by Tracy Borman
First published 2026
Thomas Boleyn receives a summons from eighteen-year-old King Henry VIII in 1509. His daughter Anne begs him not to leave Hever Castle for London. She warns him that whatever prize he brings back must be worth the risk. Thomas replies that even a crown might not satisfy her ambitions. This exchange sets in motion three decades of the Boleyn family's dramatic ascent and catastrophic downfall. Anne rises to capture Henry's obsessive attention, but their relationship turns deadly when she fails to produce the male heir he craves. The family navigates the treacherous waters of Tudor court politics, where servants like Anne's devoted attendant Agnes Frideswide and Thomas's treacherous steward Robert Cranwell play crucial roles. Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell circle like predators as rivalries within and between families threaten everyone's survival. Love repeatedly surrenders to ruthless ambition in this tale of fate and political maneuvering.
Genres: biography, drama, historical-fiction, adult-fiction
Vibes: ambitious, dark, dramatic, politically-charged, tragic
Tropes: family-saga, political-intrigue, rise-and-fall, tragic-romance
Setting: Hever Castle, London, Tudor Court
Period: 1509, 16th century, Tudor period
504 pages · Paperback · Charnwood
Content warnings: death, violence