It's sometimes hard to remember that Britain once had Catholic rulers, especially even after Henry VIII's separation from the Roman Catholic church. But there was a last one who made quite an impact on British history - James II and VII.
James is not one that is commonly remembered or is one we think of quickly when trying to remember British monarchs. That was one reason I was wanting to read this book.
At times, the book seemed to jump around a lot as it did not follow a chronological timeline of his life. At times, the author would jump ahead or recount something in his father or brother's life that might have impacted him. This got very confusing at times and felt too chaotic to keep it all straight.
I rarely mention proofreading issues because so many of the books I review are not the final versions. But this one was not given to me with the notes that it was not completely edited. That being said, the reading become cumbersome as there were too many incorrect words used or sentences that didn't seem to go anywhere.
Honestly, I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been fully edited and the telling of James' life was more organized. I don't feel like I learned much about him.

This is a brilliant book about an unknown king who is the rain was less than a decade the book covers his early life the plots to get rid of his father and then his brother the delicate dance James try to do but failed that with his courtiers and parliament I really do not feel sympathy for many people like presidents or kings or celebrities but I did feel bad for James he was put in a pereless situation and tried his best to thrive. I love these books about British royalty and this one was no exception I was eager to learn more and now I know. I want to thank Pen and Sword history and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I was very excited to read this novel. I didn't know much about them so this was a great read and full of information! If you are into history you would should check this out!

A very sensitive biography that looks at an often overlooked monarch.
Laura does a fantastic job at writing about James as a complicated man with feelings and convictions, rather than just a bad monarch.
People too often consider the actions of the monarchy, but not their feelings and go away without a real understanding.
I would highly recommend reading this to give you a rounded view of a very complex man.

In James II and VII, Laura Brennan explores the life of the last Stuart king before, during, and after his reign. Succeeding his brother Charles II, James II lived as the “spare” for most of his life until his brother had no legitimate male heirs. While on the throne, James II and VII struggled with maintaining the balance between Protestantism and Catholicism in England and Scotland, eventually being deposed by his daughter Mary and son-in-law William of Orange in 1689. Brennan’s use of specific historical terms (such as the 1689 change in power known as the Glorious Revolution) and her inclusion of specific events such as the Civil War and the Interregnum reflects her clear knowledge and familiarity with the period. Brennan’s focus on the various political and social challenges in the period reflects her passion for the topic and her devotion to exploring the life of an English monarch primarily known for his failure as a monarch and dethroning. Brennan’s use of detailed and contemporary historical documents and sources adds to the descriptions and in-depth information throughout the book, creating a strong picture of the last Catholic monarch in England in her latest book.

I found this a bit dry at first, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. It'sa a 'messy' part of history, so it is fairly hard to simplify it, and make all the various intrigues and machinations of the era understandable, but Laura Brennan certainly manages to do this. She also provides a detailed psychological study of James's character.

King James II and VII had a tough childhood, and adolescence. This not only includes his father's terrible execution, but being taken by his father to witness battles, and twice being taken captive and held for ransom. This could have led to his being difficult and uncompromising when he became King. Unfortunately, James was not able to handle different factions like his brother, and he was unsympathetic to Protestants. He became a tyrant, especially after the Monmouth Rebellion, ordering the harshest of punishments. He also promoted his fellow Catholics, which was actually unlawful. This tyranny led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when he was deposed

During his last years in exile, he became much nicer, apparently, transforming himself into a reflective man, and finding contentment. He turned to the Church, and had a more peaceful life.

