5 intriguing stars to Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I can’t get enough of the Tudors. Fiction? Nonfiction? I’m all in. I knew the least about Jane Seymour, the quiet, pious queen. Alison Weir did an incredible job fleshing her out and endearing her to me.

Jane Seymour was Henry VIII’s “favorite” queen because she provided him with his only male heir; however, Jane did not want to be a queen. She wanted to be a nun. Her noble family pushed her into court where she became a lady-in-waiting to my personal favorite Tudor queen, Katherine of Aragon. Insert Henry’s infidelity and carrying on with Anne Boleyn, also a lady-in-waiting, and then, Jane became the object of his affection.

As I said above, prior to reading this, I found Jane to be rather plain. After reading it, I find her compassionate, vulnerable, and of course, steadfast in her faith.

Overall, this was a well-written historical fiction novel of Jane Seymour’s most intriguing life. I’m already looking forward to the next installment in this series!

Thank you to Allison Weir, Random House/Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for the ARC. Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen will be available on May 15!

My reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog! www.jennifertarheelreader.com

I'm usually a fan of Alison Weir's historical fiction but I had to bail on this book. Parts were rushed and choppy while other sections dragged on. Jane Seymour was one of the less interesting wives of Henry VIII so I think that's why this story seemed tedious.

I didn't like this book as much as the other two--there was too much negativity hanging over the story to make it a good read, and I found it unnecessarily lengthy besides. A true shame, as I was quite excited about this book.

It pains me to say that I don't know if I'm going to read the three remaining books when they come out--the pall hanging over this story might be too much to continue, fascinated as I am by this era.

[Review copy provided by Netgalley]

Pub date May 15: Another #SixTudorQueens novel from #AlisonWeir. Not as much is known about Jane Seymour, as hardly any artifacts or letters were left from her short three year reign. Weir dubs her The Haunted Queen, weighed by guilt about Anne’s demise and her inability to halt Henry and Cromwell’s pilfering and ruin of the churches. As I have found all of these books in the series, it was entertaining with the kicker being the Author’s Note explaining how Weir hypothesized and created the historical tale given the clues and deducing what happened.

I've been looking forward to reading this since Jane Seymour is sort of an "unknown" figure among Henry VIII's six queens. She's the quiet one. I don't believe I have ever read a book solely covering her, and I own quite a lot of books on the Tudors. But, this is not a biography; it's a historical novel, and much poetic license was taken here. Some of my preconceived notions were blown to bits about Jane Seymour, after a lifetime of watching various film presentations and reading Tudor biographies. The areas I'm talking about are Jane's pre-marriage virtue, possible miscarriages and how she died. In one way this was more interesting and unexpected. On the other hand, it made me question whether what I was reading was going "far off the reservation."

This all neatly resolved itself in the final section of the book entitled, "Author's Note." According to well-respected and voluminous Tudor author Alison Weir, there is very little documentation in existence regarding Jane Seymour. Queen Jane did not leave behind any significant writings, and Weir painstakingly culled together what she could from a myriad of sources. She justifies conclusions she leapt to on various fronts, laying out the case for each, citing the pieces of evidence available. My interest was piqued to read about the birth of their long-awaited son Edward, having heard throughout the years that Queen Jane most likely had a cesarean section. My knowledge of her subsequent death was that it was as a result of "cutting the baby out of her" or due to puerperal fever (caused by uterine infection following childbirth). Neither of these conditions are blamed for her death in this tome, and Weir conferred with a team of physicians and a midwife to come to that expert conclusion.

Other situations explored were the possibility that Jane had originally wanted to be a nun (her younger sisters had marriages arranged before her...why?), just how much she participated in framing Anne Boleyn, and her resultant guilty conscience and sense of being haunted following Queen Anne's execution. Jane was very loyal to Queen Katherine, whom she served when she first came to court. She always considered Katherine the true Queen of England and Catholicism the true faith. Alison Weir painted a picture of a quiet, gentle young woman with good convictions who got herself caught up in situations she never expected. She was heavily influenced by her family who wanted to be in favour with King Henry VIII. They pushed her to make decisions she might otherwise not have made for herself. She was trying to be happy about being Queen, but the circumstances that brought her to that point would leave anyone feeling "Haunted."

