Alison Weir is a historian that you can count on to have done her research. This allows her to tell the story of the past in a way the reader can truly enjoy discovering the people who lived centuries ago. In this case it is Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII. While many know the story of Anne Boleyn, many don't know the story of the quiet and devout Jane Seymour. A young girl wanting to serve God and become a Nun, but instead aging to near spinsterhood as a maid to Anne Boleyn, only to become the queen that followed Anne. Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen is the story of how this quiet lady found her place in history, and was loved by one of the most fickle men in history. Discover her story for yourself in the pages of this wonderful book.
One of the things I admire about Ms. Weir, is that at the end of her books, she tells you where she found facts to pass on and where she had to draw conclusions. She will even tell you why she took a certain conclusion and ran with it, when others may not. She is very open and respects the readers with this glimpse into her thought process.

Many thanks go to Ballantine, Alison Weir (one of my all-time favorite authors), and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.I'm a HUGE Weir fan. Have been for years. I read everything by her. Seymour, of this series, has been my least favorite of the three. That may be because she is my least favorite queen. She's always seemed so meek and humble and abused by her family. This book does give more insight into her life than I've ever read. We watch Jane mature in this book. And she is a pawn. But Weir makes her seem more amiable to the situation than otherwise thought. It also discusses her feelings about Boleyn and Jane's death, which I found fascinating. Sadly there just isn't much documented about Jane. She was from a large family and was queen for a very short time. She was beloved because she bore a son. I will say to Weir that I think the idea for this series is just brilliant! I can't wait for Anne of Kleve!

Another great installment in this series about the wives of Henry the VIII. Alison Weir is able to bring each woman to life with her ability to weave fact and fiction to make an encredible book.

Alison Weir provided a few tidbits of which this Anglophile was not aware. I won’t give them away here! This was well researched as always with Weir, and the book kept my interest while bringing Jane more to life than most writers do. Jane is probably the least interesting of Henry’s wives, at least to me, but Weir fleshed out her character and gave a more nuanced portrait than I’ve ever encountered when it comes to Jane. Well done!

To say that I really enjoyed this book would be an understatement. This is one of the best books I EVER read. I would give it 10 stars of I could.

I am a big fan of Alison Weir as a historian. I have read a lot of her books but this is the first book of her's that is more of a novel than a historical book. Although it does try to stay historically accurate as possible. This is the third book in this new series on the wives of Henry VIII. I have already purchased the first two and will be reading them next. I know, out of order but I saw that this book was available for review, so I requested it. I was not disappointed. Thank you, NetGalley!

Full disclosure, I love reading and learning about the British royal family. Especially about the War of the Roses. Ever since I read "The Sunne In Splendour" by Sharon Kay Penman, I have been obsessed with that time period. Richard III is my favorite King. And Henry VII, the usurper, my least favorite. In my opinion, Alison Weir is a staunch supporter of the Tudor's and seems to believe the lie spread by Tudor and his supporters that King Richard III was responsible for the disappearance of the little Princes. Which is totally wrong. Buckingham did the dirty deed. (About our to The Richard III Society.) But I digress, back to the book.

I have read lots of books on Henry VIII and his wives, but not much on Jane Seymour. She was Queen for such a short period and I haven't seen any books devoted to her before this book. Just chapters in books on Henry VIII. But I will start looking for any.

This book covers most of Jane Seymour's life and I was fascinated to read that she had wanted to be a nun since she was a little girl. (Spoiler alert: she doesn't become a nun.) Because of this, her father never tried to arrange a suitable marriage for her. By the time she decided that being a nun was not right for her, she was at the time old age of 19. She had zero experience with men so it was a big change in her life to go from her family home to court to be a lady-in-waiting in the service of Queen Katherine of Aragon.

She became very devoted to Queen Katherine. And this was during the most contentious time in Henry's reign. Queen Katherine had not given Henry a son to carry on the Tudor dynasty. Add to that, there was a upstart lady-in-waiting named Anne Boleyn that was determined to Queen. But first, she had to get rid of the current Queen. A small problem. That lead to the break with the Pope and the Catholic Church in Rome.

A very tense time indeed. And poor, innocent and sweet Jane Seymour was smack dab in the middle of it. Her family was devoted to the Catholic Church but they were also very ambitious. Especially her two brothers Edward and Thomas. They weren't too happy with Jane remains in the service of Queen Catherine, whom King Henry was trying to divorce. They wanted her to join the household of Anne Boleyn, whom Jane did not like.

