An entertaining read, although it does take some liberties with the history. Mary Boleyn was indeed Anne’s older (not younger) sister, and she was indeed Henry VIII’s mistress and bore him two children before her first husband died of plague, after which she remarried far below her rank and left her sister’s court. The rest of the details are a bit fantastical, but who cares? The soapy scheming of the various familial factions keeps the plot moving along nicely. The author does a nice job of keeping a period-sounding tone without becoming archaic, and beautifully describes the contrast between the luxury of the glittering, frenetically joyous court (which must please a spoiled monarch at all costs) and the far-less-sumtuous, earthy delights of country living.

A good beach book for history buffs.