I read the prior book in this series, "Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession" which ended with Queen Anne's execution. Therefore, I thought this subsequent book would pick up from that point. Not so. This book begins with Jane Seymour's youth, and continues with her eventual invitation to court to serve King Henry VIII's first wife Katherine of Aragon. This is during the exact time when King Henry VIII is carrying on with another one of Katherine's serving ladies, the notorious Anne Boleyn. So, this was a substantial book that did a good job of trying to flesh out the life of King Henry VIII's beloved third wife.

No matter how novels written about them, Alison Weir shows there are still more engrossing tales of Henry VIII and his queens to be told. She takes on Jane Seymour this time, one of the queens about whom very little is actually known: as a historian, Weir is able to build a story around her that rings true and captures the reader from the start. The "Haunted Queen" aspect is what's shaky--Jane does not seem like the sort of person to see apparitions and considering the company she keeps, she probably has the least blood on her hands.

I'm really looking forward to Weir's novel about Anne of Cleves, the other queen about whom little is known. We do know that she was the only one of Henry's wives to be rejected and live to tell the tale. How did she pull that off?

Alison Weir is best known as a historian, and her handling of dialogue can be stiff (characters growl, opine, and mutter). Get past that and "Haunted Queen" is good going, with an informative afterward that examines what might have caused Jane's death. All good enough to have me back on a Tudor toot!

Publisher's Description:

Acclaimed author and historian Alison Weir continues her epic Six Tudor Queens series with this third captivating novel, which brings to life Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s most cherished bride and mother of his only legitimate male heir.

Ever since she was a child, Jane has longed for a cloistered life as a nun. But her large noble family has other plans, and as an adult, Jane is invited to the King’s court to serve as lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The devout Katherine shows kindness to all her ladies, almost like a second mother, which makes rumors of Henry’s lustful pursuit of Anne Boleyn—also lady-in-waiting to the queen—all the more shocking. For Jane, the betrayal triggers memories of a haunting incident that shaped her beliefs about marriage.

But once Henry disavows Katherine and secures Anne as his new queen—forever altering the religious landscape of England—he turns his eye to another: Jane herself. Urged to return the King’s affection and earn favor for her family, Jane is drawn into a dangerous political game that pits her conscience against her desires. Can Jane be the one to give the King his long-sought-after son, or will she be cast aside like the women who came before her?

Bringing new insight to this compelling story, Alison Weir marries meticulous research with gripping historical fiction to re-create the dramas and intrigues of the most renowned court in English history. At its center is a loving and compassionate woman who captures the heart of a king, and whose life will hang in the balance for it.

My Thoughts:
I found this book to be a difficult read. It just wasn't as interesting as other historical fiction accountings I have read from this same time period.
I often put it aside and read other books I had for review also. It was a slow pace read and bogged down in places.
I have read other books by this author and found them a bit more interesting and exciting than this one. I was bored.
I would give this book 3.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book to read from the publisher via NetGalley.
This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A young Jane Seymour once desired to be a nun, unbeknownst that one day she would be the third wife of the formidable Henry VIII and mother of his only true born son to live past infancy, Edward VIII. Following some time spent at a nunnery, and after a scandal breaks at her childhood home - Wulf Hall - Jane asks her father if she may go to court, where she is put in the service of the great Queen Katharine of Aragon. While serving the Queen, the infamous Anne Boleyn rises to power. As Anne gains influence, Jane vehemently declares, “I could never serve Anne Boleyn. I hate her and everything she stands for. Any woman who sets out to steal another’s husband, let alone the husband of her mistress, is beyond redemption.” Little does Jane know that she will be walking in Anne’s shoes and over her dead body in just a few short years, effectively stealing King Henry away as Anne meets her demise. In fact, Jane and Henry were betrothed the day after Anne’s execution, and were married just 10 days later. As history has it, Jane would shortly after deliver the King a healthy son, and subsequently perish of childbed fever.

