Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Amy Licence

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

Well I didn't know this was part of a series and I didn't know anything about the Marwood Family so I am a bit sad now that I haven't read the others in this series. But having said that I really enjoyed this book and found it funny but with drama and royalty as well as the Tudor connection.

It is a great historical read but there is just a little bit more light-heartedness about it. It is easy to read and as I said before brought a bit of humuor to the story. I do need to see if I can find the other books in this series and start from book one as I think I would enjoy them too.

Thank you Net Galley and Sapere Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I picked up this book not knowing it was part of a series, and that's on me honestly. As such, I felt a little bit of a disconnect from the established characters, but again, on me. All in all I'm a sucker for any and all things Anne Boleyn, and this book delivered! I'm usually nit-picky with my historical fiction; I didn't find myself having much to nitpick this time. An enjoyable read!

Thanks to netgalley for providing an advanced copy for the purpose of review

This is part of a series and having read the previous I was looking forward to reading this. It did not disappoint and was an engrossing tale full of intrigue.

Funniest story: I didn't realize this was part of a series until right at the end, where the author talked about the other books she'd already written with the same characters! I still liked it a lot, though, and I'll definitely read the other books following this one. I've been looking for a read like this for a while - there's court intrigue and drama, royalty, heartbreak and scandal, without being as "over the top" and "on the nose" as many regency novels tend to be. If you're looking for a mature version of all that, "False Mistress" is perfect, even if it's set way earlier! And it can apparently be read indepent of the rest of the series haha.

Thomasina Marwood is newly returned to court and service to Queen Catherine. However the King's great matter is progressing and the Queen is distraught. She hopes that the arrival of Cardinal Campeggio will help to stop her husband's plans but his progress is slow. Thomasina is caught in a plot to throw her sister Cecilia in the way of the King as a means to distract him from Anne Boleyn but Cecilia's success comes at a great cost to her cousin Ellen.
This is shaping up to be a very good series of books. The device of using Thomasina as an insight into the machinations of the Tudor divorce is a really good one but now three books in and characters are starting to develop. Thomasina is still a bit of a goody-goody but the political plot is still engrossing despite how many times it has been covered in literature.

False Mistress, I felt, was a bit of a disappointment. I realize that this is part of a series about the Marwood family, and therefore any story would concentrate on them. However, when I hear/see a title, I expect the story of which that title is based to be the predominant storyline. In this case, the storyline of "False Mistress", to me, was tertiary in nature, though I do have to say that it does relate to the Marwood family whereas Thomasin is at court with Queen Catherine trying to plan a way to break up Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII to save Henry VIII's and Queen Catherine's marriage.

There are other Marwood family storylines within the book including Ellen Russell traveling with the Marwoods to Raycraft to visit Hugh Truegood, more regarding the attempted divorce between Ellen Russell and Barnaby, and a court case involving inheritance money and illegitimate cousins.

Overall, this is a decent book, though I would recommend it to people who are either just being introduced to the Tudors or those who are light readers when it comes to the Tudors. I would also recommend this book to someone who isn't looking for anything heavy duty historical fiction, but a,work that has more than a purely historical based storyline.

Book three of the Marwood family saga, and there is now more emphasis upon the role and life chances of both Thomasina and her cousin Ellen. Both are employed at Court, in the service of Queen Catherine, and are now well used to life in the many Royal Palaces.
Thomasina is now eighteen and her mother is actively seeking a husband for her youngest daughter. This is the expectation of such young ladies, and a position at Court attracts many hopeful applicants for such young girls. Ellen has a secret romance with Sir Hugh Truegood, but this must be kept secret, as Ellen has not been allowed a divorce from her unsatisfactory husband, and Queen Catherine is somewhat allergic to the word divorce, especially as King Henry remains attracted and devoted to Anne Boleyn.
The King believes it his his Royal duty to provide a male heir for England, and all the Queen’s Ladies are put under close scrutiny and questioned about the fertility of the Queen. A plan is hatched to put a false mistress into his bed, to try and break the hold that Anne Boleyn has over him, but, who will be the chosen lady?
This has a nail biting conclusion. The lady will win money and a husband, but might lose her true love. But, that’s what girls are for isn’t it? To make a good marriage and bring wealth and status to her family and future husband.
These books breathe new life and insight to familiar tales of the Tudor Court, they are well researched and readable.
I remains huge fan of Mary Boleyn, the luckiest in terms of survival, but the loss of a brother and sister, must have been such a terrible price to pay. Look forward to the next in this wonderful series.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Sapere Books for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased reviewed. I will leave a copy to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

Having enjoyed a previous book by this author, I decided to try another one.

