Review: "The Favored Queen" by Carolly Erickson

From Goodreads:  Born into an ambitious noble family, young Jane Seymour is sent to Court as a Maid of Honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s aging queen. She is devoted to her mistress and watches with empathy as the calculating Anne Boleyn contrives to supplant her as queen. Anne’s single-minded intriguing threatens all who stand in her way; she does not hesitate to arrange the murder of a woman who knows a secret so dark that, if revealed, would make it impossible for the king to marry Anne. 
Once Anne becomes queen, no one at court is safe, and Jane herself becomes the victim of Anne’s venomous rage when she suspects Jane has become the object of the king’s lust. Henry, fearing that Anne’s inability to give him a son is a sign of divine wrath, asks Jane to become his next queen. Deeply reluctant to embark on such a dangerous course, Jane must choose between her heart and her loyalty to the king.

My Thoughts:  This was very different than other Tudor era book I have read before mainly because it focused on Jane Seymour.  She is normally barely mentioned in books except to say that she was Prince Edward's mother and it was nice to see a book from her point of view.  Through her eyes, the reader gets to see interesting views of Catherine of Aragon as well as Anne Boleyn though I must say I was kind of shocked by how badly Anne Boleyn was portrayed.  She was shown in a very bad light in this book.  That being said, Jane seemed to be a likeable enough character who had a give up a lot to serve the Queens before her.   This book wasn't too exciting but it wasn't bad either.  The one thing that did bother me is the fact that Jane Seymour had two brothers and the author only saw fit to include one in the story; it was as though Thomas Seymour didn't exist.  I know it's kind of silly but it still annoyed me.  Overall, a decent book about a lesser known historical figure.  3 stars.