As always, Alison Weir’s masterful storytelling brings the tales of Henry VIII’s wives to life. Little is known about Jane Seymour, her personality, and the life she led, but Weir works with what is known to paint a more complete picture of Henry’s third wife. While “Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen” may feel tedious and uneventful at times, it is not due to Weir’s writing, but rather because so little is known about Jane beyond the fact that she married Henry quickly and died soon after childbirth. Readers of Weir’s other works, and those who love Tudor history, will quickly get lost in this third novel of the Six Tudor Queens series. Weir makes reading about and enjoying history feel fun and effortless. Additionally, fans of Anne Boleyn will love to hate Weir’s Jane Seymour, who despises the second Tudor Queen, and in several ways, plays a part in her ultimate fall. Weir paints Jane in sharp contrast to Anne, and invested readers will find the comparisons intriguing. In all, a worthy read of the third Tudor Queen.

Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen is the third installment from Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series. I thought it was pretty good. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for a digital galley of this novel.

I am reading this series of novels covering the lives of the wives of King Henry VIII of England in the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books but found this one much harder to become and then stay interested in. I kept trying to work out what was keeping me from feeling as enthusiastic about this book and I believe the answer is revealed in the Author's Note segment at the end of the book. There is not much historical evidence of the life of Jane Seymour so this book, unlike the two previous novels, is mostly fictional material, especially Jane's early life.

Another aspect of the novel which held me back from enjoying it wholeheartedly was the paranormal influence the author has chosen to weave into the story. All of those portions are simply story telling by the author and they felt out of place. It must be very hard to write three different books about three women who were familiar with each other and living in the same timeline. In essence Alison Weir has told the same general story three times just using three different viewpoints. That must be very difficult to do while keeping the books individual yet fresh. My reaction to this story has not dimmed my enthusiasm for the next book in the series. I will be waiting impatiently for book number four.

I actually didn't know much about Jane going into this book. I think that helped me enjoy her story more because I didn't know what was coming next. I love how strong Jane is and even when it's a difficult position to be in, she stands up for her beliefs.

Jane is forced by her family to become a lady in waiting for Queen Katherine instead of becoming the nun she planned to be. A different lady in waiting, Anne Boleyn, is rumored to be having an affair with the king. The rumor seems to be true after the king gets rid of Katherine and makes Anne his new wife. Jane is shocked and has to do a lot of soul searching since she's found herself serving Anne.

Jane notices the king watching her and not long after Anne is put on trial for incest, adultery, and treason. She is convicted guilty and sentenced to death by beheading. Jane has no choice when the king asks her to marry him not a full fortnight after Anne's sentence is carried out. She believes the real reason for Anne's death is her problems with giving the king and heir. Now she has to make sure it happens or could she too face the same fate as Anne?

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for and ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have long been a fan of Alison Weir's historical novels. As a curious reader, I look into the details while I'm reading, and I have always been impressed by the accuracy of her research. Other than her historical accuracy, Weir's main strength is her ability to tell a fascinating story with well-developed characters. I felt tender towards and cared about all the main characters, particularly Jane and Henry. Most importantly, while I was learning many details about the 16th century British Empire, I never felt that the novel read like a history book.

The novel covers Henry's VIII's reign while he is still married to Katherine of Aragon, but enamored of Anne Boleyn. Desperate for a male heir, Henry schemes to get his marriage to Katherine declared invalid so he can marry Anne. Weir describes Henry as charming and handsome, but petulant, Katherine as pious and kind, Anne as selfish and scheming and Jane as sweet and nearly overwhelmed by the politics and moral ambiguities of life at court. The reader follows Jane's life from her adolescence at home, to her service at Katherine of Aragon's court, to her service under Queen Anne, to her love affair and marriage to the King, and to her death.

While I enjoyed the detailed characterizations and settings, I struggled with the excessive details about the political climate and struggles. I think, at times, Weir forgot she was writing historical fiction and got bogged down by political details. I found myself skimming through the middle section of this already very long book.

There is much about this book that is VERY good, but I cannot rate it with 5 stars because of how it dragged in the middle. I had no trouble finishing it, though, and lovers of English history will find this book very engaging.

I received an ARC of this book in return for a honest review.



