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May 1536
Queen Anne Boleyn has fallen and Jane Seymour is about to become Queen, yet the King's new love is troubled not only by the fall and execution of his last wife and Queen, but by the creeping feeling that she knows not the man she has promised to marry.
As Jane steps into the palaces of the King, emerging quietly as England's Queen, she finds herself haunted by thoughts of Anne Boleyn, Katherine of Aragon and what the past means for her own fate. And Jane is not the only one troubled by the actions of King Henry VIII. His people too have watched his actions in amazement, and they are about to express their discontent and fear, through the Pilgrimage of Grace...
Queen Anne Boleyn has fallen and Jane Seymour is about to become Queen, yet the King's new love is troubled not only by the fall and execution of his last wife and Queen, but by the creeping feeling that she knows not the man she has promised to marry.
As Jane steps into the palaces of the King, emerging quietly as England's Queen, she finds herself haunted by thoughts of Anne Boleyn, Katherine of Aragon and what the past means for her own fate. And Jane is not the only one troubled by the actions of King Henry VIII. His people too have watched his actions in amazement, and they are about to express their discontent and fear, through the Pilgrimage of Grace...
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2021
45 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
G. Lawrence
50 books279 followersI am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.
The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.
I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...
You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...
The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.
I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...
You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 14, 2021
LOVED this book so much I read it over a period of 28 hours - and it's not a short book! One of those I wish I hadn't started so I would still have it to read. My favourite of the trilogy, it picks up Jane's story on May 19th, 1936, the day of Anne Boleyn's death.
Gemma Lawrence has dispelled many of the traditional ideas about Jane Seymour, to present her, through detailed research and a clever understanding of her subject, as a woman who was not naturally meek and submissive, but afflicted by that frustrating paradox: of strong opinions but lacking the confidence to express them. She is painted as having a certain fierce determination that she used with skill when she wanted to wrest Henry from Anne, but otherwise kept quiet - most of the time. As Ms Lawrence says in the notes afterwards, Jane chose to speak up for those who suffered under the brutal dissolution of the monasteries, knowing this could put her at risk.
Lawrence's Jane is realistic; she sees that she was married 'on a whim', having been pushed at Henry as the antidote to the vivacious, outspoken, far too intelligent Anne Boleyn, and once the wooing was over Henry lost interest in her, which would not be regained until she became pregnant with Edward; this was her only safety blanket. I saw much possible truth in her view that Anne's death and all those that preceded it (Thomas More, the men accused of sleeping with her, etc) completely changed Henry from spoiled yet charismatic, magnanimous prince into to a greedy, delusional tyrant, and also that Anne was the great love of his life ... and he would never recover from having murdered her on charges that he knew, deep down, were false. Jane's fear of him leapt off the pages; no longer was he the man with whom she had fallen in love. She thought she saw an evil in him that was inhuman, and began to think of him, as did the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace, as the Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies - proud, malign and dangerous, yet cowardly.
'Thousands of monks and nuns...beggars were upon the roads of England in huge numbers. The King was displeased about this, and could not seem to see that he had created these people, thrown them into a life of desperation.'
'The King did not like the icons, but just wanted the money within them ... I had come to think that the King was lost to all reason, greed becoming his only master.'
Throughout, Jane talks to her dead predecessors, Anne and Katherine ... this is most effective, especially as she begins to see even Anne as a sister in arms. That their enemy is the man they fought over, not each other.
'Anne had gone to her death for standing in the way of what men wanted, for not bearing a son, not for a crime, not for betraying the King's life or his bed ... I was married to a murderer.'
I liked the evidence of the superstitions of the time, about conception, determining the sex of the baby, good and bad omens. They're fascinating to read. I loved the poetic descriptions of the landscape and the activities of the people, according to the seasons. The England of the 16th century, unsullied by industry, a time when the climate was quite different; good fiction of this time shows that climate change is certainly nothing new. The seasons did not mingle together with no clear definition as they do now; summers were hot, the autumn chilly, the winters ferociously cold, with rivers freezing solid enough to hold markets on them quite safely.
Jane's tragic death features throughout the book, short chapters interspersed within the main story, and this works so well, as does the epilogue from the POV of Mary, the King's daughter by Katherine.
Definitely up there with my favourite of this author's books, and also my favourite book of 2021 so far.
