Elizabeth (Bess) Blout was sent to court to take the place of her mother while her father recovered from wounds received in the war with France fighting alongside King Henry VIII.

Bess was young, beautiful and naive. The politics of the court were dangerous and finding a way throughout the gossip and nastiness was no easy feat. Fortunately, Bess developed friendship with Gil Tailbois and Elizabeth Bryant.

As she grew into a stunning woman, she caught the eyes of Henry. All too soon, she was trapped in his net of women to conquer. Bess loved Henry, and their sexual unions produced a son.

Because Henry's wife, The religiously pious Katherine of Aragon, could not produce a son, Henry's obsession grew increasingly more profound. Katherine produced a daughter, Mary, but no son.

Bess was sent away from court with her son who looked very much like Henry. Bess' friend Gil always stood by her, and loved her deeply. When he proposed marriage, she accepted.

Alas. when the baby was a year old, Henry who had never bothered to visit his baby son, now brought him to court and would not let him return to his mother.

I've read many books regarding the Tudors. This one was well written and captivating.

After the severe pain of Henry's rejection, and then selfishness is taking her son away, Gil was stalwart in his love. Together, they had three children. After he died, Bess re-married, and produced another three children.

Sadly, she died at the age of 38 from consumption, a disease that most likely robbed her son Henry, Lord Rochfield before she died. ( )

Even though the characters are based on real people , I did not find the feelings the author assigned them very believable. So I could never really get into [enjoying] the book. ( )

Bessie Blount is overjoyed when shes to become a maid of honour to Katherine of Aragon. She soon however catches the eye of King Henry VIII. It's not long before Bessie gives birth to a healthy son. Henry is soon looking elsewhere for affection mainly from Mary Boleyn.

I am in my element when I read about the Tudors. This is the first book by this author that I have read. First impressions are positive and it turned out to be a lovely read. This is the first book that I've read about Bessie Blount. It made a nice change to have somebody different as the main character. The story of Bessie is interesting and this story focuses mainly on her life at court and then her affair with the king.

I did think that at times the author was overdoing it with the constant descriptions of the clothing. The reader knows they are in the Tudor court so its not always necessary to keep describing clothing. I know this is a work of fiction so why are small facts incorrect. For instance the author says that Katherine of Aragon married two English kings. She only married one and that was Henry, Arthur was never king. Anne Boleyn has green eyes according to this account. I've always been led to believe that Anne had dark eyes. My final niggle is that Bessie is not buried at the church in Kinlet although a lot of the Blounts are and it is well worth a visit.

After all that I enjoyed reading about Bessie Blount. The book was a lovely read and wasn't too taxing, nor was I bogged down. The author offers the what if's and does make the reader wonder what could have happened. If Henry really did love Bessie and Mary Boleyn wasn't on the scene then our Tudor history could have been quite different.

Overall a pleasant read and apart from the historical minor mistakes I would recommend this book. I do have other books by this author which I shall look forward to reading. ( )

Diane Haeger tackles the elusive story of Bessie Blount. Bessie, a romantic dreamer comes to court expecting to find Lancelot from Camelot. But in the court of Henry VIII, Lancelot is hard to find. When Bessie arrives, she is befriended by Elizabeth Bryan, and Gilbert Tailbois. Elizabeth catches the eye of Henry, but Bess assumes it is innocent flirtation. Meanwhile, Gil falls madly in love with Bess and is determined to show her. When Elizabeth unexpectedly becomes engaged to Nicholas Carew, Bess assumes its a family made match. While life runs on, Bess longs for her Lancelot, unaware of Gil's love. Time marches on, and soon Bess finds herself dangerously close to Henry. Despite her loyalty to Catherine, Bess becomes Henry's mistress and lives happily knowing that she is loved. Oblivious to all but Henry's love, Bess lives enclosed in her own world. She soon finds herself pregnant. After giving birth and being replaced in Henry's affections, Bess is heartbroken, but oddly happy. She soon marries Gil, first for convenience, then for love. As Gil and Bess make a life away from court, Henry wonders about his long lost Bess and his only son. Henry decides to take his son from Bess, re-wounding her heart. It is not til Gil dies that Bess is reunited with her son. As both father and son try to pull Bess back into court to offset Anne Boleyn's rising star, Bess refuses and finds love once again. But life will never be perfect for Bess.
This is the first Bess Blount book that I am aware of. And I want more Bess Blount. Its so interesting to see the woman who shook more than one queen's throne. I love Diane Haeger's previous work, and this is another great book! Bess is a gentle soul, with no thoughts of wealth or rising favors. Bess reminds me a little of what Jane Seymour would have been like. Gil is perfectly dreamy. Forget Lancelot. Give me Gil!!! ( )

I can’t pinpoint the moment I had my fill of Tudor stories but it occurred sometime in 2011. Yes, I lasted longer than most. I won’t pretend this will be my last either. Earlier this year I read a non-fiction book on Henry VIII and thought that would be my last but I forgot I had downloaded this to my Nook and found myself reading it when I needed something comforting --- this is a setting I know well. I was out of town on a long business trip and I turned to it.

Elizabeth (Bess) Blount is a beautiful and naïve girl who lands a position in Queen Katherine’s household. This new position puts her directly in front of Henry VIII. Amazed by the opulence of the Court and especially by the King himself, she finds herself in a precarious situation. She can become the mistress to the King she believes she loves and in the process ruin her reputation and position with the Queen and possibly bring the downfall of her family. She picks Henry and gives him something he’s been wanting for years, a son.

While nothing about this story felt new, if you read enough books set in Tudor England nothing feels new, but it was well written and interesting. Parts were slow and at other times it felt as if large sections of Bess’s life were left out. We go from seeing her as a 14 year-old, and it feels as if only a few months worth of time, then she’s the King’s mistress and shortly after pregnant with his child. She finds a life outside of Court, and it’s a happy one at that, but it goes by so fast and I wondered when she turned 30. Besides that small quibble, it was good. A solid read.

I was wondering why I purchased this one considering I thought I was done with the Tudors and as it turns out it was for a challenge. So, now it appears I’m finished with The Royal Mistress Challenge. I ended on a good note then. ( )