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The Queen's Promise
From the bestselling author Lyn Andrews comes a compelling historical epic set at the endlessly fascinating Tudor court about the most infamous woman of the age - Anne Boleyn - and the man who loved her before she became queen. From the moment Henry Percy, the future Earl of Northumberland, first glimpses the beautiful Anne Boleyn he is captivated and quickly proposes marriage. Anne has been taught to use her charms to her advantage and to secure her family's position of power at court. She sees that Henry Percy's affection is sincere and agrees to marry him. But a match of the heart has no place in a world where marriage is a political manoeuvre. Torn apart, the lovers are exiled to separate ends of the kingdom. For Henry a lifetime of duty awaits, while he remains true to the only woman he will ever love. But he is not the only man to be bewitched by Anne. And when King Henry VIII determines to make her his queen, the course of history is changed for ever...
490 pages, Hardcover
First published September 25, 2012
About the author
Lyn Andrews
58 books143 followersLyn Andrews is one of the the UK's top one hundred paper-back bestsellers. Born and brought up in Liverpool, she is the daughter of a policeman who also married a policeman. After becoming the mother of triplets, she took some time off from her writing whilst she raised her children. Shortlisted for the romantic Novelists' Association Award in 1993, she has now written twenty-one hugely successful novels. Lyn Andrews divides her time between Merseyside and Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 11, 2012
The Queen’s Promise by Lyn Andrews was the only Tudor comfort I allowed myself on a recent trip to New Zealand and it did not disappoint!
The novel tells the story of Anne Boleyn, beginning with her birth and ending just after her execution but it is much more than just another account of the main events of Anne’s queenship. The focus on her early life and relationship with Henry Percy, the future Earl of Northumberland, sets it apart from the bulk of novels I have read.
Just as intriguing as Anne’s story is the story of the life of Henry Percy, a character whose loyalty, courage, integrity and resilience – in the face of often humiliating adversity – endeared him to me from the very beginning and maintained my interest until the very end.
I became so immersed in Henry’s world that like his squire, the fictitious Will Chatton rescued from the harsh realities of life on the border, I was desperate to protect Henry and shield him from the incessant machinations of the Tudor court.
But life for Henry at home in Northumberland was just as risky, faced with the ever-present threat of a Scottish attack. Andrews brings to life the brutality and lawlessness of the Border in such detail that on several occasions I was reduced to tears.
The inclusion of the Chatton family adds momentum and interest to the story, giving the reader a glimpse into the life of the lower and merchant classes in England, elements rarely weaved into fictional accounts of the life of Anne Boleyn.
The combination of wonderfully complex characters, emotive and compelling storytelling and vivid descriptions, results in an absorbing and highly engaging story that will appeal to all lovers of historical fiction.
Andrews has clearly done her research and for the most part, stays true to the facts. I absolutely loved the inclusion of a scene depicting the birth of Anne Boleyn at Blickling Hall but in my heart I wished that the author had chosen 1501 as her birth year rather than 1507, as the documented events of Anne’s life sit more comfortably with me with an earlier birth date. Of course there are those adamant that Anne was born in 1507 but if that were the case, it would almost certainly have been at Hever Castle, where the family moved to in 1505 or early 1506.
This is just my personal preference and not a criticism, this is historical fiction after all.
The Queen’s Promise has left me thinking about Henry Percy and wanting to learn more about his life; for the most part spent battling illness, border warfare and other challenges, including a very unhappy marriage to the daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Inspiring interest in the real people and events of the time – the mark of great historical fiction!
In a word, unmissable!
http://www.onthetudortrail.com
The novel tells the story of Anne Boleyn, beginning with her birth and ending just after her execution but it is much more than just another account of the main events of Anne’s queenship. The focus on her early life and relationship with Henry Percy, the future Earl of Northumberland, sets it apart from the bulk of novels I have read.
Just as intriguing as Anne’s story is the story of the life of Henry Percy, a character whose loyalty, courage, integrity and resilience – in the face of often humiliating adversity – endeared him to me from the very beginning and maintained my interest until the very end.
I became so immersed in Henry’s world that like his squire, the fictitious Will Chatton rescued from the harsh realities of life on the border, I was desperate to protect Henry and shield him from the incessant machinations of the Tudor court.
But life for Henry at home in Northumberland was just as risky, faced with the ever-present threat of a Scottish attack. Andrews brings to life the brutality and lawlessness of the Border in such detail that on several occasions I was reduced to tears.
The inclusion of the Chatton family adds momentum and interest to the story, giving the reader a glimpse into the life of the lower and merchant classes in England, elements rarely weaved into fictional accounts of the life of Anne Boleyn.
The combination of wonderfully complex characters, emotive and compelling storytelling and vivid descriptions, results in an absorbing and highly engaging story that will appeal to all lovers of historical fiction.
Andrews has clearly done her research and for the most part, stays true to the facts. I absolutely loved the inclusion of a scene depicting the birth of Anne Boleyn at Blickling Hall but in my heart I wished that the author had chosen 1501 as her birth year rather than 1507, as the documented events of Anne’s life sit more comfortably with me with an earlier birth date. Of course there are those adamant that Anne was born in 1507 but if that were the case, it would almost certainly have been at Hever Castle, where the family moved to in 1505 or early 1506.
This is just my personal preference and not a criticism, this is historical fiction after all.
