Review – The Queen’s Promise by Lyn Andrews

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Alluring Anne Boleyn knows she is required to use her charm to her
advantage – and secure the status of her family at the Tudor court. She
easily captivates the noblemen, most notably Henry Percy, future Earl of
Northumberland and, hopeful of her father’s approval, Anne agrees to a
secret betrothal.

Controlling Cardinal Wolsey, though, will not
countenance an alliance which could threaten his position. Exiled to the
north, Henry is forced into a marriage of duty, whilst Anne’s fortunes
reverse when she bewitches the King himself. Unwilling to be simply his
mistress, Anne will settle for nothing but the throne. But great power
brings even greater enemies, and Anne’s past actions – and long-kept
secrets – might prove to be her undoing…

Anne Boleyn’s life and subsequent death have been the subject of many,
many books. She was a fascinating woman and her story makes for a
riveting read.

There can’t be many angles left which haven’t
already been explored to tell her story but The Queen’s Promise seems to
have found a refreshing one. It’s told mostly from the viewpoint of
Sir Henry Percy and his squire and really Anne is just one of the
supporting cast, rather than the main focus. This is a story about
Henry, for the most part. Anne is in there, obviously, but the story
most Tudor fans will recognise has been turned inside out and it’s like
being on the inside looking out, rather than the outside looking in.

I
liked that about this book. Henry Percy is usually mentioned briefly
in most other stories about Anne. He was the young gentleman who fell
in love with the young Miss Boleyn and I don’t really know that much
about him but I felt I got to know him so much better, thanks to this
book.

It’s got it’s flaws and sometimes I got frustrated that it
wasn’t heading in the direction I wanted it to follow but overall it’s a
great story which is well told.

A great book for Tudor fans, History fans and romance fans. It’s still a tragic tale but it’s got a bit of everything in here.