It is always a little tricky to write historical facts in a way which also appeals to a lay reader and in this book on Charles II's many illegitimate children, Watkins does an excellent job in doing just that. It is widely known that this king loved women and had no qualms in sharing his largesse to many of them. His children have been largely mentioned as footnotes to his women and here we find out more of their lives. The author dedicates a chapter to each child, expanding on their future positions within the Royal Courts. I enjoyed this book very much and found it a fascinating insight to lives of those in the King's orbit. I liked Charles, he brought a liveliness through his Court into an England which had sustained so much misery during Cromwell's Ill fated 'reign'. Well done Ms. Watkins, an excellent read. Thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for an ARC of ' Charles II's Illegitimate Children'.

I really enjoyed this book as the illegitimate children of monarchs are largely ignored unless they have an important role to play in history, such as the Duke of Monmouth.
I also found it fascinating that one of Charles' sons had a learning disability.
This is very well researched and although it seems other users have found it a little dry, I don't think that's very fair as I don't think there was anything else the author could've done with the information avaliable.
This is will be a very useful guide to those who are fans of the early Stuarts

I enjoyed this book - the author's knowledge and research was clear, the style was easy to read and the details enhanced my knowledge of the time. places and people involved in the historical work.

Sarah-Beth Watkins brings a tumultuous period of English history to life through the perspectives of several royal bastards, the illegitimate children of late-seventeenth century Stuart monarch Charles II of England, in this book. With each chapter focusing on a single descendant (or multiple siblings), Watkins frames the end of the Stuart dynasty from the perspective of some of its excluded members, placing them into the established historical framework. Watkins manages to go into a great deal of detail for each historical figure, usually thanks to the historical records around the nobility, particularly those descended from a king and an infamous mistress. She integrates long excerpts of personal correspondence and other primary sources into the book, notably contemporary songs or poems about Charles II’s mistresses and children out of wedlock. Watkins’ detailed prose and clear investigative researching skills adds to the experience, as her commitment to maintaining and preserving these individual historical narratives shines through the pages of this book. Watkins really does bring these historical figures to life, and she adds a great deal of contextual information to situate these Stuarts, albeit outside the royal family and line of succession, into the larger historical record in this fantastic new book.

I want to thank Netgalley and the Author for gifting me the ebook. I really enjoyed this novel a lot. It was full of information that I didn't know before. Highly recommend for history buffs out there!

This was a well-researched and informative look into the lives of Charles II's children. It was organized with a section for each child. I think it would have been more coherent and interesting if it had been arranged chronologically instead, but I may be wrong about that. Their lives don't seem to have intersected that much unless they had the same mother. If you're looking for a fact-based book on the subject, this one does a good job.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My local art museum has a painting of Charles II, by Philippe de Champaigne. Every time I go to the museum, I make my way up to the room with European armor to see him. He was the last King to wear a suit of armor according to the museum display even though he never set foot on the battlefield.

Charles has been one of my favorite Kings for a few reasons: he brought back the monarchy, he loved to party and gamble, and my favorite fact to tell to someone who doesn't know Charles is he had numerous children, none of them with his wife. It usually brings two very different reactions; amused laughter or sheer horror. Mine being the first, of course not without sympathy of Catherine of Braganza, his Queen Consort who appeared to be unable to have children. Although I enjoy studying Charles' court, I've never studied his children.

Browsing around netgalley, I saw this book listed as an ARC option. I began to wonder why I never studied his children and realized the opportunity had presented itself to be able to.

Charles II's Illegitimate Children: Royal Bastards by Sarah Beth Watkins focuses on each of Charles' children, his mistresses and their stories. We learn what they did with their lives. Many of them have important stories and contributions to society of their own. whether in the spotlight or in mystery. It's very easy to follow.

I found my found it fascinating to learn the Stuart bloodline continues to this day, although of course not on throne. There are at least twelves illegitimate children, so imagine how many descendants are living currently!

4/5 stars. Recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about the Stuart Dynasty. Excellent topic.

Thank you pen and sword publishing and netgalley for sending me this book.

Its not just the children that are interesting, the mistresses' are too. It is a very informative book that I will be recommending to all history lovers

I found the mistresses of Charles II more interesting than his children, although the Dukes of Monmouth and St Albans led dramatic lives. Also, it is a bit of mystery whether some of these children were actually Charles's. However, the anecdotes in the book were enjoyable, especially the ones about Nell Gwyn, the orange-seller and actress, who became one of the King's favourite mistresses. I also liked the tales about the rivalry between King Charles's long-suffering, childless wife and the rather nasty and powerful Barbara.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in the King, and his times. However, the parts about the children who led fairly dull lives dragged a bit.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Interesting and informative book, well written so it keeps you interested from beginning to end, A must read for history lovers of this time period in HR history.

This wasn't easy to read in my opinion, the beginning was very good but by the third hour I just didn't care much about anyone, and it being a non fiction, if i don't care about the people then I usually can't finish a book. I dnf'ed this at the 40% mark

A fascinating look into the Monarch, Charles II and his multiple illegitimate children. His long-suffering wife put up with his various mistresses and extreme amount of royal bastards. I really enjoyed this book as this is not typically the time period that I'm drawn to. Charles II was a rake but I do find him so interesting and the time period of the Restoration is fabulous. I do plan on doing further research on this King and his illegitimate children as I really was intrigued. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the British monarchy, Mistresses and illegitimate progeny.

An interesting look at some of the illegitimate children of Charles II.
Charles was a royal rake. He was notoriously unfaithful to his wife while he played with his women on the side.
It was interesting to read about the children but the narrative hopped around and was a tad too casual.
It’s a good entry to anyone wishing to read more about the Stuart proclivity for procreation.

This historical book focuses on a aspect of Charles II that many students will find interesting. One of our professors plans to use this book in his classroom, so we are ordering a copy for both the library and recommending it to the college bookstore as well.

3.5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

Another nice and easy read from this publisher, I really like how they are publishing accessible and digestible history books.

This book details briefly the lives of Charles II’s children, and also a bit at the end about James III’s.

A great intro to these people and this period, a good starting point for anyone wanting to delve more into the lives of these people and this time.

You could be forgiven for mistaking this for a work of fiction, so convoluted and scandalous are some of the circumstances and relationships recounted in this book. It’s fascinating and really well written considering how confusing it had the potential to be! The author pulls together timeframes and relationships in an easily followed way and makes for a really interesting book.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah-Beth Watkins, and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be quite fascinating. It seemed to be researched abundantly and it was very well-organized from start to finish. I have not read anything regarding Charles II yet, but this book has made me want to learn more about him. I would reread this one again after publication.