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The Six Lives of Henry VIII #1
Catherine the Inquisitor
He killed his wives, broke from Catholicism and founded his own church. But history could have been quite different for Henry the VIII, as author Leigh Jenkins proves in this alternative history series, if only one key moment had changed in each of his marriages.
The first book of the series, Catherine the Inquisitor, explores how life would have been different if Henry and Catherine's first child, a boy named Henry, had lived instead of died less than six weeks after his birth. With his much sought after heir, Henry would feel no need to create the Church of England or travel down the destructive path that led to his wives’ murders. But would that have been best for England?
Jenkins delves inside one of history's greatest enigmas – the mind of King Henry the VIII of England. This intense, often poignant, look at King Henry shows that, with a twist of fate, England could have remembered a very different king.
The first book of the series, Catherine the Inquisitor, explores how life would have been different if Henry and Catherine's first child, a boy named Henry, had lived instead of died less than six weeks after his birth. With his much sought after heir, Henry would feel no need to create the Church of England or travel down the destructive path that led to his wives’ murders. But would that have been best for England?
Jenkins delves inside one of history's greatest enigmas – the mind of King Henry the VIII of England. This intense, often poignant, look at King Henry shows that, with a twist of fate, England could have remembered a very different king.
134 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
20 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Jenkins
10 books15 followersLeigh Jenkins was born in Charlotte, NC and grew up with a love of history, particularly for the American Revolution. It wasn't until she visited England as a teenager that she discovered her love of Tudor history, particularly a fascianation with King Henry the VIII. Jenkins other love is Disney, she works as a travel writer and consultant for Walt Disney World with Kids and visits the parks as often as possible. Currently Jenkins lives in her hometown of Charlotte with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 24, 2012
I yield at 50%. Boring as bat-shite, nothing happens ever. In this version Henry and Catherine have a son that lives to adulthood and . That's about as far as I got until I started nodding off for the umpteenth time.
April 2, 2016
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
Eventually I'm going to have to start heeding the warnings of other readers or I'm going to straight up lose all semblance of sanity. Despite plenty of warnings, I attempted Leigh Jenkins' Catherine the Inquisitor. The end result? Well, I spent an entire evening telling myself that opening a review with the line 'fuck wank bugger shitting arse head and hole' isn't constructive even if it does describe my reading experience.
By the end of the first chapter I had pretty much determined the book wasn't my kind of read and I figured I would be penning yet another 'not for me' two star review. Catherine is a domineering ox with absolutely no regard for her husband's title or position? Henry is a sniveling weakling with no aptitude for life at court? I thought we were exploring what might have been had Catherine's son survived infancy, but this felt more like a a visit to the twilight zone.
Now different interpretations of character aren't unheard of. It happens right? Not a big deal. You agree to disagree and walk away. Other issues were harder for me to ignore.
- Loc. 349: "In turn, Edward's sons had been smothered by their uncle who was in pursuit of the throne." They were smothered? By Richard? This has been definitively proven? Can I see a coroner's report and a copy of the trial proceedings? Forgive me but last I checked the fate of Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury remains unsolved and again, the only fact that was supposed to be changed, is the survival of Catherine's son.
- Loc. 761: "[Catherine] had not been so demanding earlier in our marriage. I was not sure if Catherine had not noticed my infidelities or if she hadn't cared as long as I came to her bed." Really? I could have sworn that not only was she that demanding but that she was also well aware of your philandering. Loc. 114: "' I will be churched in two weeks. See that she is gone.' It was useless to act as though I hadn't taken a lady to my bed while Catherine had been lying in the past month. I gave her a short nod and left her chamber..."
- I can forgive the odd typo, even the most seasoned and respected writers make them, but repeated errors are particularly distracting and can leave readers with a very negative impression of one's work. Margaret Beufort (Beaufort), King Louise of France (Louis), weld (wield), lead (led)...
I think Jenkins had an interesting concept but as the saying goes 'writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.' I feel Catherine the Inquisitor has potential in terms of concept but the piece, as it currently stands, is more than a little rough.