The Queen’s Promise has left me thinking about Henry Percy and wanting to learn more about his life; for the most part spent battling illness, border warfare and other challenges, including a very unhappy marriage to the daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Inspiring interest in the real people and events of the time – the mark of great historical fiction!
In a word, unmissable!
http://www.onthetudortrail.com
September 3, 2020
Another novel based on Anne Boleyn, you could be forgiven for rolling your eyes. However, I quite liked the unique spin on this one. Rather than the story being completely about Anne, it actually centres more on Henry Percy, her teenage sweetheart, eventually 6th Earl of Northumberland. I’ve never read a novel from his perspective before, and I quite liked that it was different to everything else in that way. Another thing that I liked about this book was the fact that there was a reasonable portion of chapters dedicated to Anne’s childhood at the courts of Margaret of Austria, and Francis I of France. Most authors telling Anne’s story usually skip to when she first appeared in the English court. Another unique thing about this book is that there is a large amount of the story told from the viewpoint of Henry Percy’s (fictional) squire, Will Chatton. This allows the reader to understand the border warfare in which the Percy family were responsible for enforcing the laws of the king and subsequently the punishment of the king when these laws were broken. It also allows the reader to see an insight into the lives of regular, common people in Tudor England.
I wouldn’t necessarily say this novel sticks 100% to the facts, but I’m actually ok with it. You can tell that Andrews has researched the topic thoroughly, and that’s what’s important. I was interested in the fact that she portrays Anne as the elder sibling rather than the younger of the two sisters. And she also has Anne’s birthdate as 1507 as opposed to 1501. The date has been disputed by historians for many years.
I wouldn’t necessarily say this novel sticks 100% to the facts, but I’m actually ok with it. You can tell that Andrews has researched the topic thoroughly, and that’s what’s important. I was interested in the fact that she portrays Anne as the elder sibling rather than the younger of the two sisters. And she also has Anne’s birthdate as 1507 as opposed to 1501. The date has been disputed by historians for many years.
July 6, 2024
As the eldest of three brothers, Henry Percy is being educated to become the next Duke Of Northumberland. But Henry is a sweet natured boy who loves poetry with a poor constitution, which doesn’t match with the harsh climate in the North of England where rebellious Scots are constantly crossing the border to burn down towns and steal cattle. Henry, along with his squire Will Catton, is sent to London to learn the ways of the court under Cardinal Wolsey. At court he meets Anne, the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, and he is immediately smitten with her.
I bought The queen’s promise once and it has been sitting on my shelf unread for a long time because books in which Anne Boleyn features heavily often disappoint. So I did not have very high expectations and that’s exactly why I found this book quite good.
The novel is mainly about Henry Percy, Anne’s first love interest. We learn a lot about Henry, such as the debts he inherits from his father, his ill-fated marriage with Mary Talbot, his relationship with Wolsey, his two brothers with whom he does not really get along and the hard life in the North of England (where the Pilgrimage of Grace will later break out). Percy’s perspective (and even his possible pre-contract with Anne) hasn’t often been covered in Tudor stories. So this novel offers an interesting take on familiar events.
Together with his father, Henry saves a youngster during an attack in the North and this Will Catton becomes his squire and friend. We follow the life of the fictional Will who tries to earn some money on his own and befriends the lawyer Robert Aske. I personally really enjoyed reading about Will, even though he did not exist. It tells us a bit more about the life of the common men back then.
A third perspective is that of Anne Boleyn, but she appears very sparsely. The first scenes at Margaret of Austria’s court in Mechelen (I like to give the Dutch name of the town ;)) were somewhat implausible. Anne is six then and the things she says are just not believable. But after that, things improve. We get to know Anne as someone who does harbour some feelings for Percy and later for the king, but who also has ambition and wants to help her family get ahead. A balanced view, which I liked.
In the end, events move quickly (although it’s quite a big book). Once Anne is queen we are left with barely 50 pages to depict her triumph as queen and her downfall. So that was all a bit too fast, but I had no major problems with how the story ended.
The queen’s promise is just an entertaining story about the Tudor court. Not bad for someone who normally writes chick-lits.
Dutch review:
Henry Percy wordt als oudste van drie broers opgeleid om de volgende Duke Of Northumberland te worden. Maar hij is een zachtaardige jongen die van poezië houdt met een zwakke gezondheid, en dan is het klimaat in het Noorden van Engeland, met rebellerende Schotten die voortdurend de grens oversteken en huizen platbranden niet ideaal. Henry wordt samen met zijn schildknaap Will naar Londen gestuurd om aan het hof onder kardinaal Wolsey de knepen van het vak te leren. Daar ontmoet hij Anne, de dochter van opkomend man Thomas Boleyn en de vonk slaat over.
The queen's promise heb ik ooit eens op de kop getikt en staat al heel lang ongelezen in de kast omdat boeken waarin Anne Boleyn een grote hoofdrol speelt vaak tegenvallen. Ik had dus niet zo'n hoge verwachtingen en dat is exact de reden dat ik dit boek dik oké vond.
Het boek gaat hoofdzakelijk over Henry Percy. Zijn vader redt een jonge van zijn leeftijd tijdens een ovrval in het Noorden en Will Catton wordt zo Henry's schildknaap maar vriend. We volgen ook het leven van de fictieve Will die zelf een centje probeert bij te verdienen en bevriend raakt met de advocaat Robert Aske. Ik vond Will zelf heel fijn om over te lezen, ook al heeft ie niet bestaan. Het vertelt wat meer over het leven van de gewone man toen.