(Spoiler alert 2: this takes place in the 16th century so they are all deceased.) You will have to read the book to find out what happened to Jane Seymour and the others. But I would suggest reading the first two books first. There is also a book on Elizabeth I that is also on my next to read books. While I'm waiting for book four on Anne of Cleves.

I was provided a complimentary Ebook copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Exactly what I expected from Alison Weir. Excellent research coupled with great storytelling skill. Her characters were believable and well written. Eager to read the other books in the series.

Jane Seymour is probably my least favorite of Henry VIII's wives, but this story actually makes her seem interesting to me! This interpretation of her is so vibrant, it seems hard to square with the mousy girl history often paints her as. Anything Alison Weir writes about Henry's queens is a must-read for me now.

*Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Jane Seymour, the queen Henry seemingly loved the most, had a rather monotonous life. I read this book because I love anything involving the Tudors. That being said, this book really slowed down when Anne died and Jane became queen and I had to sorta push myself to finish. Up until that point I was interested in what was happening, even if Jane was a tad tedious with a super plain personality. The very end did make me sad though.
While the description of the clothes and architecture was, I assume, very accurate, many times my brain read the words and promptly forgot everything.
The writing didn't hold any special quality and relied on the story to carry it.
The dialogue seemed believably old-fashioned and I had to read some sentences twice to understand the awkward wording. No one said "Where fore art thou?"
Since there were only a dozen names to chose from back then, many of the characters and their allegiances blurred together. It's really hard to have sympathy for the women when every little hiccup sends them into a tizzy. And Cromwell, Cranmer, Cornwall, Corn Muffin, man, I could not tell you who did what to save my life.
Overall I was intrigued by what happened and may have happened, but if you're looking for a juicy dramatic story with characters you might actually like, look elsewhere.

Also, I wonder what Jane would've thought about how Mary handled her reign.

This was a fascinating story of Jane Seymour Henry’ the XVIII third queen of England. Alison Weir combines history with the amazing ability to makes her characters seem relatable and complex at the same time. This book is an excellent addition to her other books about the Tudor queens and I highly recommend it!

Any Tudorphile needs to read this book! So much has been written on Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and not enough attention has been paid in the modern era to the other wives of Henry VIII. Like all of Weir's books, this one is a quick read. While there is not enough quantifiable evidence to construct many elements of Jane Seymour's life, the author's interpretation seems plausible and much in line with the time. The intrigue surrounding Henry VIII's court never gets old and each new publication only adds to one's understanding of its complexity. We will never know all of the elements surrounding the demise of Anne or the subsequent rise of Jane, a seemingly inconsequential knight's daughter. Some critics may wish to counter some of the author's decisions, however I feel that Jane was given her deserved dues in this book.

Alison Weir is back with her latest installment of her Six Tudor Queens series, with the intricate portrayal of Jane Seymour. I’ve been a devote follower of the series and Weir’s other fiction and non-fiction works. Weir has the captivating ability to portray elaborate stories of history that completely engrosses me from the very beginning. Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen was no exception.
Jane Seymour was quite the opposite of her predecessor Anne Boleyn, being docile, pure, and kind-hearted. Like Alison Weir’s insightful Author’s Note indicates, very little personal details were documented known about Jane, in her very short three-year reign.
I enjoyed the pace of the book, beginning with Jane’s home life in Wulfhall, to her life in Queen Katherine’s court, following to her reluctant service to Anne Boleyn, to her winning of King Henry VIII’s heart. The story isn’t rushed and I was astonished numerous times at the scandalous happenings on the era.
I found it commendable the details contained in the Author’s Notes where Weir describes what creative liberties she took in writing Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen and why. I would call her fictional writing “faction”, as it very closely illustrates actual historical accounts.
This book is for anyone interested in historical fiction and Tudor history. I devoured most of the novel in one sitting. The plot is full of scandal, secrets, and innocent deception.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me the ARC of this marvelous book. Thank you Alison Weir for once again blessing readers with your amazing talent of writing such eloquent historical fiction novels.

Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen is another wonderful historical fiction novel about England’s Tudor dynasty. This book is ambitious in that it tells the story of Queen Jane, the third and arguably least well documented wife of Henry VIII. Jane Seymour, one of Katherine of Aragon’s maids-in-waiting, loved Katherine and her daughter Princess Mary long after Henry’s pursuit of Anne Boleyn caused Katherine to be put away and ultimately deemed never to have been married to him, leading to her much reduced circumstances and death. Like Katherine’s supporters, Jane was Catholic and Reformist in name and appearances only. Jane Seymour did serve as one of Queen Anne’s maids of honor until Henry VIII, always a philanderer and deeply angered at Anne’s inability to give him a son and heir, led his eye to Jane Seymour. Shortly after Anne’s beheading, Jane Seymour became the third queen. The three years of her reign were among the three most tumultuous in English history staring on the coattails of Queen Anne’s trial, beheading, early days in the Reformation, the Dissolution and peasant uprisings. Anne sought to reunite Henry with both daughters, negotiate the highest female office in the land (for which she was ill prepared, being only the daughter of a knight), calm Henry’s savage beast, and protect the monasteries, all while trying to conceive and bring to term a son and heir. Who wouldn’t be haunted? Queen Jane is well known as the only Queen to bear Henry his desperately desired son. This was a tale well told but even more fascinating was the Afterwords where Weir shared her reasoning behind the plausible story lines. #JaneSeymour #HenryVIII #netgalley #Janeseymour,thehauntedqueen

This is the story of Henry VIII's third queen, Jane Seymour from the time she was a young girl with aspirations of entering a nunnery to serving the king's first two queens to falling in love with and marrying the king and giving birth to his son. The haunted queen is a good way to describe her. She finds herself haunted in many aspects of her life - personally, religiously, socially. I appreciate that the author took the time to remind readers of how the lives of the king's first three wives were intertwined. Anne Boleyn is portrayed as an ambitious, manipulative, jealous queen with a tendency to go off unhinged when she's upset. This helps in emphasizing Jane's goodness and purity that she is well known for. She comes across as kindhearted, gentle woman who is pressured by her family and religious beliefs and forced to make choices that she may not completely agree with. I felt that the pre-marriage romance between Jane and the king was a little too passionate than how I had envisioned that carrying out based on other historical readings I had come across with her character. Overall, good historical fiction approach to Jane Seymour.

Jane Seymour (1508-1537) was the wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England for a very short time, 1536-1537. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as Henry's wife and bore him a son...and died a few days later from birth-related complications.

In The Haunted Queen, Allison Weir continues her Six Tudor Queens saga with Jane's story. The book is a mix of historical fact and fictional story, recounting what might have happened from the time Jane was about 10 years old until her death.

I am a sucker for all things Tudor. And Jane's story, while being less exciting or morbid than the divorces, two beheadings and a survivor, her tale is still fascinating to me. The struggles between the catholic church and the monarchy, the King's long fight for divorce from his first wife, Katherine, the short reign of Anne Boleyn.....and her own marriage to Henry..... Jane lived in very exciting time of change, violence and political rivalries. While I'm glad that I don't live in a similar situation, it is interesting to read about those who did. I can only imagine how scared Anne Boleyn was when she realized her triumph at being named queen was going to end in disaster. And Jane's short-lived joy at birthing a son.

I loved this book! I've read a couple other books by Allison Weir and always enjoy her mix of fact and fiction. It brings Court and all the intrigue to life. I'm not sure why I enjoy reading about Henry VIII's reign so much. He really was a bad king and a narcissistic man bent on having a male successor no matter what the cost. Let alone the irony that most likely it was his sperm and health that caused the problems in the first place.

Fabulous book for those who enjoy historical fiction. This is NOT a romance novel disguised as historical fiction, but a fictionalized account of historical events. Don't expect steamy sex scenes....it's not that sort of book. If you want to read about political intrigue, the jealousies of court, and Jane's short lived marriage to one of the most famous rulers of England....then this book is perfect!

I will definitely be reading more by Allison Weir. I haven't read the first two books in this series yet -- Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen and Anne Boleyn, A King's Obsession. There are also several Novellas in the series, including one about Arthur, Henry's older brother and Katherine's first husband. I will definitely be reading this entire series! I can't wait for the next book! Anna of Kleve is up next -- another divorce. (At least she kept her head!!)