Eventually I'm going to have to start heeding the warnings of other readers or I'm going to straight up lose all semblance of sanity. Despite plenty of warnings, I attempted Leigh Jenkins' Catherine the Inquisitor. The end result? Well, I spent an entire evening telling myself that opening a review with the line 'fuck wank bugger shitting arse head and hole' isn't constructive even if it does describe my reading experience.
By the end of the first chapter I had pretty much determined the book wasn't my kind of read and I figured I would be penning yet another 'not for me' two star review. Catherine is a domineering ox with absolutely no regard for her husband's title or position? Henry is a sniveling weakling with no aptitude for life at court? I thought we were exploring what might have been had Catherine's son survived infancy, but this felt more like a a visit to the twilight zone.
Now different interpretations of character aren't unheard of. It happens right? Not a big deal. You agree to disagree and walk away. Other issues were harder for me to ignore.
- Loc. 349: "In turn, Edward's sons had been smothered by their uncle who was in pursuit of the throne." They were smothered? By Richard? This has been definitively proven? Can I see a coroner's report and a copy of the trial proceedings? Forgive me but last I checked the fate of Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury remains unsolved and again, the only fact that was supposed to be changed, is the survival of Catherine's son.
- Loc. 761: "[Catherine] had not been so demanding earlier in our marriage. I was not sure if Catherine had not noticed my infidelities or if she hadn't cared as long as I came to her bed." Really? I could have sworn that not only was she that demanding but that she was also well aware of your philandering. Loc. 114: "' I will be churched in two weeks. See that she is gone.' It was useless to act as though I hadn't taken a lady to my bed while Catherine had been lying in the past month. I gave her a short nod and left her chamber..."
- I can forgive the odd typo, even the most seasoned and respected writers make them, but repeated errors are particularly distracting and can leave readers with a very negative impression of one's work. Margaret Beufort (Beaufort), King Louise of France (Louis), weld (wield), lead (led)...
I think Jenkins had an interesting concept but as the saying goes 'writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.' I feel Catherine the Inquisitor has potential in terms of concept but the piece, as it currently stands, is more than a little rough.
August 1, 2012
Anyone interested in this part of history must have wondered 'what if?' and it's a great idea for a novel. Alas, I felt that the character of Henry was untrue to the representations usually associated with him, and he seemed easily influenced by those closest to him, in particular Catherine.
It really didn't seem that much of anything happened once we got past the birth and survival of young Henry. By 50% it be and a chore to read and I only completed it because it was short enough to get through quickly. The final chapters of the book languish as heavily as Henry, who, recovering from a jousting accident, becomes an entirely passive voice and therefore not the vibrant, interesting take on history that I was hoping this would be.
It really didn't seem that much of anything happened once we got past the birth and survival of young Henry. By 50% it be and a chore to read and I only completed it because it was short enough to get through quickly. The final chapters of the book languish as heavily as Henry, who, recovering from a jousting accident, becomes an entirely passive voice and therefore not the vibrant, interesting take on history that I was hoping this would be.
July 12, 2012
Interesting first volume of a set dealing with alternative history of the Tudor wives. I really enjoyed this first one about Catherine of Aragon. It was totally believable and really led to more questions.
Read
March 3, 2025I loved reading this novel. The premise for it is what if Prince Henry (Catherine and Henry's only son) lived. Jenkins delivered it incredibly with so many twists and turns. Since Prince Henry is still alive, Catherine does not notice Mary so much, allowing Mary to remain a rather mysterious character
March 30, 2020
This was so interesting and a great “what-if” story. It was refreshing to see a different perspective from what is/has been known from other historical novels about the Tudor period.
April 14, 2020
I wasn't crazy about this book, but that could be because I JUST finished reading Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn, which was an extremely in-depth and meticulously researched book about what would have happened if Anne Boleyn had not miscarried her son in 1536. That book's alternate history was very well thought out and definitely plausible.
