The Boleyn King

Boleyn Trilogy, Book 1

By: Laura Andersen

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Showtime’s The Tudors, The Boleyn King is the first book in an enthralling trilogy that dares to imagine: What if Anne Boleyn had actually given Henry VIII a son who grew up to be king?

Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing the seeds of rebellion at home, William trusts only three people: his older sister Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by William’s mother, Anne Boleyn.

Against a tide of secrets, betrayal, and murder, William finds himself fighting for the very soul of his kingdom. Then, when he and Dominic both fall in love with Minuette, romantic obsession looms over a new generation of Tudors. One among them will pay the price for a king’s desire, as a shocking twist of fate changes England’s fortunes forever.

©2013 Laura Andersen (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Great beginning!!

Very compelling alternate theory of history. I love speculating in "What if...." scenarios. Can't wait to read the next installment.

Amazing What-If with a GREAT narration

This book is fantastic. Honestly, I’ve already read the entire series and was excited to see an audiobook of the series, though I’ll admit I was nervous about male narration at first. I always imagined it would be someone reading for Minuette as a narrator. But honestly this narrator was phenomenal and he did a wonderful job of catching the air of the series. Though the next two books get much darker, I am beyond ready for the narration!

As for the book, what better thing? Honestly, I LOVE retellings and alternate histories. The idea that Anne’s final baby lived and was a boy is intoxicating, isn’t it? I do wish we had seen more of Anne’s years with Henry after giving birth to William. If the author decided to write on that, possibly a reconciliation with Mary Stafford, her sister, or tales between Anne and Minuette’s mother, I’d adore that. So if you’re here looking for a tale of Anne if she’d not been executed, you won’t find one. But the tale that is told is incredibly intoxicating. Give it a go and have fun while doing so!

I would have preferred a female narrator

The narrator's female voices often sounded off to me. Generally like they were too old and Minuette had a weird accent. I think it was supposed to be French but that doesn't make a lot of sense because even though her mother was French, it didn't sound like Minuette spent much time with her. Elizabeth was the one exception. She sounded fine.

Was ok

Interesting concept, story was diverting but the narrator had a 'James T Kirk' quality to done of his sentences which I found distracting

pleasantly surprised

I absolutely enjoyed this book. As a huge fan of historical fiction it was nice to actually listen to a story about The Tudors that I had no idea what was going to happen next. The author of this book has created an astounding masterpiece in regards to creativity while still keeping the authenticity of the time period. She has taken creative liberties with some of the characters yet kept the personalities that have been established throughout history for those members that had existed before she made the turn of events. If you are a fan of historical fiction and a fan of the Tudor family line this will be an interesting twist to a story that seems to be as old as time. What If Anne Boleyn had a son that lived and became king?

Very enjoyable

I enjoyed the whole package the story and the narration. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves Historical Romance.

A fabulous alternate history

if you're a lover of tudor historical fiction, this will have all the intrigue, secrets and passion that was the tenet of Tudor era mysteries.

Interesting premis but...

I don't think I will be reading the rest of the trilogy. I love the Henry the 8th stories and Queen Anne is one of my favorite historical subjects. It just was not as good as I hoped it would have been.

Great "what if" story

I enjoyed this book, just the right amount of love, mystery, and royals.
Looking forward to some more!

Weird Twist on History

Would you try another book from Laura Andersen and/or Simon Vance?

I didn't care for it. The reader is great but the story is so far off of real history that it was hard for me to get into the story.

Has The Boleyn King turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I love this genre, I think that's why I am having so much trouble with this particular story. It changes history.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance was not the problem, the reader Simon Vance was great.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Boleyn King?

I don't know, I could not grasp the story at all.