It became one of my personal goals to read 1 historical romance book every month. And this book started amazingly. I loved the author's words at the beggining and how she chose to show us a very strong monarch. I was excited for this book just after 20 pages and I had a feeling that it had the potential to become one of my favorite books. It didn't happen. You have some limitations when it comes to story: you're following a pattern of events that already happened and if you decide to write about history, you're supposed to make things interesting. So I don't exactly have things to complain story-wise, I disliked some of the touches that were supposed to either make me feel pity or adoration, because they just were nothing to me? The writer didn't manage to have my attention and I was kind of meeting everything in the book with a 'meh'. I couldn't care about the story, and neither about the characters.Because, really, besides Philip, I couldn't stand any of the characters. All were way too undeveloped to make me get attached to them and I couldn't care less about all the love and worries that were supposed to fill this book. Believe me, no on is more disappointed than me by this. I liked the story the first 60 pages or so, but when real ruling came into discussion, all was destroyed. Philip's loves and brides were all just dolls, I couldn't get any emotions from then and this is mainly the writing style's fault as well. Also, this book is advertised wrong. Please don't let yourself fooled by "loving father and sensual lover" because, really, all the book is just Philip's struggle to be like that and failing where this traits mattered the most. I don't have nearly enough historical knowlegde to complain about how Philip's personality was written, but I was very, very disappointed in his mature self, as a person. I felt like I was in a playground, surrounded by small kids and I was feeling the urge to start screaming at them to just do that or don't dare do that. The kids being all these royal blooded in this book. My main problem was the lack of empathy. I couldn't connect with any character and this ruined the book for me. Still, even though when it comes to characters it brings a minus, when it comes to keeping the reader interested, the writing is okay?? Like I didn't give up this book because it still was written in a particular way, the chapters still ended with cliffhangers and even if it is not the brightest thing I've read, it was still interesting? In `finding about history` way of interesting?I don't even know? I feel like I've only complained about this book in this review, but I actually enjoyed it quite okay, because it got 3/5 stars after all.
This book was okay. I liked learning about Philip of Spain and his other marriages, because all I've ever heard of him was that he was married to Mary I and unleashed the Spanish Armada on England. However, this book was really dry and mostly plot led. It seemed the characters did not develop much. While I see why Philip became the way he did, he stays the same throughout the novel. In addition, while I love historical fiction novels to be heavily detailed, For A Queen's Love was a little too detailed and there was very little dialogue. I'd recommend the novel to die hard Tudor era fans.
What do You think about The Spanish Bridegroom (1971)?
In this book we get to know Philip the man, lover and husband as he might have been. From a very young age he is taught to do his duty, and he soon learns to carefully conceal what he really thinks and feels. He longs to express his feelings to his first young wife, Maria Manoela whom he adores, but he finds himself unable to do so. The son she produces, Don Carlos, is a huge disappointment to Philip. Instead he finds some fulfillment, some glimpse into the ordinary family life which he craves w
—Marita
One of the author's better-developed set of characters. However, since it was really about Phillip, told through the format of his three wives as almost episodes, I found it really annoying that the story cut off with the death of the last wife. The book starts with Phillip's birth, long before any wives are considered, so why can't it continue to his death? It left the whole plot feeling unfinished.That apart, I enjoyed Plaidy's writing and character development. She can get a little over-analy
—Zoe
This is the story of King Phillip of Spain, grandson of Mad Juana (the son of her son Charles), also Emperor, and his ill-fated marriages. Phillip both by nature and by nurture was a serious ruler who expressed his passion in religious fervor. He pushed the Inquisition up to levels rivaling the great Queen Isabella of Spain, his great-grandmother whom he revered.As a young boy we are privy to the events and training that formed his personality and beliefs. We suffer with Phillip through the tend
—Tania
