Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. A fascinating look at this remarkable woman, I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written, captivating read! ~ Natalie Shefler (Reviewer), NetGalley

A fascinating biography of one of Britain's most fascinating (and least talked about) queens consort. Catherine is so often overshadowed by her husband and his famous coterie of mistresses and illegitimate children, but her role in linking Portugal and Britain is so important. I liked the emphasis on her dowry -- Britain first gained access to territory in India through her marriage, which shaped the empire to come. Recommended. ~ Ella Kay (Reviewer), NetGalley

Catherine of Braganza was the wife of Charles II. She is known for making tea popular in England. She was often very unpopular and was believed to be the neglected wife of Charles II. However, in this biography of Queen Catherine, she is portrayed as a loyal and loving wife to King Charles. While she was often in background at the merry monarch’s court, King Charles never really considered replacing her. He ended up being her most staunch supporter. This biography also shows that Catherine had the makings of being a great queen when she became regent for her nephew in Portugal. Catherine of Braganza was a princess of Portugal. She was a devoted Catholic throughout her life. Charles II secured his marriage with Catherine in exchange for a large dowry, which he never received. Catherine arrived in England, but she didn’t speak any English. She was immediately unpopular because of her Catholic faith. Charles also did not meet her upon arrival because he was with his mistress. Yet, despite these setbacks, Charles still decided to marry her anyway, both in a secret Catholic ceremony and in a Protestant one. The beginning of their marriage became tumultuous. Charles wanted to make his mistress serve his wife. Catherine refused. This biography showed that Catherine was temperamental, stubborn, and passionate. It also showed that Charles was also hot-headed and stubborn, and that both the king and queen were used to getting their own way. This became a strained marriage, and Catherine became neglected. It wasn’t until after she relented and treated Charles’s mistresses with respect that Charles began to pay more attention to her. Throughout her marriage, Catherine had to tolerate Charles’s mistresses. She also had to deal with the failure that she never produced an heir and the king’s counselors advising the king to replace her. Despite these problems, Charles never divorced his wife. He supported her. When the Popish Plot of 1678 threatened her, Charles stood by her side and declared he wouldn’t impeach her. Their relationship became closer. Charles spent more time with her and gave her more attention. After Charles’s death, she lived in seclusion in Somerset House and witnessed the reigns of James II and William and Mary. Eventually, she returned to Portugal and was appointed regent for her nephew. She was a successful regent, but her time was short. She died in December. Overall, this biography portrays Catherine in a sympathetic light. Her life was a series of tribulations. I felt sorry for Catherine and her difficulties. Yet, she managed to overcome them with the help of her husband Charles II. This biography also shows a more complex portrait of Catherine. She is portrayed as temperamental, stubborn, loyal, and politically adept. Because we see how capable Catherine is as regent, we only wonder how good of a queen she would be if Charles relied on her more often. This biography was short and it is very readable to the general reader. Those who have never heard of Catherine will find her story compelling and will want to learn more about her. Thus, Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen shows Catherine to be a woman who had the potential to be a great queen, but was never given the chance during her marriage to Charles II. ~ Lauralee Jacks, History From A Woman's Perspective http://www.historywomanperspective.com/2017/08/catherine-of-braganza-charles-iis.html

Thanks to Sarah-Beth Watkins’ Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen, we finally get a solid biography of the Portuguese princess turned queen of England. As the title suggests, this biography mainly concentrates on Catherine’s years as queen consort to Charles II. However, Watkins does nicely provide a rare glimpse of Catherine’s life before her marriage and after the death of Charles II. Whether it was the beginning, middle, or ending of Catherine’s story, a reoccurring theme is the difficulties of being a princess and a queen. Through good storytelling, this biography gives information about what real life is like for royal women. They constantly get judged publicly, have obligations to follow, and have to pick and choose their battles carefully. Watkins gives the valuable insight: “A princess, and often a queen, must do as she was told”. A common hardship being married to a king is often his affairs. Catherine goes down in English history as a tragic queen who had to deal with a husband who womanized a lot. Far too often, though, I read books and blogs that describe Catherine being “desperately in love” with her unfaithful husband. Watkins doesn’t jump to that conclusion. Instead, she gives us stories in which show the tension and tenderness between Catherine and Charles. We also get more details of what Catherine did away from the royal court and Charles. Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen is a valuable read. The more you get to know this queen, the more you agree with the observation of Minette, Charles II’s sister, about Catherine: “It is impossible not to love her.” ~ Sarah Patten, Herstoryline.com