Gemma Lawrence has dispelled many of the traditional ideas about Jane Seymour, to present her, through detailed research and a clever understanding of her subject, as a woman who was not naturally meek and submissive, but afflicted by that frustrating paradox: of strong opinions but lacking the confidence to express them. She is painted as having a certain fierce determination that she used with skill when she wanted to wrest Henry from Anne, but otherwise kept quiet - most of the time. As Ms Lawrence says in the notes afterwards, Jane chose to speak up for those who suffered under the brutal dissolution of the monasteries, knowing this could put her at risk.
Lawrence's Jane is realistic; she sees that she was married 'on a whim', having been pushed at Henry as the antidote to the vivacious, outspoken, far too intelligent Anne Boleyn, and once the wooing was over Henry lost interest in her, which would not be regained until she became pregnant with Edward; this was her only safety blanket. I saw much possible truth in her view that Anne's death and all those that preceded it (Thomas More, the men accused of sleeping with her, etc) completely changed Henry from spoiled yet charismatic, magnanimous prince into to a greedy, delusional tyrant, and also that Anne was the great love of his life ... and he would never recover from having murdered her on charges that he knew, deep down, were false. Jane's fear of him leapt off the pages; no longer was he the man with whom she had fallen in love. She thought she saw an evil in him that was inhuman, and began to think of him, as did the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace, as the Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies - proud, malign and dangerous, yet cowardly.
'Thousands of monks and nuns...beggars were upon the roads of England in huge numbers. The King was displeased about this, and could not seem to see that he had created these people, thrown them into a life of desperation.'
'The King did not like the icons, but just wanted the money within them ... I had come to think that the King was lost to all reason, greed becoming his only master.'
Throughout, Jane talks to her dead predecessors, Anne and Katherine ... this is most effective, especially as she begins to see even Anne as a sister in arms. That their enemy is the man they fought over, not each other.
'Anne had gone to her death for standing in the way of what men wanted, for not bearing a son, not for a crime, not for betraying the King's life or his bed ... I was married to a murderer.'
I liked the evidence of the superstitions of the time, about conception, determining the sex of the baby, good and bad omens. They're fascinating to read. I loved the poetic descriptions of the landscape and the activities of the people, according to the seasons. The England of the 16th century, unsullied by industry, a time when the climate was quite different; good fiction of this time shows that climate change is certainly nothing new. The seasons did not mingle together with no clear definition as they do now; summers were hot, the autumn chilly, the winters ferociously cold, with rivers freezing solid enough to hold markets on them quite safely.
Jane's tragic death features throughout the book, short chapters interspersed within the main story, and this works so well, as does the epilogue from the POV of Mary, the King's daughter by Katherine.
Definitely up there with my favourite of this author's books, and also my favourite book of 2021 so far.
May 15, 2021
A good read as ever!!
I am always really happy when one of Gemma's books come out. In my opinion she is as good a writer as Alison Wore and Phillipa Gregory. I read her first book by chance and I'm glad I did. The book itself is very well written. Jane Seymour is my least favourite of Henry's wives - I think she knew exactly what she was doing when Anne Boleyn fell. The book puts a nicer side to her character. If you are looking for a good historical fiction read - I would highly recommend all her books.
I am always really happy when one of Gemma's books come out. In my opinion she is as good a writer as Alison Wore and Phillipa Gregory. I read her first book by chance and I'm glad I did. The book itself is very well written. Jane Seymour is my least favourite of Henry's wives - I think she knew exactly what she was doing when Anne Boleyn fell. The book puts a nicer side to her character. If you are looking for a good historical fiction read - I would highly recommend all her books.
March 28, 2022
In my opinion, this final book in the Phoenix Trilogy is the best - possibly because the author has more material to work with, as it deals with Jane Seymour's 17 months as Queen, which is much better documented than her early life.
It's interesting to read a characterisation of Jane that's so different from, say, Hilary Mantel's in 'The Mirror and the Light' - both authors successfully flesh out the 'good, quiet and mild' reputation of Henry VIII's third wife, whose motto was 'Bound To Obey And Serve' but in different ways. Whereas Mantel gives Jane an interesting touch of Asperger's along with a quirky sense of humour, Lawrence gives her a soul of steel beneath her meek exterior, and a strong allegiance to the Old Faith of Queen Katherine - which was probably indeed the case, as she's known to have spoken up for Katherine's daughter Mary to be recalled to Court, and to have pleaded for the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Lawrence's Jane spends a lot of time trying to analyse the motives and character of the man she's married, and we follow her journey from cautious but charmed and flattered lover to fearful and horrified wife. We also follow Jane's thought processes about the downfall of her predecessor, Anne Boleyn, from vague but easily supressed suspicions about the extent of her guilt to the full realisation that she was killed by her monster of a husband for two reasons: being too outspoken, and failing to bear a son. Jane seeks to ensure that neither of those excuses can be used against her, and succeeds on both counts - but at great personal cost, and ultimately, of course, at the cost of her life.
