Mistresses of Henry VIII

I've had this book on my wish list FOREVER. I've waited well over a year for this to be made into a Kindle book, and nearly fell out of my chair when I noticed it finally was. While I didn't learn anything new about Henry, this was still an enjoyable read. Ms. Hart gives the backgrounds of every mistress Henry is thought to have had, from the well know ones such as Bessie Blount, to the lesser know mistresses like Elizabeth Carew and Jane Poppincourt.There were some parts of this book that dragged on a bit, but for the most part is was very well written and organized. The author sticks to her focus, which is the mistresses. She doesn't get sidetracked by spending too much time on the wives (save for the three who started out as mistresses) or the polices of Henry's court...this book is mainly about his lovers.If you're not already familiar with the story of Henry VIII and the background of the main women in his life, you may want to skip this book, or read up on Henry and company a bit before tackling it. There are so many players, and many of the women have the same name (Anne, Katherine, Mary, Elizabeth) that a novice would probably become confused rather quickly. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am glad I finally got the chance to read it.

As a true Tudorphile, I was eager to lay my hands on a new book. Sadly, very little of this is new.This book is, at best, a condensed version of hundreds of other books, and what is new is mostly speculative. He "may have" had a relationship with this woman, or that woman; he "may have" considered this woman or that one was a potential wife. "He may have," "might have," "though of," etc. When you're writing a non-fiction book, it's important to have facts, and not speculate. If there are no facts or documentation, then really, how do you write a speculative non-fiction book?By no means do I defend Henry's honor. He had none. He was an lecher with a major "divine right" complex who felt anything he though or did must have been ordained by God. But he wasn't the kind of person to sneak around, and he did marry a very high number of the women he sought--of his six wives, only Anne of Cleves was a political match, and the rest of his wives were his choice.This isn't a bad book, it's just not fresh. And it doesn't really shed any light on anything you haven't read or couldn't read elsewhere. The book is adequate. And only that.

Enjoyable read. Well written and entertaining.

Overall, this was a mediocre read. I enjoyed the author's writing style and it was an easy read. My main issue with the book was the lack of any new information. I had hoped to learn more about the characters and personalities of Henry's mistresses, yet there was not much insight into these elusive women. While I absolutely love (most) of Henry's wives and enjoy reading about them, I bought this book to learn more about his mistresses. A considerable amount of the book was devoted to the wives, which was a but disappointing.

I'd have to say that this, so far, is my favorite Tudor History book, and I have read many. It keeps the interest, and has many facts that I have never seen touched upon before regarding Henry VIII's love life & loves. You get the feeling of a more updated fresh literary style of writing with this new book too. You won't regret buying this one. I can't wait until Kelly Hart's next book! If you have never delved into Tudor history before and don't know of the characters she's speaking of, you may not enjoy it until reading a book with general info about the Tudor age & Tudor royalty first.

For fans of Henry book this a good book. Some conclusions are not agreed upon with other historians. This is to be expected with historical figures

I have always been interested in the Tudor period and have thoroughly enjoyed this book. King Henry 8th always seemed to me to be a man who chose life with his heart instead of his head, it astounds me to have read how many women who entered his life, whether wife, mistress or friend. What a great history book full of love and fun. Enjoyed greatly!

If you don't know anything about Henry VIII's mistresses, this is a very good book. I thought it was well written and followed his timeline very well.

This book could have been called "Women and Henry VIII". It's about Henry's wives as much as it's about his mistresses - and women who could have been his mistresses but didn't make the cut. When it talks about the mistresses there is some information that I didn't know. When it talks about the wives there are authors who have done it better - Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir to name just two. I bought this book some time ago in one of the Kindle Deals. I wouldn't pay the full price for it (£5.99 Kindle edition, £9.99 paperback)

Everyone knows that Henry VIII had six wives, but how many people know much about his mistresses? I certainly didn't, so found this book very interesting.The author has clearly done her research, and tells the story of Henry's lovers alongside that of his marriages, as the two are very closely intertwined. She does not attempt to tell the whole story: it is neither a biography of Henry, nor the story of the politics behind the six marriages, and it is much the better for that. The information needed to understand the author's points is included, and the book flows very well.Henry comes over as a very contradictory individual, and getting close to him was often dangerous. There were always those willing to take the risk: some benefitted, others perished.All in all, a very interesting book: if you have an interest in the period, then I would definitely recommend it.

I wanted more detail on the mistresses of Henry VIII and I certainly learnt a fair amount. I was aware of Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn but others were included which I didn't know about. Some of these women even came close to being Queen which was interesting. The book was very engaging and well written. I have read loads of books on Anne Boleyn as she is one of my interests and of course she features here alongside the other women in Henry's life which I found an interesting perspective. A very good book and a must for those interested in this period in history.

It’s basically about Henry VIII six wife’s not his mistress’s but it was an enjoyable read

Exactly as described