There has been little written about Catherine of Braganza, so I was happy to learn more about her. Catherine of Braganza was the Portuguese wife of Charles II of England, the Restoration King. Catherine was born into the House of Braganza, the most senior noble house in Portugal. Catherine was an unpopular consort for the Merry Monarch, mainly because of her devotion to Roman Catholicism, but also because she was unable to produce an heir to the throne. King Charles had no trouble producing illegitimate sires throughout England with a number of publicly known mistresses, the most notorious of them being Barbara Palmer. Not only did Catherine put up with Charles extra curricular lasciviousness, she included Barbara Palmer in her royal household as Mistress of the Bed Chamber. I found this book interesting and well written, and it was a very quick read. ~ Elizabeth Buck, Fiction Feline http://fictionfeline.weebly.com/blog/may-24th-2017

This short biography of Catherine of Braganza is an interesting, straight forward and fast paced overview of the life of one of England’s less well known queens. Watkins clearly shows the difficulties faced by a Catholic Queen in a Protestant country and how the childless Catherine dealt with the many mistresses and illegitimate children of Charles II at the restoration court. Catherine’s struggle to find her place as Queen is set against the dramatic back drop of plots against her, the war against the Dutch, the plague and the great fire of London. It is a great starting point for those wanting to learn more about queenship in this period. ~ Tamise Hills, ladyjanegrey blog

I liked the book so much I read it all in one sitting. I definitely plan to look into more of her books. ~ Kelly Wells, GoodReads

First off, I knew next to nothing about the wife of Charles II before this. Now, I think I love her and I just want her to get the recognition she deserves after putting up with all she did. She's up there in my admiration box of queens with the patience of saints along with Catherine of Aragon. This woman spent years going along with all her husband's scandal and affairs, and getting nothing but abuse and in the end outlived them all and got her brief moment in power, putting them all to shame. She's also supposed to have popularised tea drinking in British court, so I have to give her props for playing a part in my identity as a certified addict. All in all, an unsung hero who was so extra she'd play it cool for years and then hit you with a ruinous comeback. This book was a perfect introduction into Catherine's life... I think something like this is a brilliant way to get immersed in the history without becoming overwhelmed (which can often become the case when reading about a historical figure straight off he bat). Especially if you're someone who doesn't often read nonfiction, this is a great way to get the details and not feel bored to death at the dryness of it. ~ Liz Gregory, GoodReads

History is more interesting when spiced with royal drama. “Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen” by Sarah-Beth Watkins is a short biography of Queen Catherine of England, who reigned from 1662-1685. Her marriage to King Charles II, a king on shaky ground as he had previously been usurped, was an alliance match. The book focuses much on her struggles as a foreign bride – she was a princess from Portugal – and the problems of being a Catholic noble in the hostile, Anglican-leaning English courts. I found myself finishing the book in a matter of hours, as Catherine's history was so engaging that I had to know how it turned out... ~ Diana Fossett, Dixie Sun News -The Voice Of Dixie State University

5/5 Stars I studied Catherine’s (Catarina in Portuguese) life for some time and this author is brilliant. Loved this book deeply since it speaks of what I know. Fun fact: Did you know that British drink Tea at 5pm because of Queen Catherine? She was the one that introduced this habit in the Royal Court since Portuguese were the ones with trade route to China. Tea in China and in Portugal is called the same: Chá, and are the only countries in the world saying the word in the same pronunciation. ~ Alejandra, Alejandra's Life

British Royalty particularly the Tudors and Stuarts have been a seamless source for writers both of the fiction and non fiction variety. But some of the Royals of these periods have been somewhat overlooked and one of those that fits into this category is Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess married to Charles II, who was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1662 to 1685. This well written book by Sarah Beth-Watkins seeks to redress this omission. The biography follows the life of Catherine from the Royal Household in Portugal to her marriage to King Charles II and the trials and tribulations that her life entailed. This was a time of upheaval in British politics and society with the restoration of the monarchy taking place in 1660 just two years before Catherine became Queen. One not only gets an insight into the politics of the time with continued fear and mistrust of Roman Catholicism which placed this Catholic Queen in grave danger throughout her time here but also some of the great events that took place during her reign which included the Great Plague, the fire of London and the sea wars with the Netherlands. Use is made of contemporaneous diary entries. Catherine had to put up with the King's numerous mistresses which she did stoically and befriended many of his illegitimate children. Unfortunately she was unable to have children herself leading to the problems of succession as Charles's brother James was of course a Catholic. Remarkably the story of Catherine does not end with the death of Charles as back in Portugal she acted as regent for her brother, Peter II. I must admit I was so engrossed with this story I read it in one sitting and if you are interested in history I would certainly recommend this. ~ George Heard , NetGalley

