Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All

The wives of Henry VIII tell all in this collection which gives each wife their own voice to talk about their life before Henry, during their courtship, and on their way to their end, whether at a nunnery, on the block, or in childbed. If you like historical fiction and enjoy unique voices and points of view, this is the book for you. As someone who has read A LOT about Henry VIII, I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I thought I would be (I thought it would be more of a My Lady Jane type modernization/unique telling) but I appreciate the unique voice of each wife and how it will introduce new readers to one of the most fascinating monarchs ever.

Here’s the Amazon blurb:

The tragic lives of Henry VIII and his six wives are reimagined by seven acclaimed and bestselling authors in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of Wolf Hall and Netflix’s The Crown.

He was King Henry VIII, a charismatic and extravagant ruler obsessed with both his power as king and with siring a male heir.

They were his queens–six ill-fated women, each bound for divorce, or beheading, or death.

Watch spellbound as each of Henry’s wives attempts to survive their unpredictable king and his power-hungry court. See the sword flash as fiery Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery. Follow Jane Seymour as she rises from bullied court maiden to beloved queen, only to die after giving birth. Feel Catherine Howard’s terror as old lovers resurface and whisper vicious rumors to Henry’s influential advisors. Experience the heartache of mothers as they lose son after son, heir after heir.

Told in stirring first-person accounts, Fatal Throne is at once provocative and heartbreaking, an epic tale that is also an intimate look at the royalty of the most perilous times in English history.

This book explores every wife of Henry VIII, but each tells their own story in their own way. Many begin at the end of their lives and reflect back. Others begin at their first glimpse of the king, slowly growing old and stinky with his ulcer-ridden leg. Some know what it coming for them, and others seem blissfully oblivious to court politics until it was too late. This book doesn’t buy into the Anne Boleyn conspiracy theories that she was actually sleeping with her brother, for the record, but it also doesn’t let Catherine Howard get a clean slate like some revisionists would like. If you know about the wives of Henry VIII, you’ll still enjoy this book, but I definitely think it’ll be more of a treat for lesser-informed readers who haven’t read a lot of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir or watched the Tudors. Wow, this book really made me want to rewatch the Tudors though. What a show.

Anyway, this book is ON SALE NOW, and I highly recommend you buy it because who doesn’t love Henry VIII?