“The Passionate Tudor” is a historical fiction book by Alison Weir. I’ve read a number of Ms. Weir’s books (both fiction and non-fiction) about the Tudors, so I was pleased to be approved to read this one too. If you know Queen Mary’s story, this book pretty much follows that information. There’s some added possibilities (such as Mary’s more than friends feelings toward one person), but I found this book, overall, sticking pretty closely to the known information about Mary. I think a few dates on some events were a bit muddled, but I didn’t check online to verify that. I did like the Author’s Note regarding why Ms. Weir didn’t cotton onto some of the more modern ideas about Mary and instead stuck to her own older history research. I think if you have enjoyed Ms. Weir’s previous historical fiction books on the Tudors you’ll also enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I am a huge fan of Alison Weir and look forward to her books. This one was just as great as the others. I knew the stories of Mary Tudor but i did not the details such as her phantom pregnancies. This book was so interesting I could not and would not stop until it was done. I will once again say It must have been hard to be a woman in those days. This is a must read!

Utterly, utterly amazingly Alison Weir! Each fiction book gets better! I can’t wait for the next book! Maybe Edward? Please not Mary Queen of Scots!

Mary I is a polarising figure in the history world. As usual, @alisonweir.historian gives a balanced and nuanced portrait of the woman who has divided so many across time. This book spans Mary's lifetime, charting her idyllic childhood (which was brought to an abrupt end with the rise of Anne Boleyn) to her tortured adolescence and finally her womanhood as Queen. Mary did not have an easy life and so many of her early experiences shaped the woman she was to become. After so much adversity in life, I can see how Mary leant on religion as sometimes her only comfort and how she clung to the supremacy of her religion in a misguided attempt to right the wrongs done to her in life. Weir manages to show both the vulnerability and the imperfections of Mary's character - showing her blindspots when it came to religion and her husband, the ill-received and manipulative Philip of Spain. My favourite bits were her interactions with Elizabeth, from her erstwhile caretaker to her archenemy and I highly enjoyed even their moat acrimonious encounters as it breathes life into two women who have long only existed in the pages of books