elizabeth i

10 novels that will sink your teeth into the Tudor Era

When I think of “historical fiction”, there are three distinct eras I think of: World War II, the Victorian era and the Tudor era.

I am a big fan of a good piece of historical fiction. In fact, when I am shopping for books (which is a lot of the time, let’s be honest), I am drawn to three eras in time when making my selection: in particular, the Tudor era.

So I have gone through my Goodreads account, and selected ten of my favourite Tudor era historical fiction reads to recommend (in no particular order):

  1. The Six Tudor Queens Series by Alison Weir
    My average rating: 4 stars
    This series is still in the process of being released. The next one is due in the next month or so. Each book follows the life of one of Henry VIII’s six wives. So far, the books have covered: Katherine of Aragón, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Anna of Kleve. Each book is wonderful. Keep in mind that they are fictional recounts, so whilst a lot of the information is accurate, creative licence has been taken.
  2. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
    My rating: 4 stars
    This is perhaps one of the most well-known Tudor-era fiction books. It was one of the first I read. If you are looking for something historically accurate, I wouldn’t even touch this but, for the enjoyment of a story, this book fills all the boxes—scandal, intrigue, and drama (oh my!). It follows the story of Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn, who was mistress to the great Henry VIII.
  3. The Boleyn King Series by Laura Andersen
    My average rating: 5 stars
    I loved this series. It is not at all historically accurate. It is what I call a “re-imagining” (I’m sure others call it that too). It is based on the premise that Anne Boleyn, who in reality had a series of miscarriages and stillborn births after giving birth to who later became Elizabeth I, gave birth to a healthy son—hence “Boleyn King”. A really cool premise, and the books are super easy to read.
  4. Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
    My rating: 4 stars
    The only one of this selection set in present day. Now, I know what you’re thinking. How can it be a Tudor novel if it is set in present day? Well, it’s a retelling. It’s a re-telling of Henry VIII and his six wives … if Henry VIII and his wives were American teenagers battling with the added stress of the school’s popularity stakes. There are suspicious deaths and plotting and basically just pettiness coming out the wahzoo—not that different to the court of Henry VIII, then. Hmm…
  5. The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory
    My rating: 3 stars
    This follows the mighty Elizabeth I and her affair with her courtier, Robert Dudley. Again, Philippa Gregory tends to twist history to fit her story, which there is nothing wrong with, but don’t take absolutely everything as fact. But if you are looking for a tale of forbidden love with a side of Tudor history, this one is for you.
  6. The Sixth Wife by Suzannah Dunn
    My rating: 4 stars
    This one is all about Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Katherine Parr. She was a strong blighter who knew how to bend that tyrannical king to her will. She’s an icon, and this one celebrates her. Read it. Katherine Parr is the bee’s knees.
  7. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
    My rating: 3 stars
    Another one about Elizabeth I. But this one is about Elizabeth when she was just Princess, and then Lady Elizabeth. There is a creepy subplot with a much older gentleman which made me uncomfortable, but there is substantial evidence that suggests that it happened (I believe). I found many things about Elizabeth quite surprising.
  8. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton
    My rating: 5 stars
    Ah. This one is written by a group of lovely authors who call themselves the “Lady Janies”. It is the first in a series of books all about Janes—Lady Jane Grey, Jane Eyre and Calamity Jane. This one is about Lady Jane Grey, aka the nine days queen. This book had me in stitches. I loved every second. It has people morphing into animals and all other weird and whacky things (so if you are looking for historical accuracy, don’t go near it), but essentially follows the story of Lady Jane Grey as it actually happened. I LOVED IT.
  9. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
    My rating: 4 stars
    This is technically not set in the Tudor era. It’s set beforehand. But it does follow the life of the woman who was the maternal grandmother of Henry VIII. She was a commoner who had had children from a previous marriage, and she married the King (and had a bajillion and one kids with him, talk about fertile!) She is always depicted as a strong-willed and passionate woman, and this book does not waver from that. Femme fatale, she is not.
  10. The King’s Secret Matter by Jean Plaidy
    My rating: 5 stars
    The King’s Secret Matter aka that time that Henry VIII tried to divorce his wife of about 20 years because he had found a young piece of meat that wouldn’t sleep with him so he decided to overturn religion in England just so he could marry the young thing aka a novel about the events that took place when Henry VIII divorced Katherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn. It was written a while ago, but it is very good!