📖 Book Review ~ The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir

Headline Review
May 21 2016

My thanks to the publisher for the invitation to review this book

A Boleyn woman is no stranger to secrets...

At twelve years old, Kate Carey attends her aunt, Queen Anne Boleyn, to the scaffold. Horrified by what she witnesses, Kate is convinced that King Henry VIII has sent an innocent woman to a terrible death.

As the Boleyns fall from favour, Kate serves her now motherless cousin, the young Lady Elizabeth. Bound by Boleyn blood, the two girls are like sisters, until Kate marries for love - and leaves a jealous Elizabeth behind.

At court, Kate cannot ignore the sly looks thrown her way, nor the whispers behind her back. Only when her mother, Mary, lies dying, does she learn the life-shattering truth that the Boleyns have been hiding for years.

It is a secret that will haunt Kate throughout her life, as her family flee into exile, only returning home when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again..

📖 My Review..

I have been privileged to read several new Tudor inspired novels this month and I am pleased to say that whilst the Tudor period in English history has been covered extensively in fiction, there is always something new to enjoy. 

This latest novel by Alison Weir gives us the story of Katherine Carey who, after Anne Boleyn’s tragic death, was placed into the household of the Princess Elizabeth. Katherine Carey grows up in the shadow of the Tudor crown, her mother, Mary Boleyn, lives her later life in relative obscurity however, Katherine starts to move in court circles when she is placed as Lady-in-Waiting to Henry’s new wife, Anne of Cleves. It is Katherine’s proximity to the Tudor monarchs and her role within it, both as a young woman and later as a wife and mother, which forms the premise of the story over a long timeframe.

As always, with this historian’s fiction work there is fine attention to historical detail, the place and people are well described alongside what it might have been like living through such a turbulent time in history. My only criticism is that the book felt over long, granted there is a lot of information packed within the story, especially about Katherine’s eventful personal life as the mother of sixteen children and wife to Sir Francis Knollys who was a respected Tudor courtier. The Boleyn secret at the heart of the novel is one which has long been speculated over and whilst I knew what the secret would reveal it didn’t stop me enjoying the novel as an interesting look at yet another side of the Tudor court particularly as we go through the years of Tudor rule and Katherine’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth I.

About the Author

Alison Weir is a bestselling historical novelist of Tudor fiction, and the leading female historian in the United Kingdom. She has published more than thirty books, including many leading works of non-fiction, and has sold over three million copies worldwide. Her novels include the Tudor Rose trilogy, which spans three generations of history’s most iconic family – the Tudors, and the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

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📖 Book Review ~ The Fourth Queen by Nicola Cornick

Boldwood
9 May 2026

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of this book

Now: When Jenna arrives at Winterhill House, she’s instantly transported back… to the priory that stood there before, the life she lived before, and the secret she kept in her past life for the fourth queen of a despotic king.

1539: King Henry VIII is intent on destroying the Catholic church, and with the dissolution of the monasteries, beautiful young prioress Marris is about to lose everything. She knows she has to do whatever it takes to keep her sisters safe, even agreeing to marry the wealthy man who has been gifted the priory land.

But when she marries him, she also finds herself catapulted into the court of the king. And her mastery of the German language makes her an ideal companion for his new queen, Anna of Cleves. It’s destined to be a short marriage… But after the divorce, when Anna finds herself in trouble, it will be Marris she turns to.Will Marris risk her life to help the fourth queen? Because defying the king is the highest treason, and keeping this secret will put everything Marris has fought to keep safe in the gravest danger..

📖 My Review..

I always think of Anna of Cleves as being the most forgotten of Henry VIII’s Queens as she was the first one who escaped with her life intact and thanks to some clever negotiations came away from the beleaguered marriage with her dignity and her coffers largely intact. In this fascinating dual time story the author gives us an altogether different view of Anna of Cleve’s time at the Tudor court and does so by cleverly intertwining both past and present in a totally believable story about Jenna in the present who remembers in vivid detail her time as Anna’s confidente in the Tudor court.

The author has given us a very believable account of being able to recount a past life, and wouldn’t it be fascinating if it were true? I was totally convinced by Jenna’s recollection as her time as Marris North and yet was also totally invested in the modern day story and Jenna’s dilemma of having to rescue something from the past, with all sorts of added complications.

With fine attention to every single detail, the story is richly atmospheric, combining snippets of history with a real sense of time and place. I raced through the book in just a couple of afternoons, eager to learn more and keen to travel back in time with two very believable heroines who together help to make the story such a joy to read.

About the Author

Nicola Cornick is the international bestselling and award-winning historian and author of over 40 novels featuring women from the footnotes of history, and has been translated into 25 languages.

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📖 Favourite Read of the Month ~ The House of Boleyn by Tracy Borman

Hodder and Stoughton
23 April 2026

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

HEVER CASTLE HOLDS ALL THE BOLEYN SECRETS ...

When nobleman Thomas Boleyn, lord of Hever Castle, is called to London in 1509 to present himself to a newly anointed King Henry VIII, he sets in train events that ensure the Boleyn name will never be forgotten.

