The King's Curse: Cousins' War 6 (Cousins War Series)

If you like historic fiction bases on facts (faction) the this is a brilliant series. There are 6 books and, although each book stands alone, if you are going to read all 6 you should/must read them in the right order. Lady of the Rivers, White Queen, Red Queen, Kingmakers daughter, White Princess and Kings Curse. I found each difficult to put down. They all look at the same period of history but each from the view of different women of the time. They are a brilliant read. Each is a great story, brilliantly told, based on historical facts and not a little imagination. Highly recommended.

A bit of a marathon, but a good yarn. Philippa Gregory doesn't hold back on the mysoginy and brutality of Henry VIII. She tells the story through the eyes of Margaret Pole: cousin of Henry's mother Elizabeth of York, a Plantagenet and rival family to the Tudor (the old royal family). Few records survive because they were destroyed for fear of persecution by Henry and his murderous henchmen Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. Gregory tells a gripping story from the women's point of view, most of who's stories have not survived. Margaret was also a close friend of Katherine of Aragon and was Governess and companion to her daughter Princess Mary. Margaret's fault, if any, was that she represented the old family and religion which still commanded respect in England. If you love history and intrigue this is a great book. Philippa Gregory fleshes out some of characters in her author's notes telling us what is reliable fact and what is speculation/fiction. A very credible novel and worth the effort. You might prefer the Kindle version which is easier to carry around.

I found the book, written in the perspective of Margaret Pole utterly fascinating. Margaret has so little written about her that the description of her life and family, and all that they had to live through I found to be incredibly interesting and very informative.And then at the back in Author's Note PG tells us that the Tudor DNA might have been at fault, causing all the dead babies, and also causing mental instability in Henry - incredibly informative and as a book this is one of the best of the Tudor book series the author has written.The vast amount of research PG does on her books means that as well as just enjoying reading another fascinating book by her you are actually learning a vast amount about the Plantagenet family which we have never known before - if PG had been my history teacher I for one would have doubly loved my history lessons at school.PG truly is the best author of this genre, do buy this book to give yourself a journey of discovery about both the Tudors and also the Plantaganets. A truly fantastic book!!

You think that between them Philippa Gregory and Hilary Mantel would have scraped the Tudor barrel clean by now, and then comes along a book like this that offers a new and fascinating perspective on the court of Henry VIII. Gregory tells the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury in her own right and at one time the richest woman in England, who inadvertently became a martyr of the Catholic church by being (spoiler alert) the oldest victim beheaded -without trial - by an increasingly irrational king at the Tower. Gregory does not portray her as a saint, but as a resilient woman whose main motivation is to keep her children - and her charge Princess Mary - alive and her dynasty prosperous. She is not above a bit of horse trading and bullying her own daughter in law, but is redeemed by her loyalty to Katherine of Aragon and her daughter. Through Margaret we see the machinations of the Tudor court and the frightening change of a once progressive and popular king to murderous tyrant who executes friends ad family seemingly at random. Well worth reading - and I am looking forward to Mantel's third instalment of Wolf Hall, where Thomas Cromwell will get his just deserts.

Oh Ms Gregory!!! I feel that this author has fallen victim to the curse of the celebrity author! The book reads like somebody has had a lot of pressure put on them to keep churning out best sellers!! I was a big fan of Philippa Gregory in particular her War of the Roses (Cousins War) Saga and the Boleyn series. The Kings Curse is part of the War of the Roses Saga and I have to say that it does not live up to her previous offerings. The other books I read avidly barely managing to put them down but with this one I am really struggling to keep myself interested. The War of the Roses is a fascinating time of history and there are rich pickings to be had with this era as Ms Gregory no doubt knows but I feel that it has now run its course. The plot is slow and in my opinion the protagonist of the novel is not easy to engage with. Compared to earlier offerings such as the Lady of the River and the Red Queen this book shines palely in comparison.

Having watched Wulfhall and having read Hilary Mantels books, where Cromwell is portrayed as an an avuncular misunderstood character , this excellent new addition to the Cousins War series offers an insight into a King who thought he was above the law and Cromwell who facilitated the kings wishes . A King who put aside the Magna Carta and murdered his way through the Plantagenet line , because he was King by divine right and a dangerously paranoid man - if Henry did carry the dangerous Kell negative gene and had McCleods disease - it explains the ultimate death of the Tudor line - even at a time when infant mortality was high , all the still births and miscarriages endured by his wives were unusual even for the time . Was Henry a tyrant because he was cursed , or was he cursed because he was a spoiled brat from birth ? Fascinating stuff .