Our story begins with the arrival of the English fleet at Lisbon. Catherine of Braganza is to be married to England’s King Charles II during the 17th Century. This book traces the period of time during which Catherine was married to Charles II. She was sorely tested by Charles’ philandering and many at the court did not like her for her Catholic beliefs. They plotted against her in a vicious manner. She was married to Charles for more than twenty years and although pregnant a number of times, she was never able to have a live birth. Charles was a very stubborn man and refused to give up parading his mistresses in front of Catherine. Unable to get a ship back to Portugal, Catherine was trapped. At the same time, Catherine refused to take his main mistress into service with her and this caused much grief. This is a sad and trying biography. I felt bad for Catherine, but knowing the mores of the day, it was okay for men to have affairs, but not women. It states that Catherine was aware of her brothers acting the same way, but forcing the other woman into Catherine’s face seems a bit much. This is a very well written and researched book. I found it fascinating. I will look into more of Sarah-Beth Watkins’ books. ~ Joyce Fox, NetGalley

Sarah-Beth is a fantastic writer and brings to life this often sad story. ~ Tracy Shepherd, NetGalley

Although I was familiar with Charles II and the Restoration, I knew nothing about Queen Catherine. This book is very interesting, the writing style is light and accessible, which means it's an easy read. It's also quite short. Overall I reammy enjoyed it and learned lots of new information​. ~ Camille Brown, GoodReads

As a bit of a Restoration nut, I jumped at the chance to read this book courtesy of NetGalley. Sarah-Beth Watkins’ latest history explores the life of a woman she labels “a forgotten queen marked by history as the neglected wife of Charles II and not much more.” In this briskly paced book, Watkins expands our understanding of Catherine’s personality and the events of her life, from her cloistered upbringing in Portugal to her marriage to Charles, a notorious philanderer who nevertheless showed his wife continual political loyalty. While Watkins’ turns of phrase sometimes lack elegance (the wording and exclamations can come off as a bit casual), her prose is straight-forward. What’s more, Watkins inserts a good deal of primary source material into the narrative, much to the book’s benefit – the commentary of famous diarists Pepys and Evelyn, and snippets from letters written by the royals themselves, add authenticity and flavor. Further, Watkins’ bibliography reflects a wide gathering of sources both historical and modern. Given the book’s brevity, Catherine of Braganza is a history painted by necessity with a broad brush. While we don’t get all the nuance and particulars of events like The Popish Plot, or even explanations of any medical circumstances which may have caused Catherine to repeatedly miscarry, Watkins does provide some interesting tidbits of information relating to her subject. It was enjoyable to learn about Catherine’s passion for the navy, her skill as an archer, her enthusiasm for tea, and her patronage of music (she was the organizer of the first Italian opera performed in England). These details added color to Catherine’s life. What I found especially fascinating about the book was the kinship networks Catherine worked hard to establish within the royal family – whether her closeness with the Queen Dowager Henrietta Maria, or her role looking after not only the children of Charles’ mistresses, but also her nieces, the future Queens Mary and Anne. And on that note of Charles’ mistresses, I felt intrigued by Watkins’ description of the ways in which Catherine lived closely to and collaborated with her husband’s lovers, particularly in the arrangements of entertainments. Certainly, queens before her had endured proximity to their husband’s paramours. Yet against the backdrop of Charles’ many mistresses jockeying for favor and position at court, Catherine remained a steady presence, who if not exactly their close companion was at least companionable. Here Watkins successfully highlights the sexual double standard at court – whereas Catherine not only had to put up with but also collaborate with Charles’ mistresses (her early protestations against them fell on Charles’ deaf ears), Charles would not suffer to let Catherine have a master of horse of her choosing, fearing she favored the man over himself. Watkins succeeds in demonstrating Catherine’s role as a political pawn, even in her infancy as a symbol to spur on the Portuguese rebellion against Spanish rule, and later in life as a scapegoat for Catholics in England. Her part in that conflict – with accusations of conspiracy volleyed consistently against her on account of her religion – was interesting, too. Overall, Watkins’ breezy history does convey a solid sense of Catherine’s character – a woman who, though stubborn at times, displayed a good deal of grace, devotion, maternal care, and savviness to know when political winds were changing. ~ Alexandra Kennedy, Early Modern Allie