I

This is a historical fiction book. Don't let that sentence scare you away. This Author had an amazing way of teaching you historical facts through a story.
Have Seymour was known as King Henry the VIII most beloved wife. He has been married twice before. To Catherine, who he later said he had never been married to and was no longer, so he excited her. Then he married the spitfire Anne Boleyn. Well, she was beheaded. He claimed the children were probably his. Mary his oldest daughter was considered a bastard since he wasn't really married to her mother. The daughter he had with Anne, was probably his. Most likely since she has his looks.
He never had a son, someone to be his successor. Until Jane. Several miscarriages later, she gives birth to a healthy, happy, beautiful boy.
No one really knows the torture and fear Jane must have gone through. Needing to give her husband, the king, a male heir. She walked a tightrope of what she believed in her heart and what she could voice out loud. And she carried guilt about the death of Anne. She hoped that anything she may have said contrary about Anne had not contributed to her death.
Great book.
5 Stars

What a great read! Jane is always passed over because her marriage was so short and normal. I love how there is a little history repeated in each book, from each wives perspective. More’s beheading from Katherine, Anne and Jane’s position was interesting to consider.
As always with Alison, I’m completely immersed in the world. The palaces, textures, smells and food were all vividly described. I’m looking forward to meeting the other wives!

Alison Weir's Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen is another worthy read in her Six Tudor Queens series. We first meet Jane when she is ten years old and her oldest brother is marrying his first wife. In Weir's portrayal of Jane, she longs to be enter into religious service, she is pious, devoted to her religion and kind. As Jane grows, she is devoted to her family but feels a calling to become a nun.

Before Jane enters Queen Katherine's service, she tries her hand at living as a nun, but isn't happy. That doesn't mean that Jane abandons her religious beliefs or the teachings of her youths. She has seen some of the hypocrisy carried on in houses of religion and is shaken by that new found knowledge.

Jane may be the least known of Henry VIII's wives and she is an enigma. Jane served in Queen Katherine's court during the drama of her separation and subsequent abandonment by Henry. She spent time with Katherine, who she believed was England's true queen, and followed Katherine to some of her places of exiled residence.

As much as Jane cared for Katherine, she despised Anne as did most of the country toward the end of her reign. How much was Jane involved in Anne's fall from grace and subsequent death sentence? Possibly she played a role, even if only small, in Anne's downfall. Obviously, Anne's fall from grace lifted Jane much higher than her aspirations.

Jane was interesting to me because of her feelings for Henry and her willingness to become his third wife. He divorced/annulled/abandoned his first wife and annulled/beheaded his second wife, who would want to marry a man who found it easier and easier to rid himself of an unwanted wife? Jane knows her husband's love is directly connected to her ability to produce a son and heir.

I think Jane truly loved Henry and I believe she married him because she loved him, and she wanted to bring him back to his former faith and good standing with the pope. Katherine and Jane may be Henry's only wives that truly loved him.

The tragedy of Jane is usually overshadowed by the tragedy of Anne. If Anne Boleyn is a very unlikable character/human being then Jane is the opposite. Jane's death was a tragedy for the kind, the country, her family and for her son who grew up without his mother. Was Jane's death the beginning of Henry's descent into extreme narcissism?

I really enjoyed this portrayal of Jane Seymour by Ms. Weir and I enjoyed the author's note at the end of the book. Tudor history is fascinating to me and this author brings it to life. Very well done.

Consider this a 3.5-star rating. Jane Seymour comes across as a fully fleshed person here, rather than as the shadowy, nondescript figure she's usually presented as; for once I could understand why Henry VIII married her and could believe that he actually loved her. The milieu was well evoked too. That said, the writing never rose above serviceable, the "haunting" business seemed a bit childish, and a few of Jane's reactions to events felt unrealistic. But if you're looking for an effortless fictional read about a little-known royal, this will satisfy. And yes, I probably will read Weir's take on Anne of Cleves.

Another absolutely brilliant book by the amazing Alison Weir. I read every book by this author that I can possibly get my hands on, and I am never disappointed. This is the 3rd book in the series, and just as the previous two, I couldn't put it down to save my life. A definite recommend!

