Two Teenagers Masquerading as Queens

The Tudor Throne by Brandy Purdy

Summary: In the wake of King Henry VIII's death, England's throne is left in a precarious state—as is the peculiar relationship between his two daughters. Mary, the elder, once treasured, had been declared a bastard in favor of her flame-haired half-sister, Elizabeth, born of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Yet the bond between the sisters was palpable from the start. Now reinstated, Mary eventually assumes her place as queen. But as Mary's religious zeal evolves into a reign of terror, young Elizabeth gains the people's favor. Gripped by a tormenting paranoia, Mary is soon convinced that her beloved Elizabeth is in fact her worst enemy. And the virginal Elizabeth, whose true love is her country, must defy her tyrannical sister to make way for a new era. . .

A brilliant portrait of the rule of "Bloody Mary" and her intricate relationship with Elizabeth I, the adored "Virgin Queen," here is a riveting tale of one family's sordid and extraordinary chapter in the pages of history.

Review: A historical fiction novel with two characters that acted as teenage girls, not queens and needless amounts of sex. 

This started off as a decent read, but quickly annoyed me. Switching between Elizabeth's and Mary's viewpoints is an interesting concept and should definitely lead to an interesting read, should being the key word. Purdy did a horrible job with the portrayal of the two queens. They acted like teenagers who could control their emotions or their lust. I could never believe Elizabeth or Mary acting the way they did. Purdy had Mary completed dependent on her husband and Elizabeth as a woman who could not keep it in her pants. 

The sex was another aspect I did not enjoy. I don't mind sex in books. Hell, I read erotica. The sex in this novel was useless and served no purpose. It was gratuitous. Also, Purdy got a number of basic historical facts wrong. The one that stuck out the most to me was that Katherine Parr had only been married once before marrying Henry VIII. She had actually been married twice before. It shows a lack of attention to detail. She also includes a number of myths and rumors in the book. 

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy fiction about queens or don't mind historical fiction that is very loosely based on fact.