D.L. Bogdan takes on the task of the life of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIIIs sister, who was married off to James IV of Scotland. It was interesting to see Henry VIII through the eyes of his sister who was obviously devoted to their older brother Arthur. Margaret is sent away to marry James IV of Scotland with the heavy duty of representing England in the land of heathens. Though her marriage was definitely not all roses, her and her flawed James come to love and respect each other. Margaret starts out very naïve but then her father was Henry VII and he drilled it into her that she will be the one to bring peace to Scotland. When this ends tragically, Margaret is left to flounder at the mercy of Scotland who have no love for an English woman sitting on their throne. This begins the first of many failed relationships that constantly put her and her only living son in peril.

Margaret had the Tudor stubbornness that makes her triumph in the face of defeat. Her Achilles heel was her innate ability to fall deeply in love quickly causing her to make many mistakes in relationships. For everything that she went through, Margaret kept her head up and earned her title as Queen of Scotland in every way.

Bogdan covers Margarets entire life from childhood to her sons marriage. That is a lot of information but Bogdan condenses it down to make for an easy read for any novice. Sometimes it seemed a bit too easy and I would have liked more. The Forgotten Queen is aptly titled but after reading this, Margaret will now have a voice with legions of Tudor fans and she will no longer be forgotten.

(ARC was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review)

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