I recommend this for anyone interested in this era, or English monarchs, generally.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I read this book with little previous knowledge of James II. I tend to favour the Plantagenets and Tudors so it was good to finally have a more detailed look at the Stuarts. The book is well written but is in need of a line edit - I hope there's still time to do this for the Kindle edition? The misspelling of faction and fraction, soldier and solider was a bit annoying and there are several other line edits needed. I don't blame this on the author as the book is pretty well written and clearly, well- researched but it's a distraction in what is otherwise, a well paced book. I especially enjoyed the information on the other 'movers and shakers' in James II's story. The Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son seemed determined to get to the throne himself, usurping his uncle James. The work of the Duke of Argyll along with Monmouth could have seen things turn out differently. Later, the Duke of Marlborough is central to James' military planning but at every turn, James is so bombastic, arrogant and egotistical (he even named two of his sons, James!),it's as if he lives in a world of his own making. The idea of critical thinking is alien to him. From his youth, he shows signs of having a deeply arogant personality and sadly, this doesn't change. His conversion to Catholicism is central to everything that happens to him. His brother Charles II is not only a Merry Monarch, he is also someone who abides by the rule of law and knows, after a civil war, that Protestantism is now the national religion and that the monarchy remains on trecherous ground. He sees James coming to the throne as a danger to his country and he was right to give warning to Parliament just before his death. I really enjoyed this book, filled a lot of gaps for me. I skipped past some of the battles but not the Siege of Derry. No wonder a lot of the Irish still hate us!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pen & Sword for the uncorrected proof of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to say first and foremost that I greatly enjoyed this book. I have been trying to branch out into the Stuart dynasty in my reading as of late and learning more about James VII and II was a great way to go about that. Brennan's writing style is engaging throughout the book and their description of the battles and drama was captivating. There were several points throughout the book where I felt as if I was watching a dramatization of the actual events because Brennan conveyed the sense of urgency and panic in the battles so well.

That being said I do not know if I would necessarily describe this book as a biography of James II. I say this because although it does outline the stages of his life it felt that a great portion of the book was discussing the political players and events around him. For example, large portions of chapters were set aside to describe the political players of the time like Molbourough and Monmouth and three-quarters of a chapter was dedicated to the siege of Derry, Ireland. I found all of these facts fascinating and 95% of this entire book was new to me so I would not say that I was necessarily put off by the fact that the focus was not entirely on James VII and II. However, I could see why it might be a little frustrating if the reader wanted a specifically honed biography.

One thing that I do wish was described in more detail throughout this book, is the relationship between James VII and II and the female political players. Although his wives were not necessarily as central to the Glorious Revolution as his daughters Mary II and Anne, it did feel at times that big pieces of the history were missing. Brennan does discuss how toward the end of his life Anne was communicating with him again, but it does not really delve into his potential feelings or thoughts about Mary II or Anne. I did appreciate that in the section about his later life in France that his wife Mary of Modena made a greater appearance in the details. Learning about how his and her religious devotion overlapped was one of my favourite parts of the book.

I did appreciate how Brennan tried to remain even-handed when analyzing James VII and II's behaviours. It is clear throughout the book that Brennan does not necessarily find James VII and II to be competent King, but they do their best to outline why exactly they (and history more generally) feel this to be the case. I would be very interested to know if Brennan believes that James VII and II is more like his father Charles I or Henry VIII in his views of monarchy or if that circle is more of a ven diagram. His desire to maintain his opposing religion while maintaining all of the power speaks to the authoritarian nature of both previous kings.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable and informative book on the last Catholic King of Britain. Although it focuses more on James VII and II and the men and events that shaped him in equal detail I think that anyone wanting to learn more about this monarch will not be disappointed by reading this book. I would definitely recommend if you are a Stuart lover or a novice to the subject.

Sharing a birthday with James II of England and James VII of Scotland, and having studied this monarch at university, this biography published by Pen & Sword Books is an easy introduction to a fascinating individual in British History. James was a victim of circumstance, living both in his father’s shadow in trying to impose a stronger (more absolute) monarchy whilst struggling with Parliament, and his brother’s shadow as a loyal supporter of Charles II as he tried to re-establish his vision of monarchy after the English Civil War and Interregnum period. This involved juggling a foreign policy that brought England closer to Louis XIV of France, and increasingly into conflict with the Dutch Republic.

There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ in James’s life and these are brought up frequently in this biography. For James, if alternative paths were taken then history in the late seventeenth century may have taken a different course.

The author cleverly weaves the machinations of politics and religion of the era in the run up to James’s accession in 1685, highlighting the dramatis personae that played a significant role in creating the tension that existed during the Exclusion Crisis, and events that unfolded such as the Rye House Plot. James’s conversion to Roman Catholicism as Laura Brennan suggests was shaped possibly by the influence of his first wife. For James it was to cost him his throne as it was open and visible, whilst Charles was able to scheme until his deathbed. There is overlap and repetition in this book because politics and religion are intertwined in James's story and the author has to explain their connection.

