The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan
Kensington Publishing
January 2013
Format: Paperback ARC, 384 pages
First line: It began with smoke.
Synopsis: From
her earliest days, Margaret Tudor knows she will not have the luxury of
choosing a husband. Her duty is to gain alliances for England. Barely
out of girlhood, Margaret is married by proxy to James IV and travels to
Edinburgh to become Queen of Scotland.
Despite her doubts, Margaret falls under the spell of her adopted
home. But while Jamie is an affectionate husband, he is not a faithful
one. And nothing can guarantee Margaret’s safety when Jamie leads an
army against her own brother, Henry VIII. In the wake of loss she falls
prey to an ambitious earl and brings Scotland to the brink of anarchy.
Beset by betrayal and secret alliances, Margaret has one aim—to preserve
the crown of Scotland for her son, no matter what the cost…
My thoughts: I love all things Tudors and so when I heard D.L. Bogdan had written a book about one of them, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of her blog tour. I was especially excited since it was a book about Margaret Tudor who I was not all that familiar with. I’ve read quite a bit about Henry VIII, his many wives, and his children Mary and Elizabeth, but nothing about Margaret.
Margaret is Henry VIII’s sister, who married James, the King of Scotland. Sent away to Scotland at a relatively young age, she is told by her father, King Henry VII, to always remember that she is a Tudor first and the Queen to Scotland second. As we get to know Margaret, we find that what she wants most in life is to find love, especially after having had so much loss in her life – her mother, her brother Arthur, her other siblings who died as infants, and even her husband. Once James dies, her son is crowned King Regent of Scotland and even though she needs to fight for his right to the crown, she gets caught up in her own affairs when love is presented to her again. As fiercely as she fights for her son’s rights, she fights to be loved for herself.
DL Bogdan writes Margaret in such a way that she is both easily liked and easily disliked. She is at times a smart, intelligent woman who knows what needs to be done but at other times, she is extremely selfish. I also enjoyed the snippets we got of Henry VIII and how he was all about himself and his power. He loved his family, but he loved his power more.
This is the second book I’ve read by D.L. Bogdan and I found myself once again captivated by the story she tells. I will certainly be going back to read more of her work, as well as looking for other books on Margaret Tudor. Have you read anything else on this lesser known Tudor sister?
About the author: D.L. Bogdan is an ongoing student
of history, musician, and avid reader who enjoys travel, the outdoors,
and time with her family and friends. She is a proud wife and mother who
makes her home in central Wisconsin. She is the author of Secrets of
the Tudor Court, Rivals in the Tudor Court and The Sumerton Women.
For more information on D.L. Bogdan and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.
Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtag: #ForgottenQueenVirtualTour).
I received a complimentary copy of The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan from Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
Giveaway Information (GIVEAWAY CLOSED):
Thanks to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours I have one copy of The Forgotten Queen to give away to my readers.
Rules:
- Open internationally
- Must include email address to enter
* Mandatory entry – leave a comment telling me what your favorite time period is to read about – I’m always looking for suggestions!
* Extra entry #1 – become a follower of Always With a Book. If you are already a follower you will automatically receive the bonus entries (just leave the name you follow under).
*Extra entry #2 – please help spread the word by
blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting, pinning onto Pinterest or posting this
giveaway on Facebook (each way you share gets you 1 more entry).
All entries can be in one email.
GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 12th
Good Luck!!!
I enjoy the Tudor period but I also love Ancient Rome.
Thanks!
I follow by GFC.
I shared on Facebook: facebook.com/pattyleonardwoodland/posts/456999107686568
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I don't think I've read anything set during Ancient Roman times…any recommendations?
Thanks for doing this giveaway for what I"m sure is an awesome book!!
I, too, am a huge fan of the Tudor period.
I shared on FB
sorry, don't do Twitter or Pinterest.
Thanks!
Donna McCabe
donna.mccabe@rocketmail.com
FB post: facebook.com/donna.r.mccabe
Do you have a favorite book about the Tudors?
I have several periods for favorites, the Tudor period, the World I, the Depression in the U.S. and the U.K. are some of them.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
Any good World War I books to suggest?
+1 I posted this giveaway on Facebook: facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn
+1 I tweeted: t.co/LIGDI0wF
+1 I pinned it: pinterest.com/pin/84161086758511694/
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I follow you with GFC as Carol N Wong and by an e-mail subscription, as CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
January 29, 2013 at 2:59 PM
I enjoy books from the Victorian era.
I am a new follower, with the same name I am commenting from.
Thanks for the giveaway!
geriths (at) gmail.com
I don't think I've read much about the Victorian era…can you suggest some good books?
Twitter not working posted on fb rhonda Lomazow.
Favorite time period: Ancient Rome.
I like medieval Italy and ancient Greece, too!
I follow via GFC Lara Frame
lafra86 at gmail dot com
I posted to Pinterest: pinterest.com/pin/127719339404759773/
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
You are the second to mention Ancient Rome…any books you would recommend?
i like the renaissance and the late 1800s. im a follower
kmichellec87(at)yahoo(dot)com
Do you have any suggestions for books set in the late 1800s? I'm reading one now and it's pretty good – Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.
I have two favorite time periods the Tudor time period and the 1800s. I lvoe both of them.
Thank you for the giveaway – I am a follower and shared on my blog: griperangsbookmarks.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
griperang at embarqmail dot com
What would you recommend for the 1800s?
I like the victorian era.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
Another for the Victorian era…any good suggestions?
I follow you via gfc mamabunny13
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
I still like the Tudor period despite the abundance of reading available for this era. I also like the Regency period.
Any suggestions for the Regency period?
I forgot to say I am a GFC follower. Name – Mystica.
mystica123athotmaildotcom
I like reading about WW1 time periods.
GFC: Na
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love reading about the civil war era.
rsgrandinetti[at]yahoo(DOT)Com
I follow as Renee G on GFC
rsgrandinetti[at]yahoo(DOT)com
I can't get enough of the tudor era, glad you enjoyed this one, it's on my TBR stack
I like WWII historical fiction.
GFC Follower
My favorite period is the Middle Ages.
I follow on through google reader,
and here is my tweet: twitter.com/wordsandpeace/status/300118382240473088