Een derde perspectief is dat van Anne Boleyn, maar zij komt maar heel karig aan het woord. De eerste scènes aan het hof van Margareta Van Oostenrijk in Mechelen waren wat ongeloofwaardig. Anne is daar zes en de dingen die ze dan zegt, zijn gewoon niet geloofwaardig. Maar daarna betert het fel. We leren Anne kennen als iemand die wel degelijk een zekere mate van gevoelens koestert voor Percy en later voor de koning, maar die ook wel wat ambitie heeft en haar familie vooruit wil helpen. Een gebalanceerde blik dus.
Over Henry Percy leren we ook veel, zoals de schulden die hij erft van zijn vader, zijn noodlottig huwelijk, zijn relatie met Wolsey, zijn twee broers waar hij niet echt mee overeen komt én het harde leven in het Noorden van Engeland (waar later de opstand zal uitbreken). Percy's perspectief is nog niet vaak aan bod gekomen in Tudor verhalen, dus ik vond dit fijn.
Het einde gaat snel, eens Anne koningin is rest er ons nog 50 pagina's om haar triomf als koningin en haar ondergang weer te geven. Dat ging dus allemaal iets te snel, maar ik had geen grote problemen met hoe het verhaal is uitgewerkt.
Dus nee, geen verhaal dat me van mijn stoel heeft geblazen, maar gewoon een entertainend verhaal over het Tudorhof met een goede invalshoek. Niet slecht voor iemand die normaal chicklits schrijft.
I bought The queen’s promise once and it has been sitting on my shelf unread for a long time because books in which Anne Boleyn features heavily often disappoint. So I did not have very high expectations and that’s exactly why I found this book quite good.
The novel is mainly about Henry Percy, Anne’s first love interest. We learn a lot about Henry, such as the debts he inherits from his father, his ill-fated marriage with Mary Talbot, his relationship with Wolsey, his two brothers with whom he does not really get along and the hard life in the North of England (where the Pilgrimage of Grace will later break out). Percy’s perspective (and even his possible pre-contract with Anne) hasn’t often been covered in Tudor stories. So this novel offers an interesting take on familiar events.
Together with his father, Henry saves a youngster during an attack in the North and this Will Catton becomes his squire and friend. We follow the life of the fictional Will who tries to earn some money on his own and befriends the lawyer Robert Aske. I personally really enjoyed reading about Will, even though he did not exist. It tells us a bit more about the life of the common men back then.
A third perspective is that of Anne Boleyn, but she appears very sparsely. The first scenes at Margaret of Austria’s court in Mechelen (I like to give the Dutch name of the town ;)) were somewhat implausible. Anne is six then and the things she says are just not believable. But after that, things improve. We get to know Anne as someone who does harbour some feelings for Percy and later for the king, but who also has ambition and wants to help her family get ahead. A balanced view, which I liked.
In the end, events move quickly (although it’s quite a big book). Once Anne is queen we are left with barely 50 pages to depict her triumph as queen and her downfall. So that was all a bit too fast, but I had no major problems with how the story ended.
The queen’s promise is just an entertaining story about the Tudor court. Not bad for someone who normally writes chick-lits.
Dutch review:
Henry Percy wordt als oudste van drie broers opgeleid om de volgende Duke Of Northumberland te worden. Maar hij is een zachtaardige jongen die van poezië houdt met een zwakke gezondheid, en dan is het klimaat in het Noorden van Engeland, met rebellerende Schotten die voortdurend de grens oversteken en huizen platbranden niet ideaal. Henry wordt samen met zijn schildknaap Will naar Londen gestuurd om aan het hof onder kardinaal Wolsey de knepen van het vak te leren. Daar ontmoet hij Anne, de dochter van opkomend man Thomas Boleyn en de vonk slaat over.
The queen's promise heb ik ooit eens op de kop getikt en staat al heel lang ongelezen in de kast omdat boeken waarin Anne Boleyn een grote hoofdrol speelt vaak tegenvallen. Ik had dus niet zo'n hoge verwachtingen en dat is exact de reden dat ik dit boek dik oké vond.
Het boek gaat hoofdzakelijk over Henry Percy. Zijn vader redt een jonge van zijn leeftijd tijdens een ovrval in het Noorden en Will Catton wordt zo Henry's schildknaap maar vriend. We volgen ook het leven van de fictieve Will die zelf een centje probeert bij te verdienen en bevriend raakt met de advocaat Robert Aske. Ik vond Will zelf heel fijn om over te lezen, ook al heeft ie niet bestaan. Het vertelt wat meer over het leven van de gewone man toen.
Een derde perspectief is dat van Anne Boleyn, maar zij komt maar heel karig aan het woord. De eerste scènes aan het hof van Margareta Van Oostenrijk in Mechelen waren wat ongeloofwaardig. Anne is daar zes en de dingen die ze dan zegt, zijn gewoon niet geloofwaardig. Maar daarna betert het fel. We leren Anne kennen als iemand die wel degelijk een zekere mate van gevoelens koestert voor Percy en later voor de koning, maar die ook wel wat ambitie heeft en haar familie vooruit wil helpen. Een gebalanceerde blik dus.
Over Henry Percy leren we ook veel, zoals de schulden die hij erft van zijn vader, zijn noodlottig huwelijk, zijn relatie met Wolsey, zijn twee broers waar hij niet echt mee overeen komt én het harde leven in het Noorden van Engeland (waar later de opstand zal uitbreken). Percy's perspectief is nog niet vaak aan bod gekomen in Tudor verhalen, dus ik vond dit fijn.
Het einde gaat snel, eens Anne koningin is rest er ons nog 50 pagina's om haar triomf als koningin en haar ondergang weer te geven. Dat ging dus allemaal iets te snel, maar ik had geen grote problemen met hoe het verhaal is uitgewerkt.
Dus nee, geen verhaal dat me van mijn stoel heeft geblazen, maar gewoon een entertainend verhaal over het Tudorhof met een goede invalshoek. Niet slecht voor iemand die normaal chicklits schrijft.
December 12, 2023
A story of the link between Anne Boleyn and Harry Percy. Anne's story and Harry's running side by side and how differently their lives turned out and their fortune's differed, ending with Anne's execution on Tower Green and Harry's demise approximately twelve months after Anne's execution. A sad tale, in many ways, of love and loss.
October 5, 2022
Probably the worst book about Anne Boleyn I've read - I say "about Anne Boleyn" as that's what the blurb says. In reality, she's hardly in it! Most of the book revolves around Henry Percy ( of whom we know little) or Will Chatton and his wife ( both entirely fictional characters). Anne herself seems to be added purely as a foot-note most of the time. The year 1525 gets all of 3 pages, and has Anne leaving Hever Castle, which has no significance at all, apart from reminding readers who the book is supposed to feature ( at this point she's been asent for 33 pages and is not in again for another 40 pages. I'd not recommend this to anyone, sad to say.
February 22, 2020
I thought this was a good book and I liked the fact that it was told by nobility but also a common man. I don’t think it was particularly ground breaking or historically perfect but I enjoyed it and that’s what matters.
June 24, 2019
The story of Anne Boleyn, a good read. Some of it is factual and some of it is not.
Given to me by a friend to read and enjoy, which I did.
Given to me by a friend to read and enjoy, which I did.
August 19, 2020
The Tudor period always fascinates me and although this book is written with a huge slab of artistic license it still makes for an entertaining read.
March 28, 2020
Still struggling 😞 I actually really want to get to the end of this book. However I am trying my best to finish it.
Feeling fed up and it isn't helping me one bit 😢
Well...I finished it eventually.
Feeling fed up and it isn't helping me one bit 😢
Well...I finished it eventually.
December 1, 2019
The story of Anne Boleyn and Henry Percy and although the story of Anne is well-known very little is known of Henry Percy, so the majority of this story is pure guesswork. The redeeming factor was the historical detail into which the author went and this is what kept me reading.
July 14, 2013
There are so many Anne Boleyn novels these days jumping on The Other Boleyn Girl’s bandwagon that I’m beginning to get weary of it all. Naturally authors are on the lookout for the unique spin that they can give their Anne novel to make it stand out from the others. This novel’s spin is that it’s told from the dual perspective of Anne Boleyn and Henry Percy, sometime Duke of Northumberland. Could be interesting, I thought to myself when I picked this book up, I certainly haven't read that angle before.
The problem is that Anne and Henry Percy's love was pure and true until evil Cardinal Wolsey tore them apart and Henry’s mean father dragged him back up north, resulting in his miserable marriage to a harridan of a woman and Anne deciding she’ll seduce the king so that one day Wolsey will pay!!!! Sigh. Yeah. Such a pity, but this turned out to be another cliché-ridden, stereotype-laden, fact-cherry-picking, angle-pushing mess.
But let me talk about what I did like. I liked the fact that the novel spent more time on Anne’s early years and her education than most Anne Boleyn novels do, but even so those scenes felt a little thinly sketched, and after that the book started to lose me. I also liked the fact that the book goes with the 1507 CE birth year for Anne (I was won over by Gareth Russell's cogent argument for that date over 1501). But somehow the novel still has Mary Boleyn as Anne's younger sister, even after choosing a 1507 date of birth for Anne. The evidence strongly suggests that Mary was Anne's elder sister, whichever of the two proposed years Anne was born. Again, this just makes me think The Queen's Promise is jumping on The Other Boleyn Girl's bandwagon - TOBG strangely also had a younger Mary Boleyn.
Anne and Henry Percy’s romance was one-dimensional and totally cliché. I cared nothing whatsoever for fictional Will Chatton’s character and after a while found myself skipping his chapters. Worst of all, the most interesting part of Anne’s life, from when she becomes queen to her shocking death, are hastily rushed over right at the end of the novel, and then the novel just ends, after meandering over a couple of pointless scenes with Percy (which I would guess were inserted just because Andrews found a mention in the records of Percy doing something after Anne’s death).
Disappointed. I've read far worse, by a long way, but The Queen's Promise isn't fulfilled, for me.
3 out of 10
December 13, 2012
Yes, it's another Tudor historical novel and yes, it's another Tudor historical novel about Anne Boleyn!
This one I think is worth reading though. Although Anne carries one of the main narrative threads the book is really more about Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who had some sort of understanding with Anne before she caught the eye of that other Henry. I don't think his life is as well documented as other more prominent figures at court, but there is enough information there to give a foundation to his story. Our other main character is Will Chatton, who, along with his wife, is a fictional character created to give us a broader view of Tudor society and to assist Henry Percy and move the narrative along. Will is also friends in the novel with Robert Aske, who was a real historical figure.
