This was an okay YA book about life in the court of Henry VIII. The story follows Kitty Tylney, best friend to Catherine Howard (who worms her way into marrying Henry VIII). Kitty ends up being summoned to court after Catherine marries the King.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was a well done audiobook. The narrator did a good job with character voices and portraying emotion. I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

At the start of the book I enjoyed this look into what it took to get into King Henry's court and how wondrous it seemed to Kitty. However, the story ended up being a bit surfacey...it just didn't had a lot of depth. The characters, the story, and the writing all fell a bit short for me; it wasn't very engaging or anything all that special.

The ending is fairly open ended; some things are resolved and others aren’t. It was an okay way to end the story but I would have liked a look at where our heroine ended up.

Overall this was an okay historical fiction read. I enjoyed the look into King Henry VIII’s court but was disappointed at how shallow and fluffy the book was; there just wasn’t a lot of substance here. I personally wouldn’t recommend, there are much better historical fictions out there. ( )

Historical, England 1539 – 1542

Kitty Tylney has always lived in the shade of Cat, her best friend. Now Cat has wormed her way into both the court and heart of Henry VIII. When Kitty becomes part of Cat’s inner circle she gets her own chance at court with fabulous gowns, opulent parties and for the first time dashing men vying for her attention in a glittering new life. Kitty soon finds out that while all is beautiful on the surface underneath is a world of lies, secrets, trysts and behind the scenes deals. A world where the price of gossip could very well be someone’s head. Though once you are at the top and Queen of England there is only one way to go and that is down.

This takes a period of history and brings it to life for the reader. The reader gets a glimpse of what it must have been like in the Court of King Henry VIII both the good and the bad. The reader also gets a chance to see how in many cases the nobles and lower classes were out to get what they wanted and didn’t care who they had to step on to get there. The intrigue that was constantly going on at court is enough to make people’s heads spin. It shows just how far both good and bad people were willing to go. This book also will have readers looking for more from this author and this story proves to be very difficult to put down once you start. The story proves to be more of a story of history with some light romance in it but still is a very good read. ( )

4.5 stars... review to come! ( )

I know the story, I've read my Tudor history. Katherine Longshore took me through events that I have a great knowledge of with an expert hand. She made me hope for a different ending and gave me hope and a stunning conclusion. ( )

There's not much to say because I loved this story! If there was a lull, I don't remember it. If the writing was poor, I didn't notice it. I enjoy reading and learning about the Tudor era. The friendship, the betrayal, the lies are all there within the Kings Court. I could identify with the entanglements of court. It happens in todays society with friendships public and private. There's always a leader and followers in every circle of life. A full review or better written one will follow. ( )