This was beautifully written historical fiction, and I was pleased to see the return of the characters that I remembered from last time. The characters came to life in the setting, and I realised that the writing style reminded me of Philippa Gregory, so maybe fans of her books would enjoy this series too.

Thank to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

As Catherine of Aragon struggles to remain queen to Henry VIII, the machinations of Anne Boleyn and her family are against her. Well written with excellent detail, this historical fiction novel is definitely recommended.

Title: False Mistress (Marwood Family Tudor Saga)
Author: Amy Licence
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 5 stars

Review: I make a pros and cons list for every book I read. I had to struggle to find any cons for this one! I LOVE Tudor history, so I was ALL ABOUT this when I saw it. The book did not disappoint! Thomasin is a likable, well rounded character who has her own flaws and prejudices, and who is aware that maybe she doesn’t know everything she thinks she does, especially by the end. I love that the history in this book is very obviously well researched, without some of the common misconceptions you often see about the Tudor court. There is romance in this book, but it isn’t the main focus. And I liked that. Thomasin thinks about it, but frankly there is a LOT going on, so if she’d been more focused on the romance possibilities, it would have been very unrealistic. I even loved the bittersweet ending that Ellen gets here. Sometimes, things don’t work out, and while I hated it for the character, I loved that it made everything feel more authentic.

If anything, I wanted to see how it ended. It doesn’t end on a hard cliffhanger, but it definitely leaves you wanting more. I know I will be waiting impatiently for the next book. All of my other cons were, frankly, pretty much nitpicking to find something. So I’m leaving them out. If you are a Tudor history fan, you will enjoy this book!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance!

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

Having read the previous two books in the series, I enjoyed this one the best... until the end. The pace was zippy, and while the main character, Thomasin, gets dangerously close to Mary Sue territory, she manages to stay on the right side of the border. As with the previous books, the time and place—the court of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon—is evoked with a deft touch. But... the story screeches to a halt, setting things up for the next book without resolving any of the dangling plot lines. I definitely felt ripped off. Cliffhangers are fine if the next installment is, say, a week or even a month away or if there's at least some sense of resolution. Ending the book at this point in the story seemed almost arbitrary.

Thank you, Sapere Books and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

FALSE MISTRESS by AMY LICENCE is a great historical fiction novel which gives us insight into life at the time of Henry V111 as we follow the Marwood family with their involvement at court. The setting comes alive with all the gossip and backbiting, betrayal and jockeying for position.
Of course both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn feature strongly in the story and one cannot help but feel sorry for the aging queen.Thomasin is an especially interesting character, with her loyalty to Catherine, and her cousin Ellen. Her friendship with Thomas More with his opinions on free will promise to lead to her making some interesting decisions in the future as she chooses between the two men who are interested in her. I am looking foward to the next book in the series.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Sapere Books. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Beguiling title, no? It is indeed but it made me fear the fate of Thomasin Marwood in this third book of the series. By now, the returning characters feel like old friends and some of the previous enemies are still prowling about as well. This book is set in a short period of time in the autumn of 1528, as the court awaits the arrival of Cardinal Compaggio from Rome. Thomasin returns to the service of Queen Catherine following her recovery from the sweat and is immediately thrust into the dangerous politics of the period.

I love Thomasin's continuing friendship with Thomas More. As she matures, she struggles with his concept of free will, especially for women in these extremely patriarchal times. She also questions the pros & cons of love even as she yearns to find it. The scheming, powerful Boleyn family plays an even bigger role in this third book and they made me so nervous, just as a reader! I feared that this might be the final book in the series but clearly, there is much more to come and that is a very good thing. If you are a Tudor fan or just a historical fiction fan, don't miss this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.