Book Review: The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan

  

The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan

Publisher: Kensington

Pub. Date: January 29, 2013

Paperback, 384 pages

ISBN: 9780758271389

My Review:

I have finally figured out what makes a historical fiction book for me.  Whether it's character based or history/plot based.  I love the ones that focus mostly on the characters and use the history as the background.  These books take the characters and focus on how they work in the situations they are given.  The marriages, the wars, the court settings.  That is what I enjoy.  And that is just what The Forgotten Queen gives you.  It's Margaret Tudor's life as history moves around her.  It's what she does to make history.

While I will admit to knowing nothing about Margaret Tudor before reading The Forgotten Queen, I am fascinated by this period of history so I could not pass this book up.  I am so glad I read it because Ms. Bogdan's writing of Margaret is enthralling.  Starting from when Margaret is young and moving through her life, I found Margaret's voice to be perfect for each time.  It was so hard for me to picture such a young girl to be pregnant, but know it was very common for the time.  It was also fascinating that mistakes and all that Margaret continues to move forward with her goals to protect her son.  That fierceness and protectiveness made me love her more and more.  She is not a perfect character.  She is childish in the beginning but she is a child.  She makes mistakes, but don't we all?  But I loved  her and I loved learning the story through Ms. Bogdan's eyes.

The plot and book move quickly, I found it hard to put down.  I loved learning more about Margaret as she grew into her Queenship and into her own as well.  The writing was engaging.  I was enticed by it from the very beginning of the book.  I found it to be very satisfying and a wonderful historical fiction novel.  It definitely makes me want to read more about this time frame and more from Ms. Bogdan in the future.  If you have interest in the Tudors and a love of character-driven novels, then this is just the book for you.  The Forgotten Queen is not a book you will forget anytime soon.  

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the book:
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…




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.










See my giveaway and interview here.

***I received this book from Historical Fiction Book Tours and the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***