**I voluntarily read an advance reader's copy of this book from Random House via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Well, Alison Weir has done it again! I actually enjoyed this book even better than the first two books in her Queens series.
It wasn't that it was written better per say, it's just that there are so many Anne Boleyn novels out there that Tudor fans have read about our beloved Anne over and over again. Katherine of Aragon may be written about less frequently, but once the Great Matter takes over her life, not much else happened to the poor lady and everything just slowed to a standstill for her.

With Jane Seymour, we got to read all of her life and the (very plausible) inner workings of her mind... from childhood through to her days serving as a Maid of Honor to two very different queens, to her audacious courtship with the king, to her marriage and pregnancy... and finally up to the last moments of her life.

What I love about books by Weir is that we get a front seat viewing from various first hand female perspectives to some of the most debated and divisive moments in English history. Though with even the best historical fiction there will be always a measure of artistic license taken, with Alison Weir I always feel like I'm getting as close as possible to the real story and how it likely played out, and 'Jane Seymore: The Haunted Queen' is no exception.

Her innate understanding of the personal and political motivations of the key players in her novels, as well as of the time period itself, lend an authenticity that I appreciate greatly. Too often I check out the newest Tudor fiction and quickly stop reading as I spot this blatant discrepancy and that incorrect fact, etc. This never happens with Alison Weir; the lady knows her stuff and sticking to the true nature of the time period never affects her writing style.

I literally can't wait for the next 3 books!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an Advance Reader Copy!

I definitely liked this book the most of Alison Weir's Six Tudor Queens series so far. I had one or two small disagreements with her opinions on Katherine of Aragon, and then had A LOT of disagreements about her portrayal of Anne Boleyn, but it seems we finally found some common ground with Jane Seymour.

There is very little known about Jane, and she left very few letters or records of her life behind. Because so much speculation is needed, there aren't many historical fiction books about her, and this is the first one I think I've read. But Alison Weir did an excellent job bringing her to life, and I especially loved how she portrayed her as, yes, meek and obedient as is known, but that she also had opinions and a mind of her own. Jane was a likable character throughout. She had ambitions like her family but was also very sweet and mild. And the portrayal of her guilty conscience after Anne's death was realistic and sad. You can see why she was willing to go ahead with unseating Anne (she felt Katherine had been the true Queen all along), and yet thought of her as a person too, and never thought Henry would take it so far.

I also liked how she portrayed Jane and Henry's courtship not progressing to the next level because of modesty and Jane feeling like it was wrong, as opposed to Anne's reasons of ambition. I do wish Alison Weir would have continued this plot line because it does seem more plausible and realistic to me based on what we know of Jane, but her reasons for thinking Jane may have been pregnant when she and Henry married do make sense, so who knows?

I also thought her portrayal of Henry and Jane's relationship was great. I do think he truly loved her, maybe because of her extreme contrast with Anne, but also just because she was a genuinely likable person. It's well known that Henry always said that Jane was his only true wife, which could be because she's the only one who gave him a son, but I also think it's because he truly loved her and she died before he could find fault with her. So I'm looking forward to seeing how this aspect is addressed in future books, as well as Henry's continued relationship with his son Edward and how Edward deals with growing up without a mother.

Her theories about Jane's death are definitely interesting, and I've never heard food poisoning/blood clot before, I've always thought it was complications from childbirth. But you can tell from her Author's Note that she has done EXTENSIVE research and consulted with so many medical professionals based on the little evidence there is, and may actually be right. It did make the ending a little odd and anticlimactic, but I always like accuracy over entertainment.

My one complaint is that this book was especially long. I knew that going in, based on the size of the first two, but SO much of it overlapped with Anne Boleyn's book, but from Jane's perspective. I realize that these are meant to be read as either part of the series or standalone, but I think some of it was unnecessary and could have been cut out.

Overall though it was a very enjoyable and extremely well-researched read and I'm so glad I continued with the series despite my unfavorable opinion of the Anne Boleyn book. I'm really looking forward to her take on Anne of Cleves next!

It is always fascinating to this reader to read of the Tudor Queens and the events that led up to their taking their place next to Henry VIII. Alison Weir's books have always been a wonderful way in which to learn and enhance one's understanding of the events that put these women on the throne. This novel was no exception

Jane Seymour never would have foreseen herself as the wife to a king. She was shy, devout to her Catholic faith, and from descriptions presented, not one to flaunt herself like her predecessor. She was devoted to Henry's first wife, Catherine, and felt that her treatment was inhumane and unforgivable. However, times being what they were it was the will of her father and brother that she stop her attendance of Queen Catherine and take up service to the up and coming Anne Boleyn whom she greatly disliked.