It's a really fascinating read, and I also love the detailed descriptions of the Tudor countryside as the seasons of Jane's year as Queen progress, and of the food which becomes her main preoccupation during pregnancy!
It's interesting to read a characterisation of Jane that's so different from, say, Hilary Mantel's in 'The Mirror and the Light' - both authors successfully flesh out the 'good, quiet and mild' reputation of Henry VIII's third wife, whose motto was 'Bound To Obey And Serve' but in different ways. Whereas Mantel gives Jane an interesting touch of Asperger's along with a quirky sense of humour, Lawrence gives her a soul of steel beneath her meek exterior, and a strong allegiance to the Old Faith of Queen Katherine - which was probably indeed the case, as she's known to have spoken up for Katherine's daughter Mary to be recalled to Court, and to have pleaded for the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace. Lawrence's Jane spends a lot of time trying to analyse the motives and character of the man she's married, and we follow her journey from cautious but charmed and flattered lover to fearful and horrified wife. We also follow Jane's thought processes about the downfall of her predecessor, Anne Boleyn, from vague but easily supressed suspicions about the extent of her guilt to the full realisation that she was killed by her monster of a husband for two reasons: being too outspoken, and failing to bear a son. Jane seeks to ensure that neither of those excuses can be used against her, and succeeds on both counts - but at great personal cost, and ultimately, of course, at the cost of her life.
It's a really fascinating read, and I also love the detailed descriptions of the Tudor countryside as the seasons of Jane's year as Queen progress, and of the food which becomes her main preoccupation during pregnancy!
June 6, 2021
An amazing end to this trilogy - Lawrence makes you feel the fear and pain Jane goes through throughout her brief reign as Henry VIII's third wife.
Lawrence speculates there was a great deal happening behind Jane's bland mask, and that she is highly aware - and deathly afraid - of the price of not living up to Henry's impossibly high standards for his queens, but only after she has married him.
We see her time as his wife through her eyes, afraid for herself and others, watching events and feeling powerless to do anything. She quickly realizes how little she can even say to her husband, for fear of angering him.
She makes the choice to take a badge of a phoenix partly because its easy for workers to slap orange paint on Anne Boleyn's falcons, but dares not even point that out to Henry, for fear of reminding him of the past and upsetting him. She realizes how Henry only wanted her as a whim, as an opposite of Anne, and, now that he has her and Anne is dead, she knows he has lost interest in her, and that a son is her only chance to not be put aside, or worse.
The frame story is Jane on her deathbed - common in stories of Jane Seymour - but here there is the added twist of seeing the ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon at the foot of her bed, waiting for her, and passing the time as an infection painfully eats Jane up arguing with each other.
Fer in all sorts of forms here, but with the grace notes of Jane observing the seasons pass, trying, and often succeeding, to find brief moments of beauty amongst fear and terror.
June 4, 2022
Jean38no
The book was ok. As speaking from Jane Seymour’ Eyes ,Henry VIII , Third wife. As always the author description of the era is excellent . But the thoughts she prescribed to Jane regarding her view of Ann Boylen and Katherine ghosts guiding her. I wasn’t feeling it. Jane appears to. be a shy woman pushed into the marriage by her ambitious brothers. Henry by that time was Supreme head of the country and the church. Jane was of the old religion. He married her because she was the opposite of Ann. He may have had suspicion of her not wanting to follow the rules after he married her. I think she was frighten of him. She was naturally maternal so felt for Mary, after serving her mother for so many years. Then serving Ann. She seemed to act as a woman brought up during that era would toward her husband! Help the poor. Follow the church rulings as given by the priest to the people.
The book was ok. As speaking from Jane Seymour’ Eyes ,Henry VIII , Third wife. As always the author description of the era is excellent . But the thoughts she prescribed to Jane regarding her view of Ann Boylen and Katherine ghosts guiding her. I wasn’t feeling it. Jane appears to. be a shy woman pushed into the marriage by her ambitious brothers. Henry by that time was Supreme head of the country and the church. Jane was of the old religion. He married her because she was the opposite of Ann. He may have had suspicion of her not wanting to follow the rules after he married her. I think she was frighten of him. She was naturally maternal so felt for Mary, after serving her mother for so many years. Then serving Ann. She seemed to act as a woman brought up during that era would toward her husband! Help the poor. Follow the church rulings as given by the priest to the people.