Henry Percy has not generally been given much prominence, even in fiction, so this was a new angle, drawing out his character. His is not really a happy story, but he is certainly a sympathetic character and the author uses the forced break up of their relationship as a sort of catalyst for the change in Anne's behaviour to a harder outlook, so the reader can still sympathise with her. One thing that does puzzle me in 'real' history, and which I feel the author didn't convincingly explain in her own narrative, was why it was found necessary to break up Anne and Henry's relationship? That point aside, I thought this was a good read and a bit different to the usual court focused novels.
This one I think is worth reading though. Although Anne carries one of the main narrative threads the book is really more about Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who had some sort of understanding with Anne before she caught the eye of that other Henry. I don't think his life is as well documented as other more prominent figures at court, but there is enough information there to give a foundation to his story. Our other main character is Will Chatton, who, along with his wife, is a fictional character created to give us a broader view of Tudor society and to assist Henry Percy and move the narrative along. Will is also friends in the novel with Robert Aske, who was a real historical figure.
Henry Percy has not generally been given much prominence, even in fiction, so this was a new angle, drawing out his character. His is not really a happy story, but he is certainly a sympathetic character and the author uses the forced break up of their relationship as a sort of catalyst for the change in Anne's behaviour to a harder outlook, so the reader can still sympathise with her. One thing that does puzzle me in 'real' history, and which I feel the author didn't convincingly explain in her own narrative, was why it was found necessary to break up Anne and Henry's relationship? That point aside, I thought this was a good read and a bit different to the usual court focused novels.
October 5, 2018
The well-known story of Anne Boleyn is told mostly through the eyes of Henry Percy, an English nobleman who was in love with Anne. That viewpoint was really interesting and was the best thing about the book.
Almost everything else was a cliche. The author used overly-worn descriptions such as "avoid her like the plague", "tissue of lies", and "overweening arrogance" (although, to be fair, the author consistently used the creative misspelling "over-weaning"). The writing was boring and uninspired. How could the story of Anne Boleyn written from a fresh perspective be boring? Somehow, Lyn Andrews, accomplished it.
It appears that the author's idea of historic place and time is defined by clothing. Every button and pearl worn by every character is described in long, painful detail. After the 20th or so description of long, flowing sleeves, I was skipping the clothing bits.
There were dozens of stock characters. The only really interesting character was Will Chatton, a fictional squire to the real-life Henry Percy.
Over all, it was not an especially satisfying read. It felt amateurish, almost as though history details were being inserted and checked off a list. It lacked subtlety, imagination, and spark.
Almost everything else was a cliche. The author used overly-worn descriptions such as "avoid her like the plague", "tissue of lies", and "overweening arrogance" (although, to be fair, the author consistently used the creative misspelling "over-weaning"). The writing was boring and uninspired. How could the story of Anne Boleyn written from a fresh perspective be boring? Somehow, Lyn Andrews, accomplished it.
It appears that the author's idea of historic place and time is defined by clothing. Every button and pearl worn by every character is described in long, painful detail. After the 20th or so description of long, flowing sleeves, I was skipping the clothing bits.
There were dozens of stock characters. The only really interesting character was Will Chatton, a fictional squire to the real-life Henry Percy.
Over all, it was not an especially satisfying read. It felt amateurish, almost as though history details were being inserted and checked off a list. It lacked subtlety, imagination, and spark.
November 11, 2014
Another Anne Boleyn novel. Its point of difference from the others is that it focuses on her relationship with Henry Percy.
The prose wasn't to my liking. Too many grammatical errors, particulary broken sentences with commas instead of periods, and some spelling errors which made my eye twitch.
Also, vivacious. Everytime Henry thinks of Anne, he thinks about her vivacity. She's really vivacious. I FREAKING GET IT.
The characters weren't too believable either. I can accept Henry as a soft and sensitive soul, but Anne was presented as way too sweet and eager to please at the start. The scene where her father is telling her what to do, and she just lowers her eyes because although she didn't want to do it, she always obeyed her father. Not believable. If you were that submissive, you wouldn't even think that. You would just obey. And then when she had a chance at becoming queen, Henry just couldn't believe the woman that she had turned into. But ... the woman she turned into didn't actually seem that bad.
Not a great read for me, and won't be reading anything else from this author.
The prose wasn't to my liking. Too many grammatical errors, particulary broken sentences with commas instead of periods, and some spelling errors which made my eye twitch.
Also, vivacious. Everytime Henry thinks of Anne, he thinks about her vivacity. She's really vivacious. I FREAKING GET IT.
The characters weren't too believable either. I can accept Henry as a soft and sensitive soul, but Anne was presented as way too sweet and eager to please at the start. The scene where her father is telling her what to do, and she just lowers her eyes because although she didn't want to do it, she always obeyed her father. Not believable. If you were that submissive, you wouldn't even think that. You would just obey. And then when she had a chance at becoming queen, Henry just couldn't believe the woman that she had turned into. But ... the woman she turned into didn't actually seem that bad.
Not a great read for me, and won't be reading anything else from this author.
November 11, 2019
I really wish I could’ve enjoyed this book more than I did. I absolutely adore Tudor fiction and especially anything to do with Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn but this really didn’t put me in Bookish Glee.
I feel that the characters would really fleshed out properly for me, Anne Boleyn is such a strong dynamic female that Her portrayal in this book seems watered-down.
I feel that the characters would really fleshed out properly for me, Anne Boleyn is such a strong dynamic female that Her portrayal in this book seems watered-down.
November 28, 2017
Nott my cup of tea & I gave up before finishing it.
October 11, 2020
One of the best book on Anne Boleyn I've ever read, maybe because the author actually bothered to develop the other characters in the background. We are seeing Anne through their eyes. The only downside is, there is too little parts about Anne, esp after she and Henry Tudor got together. I feel like the author could have given us a riveting take on Anne had she written more scenes from her perspective. Still much much better than The Other Boleyn Girl tho.. So, maybe a completely different book focusing completely on her and Harry Percy instead of Harry Percy and Will Sommers?
March 31, 2020
116 pages...that’s all I can’t tolerate it anymore. It’s the story or the writer I don’t know...but according my experience I have previously read ‘Days of Hope’ from Lyn Andrews and didn’t like the story...I couldn’t connect to the characters nor was the story interesting. I wouldn’t recommend it.
April 27, 2017
Henry Percy is not the fighter or dominant son that his father wants. He has no interest in the prospect of marrying Lady Mary Talbot or taking up duties dispensing justice on local thugs and raiding Scots. It is at Court where Henry is sent to make contacts to please his father under the eye of family enemy Cardinal Woolsey. It is there that Henry Percy loses his heart to the new girl at Court Anne Boleyn. But the Cardinal and King are determined to do anything they can to ruin this union. The furious Anne swears revenge on Woolsey for destroying her love match.
I had a few issues with the historical facts in this book. I am of the opinion that Mary Boleyn, not Anne was the older sister. Mary was married first, went to the English Court first and was the King's Mistress first. I don't have an issue with the author having a different view but it does change the order of events from what is generally accepted in other books I have read. It is generally written that the King ordered the end of the affair because he wanted Anne for himself but in this book, he was still happy with Mary Boleyn. I found this a little off-putting but it wasn't a deal breaker and did not change my overall rating of the book as that would have been a bit petty. It is historical fiction after all!
I liked Henry. He was intelligent, quiet and respectful, loved reading and living a quiet life. He in many ways represents the perfect Tudor husband and I can see why Anne liked him. I had sympathy for the fact that he cannot choose his wife or path in life. He is landed with the wife from hell in the horrific Lady Mary, who gives Jane Rochford a run for her money. What a vile creature she is! It is baffling why she is so jealous of Henry's love for Anne as she has never spoken a kind word to her husband or tried to be a wife to him. The story of her being determined to miscarry his son out of spite and then claim he poisoned her is just appalling.
The version of Anne in this book is sympathetic-overly so in my opinion. There is nothing in the book about all her remarks at wanting the Queen dead and the terrible behaviour meted out to Katherine and her daughter Mary, and anyone who supported her. Anne's vicious tongue was often used against friends and turned many against her like Cromwell. Again, this did not greatly bother me because it is a book about Anne and I like to see different versions of her character. So it was interesting to view the author's opinion of her and have that revenge theme occuring.
I'm always wary of fictional characters being inserted into a well known fact based fiction but Will was a good choice. Rescued by Henry's father from border thugs. Will becomes a servant of young Henry and remains his faithful friend. I felt it added extra interest to the book and I enjoyed getting to see some of the outbreaks of violence in the North that the Percy family would have had to deal with on a regular basis. Also the details about the cold castles and the illnesses that it caused help to add realism to the story. I also liked seeing more of the Percy family and having the Earl as a kinder man than he was usually portayed. I liked that it was Woolsey, not his father, who forced Henry to marry Lady Mary. Woolsey was always looming as an enemy and forcing the Percy's to do things they didn't want to do. This was intriguing. One of my favourite additions to the book was Robert Aske, the aspiring young lawyer, being friends with Will. This was a great idea and I loved the scenes he was in.
My only problem with the book was the decision to take 181 pages for Henry and Anne to meet. By page 223 their relationship is over. I would have liked to see less of the frankly uninspiring snippets of Anne in Europe which added nothing to the plot, and more of the budding relationship before they were forced apart. For a book called The Queen's Promise, we barely see Anne as Queen and from coronation (p433) to death (p484) is so rushed! We hardly even see King Henry! I wish that we had explored more of Anne as Queen and how the change of religion caused uprest in the North for Henry to have to deal with. As the book was mostly about Henry, WHY could we not have seem Henry, Will and Robert caught up in the Pilgrimage of Grace? I would have loved an emotional end to the book with Will and Henry mourning Robert's terrible death! This was more interesting to me than the childhood stuff that took up so much time in the book.
This is why the book is getting 3 stars. The author told a story that was engaging and entertaining but the most important part of Henry's life in the North-the rebellion-was only mentioned in the author's notes. I find it a bit bizarre to go to all the trouble of introducing the politics of the North and Robert Aske into the book and then not include the rebellion that he led against Cromwell's reforms. This would have been such a gripping end to the book! Instead Aske's fate get two lines in the author's notes. That was such a disappointment to me! This is still a good book but it could have been a great book with a bit more thought.
I had a few issues with the historical facts in this book. I am of the opinion that Mary Boleyn, not Anne was the older sister. Mary was married first, went to the English Court first and was the King's Mistress first. I don't have an issue with the author having a different view but it does change the order of events from what is generally accepted in other books I have read. It is generally written that the King ordered the end of the affair because he wanted Anne for himself but in this book, he was still happy with Mary Boleyn. I found this a little off-putting but it wasn't a deal breaker and did not change my overall rating of the book as that would have been a bit petty. It is historical fiction after all!
I liked Henry. He was intelligent, quiet and respectful, loved reading and living a quiet life. He in many ways represents the perfect Tudor husband and I can see why Anne liked him. I had sympathy for the fact that he cannot choose his wife or path in life. He is landed with the wife from hell in the horrific Lady Mary, who gives Jane Rochford a run for her money. What a vile creature she is! It is baffling why she is so jealous of Henry's love for Anne as she has never spoken a kind word to her husband or tried to be a wife to him. The story of her being determined to miscarry his son out of spite and then claim he poisoned her is just appalling.
The version of Anne in this book is sympathetic-overly so in my opinion. There is nothing in the book about all her remarks at wanting the Queen dead and the terrible behaviour meted out to Katherine and her daughter Mary, and anyone who supported her. Anne's vicious tongue was often used against friends and turned many against her like Cromwell. Again, this did not greatly bother me because it is a book about Anne and I like to see different versions of her character. So it was interesting to view the author's opinion of her and have that revenge theme occuring.
I'm always wary of fictional characters being inserted into a well known fact based fiction but Will was a good choice. Rescued by Henry's father from border thugs. Will becomes a servant of young Henry and remains his faithful friend. I felt it added extra interest to the book and I enjoyed getting to see some of the outbreaks of violence in the North that the Percy family would have had to deal with on a regular basis. Also the details about the cold castles and the illnesses that it caused help to add realism to the story. I also liked seeing more of the Percy family and having the Earl as a kinder man than he was usually portayed. I liked that it was Woolsey, not his father, who forced Henry to marry Lady Mary. Woolsey was always looming as an enemy and forcing the Percy's to do things they didn't want to do. This was intriguing. One of my favourite additions to the book was Robert Aske, the aspiring young lawyer, being friends with Will. This was a great idea and I loved the scenes he was in.
My only problem with the book was the decision to take 181 pages for Henry and Anne to meet. By page 223 their relationship is over. I would have liked to see less of the frankly uninspiring snippets of Anne in Europe which added nothing to the plot, and more of the budding relationship before they were forced apart. For a book called The Queen's Promise, we barely see Anne as Queen and from coronation (p433) to death (p484) is so rushed! We hardly even see King Henry! I wish that we had explored more of Anne as Queen and how the change of religion caused uprest in the North for Henry to have to deal with. As the book was mostly about Henry, WHY could we not have seem Henry, Will and Robert caught up in the Pilgrimage of Grace? I would have loved an emotional end to the book with Will and Henry mourning Robert's terrible death! This was more interesting to me than the childhood stuff that took up so much time in the book.
This is why the book is getting 3 stars. The author told a story that was engaging and entertaining but the most important part of Henry's life in the North-the rebellion-was only mentioned in the author's notes. I find it a bit bizarre to go to all the trouble of introducing the politics of the North and Robert Aske into the book and then not include the rebellion that he led against Cromwell's reforms. This would have been such a gripping end to the book! Instead Aske's fate get two lines in the author's notes. That was such a disappointment to me! This is still a good book but it could have been a great book with a bit more thought.
June 10, 2017
Enjoy this book ,refreshing reading on a much written about Queen.
April 18, 2020
Enjoyable.
I liked how it followed not just Anne Boleyn and showed her relationships with people other than the king.
I liked how it followed not just Anne Boleyn and showed her relationships with people other than the king.
August 28, 2022
A 5⭐️ read this is the sad story of Anne Boleyn and her first love Henry Percy Earl of Northumberland this story follows there lives right up to the execution of Anne
July 26, 2019
Inspired by spending too much time with this book.
June 28, 2020
I loved this story of Anne Boleyn told through the eyes of her first love Harry Percy heir to the earldom of Northumberland. A very well written historical novel utilising the facts into a well woven story.
September 14, 2014
The Queen's Promise looks at Anne Boleyn and her first love, Henry Percy. While many novels about Anne Boleyn mention but then quickly gloss over their short betrothal in order to get to the more interesting events in Anne's life (when she begins to attract King Henry), this novel takes the unique perspective of telling events from Henry Percy's point of view.
There are three main voices in this novel: Henry Percy, Anne Boleyn, and that of a fictional servant, Will Chatton. This allowed us to get a glimpse of life for the common man in the Tudor era, which was very interesting as most novels only focus on the glittering and bejewelled court and the nobility. Through Will Chatton we experience the harsh climate and utter lawlessness of the northern counties, which is often alluded to in very many historical novels of this era.
What I also found to be very interesting was that although the story is about Anne, her voice is heard the least; primarily this novel is about Henry Percy and his love for her, which never died.
This was a very moving and emotional book, coupled with plenty of action and some light-hearted romance in there too. I very much enjoyed this book, and I would certainly recommend it.
However there were times when reading it that I felt the wording was clunky and sounded almost childish, or just didn't read very well. Thankfully this did not detract from the story too much.
It was an excellent novel, definitely worth reading. It was gripping and exciting the whole way through, and it is obvious the author has done her research.
Overall, a great read; 4 out of 5 stars.
There are three main voices in this novel: Henry Percy, Anne Boleyn, and that of a fictional servant, Will Chatton. This allowed us to get a glimpse of life for the common man in the Tudor era, which was very interesting as most novels only focus on the glittering and bejewelled court and the nobility. Through Will Chatton we experience the harsh climate and utter lawlessness of the northern counties, which is often alluded to in very many historical novels of this era.