This book provides a fascinating look at the life of Catherine of Braganza. She was born in 1638 in Portugal, and married Charles the II of England in 1662. She must have been an amazing women since she had to come to terms with the numerous mistresses of the king and the fact that, as hard as she tried she was never able to give the king an heir. When she wasn't dealing with domestic hardships she had her detractors to contend with, particularly those who wanted to rid themselves of a Catholic queen. Even though the king stood by her during her most difficult times it seems true happiness may have come at long last when she was able to return to Portugal, where she was to rule as regent for João V. I recommend this well written book for anyone who wants to know more about Catherine's role as queen and her life at the English court. ~ Cristina Wood, NetGalley

I found this a refreshing and interesting read about his queen, Catherine of Braganza... Any reader who has an interest in history would no doubt enjoy reading this. ~ Bethany Stafford, GoodReads

I have always been interested in the many Queens of England. I have read some books about the Merry Monarch's mistresses, but I haven't found any about his wife, so I was glad to find this book about Catherine of Braganza. It was a very informative read, starting from her birth up to her final years when she returned to Portugal to become regent. I have never read anything from Sarah-Beth Watkins before, and next time I won't be reluctant to pick up a book from her! ~ Kayenne Bee, NetGalley

5/5 Stars. An excellent account of the life of one of our most overlooked queens. Informative & easy to read. The impact of religious differences & her husband's mistresses (especially Lady Castlemaine) is explained thoroughly & sympathetically. Read this in a matter of hours as it was so engaging. Highly recommended. ~ Cath Bell, NetGalley

I enjoyed Watkins account of the life of Catherine of Braganza. She is a somewhat forgotten figure of the restoration period. I enjoyed the gossipy feel to the book with the interspersed extracts from letters and diary entries from Pepys and Evelyn. I was particularly pleased Watkins stuck to writing in chronological order it made following the sometimes complicated events of Catherine's life much easier. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light historical biography. ~ Sarah Moxey, NetGalley

A very enjoyable read and does it’s job of informing the reader about the Portuguese Princess turned Queen’s life. It has inspired me to read more nonfiction, and if the author writes more books like this in the future, I would read them. ~ Brittany Stallman, NetGalley

I was intrigued by the story of Catherine, Queen of England, and regent of Portugal. The author managed to capture the times and the personalities which surrounded her, her challenges, and her amazing ability to remain true to herself. Makes me want to do more digging about this remarkable woman. ~ Rosann Goldblatt, NetGalley

The history of the portuguese princess told almost like a historic romance... The facts were written in an interesting and engaging way. Very enjoyable read. ~ Cat Chloe, NetGalley

Catherine of Braganza was a Catholic Portuguese princess who was married off to Charles II to cement the relationship between Britain and Portugal and discourage Spain from its constant invasion of Portugal. Catherine left behind everything to live in a country she hadn't been to before with a man she'd never met. Her life there wasn't an easy one, from putting up with Charles mistresses and his favoring them over her to people's hostility over her Catholicism to her inability to produce offspring she had a rough time constantly. Yet through out it Catherine remained pious and kind and did her best to try and fit in at the English court and support her king. I thought it was really interesting read, I didn't know anything about this time period but after reading the book I'm sure I've seen references to Charles II and his numerous mistresses in TV shows. I felt bad for Catherine especially in the beginning where no matter what she did people found a way to use it against her but I'm glad that towards the end Charles at least seemed to be much more loyal and devoted to her. The only thing I had a problem with was trying to keep up with all the titles and names in the book but that's not the authors fault. It was also a pretty quick read which was nice. It sucks that she had to die before she got to do more for Portugal especially since her limited time as regent seemed pretty impressive. ~ Pouting Always, GoodReads/ThePloughmans Lunch