November 13, 2021
Both Katherine and Anne are dead. Still they play an important role in this book, and they talk quite a lot too. At least to Jane. They are invisible to anyone else, dead to the world. And in this book, in the very ending - Jane joins them at last. Leaving her precious baby boy Edward behind. And King Henry - ungrateful, unloving man that he is, or rather has become.
At last Jane finds peace. I have enjoyed her trilogy, even if has been lots of talking about worms, and sin and feeling low and grey and dull. I did appreciate the style of writing, both the detailed descriptions and the small tidbits in between happenings that always teased about something to come, something that made me want to read a little bit further. And still further again.
I think I will read a bit more from G. Lawrence, and get to know some other historical characters from her pen.
At last Jane finds peace. I have enjoyed her trilogy, even if has been lots of talking about worms, and sin and feeling low and grey and dull. I did appreciate the style of writing, both the detailed descriptions and the small tidbits in between happenings that always teased about something to come, something that made me want to read a little bit further. And still further again.
I think I will read a bit more from G. Lawrence, and get to know some other historical characters from her pen.
August 18, 2021
Not my favorite book about Jane Seymour
I love the history of the Tudor Dynasty and have read several books about Henry's six wives. This book portrays Jane not as the woman Henry loved but as a Queen who had no brain and was only there to have babies. From what I have read in the history books Henry loved Jane and their sex life was more than Jane laying like a sack of potatoes. The portrayal of her mothers love for her was also disappointing. Perhaps I have rose covered glasses on but I would like to believe she was loved as a daughter and Henry treated her better than portrayed in this book. It isn't the worst I have read about Jane Seymour but there are better books out there.
I love the history of the Tudor Dynasty and have read several books about Henry's six wives. This book portrays Jane not as the woman Henry loved but as a Queen who had no brain and was only there to have babies. From what I have read in the history books Henry loved Jane and their sex life was more than Jane laying like a sack of potatoes. The portrayal of her mothers love for her was also disappointing. Perhaps I have rose covered glasses on but I would like to believe she was loved as a daughter and Henry treated her better than portrayed in this book. It isn't the worst I have read about Jane Seymour but there are better books out there.
June 26, 2021
Meh…
Well I finished the third book. It took me a while to do it because I just couldn’t get into it. In an attempt to flesh out the story of a queen that little is known about, the author just kinda drones on and on about things that don’t really matter. The descriptions of nature are nice but just get a little old after a while.
Well I finished the third book. It took me a while to do it because I just couldn’t get into it. In an attempt to flesh out the story of a queen that little is known about, the author just kinda drones on and on about things that don’t really matter. The descriptions of nature are nice but just get a little old after a while.
March 28, 2022
Good pace, great story!
I've really enjoyed this series! I was surprised how entertaining the whole tale was! Although I felt the end was a bit off because it switched characters view without any warning
I've really enjoyed this series! I was surprised how entertaining the whole tale was! Although I felt the end was a bit off because it switched characters view without any warning
April 3, 2022
Interesting book
I was interested in what this author could bring to historical tales as I said tales not a lot of stories has been written about Jane but I quite enjoyed this interpretation
I was interested in what this author could bring to historical tales as I said tales not a lot of stories has been written about Jane but I quite enjoyed this interpretation
November 23, 2024
One of the best tudor fiction writers. Ill read all she has on offer, even if I'm not wholly interested in the person. The characters actually seem and act like they belong in the time period, which is refreshing.
June 10, 2021
A satisfying end to the trilogy.
September 17, 2021
Tudor wives
All three books were great and I'll follow your writing career you made these women real and lifelike which is a great story behind the story
All three books were great and I'll follow your writing career you made these women real and lifelike which is a great story behind the story
November 25, 2021
A rambling read
The thoughts of Jane Seymour rambled on and on and on very few facts very few highlights just mumble mumble
The thoughts of Jane Seymour rambled on and on and on very few facts very few highlights just mumble mumble
August 24, 2022
great finale to the series
Loved the finale it did move different than the first 2 was a good conclusion but would have like to see more about the birth. Overall good read much enjoyed
Loved the finale it did move different than the first 2 was a good conclusion but would have like to see more about the birth. Overall good read much enjoyed
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews