction I recommend this trilogy. I’m pretty sure it’s a trilogy. Right noe audible has a bunch of this author’s books set to go straight to your library FREE PEOPLE! So at that price try this first book.
I dont know why I just cannot read sexy mush. Well in this case it was listen. It’s not like the Story of O type it’s that bored housewife wishing for that kissy huggy let’s go to bed and act vanilla crap that drives me insane. Gabaldon is the queen of writing that genre. If those parts could somehow be dusted off a tad it was actually a pretty good story and seemed pretty accurate as far as historical fiction goes. Just reminds me how much I’d rather read the nonfiction version of these events. It deals with little Mary, Henry VIII’s baby sister, you know the one that all worshiped because she was practically the beautiful girly version of her older brother until he became the monstrous tyrant. Poor Margaret she really got the shaft. But yes if anyone out there appreciates Tudor historical fiction I recommend this trilogy. I’m pretty sure it’s a trilogy. Right noe audible has a bunch of this author’s books set to go straight to your library FREE PEOPLE! So at that price try this first book.
May 9, 2017
I just finished the first page of The Secret Bride, and am already turned off by the poor editing. Haeger seems to have had a decent concept, but her editor obviously was unable to determine how to cut down her sentences. For example - "The royal nursery at Eltham was tucked deeply into the lush countryside outside the city, near Greenwich, where Henry VIII's children, and their companions, were being brought up in an idyllic moated brick castle blanketed in emerald ivy, far from the complexities of court." I felt like I was gasping for breath by the end of the sentence. I paged through the novel and was unimpressed by the long-winded descriptions and banal talk of the characters. I'll finish the book, because it's rare that I don't, but I am not looking forward to it. Haeger's writing reminds me of a warmed over Philippa Gregory novel.
February 28, 2019
I am an avid reader of historical fiction and particularly enjoy reading about the Tudor era of English history. It was a nice change to read about a Tudor we don't often hear about, Mary, sister of Henry VIII. Much is written about Charles Brandon as best friend to Henry. Mary usually only shows up as a background character. I was glad for the chance to learn more about her.
I gave the book 3 stars because it was a solid read (for me it wasn't so bad to deserve 2). I like the history of the book and that is what kept me going. The book is easy to read. It is decently written, but not extraordinary. It would probably make a good beach read.
I gave the book 3 stars because it was a solid read (for me it wasn't so bad to deserve 2). I like the history of the book and that is what kept me going. The book is easy to read. It is decently written, but not extraordinary. It would probably make a good beach read.
May 24, 2023
This was a simultaneously salacious Tudor romance and well-written historical novel perfect for light reading. Overall, the author's research was done correctly and remained incorporated throughout the book. However, Catherine of Aragon's physical features were misrepresented, whether by the author's choice or accidental oversight, I can't be sure. If you are able to get over that one major issue with the history of the tale, then it is an entertaining piece that sweeps you away to the intrigue and lavishness of royal European court life of the 16th century. 3.75 stars.
January 27, 2018
I love a good story about anything Henry VIII / Tudors / France, especially when I'm learning something new about a lesser known Tudor. This novel about Henry VIII's sister who married the aging and ill French king for duty, only to choose her second husband for love, didn't disappoint. Mary is a strong character--strong-willed, mindful of her duty / place in society, and romantically inclined--not unlike her more famous brother, Henry VIII. Recommended for readers who love historical fiction.
September 29, 2018
An interesting take on Mary Tudor, sister to King Henry VIII who marries the king of France and then her brother's good friend. Not all of the historical elements were accurate or plausible, but Haeger introduces several little-known historical figures that was entertaining to read about (such as Jane Popincourt, Thomas Knyvet, and Gawain Carew).
A fast, entertaining read of a lesser known Tudor figure.
A fast, entertaining read of a lesser known Tudor figure.
September 14, 2017
2.5 because it is the first book I have read about Mary Tudor and have nothing to compare it to ..... the writing is a bit contradictory so it is hard to wrap my head around the characters descriptions/actions, etc. I believe the history is accurate and it is a quick read, enjoyable enough to finish, but I will not continue with this series.
July 25, 2020
I had honestly never given this Mary Tudor much thought. I was intrigued by her character in this telling though and how her relationship with Charles Brandon developed. And though they weren't together during it, I think my favorite part of the book was when Mary was in France married to Louis. I think I will definitely read the next in the series.
August 29, 2023
I really liked this book bc I am a huge King Henry the VIII fangirl. I would have probably given it a 5 ⭐️ rating if it hadn't of been so long winded! I felt the book focused too much on other things beside the love story of Princess Mary Tudor and the Duke of Suffolk. Will I read the next book in the series? YES
December 9, 2016
As with all Diane Haeger's books, this was heart-wrenching and beautiful. I love this series because I enjoy getting to glimpse into what life might have been like for some of the women in Henry VIII's court who don't get as much attention usually.
January 5, 2022
Secret Bride in the court of Henry VIII Haeger, Diane 4 Hist.F Hist.1500s King Henry VIII's sister Mary & her time growing up in court & her arranged marriage when she was in love with someone else, while Henry weds Katherine then Anne, Sister person Henry really loved 2017 7/7/2017 7/2/2017
August 31, 2017
Lots of fun in this book. LOVE good historical fiction and I can't wait for book 2!!!
-Bee
-Bee
October 4, 2017
I really loved this book, so well written
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