What I also found to be very interesting was that although the story is about Anne, her voice is heard the least; primarily this novel is about Henry Percy and his love for her, which never died.
This was a very moving and emotional book, coupled with plenty of action and some light-hearted romance in there too. I very much enjoyed this book, and I would certainly recommend it.
However there were times when reading it that I felt the wording was clunky and sounded almost childish, or just didn't read very well. Thankfully this did not detract from the story too much.
It was an excellent novel, definitely worth reading. It was gripping and exciting the whole way through, and it is obvious the author has done her research.
Overall, a great read; 4 out of 5 stars.
October 12, 2013
I know, another Tudor book on my shelf! But this one is a little bit different...
Andrews story focuses on Henry Percy - his relationship with Anne Boleyn, their de futuro betrothal, his dealings with Cardinal Wolsey, position as warden of the marches etc.
Another of the main characters is Henry's squire, the fictional character Will Chatton - the very definition of a self made man. His story weaves with that of Henry Percy, from his beginnings as a starving tenants son, to a literate & wealthy merchant, & a constant companion, supporter & friend to Henry Percy.
The phrasing can be a little clunky, a bit repetitive, and some elements of the story feel glossed over (there probably isn't enough historical information about these things, but the author does warn the reader this is fiction so she could have expanded to make the story more involved).
The enigmatic powerhouse that is our presumption of Anne Boleyn doesn't disappoint (although this presumption is not my personal opinion of her circumstances), her rise & rise & rise followed along as a kind of subplot, with her dramatic fall glossed over in the final chapter & epilogue.
I always enjoy books about the surrounding personalities a bit more than others. I did enjoy this one for that reason, but it did seem to plod & just check the boxes, rather than delve deeper.
Tossing up between 3 & 4 stars - so 3.5.
Andrews story focuses on Henry Percy - his relationship with Anne Boleyn, their de futuro betrothal, his dealings with Cardinal Wolsey, position as warden of the marches etc.
Another of the main characters is Henry's squire, the fictional character Will Chatton - the very definition of a self made man. His story weaves with that of Henry Percy, from his beginnings as a starving tenants son, to a literate & wealthy merchant, & a constant companion, supporter & friend to Henry Percy.
The phrasing can be a little clunky, a bit repetitive, and some elements of the story feel glossed over (there probably isn't enough historical information about these things, but the author does warn the reader this is fiction so she could have expanded to make the story more involved).
The enigmatic powerhouse that is our presumption of Anne Boleyn doesn't disappoint (although this presumption is not my personal opinion of her circumstances), her rise & rise & rise followed along as a kind of subplot, with her dramatic fall glossed over in the final chapter & epilogue.
I always enjoy books about the surrounding personalities a bit more than others. I did enjoy this one for that reason, but it did seem to plod & just check the boxes, rather than delve deeper.
Tossing up between 3 & 4 stars - so 3.5.
December 21, 2016
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.
Note: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher.
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.
Note: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher.
April 4, 2013
I loved this book, which followed the tired and over done story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, but from a much different and fresh angle. Most of the story was from the viewpoint of Henry Percy and his squire Will. This viewpoint really gave the story a fresh appeal. Numerous books have been written from Anne's point of view, but no one has written about this from the sad aspect of Henry Percy who had promised himself in marriage to Anne when she was 16 and he 21. It is believed that Henry Percy had genuinely loved Anne and she him until they forcibly were torn apart by Cardinal Wolsey. It makes you think that if they had allowed Anne to marry Henry Percy, all the awful things that followed afterwards including her beheading, the dissolution of the monasteries the violence and loss of life over the catholic faith might never have happened. The book is well written and it is definitely a fresh viewpoint look at the events of that time through the eyes of the sad Henry Percy. I would highly recommend this book, which is written in a different genre to writer's normal books. This book is well written and for lovers of historical fiction, I would definitely recommend this book.
August 12, 2020
I really enjoyed this take on the life of Anne Boleyn. I have read many books about this period in history and every author, and indeed every reader has a slightly different opinion on these historical famous people.
Lyn Andrews gives us a slightly different look at Anne, starting early in her life when at the age of six she is sent to the Netherlands to learn how to become a sophisticated young lady fit for life at the English court. She is expected to make a good marriage and do well for her family, not treated as a person in her own right simply as a bargaining tool to get a title and lands by marrying well. Anne, however, is a headstrong young lady and starts to use the skills given to her to fulfil an entirely different agenda - to become Queen of England! Doubtless, her family then forced the issue but she was certainly culpable in using her wiles to ensnare the king.
Although my sympathy still lies with Katherine of Aragon I can see how girls at that time were under massive pressure from family to gain the highest position possible.
This is a change from Lyn Andrews' usual type of novel and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical read.
Lyn Andrews gives us a slightly different look at Anne, starting early in her life when at the age of six she is sent to the Netherlands to learn how to become a sophisticated young lady fit for life at the English court. She is expected to make a good marriage and do well for her family, not treated as a person in her own right simply as a bargaining tool to get a title and lands by marrying well. Anne, however, is a headstrong young lady and starts to use the skills given to her to fulfil an entirely different agenda - to become Queen of England! Doubtless, her family then forced the issue but she was certainly culpable in using her wiles to ensnare the king.
Although my sympathy still lies with Katherine of Aragon I can see how girls at that time were under massive pressure from family to gain the highest position possible.
This is a change from Lyn Andrews' usual type of novel and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical read.
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