James’s personality did not help him. He saw matters in either in black or white. James did not possess Charles’s diplomatic skills or did not learn from his mistakes. So, from a position of strength in 1685, overcoming challenges particularly Monmouth’s Rebellion, James could not convince the establishment of Anglicans and Tories that he could be trusted. His vision of monarchy was not acceptable to the majority of this subjects who were Protestants. He first promoted Catholics into positions of power and then courted non-Conformists to fill the void created by the removal from 1687 onwards of those that had supported the monarchy so vehemently in period of 1681 to 1685. As a result the established order looked elsewhere for an alternative form of monarchy. This was to be based on a parliamentary democracy as we know now. In 1688 James was deserted by his family, the army, the Anglican church and local politicians. James had few allies to call upon at the time of crisis in November and December of that year.

Describing the Glorious Revolution, the author reflects on the psychological impact on James who was forced to flee to France in 1688. Seeking help from his French cousin, James campaigned in Ireland to achieve restoration in his three kingdoms and wrestle the crown back from his daughter Mary and his nephew William of Orange. His failure to achieve this objective had a detrimental effect on James, blaming his own misfortune as a judgement of God. The author paints a sad picture of an ailing man in his final years even though he tried to keep active and had the support of loyal courtiers that had followed him into exile and a diminished lifestyle in a palace paid for and provided by Louis XIV. Hope for the future switched to James’s son, the Prince of Wales, born so controversially in 1688. Jacobites were to remain steadfastly loyal to the Stuart cause well into the Eighteenth Century. Ironically James’s popularity was to outlive his 68 years.

In conclusion, I would recommend this book for those who want to learn more about this often-overshadowed monarch. The book has a good selection of illustrations to accompany the text. I would like to thank the author, and Pen & Sword Books, for allowing me to read a copy of the biography in advance of publication. I look forward adding the hardback copy to the other biographies I have on James II.

Thank you NetGalley, Laura Brennan, and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was my first book about James II & VII and it surely will not be my last now. The author was able to peak my interest enough about him to want to dive into more information. I felt this book was well researched, but put together in a somewhat choppy manner. Some things felt repetitive and other things did not feel explored enough. All in all, I did enjoy what was provided.

*Many thanks to Laura Brennan, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Interesting publication giving an insight into James II, the king under whose rule England got closer to the democracy at present in Great Britain.
The book reads well, the Author manages to find the balance between politics and James's personal life, which was of the utmost importance to him and which probably led him to lose the crown. The first biography I have read focusing on the importance James II put on personal and religious preferences, and who, unlike his brother, Charles II, followed the footsteps of their father, fortunately, without losing his head. James II may have prevented the so-called Glorious Revolution had he not been obstinate with regard to his vision of monarch and monarchy. James II may seem to be a tragic figure who never experienced real childhood and who, was offered only some brief moments of peace.

This book about James II & VII by Laura Brennan tracks his life before and after he takes the throne, concluding when he is chased out of his kingdoms and left to take refuge in France for the remainder of his life. This book is small: the company enjoys doing bite-sized history for people to get a quick overview of whichever ruler is the subject of said tome. That said, I think it's a pretty difficult task to try to do a brief look at someone like James II, who goes through a LOT in his lifetime. An author not only has to look at the events that happened, but also give context to what led to them, and then an author has to give biographies and information about the people who both helped and hindered James in his goals. I would think a book looking at the very end of James's rule with his battles against William III and his remaining years and death could be a book of moderate length all on its own. Ditto for the events prior to his throne involving his childhood and the struggle over power that his father undertook (and subsequently lost).

I think the author is commendable in tackling the task at all, and doubly so that she tried to be objective and not let her biases get involved, even though he obviously frustrated her with his actions. I am a historian myself, and delight most when people research historical figures that annoy them or that they actively hate.

This book needs to be checked over with a proofreader. I am not certain if this is the final copy--I REALLY hope that it is not. There are errors usually on every page, sometimes three or four (I know one instance I counted three errors on a page and another time two errors in one sentence). There are dropped commas and often added commas in the middle of sentences, there are wrong tense verbs used, there are words added or dropped, there are words that sound like the words that should be used that were erroneously used instead...it's a lot.

I also noted some instances where the author would mention someone's death or actions, and then a little later in the text would mention the same thing again. I think with a little tightening, especially regards to jettisoning some of the repeated pieces and the correction of errors, it would be more cohesive. With regards to the meat of the text, it could serve as a good springboard for people wanting to begin to learn about James II & VII, although further material would be necessary to get a more complete picture of him (which the author understood, restricted by the length available to her).

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.