It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 25 years since the publication of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. Now we are taken back to the Tudor dynasty via the unlikely protagonist of Jane Boleyn, the devoted sister-in-law of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn.

Outside of the late Hilary Mantel, no writer captures the spirit and complexity of this era better than Philippa Gregory. The characters read like they are fictional, even though the story they embody is remarkably familiar. Jane Boleyn is our narrator and speaks to the fact that she has fallen in love with the entire Boleyn family --- her friend Anne, who is now the Queen to King Henry VIII, and Anne’s brother, George, whom Jane has wed. Things could not be better --- that is, until Anne fails to bring forth a male heir to one day succeed Henry.

"Outside of the late Hilary Mantel, no writer captures the spirit and complexity of this era better than Philippa Gregory. The characters read like they are fictional, even though the story they embody is remarkably familiar."

Jane works for Thomas Cromwell, the Lord Privy Seal to Henry, and it is under his tutelage that she learns how to be a successful spy. Unfortunately, one thing we have learned from Henry is just how fickle he can be with allegiances and that love can turn on a dime. When Anne suffers not one but two miscarriages, he deems her unworthy to produce a male heir and decides to move on to his next lady, Jane Seymour. Jane Boleyn must watch her step in the wake of both Anne and George being executed. She retains her allegiance to Cromwell and the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard, as an effective spy and hopes to stay off the literal chopping block as long as possible.

We witness the battle between Henry and Pope Clement VII, resulting in Henry forming the Church of England and denouncing the papacy in Rome. He is also not physically well as a recent jousting accident reopened an old wound in his leg from which he will never recover. This keeps his conjugal visits with his queen extremely limited, yet his ardent desire remains the need for a true male heir. Eventually, even Cromwell falls out of favor and is replaced. Jane Boleyn does not know where her allegiance should be and continues to act out of self-preservation.

Jane Seymour survives her short reign but is forced out of her position. Her successor, Anne of Cleves, does not last very long as her marriage to Henry is annulled after being deemed illegal. Next up is Katheryn Howard; Jane had served with her in the Tudor court, and they were close. She is by far the youngest of Henry’s six wives, and his jealousy and suspicion over her perceived indiscretions eventually will lead to her downfall. Will Jane Boleyn suffer a similar fate?

I compare reading anything about Anne Boleyn to watching Titanic. We all know how it is going to end, but the story and characters are so engaging that you hope deep down that perhaps this time the ship won’t sink --- or, in this case, Anne won’t meet the same fate that befell anyone who crossed King Henry VIII. Alas, that is not to be, even in this fine work of historical fiction. Instead, we just get to spend some quality time with the characters of this dangerous era inside the Tudor court where no one is safe.