Years later, as Henry VIII relentlessly pursues Thomas' daughter Anne Boleyn to be his queen, Hever Castle becomes her escape, a place where her trusted attendants and her father must advise, protect and support her. Lavish gifts are sent by the King and the Boleyn family is given ever greater prominence at court, their glory shining over everything and everyone. Until ambition turns the family on itself, enemies outside the castle circle closer and danger begins to stalk the corridors of Hever. And as Henry's gaze moves elsewhere when Anne cannot give him the heir he so desperately seeks, the family faces a terrible, bloody fate.

But as long as Hever still stands, hope still exists.

Combining drama, danger and passion, Tracy Borman brings the Boleyn family's three-decade rise and precipitous fall to vivid life using their world at Hever, family and servants alike, as never written before. The result is a powerful and emotional novel of family, fate and history.

 📖 My Review..

Although Ann Boleyn’s tragic story has been told many times, there is always room for another interpretation and recounting Anne’s life by using as its focus Hever Castle is an interesting way of bridging the gap between what is fact and what is undoubtedly fiction. The Boleyn family home, nestled in the quiet of the Kent countryside, acts as a foil against the machinations of Tudor life and whilst the meteoric rise of the Boleyns, during the years of Henry’s courtship with Anne, is well documented we can only guess at the overall effect that Henry VIII’s influence had on all those who knew Anne.

There are a few interesting snippets within the story which made me raise my eyebrows but this is historical fiction after all and so there is room for a few unexpected additions. I thought everything worked well together and I enjoyed spending time at Hever, watching as the servants went about their business, quietly keeping the household running smoothly during turbulent times. Observing Anne’s dilemma as Henry’s pursuit of her became more apparent, her indecision, and realisation that her life, as she knew it, would effectively be over once she accepted Henry’s proposal. That all this would be played out in the shadow of the royal court made me realise just how vulnerable Anne became as her relationship with the King soured and the much longed for male heir never arrived.

Cleverly, and imaginatively written, the story has enough historical detail to make the narrative realistic, with some interesting additions. I especially enjoyed learning more about Anne’s wider family, particularly her grandmother, Margaret Butler, of whom I knew very little. In any account of Anne Boleyn I want there to be a happier ending for her however, time stands as it is and the tragedy of her tragically short life inevitably evolves as history dictates. 

In The House of Boleyn this respected historian has given us a refreshingly different look at Anne, from her relationship with her family, friends and servants, to Anne’s deep abiding affection for Hever Castle. I am delighted to make it my Favourite Read of the Month for April.

About the Author

Tracy Borman OBE is Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull. Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth’s Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.

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📖 Book Review ~ The Wives of Henry VIII by Jessica Carey - Bunning

Pen and Sword
30 January 2026
My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

The Wives of Henry VIII:Rethinking the Stories behind the Symbols examines some of the small details about the six wives of Henry VIII that are often overlooked. This book is a revisionist close study that moves beyond the traditional narratives to present fresh, more nuanced perspectives. Focusing on significant moments and aspects that inform and showcase who these women were. Throughout these chapters, new research, fresh analysis, and remarkable discoveries come together to offer a deeper understanding of the women we know as the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

We begin with a re-evaluation of Catherine of Aragon’s name through the lens of her family history and how it shaped her life, followed by an analysis of Catherine’s financial situation after the annulment. 

Anne Boleyn is considered in relation to her role in the Chateau Vert pageant, followed by an analysis of her use of French and English gable hoods, which includes a discussion of an incredible, newly discovered contemporary image of Anne. 

Jane Seymour’s religion and unpopularity are each examined in turn to uncover fresh perspectives on Henry’s third queen. 

Anna of Cleves adaption to life in England is discussed, followed by her life and status under Edward VI and Mary I.

Katherine Howard’s performance of queenship is re-evaluated, as well as the connections between herself and her cousin, Anne Boleyn. 

Finally, apocryphal tales of Kateryn Parr’s rise to the throne are reassessed, followed by an examination of how close she came to arrest and execution.

📖 My Review..

The Six Wives of Henry VIII continue to be endlessly fascinating and even though we sometimes look at these marriages through the rosy glow of five hundred years we occasionally need to stop and consider the women behind the marriages and the legacy they each left behind. Whilst each of their turbulent marriages to this infamous King are well documented, this new accounts offers a different look at each of the wives and what defined them and highlights how they fit into history.

The wives are mentioned in chronological order with Catherine of Aragon coming first and finishing with that of Kateryn Parr’s story at the end of Henry’s lifetime. Each of the Queens are written about with a fine eye for detail and there is a strong sense the book has been well written and researched. The author writes well, describing the Tudor court and customs in enough detail to make the book readable without being too complicated. I love the colour of the book’s cover, the Tudor green, so associated with Henry’s court, along with the red and white roses, gives an authentic feel. The vibrancy of the cover would certainly make me pick the book up in a bookshop to have a closer look. Overall,  I found this to be an informative read with snippets of information I had forgotten or not known.

I am sure that The Wives of Henry VIII will appeal to anyone who enjoys Tudor history and who is interested in a different view on the lives of these six extraordinary women who played such an important role in Henry’s life and of the tragic consequences of their relationships with this irascible King of England.

🍷 Best read with…a goblet of strong red wine

About the Author 

Jessica Carey-Bunning is a Tudor historian and PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide. She fell in love with history after seeing a copy of the Magna Carta on a trip with her parents when she was five years old. Jessica began the Tudor Treasures website and Facebook page in 2022. She lives in Sydney with her husband, son, and cat. This book is the culmination of decades of passion and research.