Jane comes to Henry's attention. She was not a beautiful woman but rather plain, fair, and gentle. In fact, the day after Anne's beheading, Henry married Jane and they went onto having a son together. King Edward VI was their son and because of difficulties and the times, Jane died a few days after his birth possibly due to a bacterial infection.

Jane seemed to be the calming influence that Henry so needed. She was a calm and peaceful person responsible for the return of Princess Mary to her father's good graces. Jane and Mary had a close friendship and brought to the Tudor court a return of courtly behavior and decorum.

This book was a wonderful look into what might have constituted Jane's life both before and after she came to court and eventually into Henry's line of vision. Her death seemed to have affected Henry and it was said that he remained in mourning for her for a number of months. For those who love the lives and the time of the Tudor age, this book both well written and carefully researched will provide many hours of escaping to a time when Henry ruled England with a very strict and authoritarian reign. One has to wonder if Jane had lived what would have become of Henry and Jane. He seemed to truly care for her and she is the only one who was given a Queen's funeral. Later when Henry died, he was buried at his request, next to Jane at St George's Chapel at Windsor.

Thank you to Alison Weir, Random House Publishing-Ballantine, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

I love Tudor history and historical fiction, and found this glimpse into Jane Seymour's life to be a fascinating read.

I think this is probably one of the most information-laden, intense books I have read this year. If you know me, you know I have a slight obsession with King Henry VIII (I binge watched the first two seasons of The Tudors in only a couple days) but my interest always focused more on his relationship with Anne Boleyn. After her, I simply lost interest. Their relationship was volatile and passionate and . . . well, everything that a good romance novel is.

Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen portrays Anne in an entirely different light. We see her from Jane's perspective, as the woman who wrecked the King's marriage to his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Jane is serving as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen so she sees how Anne swoops in, seduces the King, and brings about all these negative changes in England's history.

I was amazed by how much of this book focused on Henry and Anne's relationship, not on Henry and Jane. If you know anything about Henry VIII, you know that Jane was the wife who bore him a son and the only one to receive a Queen's funeral. Henry also waited two more years to marry again and when he died, he was buried next to Jane, suggesting she was his favorite wife. So, why was so much of this book about Henry and Anne?

Jane. I'm still not sure how I feel about her. I liked her throughout most of the book. She was always trying to help Henry reconcile with his daughter, Mary, and always wanted to see England returned to the original faith (with the Pope and Rome). But at the end, I really didn't feel anything for her. I mean, it's a sad ending but, if you know anything at all about Jane's history, you know what happens to her. So it wasn't a surprise. I just didn't feel anything.

Henry. I understood the Henry who beheaded his second wife, exiled his first, broke England from Rome to satisfy his own agenda. And then he falls in love with Jane, says she gives him peace, but he's still not the nicest of guys at times. To keep it family-friendly. There were times when he would lash out at Jane, as well as everyone else, and then he comes in later and "oh, I'm sorry" and it all goes away. I guess, such is the life of a King.

Extras. There were many extra characters in this book - Earl of this, Lord of that. So many names. And so many of the names were similar. It got to be difficult to keep track of who was who after a bit.

I know this was a historical fiction novel but it moved slow for me. That's not to say I wasn't interested in the story. I just felt like if I had wanted to see so much of the book center around Anne Boleyn, I would have read the one about Anne. That being said, I don't know if plot is the right word for a book like this. It was more of a historical account, with embellishments and interpretations about what really happened.

I like the style of the covers in this series, though I think Jane's is my least favorite. I am more partial to the purple of Anne Boleyn's cover. I like how the covers are all tied in together, making it clear they belong to the same series. They have a definite elegance to them, as is fitting of queens. To me, though, it seemed that Jane was more sad or thoughtful, rather than haunted. The title of the book doesn't make much sense until late in the story.

While I have my reservations with parts of this book, I did enjoy it. I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of England's history with its most infamous King. I would recommend this book, though I also recommend having a little bit of a history of Henry VIII and his reign, wives, and the time period in general.

Alison Weir has done it again. The story of Henry VIII's third wife is heart wrenching and enthralling.