Vengeance is Mine

Brandy Purdy's "Vengeance is Mine - A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katharine Howard and Lady Rochford - the woman who helped destroy them both" is about how Jane Parker (Boleyn) played a vital role in the downfall of the two Queens. The book is written from the point of view of Lady Rochford herself from her position as a prisoner in the Tower where she is haunted by the memory of the husband and sister-in-law she sent to their deaths.

Legacy

Susan Kay's "Legacy" follows Elizabeth I from her very first memory of the last time she saw her doomed mother, Anne Boleyn, to her own deathbed many years later. It is a fictional account but based on the actual events in her life - including the right details such as names and dates. I have read this book and everyone who loves anything Tudor should definitely dig into this one! It has everything you can ask for in a Tudor-book: accuracy, excitement, royal luxury and that ever-present danger.

The Children of Henry VIII

Alison Weir is the author behind this book about the three children of Henry VIII and his great-niece Lady Jane Grey.

Tailoring the Tudors

The Tudors had a taste for luxury and this was definitely also the case when it came to what they wore. Henry VIII is infamous for his dark furs, Mary I loved to change her dresses and Elizabeth had over 60 wigs when she died! These books will guide you through the fashion of the Tudors:

In Fine Style: the Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion
     by Anna Reynolds

The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Dress
     by Jane Malcolm-Davies and Ninya Mikhaila

Tudor Costume and Fashion
     by Herbert Norris

The Tudor Child: Clothing and Culture 1485 - 1625
     by Jane Huggett,  Jane Malcolm-Davies, Perry Michael and Ninya Mikhaila 

Clothes (Tudor Life)
     by Liz Gogerly

The King's servants: Men's Dress at the Accession of Henry VIII
     by Jane Malcolm-Davies, C. Johnson and Ninya Mikhaila

The Queen's Servants: Gentlewomen's Dress at the Accession of Henry VIII
     by Caroline Johnson

Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlocked
     by Janet Arnold

The Tudor Secret

In the summer of 1553, a young orphan boy named Brendan Prescott becomes a part of the powerful Dudley-family's household. Finding himself now at court - the centre of power - Brendan is sent on a mission to Princess Elizabeth, the King's sister. Things becomes complicated when Elizabeth's trusted protector, William Cecil, convinces Brendan to become a double agent in exchange for him finding informations about Brendan's past.

When the seriously ill King Edward VI disappears Elizabeth's quest to find out the truth becomes more dangerous than ever.  With only a brave stable-boy and a lady-in-waiting, Brendan finds himself the centre of a world packed with lies, treason and constant mortal danger.

This is the first book of The Elizabeth I's Spy-Master Chronicles

The Complete Story

The Tudors - The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty is just what the titles says: the complete story. I bought this book and it is a must-read for everyone who has an interest in the Tudors. It described the time from the very beginning with Henry VII and ends with the death of Elizabeth I.

And there is more: after every chapter, there are short themes focusing on different aspects on Tudor society such as the monasteries, punishments etc. It's a treat for every Tudor-lover!

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, rivals, queens

The drama that played out between Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots is still as fascinating to us now as it was 500 years ago. The two queens - who never met - embarked on a lethal rivalry that would only have one winner. A rivalry that would send Mary, Queen of Scots to the scaffold and leaving Elizabeth as the undisputed Queen of England.

In this book the very drama of these two women is played out not only through the two front-figures but by the power and ambition of the men that surrounded both monarchs.

Upcoming Tudor-author

Hilary Mantel has written these two books that immediately became popular with Tudor-readers.

Wolf Hall is about the rise of Thomas Cromwell and his ideas of religious reform in the Tudor-court that is left behind when Cardinal Wolsey fell from power. Thomas Cromwell has to figure out a way to get his agenda through while balancing on the edge between the King's extreme fits of rage and his dangerous appreciation - while the court watches.

Bring up the Bodies centres around the downfall of Anne Boleyn, her trial and the execution of her and her accused lovers. Once again Thomas Cromwell is a central figure and this time he has to consider how far he is willing to go for Anne's head.

The Boleyn Series

It is almost impossible to avoid Philippa Gregory when searching for Tudor fiction - and there is a reason for that. Her "Boleyn Series" takes place during the Tudors' reigns and often is centred around minor characters that have a connection to the Tudor monarch of their specific time. Personally, I own all of the books and there is only one that I am not that happy about: The Virgin's Lover. I really did not like how Philippa Gregory portrays Elizabeth I as an extremely dependent and love-sick teenager when it is pretty safe to say that she was everything but that.
Anyway, here are the six books and I hope that you will read them. To help you out (that is if you have not already read them) I have written who the main character is and which Tudor monarch they serve - in that way you can choose your favourite Tudor :) :

The Constant Princess - Catherine of Aragon during her short marriage to Prince Arthur and then in the end there is a short glimpse of her trial at Blackfriar's Court 

The Other Boleyn Girl - Mary Boleyn as she catches the eye of Henry VIII and becomes his mistress but must step aside when her sister, Anne, replaces her in the King's affection - and drives Mary to finally choose her own life

The Boleyn Inheritance - This novel follows Jane Rochford as she battles her immense guilt of sending her husband and sister-in-law to the scaffold, Anne of Cleves during her short marriage to Henry VIII and Katherine Howard as she goes from the King's beloved wife to another traitor on the scaffold.

The Queen's Fool - Hannah is a Jewish secret refugee who fled the Inquisition in Spain and is discovered because of her gift of the "Sight" which sends her to the court of the very Catholic Mary I where she becomes her Holy Fool

The Virgin's Lover - An dependent Elizabeth I and her relationship with Robert Dudley takes place in front of a baffled court while Robert Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, longs for her husband in the country-side

The Other Queen - Mary, Queen of Scots, and her rivalry with her cousin Queen Elizabeth I which eventually leads to her execution

Secrets of the Tudor Court

Kate Emerson is the author behind a series with the name "Secrets of the Tudor Court". Her novels features minor historical figures of the real Tudor era as the protagonists - the books are works of fiction but featuring historical men and women (much like Philippa Gregory).

So far there are six books in the series and in case you have difficulty reading the titles, here they are:

1. The Pleasure Palace
2. Between Two Queens
3. By Royal Decree
4. At the King's Pleasure
5. The King's Damsel
6. Royal Inheritance

A Tudor Mystery

A book on the Nine Days Queen who died despite her reluctance to commit take the crown over Mary I. Eric Ives takes on a new presentation of Lady Jane Grey - not as a Protestant martyr or a helpless pawn in a dangerous political game - but as a woman of high integrity and strong moral standards.

In the shadow of the crown

This book by Jean Plaidy tells the story of Mary I and her way to the throne - a way where she had to go through almost all sorrows imaginable.

The Last Boleyn

This book focuses on Mary Boleyn who was the last Tudor after the execution of her sister and brother (Anne and George) and the consequent death of both her parents - she was also the Boleyn who ended up defying the rules and marrying out of love.

Winter King

"Winter King" by Thomas Penn covers Henry VII's reign that started the entire Tudor dynasty