By pondering the mistakes of her predecessors, Kateryn Parr, sixth wife of King Henry VIII, manages to keep her head. Gregory, who has written extensively about the Tudors and other British dynasties, now turns her attention to the end of Henry's reign. The king, though grotesquely obese and suffering from gout and a suppurating leg wound, still fancies himself the warrior, huntsman, and seducer he was in his youth. Kateryn Parr, a widow at 31, is commanded shortly after her husband's death to come to court, where Henry immediately makes his matrimonial intentions clear. Although she loves Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane, who died giving birth to Henry's heir, Prince Edward, Kateryn knows she has no choice but to marry Henry. As consort, Kateryn strives to avoid, by word or deed, any indication she is other than Henry's loving helpmeet. Although well-aware that none of his other wives had any control over his mercurial whimsnot even best-beloved Jane, who died alone while Henry was off huntingKateryn is not planning on providing any ammunition to those who would see her replaced, like the love letter that led to Katherine Howard's execution or the arrogance that made Anne Boleyn a target. She concentrates on studying and promoting her pet projects, advocating for Scriptures in English and supporting the Protestant Reformation, while appearing never to overtly disagree with the growing faction hoping to restore papism. With a male heir in place, both Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth are relegitimized thanks to Parr. However, she is warned, by Thomas and others, that if Henry wants her gone, no amount of discretion can save her life. Gregory puts readers at the scene with visceral details like the annoying sounds Henry makes while gorging himself and the smell of his never-healing leg that seeps into Kateryn's dreams. Although Kateryn's studiousness makes for some dull reading, the pace picks up as her intellect becomes her greatest liability. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gregory's latest Tudor historical novel charts the surprisingly viable relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine (Kateryn) Parr. Catherine has the distinction of being the last of Henry's six wives and the only one to survive him, as his legal spouse, after his death. Compelled by fear and duty to marry Henry, despite being passionately in love with Thomas Seymour, she nevertheless forges a strong bond with both the increasingly ailing king and his three children. Of course, court conspiracies cannot be entirely avoided as Catherine's enemies (who else but staunch churchmen?) plot against her and attempt to undermine her influence on king, country, and church. In addition to her role as queen of England and Ireland, Catherine is a committed religious reformer, whose opinions and writings inspire charges of heresy that carry with them punishment by death. Although history tells us that Catherine eventually triumphed, Gregory does her usual excellent job of ratcheting up the intrigue and suspense as another intelligent and strong-willed heroine fights for her life and her legacy. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY:Both Gregory and the Tudors sell, so expect high demand for another rousing chapter in the Tudor dynasty featuring a refreshingly resilient heroine, who emerges with her head intact.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2015 Booklist

In this absorbing Tudor historical, Gregory (The White Queen) traces the relationship between Henry VIII and Kateryn Parr, his sixth wife, from the time of the king's marriage proposal in 1543 until his death four years later. Kateryn is a beauty: learned, kind, twice-widowed yet young enough to bear the sons crucial to securing the succession; she is also passionately in love with another. Her dutiful tolerance of Henry's bad breath, corpulence, ulcerous leg, and fumblings in bed make pitiable the personal cost of his proposal. Gregory balances Kateryn's sensual responses to royal life-the smell of her predecessor's furs, the king's sweat-drenched clothing-with the religious controversy that dominated the 1540s. Initially naive to court factions, Parr is guided by her sister and develops enormous satisfaction from scholarly examination of the Bible. Expressing her own Reformist views when pro-Catholic forces are ascendant, Kateryn risks the king's extreme displeasure and is "tamed" to save her life; the process bleaches the marriage of its satisfactions. Tracing Kateryn's path to intellectual independence requires more religious discussion than some readers will prefer, but Gregory's portrait of the complex, aging king and his sensual, scholarly bride will satisfy Tudor enthusiasts. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kateryn Parr is called to the court of King Henry VIII. She falls in love with Thomas Seymour and hopes for permission from the king to marry him. Instead, Henry commands that she will become the queen, his sixth wife. She submits because she must. The king, as head of the Church of England, instituted church reforms in years past, creating two religious factions: one supporting reform and one supporting the old ways. Kateryn supports Henry's ideas, and, with his blessing, she spends her free time studying, reading, and translating religious texts. She even writes and publishes her own book of prayers-the first woman to do so in English. Then, inexplicably and suddenly, the king is displeased with her independent thinking. He builds a case against her and is on the brink of arresting her for heresy when she begs his forgiveness. He punishes her through humiliation and fear and ultimately "tames" her. Gregory creates an insider's view of life in Henry's court and the pleasures and perils of the office of the queen. Beautifully read by Bianca Amato. -VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of the author's previous works and of historical fiction in general. ["Full of vivid details and fraught with the constant tension of a court run by a madman, this novel will appeal most to historical fiction readers and those who enjoyed Wolf Hall": LJ 7/15 starred review of the Pantheon hc.]-Joanna M. -Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.