Alison Weir is perhaps THE best author of Tudor history. She is able to bring the characters to life. I am enjoying her Tudor Queens series.
Jane Seymour has always been a remote, mousy character, in my opinion. Ms. Weir was able to completely change my opinion and introduce a multidimensional character that is likable and engaging. Unlike her predecessors, Jane had a quiet and relaxing personality, however, she was intelligent, well versed and full of ideas. This book was obviously well researched and lovingly written. This is an amazing series and I can't wait for the next installment! (My personal favorite wife was Anne of Cleves, next on the list of wives.) I do have a new respect and admiration for Jane Seymour, and I thank Alison Weir for bringing her to life for me.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Tudor history, anyone who enjoys reading about strong women, or anyone who simply loves a good story.

Title- Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen

Author- Alison Weir

Publisher- Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine

Publish Date- May 15, 2018

Rating: 📖📖📖/5

// I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review //



I'm going to keep this one short as there isn't too much to say about it in my opinion. If you don't know the story of Jane Seymour, then I'll give you a quick overview. She was the third wife of Henry VIII of England and died after giving birth to Henry's only legitimate son. Little is known about her for sure. She was a pious woman and said to be Henry's favorite wife (probably because she was the only one to give him a son).



This is very clearly a historical fiction book. If you're looking for a biographical account, look elsewhere. As little is known about her life, I can see why the book is so heavy on the fiction side. Weir does a decent job of painting Seymour's world and filling in the gaps where the historical record is lacking. I only wish she didn't make Seymour so naive and borderline annoying. I don't believe that anyone was as clueless as she is painted to be in this story. Though I never really thought about reading a book about Jane Seymour, Weir made her a little more tolerable.



After reading reviews about Weir's book on Anne Boleyn, I was very skeptical about reading this book as Jane came after Anne. And I can see why people didn't like Weir's depiction of Anne. Almost every interaction and description of Anne in the book is negative and petty. I can't imagine every time Jane saw Anne it was horrible. And I mean EVERY TIME. It was annoying and frankly unnecessary. Anyway, if you are just looking for a book about Jane Seymour, then you can pick this one up for a good read. However, if you're looking to learn more about her in more of a research capacity, I would probably steer clear. Or just read the author's notes in the back of the book which honestly I found more interesting than most of the book.



I'm going to begin by saying that I was kind of dreading this one given that I absolutely loathed the one about Anne Boleyn. I suppose I'm biased, given how much I like Anne. I feel as though history paints her as "the whore" but we need to remember that Henry was the king. Women back then didn't get much of a say in how things went. But let us not dwell on semantics. I could get legnthy.

Regardless, here we go!

I actually came away liking Jane a bit more after having read this. Weir brings us an imagined version of Jane as to why she didn't marry earlier--she wanted to be a nun. Whilst we have no way in knowing why in reality Jane didn't marry earlier, it was an interesting take upon it. One wonders if that is the truth or if she really was plain and had trouble finding someone willing. Her family wasn't in the poorhouse, so it would seem peculiar that a woman of good stock and was of marrying age wasn't married. Not to mention her younger sister married before her.

The book, of course, introduces us to the entire Seymour clan and brings us to Wulfhall (Wolf Hall for Hilary Mantel fans) leading us though Jane's life, the history of the family, their joys and sorrows..it's a lively take on the family life and it's interesting to see how things worked then.

Once Jane gets to court, first serving Katherine of Aragon, then Anne Boleyn, we get a good viewing of what life was like back then. I was amused by Jane's naivety sometimes but was also irritated in some moments. I also found Sir Francis Bryan trying to woo her as a bit odd. But, that was court life. A young, unattached woman with access to the Queen? Always a draw for this hoping to reach high levels.

It was interesting to get an idea of how Jane may have felt about the swiftness of her courtship with the King and how fast Anne had her downfall. There are moments where Jane really pondered her part in the whole thing and it was easy to feel sympathy for her. At least I did.

We, of course, know what happens to Jane, so I won't bore you with that. But I think you'll be surprised that you will see more to 'Plain Jane' than you thought.

This book has made Jane rise like her personal device, a phoenix. We often dismiss her for being plain and otherwise useless but I think Jane Seymour is quite admirable, given how she risked her neck for trying to save the monestaries, people in the tower as well as trying to reconcile Henry and the Lady Mary.

Sometimes, it's the quiet ones who really surprise us all.