I received an advanced review copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

I though this was a well written book; the pacing moves well - I rarely found myself getting bored. To the extent of my knowledge, it is mostly historically accurate (though I'm not much of an expert on Elizabeth's reign, but based on what I know, it keeps to the facts). I really like that it covers Elizabeth's whole reign - it really gives a scope for the complexity of the titular marriage game which she plays.

Elizabeth comes off as a very sympathetic character - I felt her motives were well spelled out (though I think it helped that I read Weir's first novel on Elizabeth "The Lady Elizabeth" before I read this). I felt that she really inspired loyalty in the reader - you just want to root for her to succeed in every endeavor she undertakes, and it's a hard moment at the end when she dies (even though you know it's coming). Robert, on the other hand, comes off a bit flat - his whole personality at times seems to be "wants to marry Elizabeth" (though that may be intentional given the scope of the novel). Towards the end he gets better, as he ages and tries to cling to relevance (and Elizabeth's affections). In spite of this, you can see that Robert and Elizabeth really loved each other, and it's touching.

I have mixed feelings about ending - on one hand, I wished it hadn't skipped those last 15 years (or at the very least covered Essex's fall in more detail - one paragraph was not enough!), but on the other hand, I liked the way it was structured, going from the height of Elizabeth's triumph to her death.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent, well written, detailed novel. I highly recommend it.

2.5 stars

This was my first historical fiction book and I was just so engaged. I was dying to know what happened next. The author did a great job at portraying the story and making parts relatable. It was an incredibly long book, I did enjoy the majority of it!

bloody awful. I barely made it halfway through before I got tired of the repetitive "game". ugh. so disappointed.

Although this is historical fiction, it's a believable account of Queen Elizabeth I's approach to marriage and the way in which she used potential suitors from abroad to help England politically. I also think Alison Weir gets better with each new fiction book - she started with non-fiction books about the Tudors and she knows their history well. Elizabeth definitely had issues about marriage, possibly stemming from her mother's execution, and the way in which her father, King Henry VIII, treated women in his life. Weir takes that history, along with other incidents from Elizabeth's turbulent past, to show why marriage and motherhood didn't appeal to the queen. But the book also delves into Elizabeth's relationship with one true love, Robert Dudley. Whatever happened between them behind close doors, she never married him. A very entertaining book that also felt authentic.

Loved the story, but the actual telling of the marriage game was tiring.