When you compare that book to this one, 'Catherine the Inquisitor' doesn't stand a chance. To be fair, this book is more of a long short story than a novel, but I felt that Henry was nowhere near the man he actually was (I doubt his entire personality would have changed all because Catherine bore him a son). In this book, Catherine absolutely rules the roost. Not in a million years could I picture Henry, in ANY alternate history, bowing down to all of Catherines demands...he's the KING! One example was allowing Prince Harry to attend executions at such an early age...he knew it was wrong and he was uncomfortable with it, but Catherine did what she wanted anyway. And being the King, he absolutely could have halted the execution of one particular noble (I won't mention who...I don't want to spoil it) quietly if he wanted to. Instead, he let his wife and son override his own wishes...not in a million years. Henry LOVED power.
As for the ending, it was a disappointment. Henry's fate seems almost like the lazy way out, and EXTREMELY unlikely...all of it. Not only what happens to Henry himself, but also what happens to Prince Harry. While I obviously didn't love the book, I didn't hate it either. I think the idea of what the author is doing is wonderful. I assume there will be 6 of these books, and I'm interested in seeing what she does for each wife. I did purchase the next book, Anne the Saint (The Six Lives of Henry the VIII), and unless it's absolutely terrible, I plan to purchase the rest. While they're not the most well-written books out there, they certainly are imaginative...plus they're short, so it's no time at all to get through one. It's hard to say how I would have rated this book had I not finished the one I did before this. If you're interested in this time period and the Tudors, then I absolutely recommend reading this. If you really have a thing for alternate histories, then also pick up Ms. Nuckols book. It's a little more in-depth and MUCH more realistic.
When you compare that book to this one, 'Catherine the Inquisitor' doesn't stand a chance. To be fair, this book is more of a long short story than a novel, but I felt that Henry was nowhere near the man he actually was (I doubt his entire personality would have changed all because Catherine bore him a son). In this book, Catherine absolutely rules the roost. Not in a million years could I picture Henry, in ANY alternate history, bowing down to all of Catherines demands...he's the KING! One example was allowing Prince Harry to attend executions at such an early age...he knew it was wrong and he was uncomfortable with it, but Catherine did what she wanted anyway. And being the King, he absolutely could have halted the execution of one particular noble (I won't mention who...I don't want to spoil it) quietly if he wanted to. Instead, he let his wife and son override his own wishes...not in a million years. Henry LOVED power.
As for the ending, it was a disappointment. Henry's fate seems almost like the lazy way out, and EXTREMELY unlikely...all of it. Not only what happens to Henry himself, but also what happens to Prince Harry. While I obviously didn't love the book, I didn't hate it either. I think the idea of what the author is doing is wonderful. I assume there will be 6 of these books, and I'm interested in seeing what she does for each wife. I did purchase the next book, Anne the Saint (The Six Lives of Henry the VIII), and unless it's absolutely terrible, I plan to purchase the rest. While they're not the most well-written books out there, they certainly are imaginative...plus they're short, so it's no time at all to get through one. It's hard to say how I would have rated this book had I not finished the one I did before this. If you're interested in this time period and the Tudors, then I absolutely recommend reading this. If you really have a thing for alternate histories, then also pick up Ms. Nuckols book. It's a little more in-depth and MUCH more realistic.
February 20, 2015
Leigh Jenkins is a "alternate reality historical fiction" writer and the author of the "Six Lives of Henry VIII" series. It is narrated by Henry, which is why I gave this, the first volume in the series a try. I have only read one other alternate reality novel about Henry's court, "Had the Queen Lived", which is obviously about what would have happened had Anne not miscarried the son she and Henry conceived. It is written very much like a non-fiction text book, and much more detailed than this book, but still very interesting. The books in "The Six Lives of Henry VIII" are pretty fast reads, which is fine for me since I can only read for a certain amount of time every day either online or offline or I get eye strain.
Catherine the Inquisitor is about what could have happened if Henry and Catherine of Aragon's son Henry had lived instead of dying at six weeks old. Catherine and Henry stay married, and a new fate is written for Anne Boleyn, her sister Mary, and everyone else involved in Henry's life. Catherine's parents are behind the Spanish Inquisition, and Catherine creates her own Inquisition with her son constantly by her side. Heretics and rebels are dealt with cruelly by Catherine and Henry Jr.'s command in this story, not Henry's.
If you are interested in alternate reality historical fiction, this is a great place to start
Catherine the Inquisitor is about what could have happened if Henry and Catherine of Aragon's son Henry had lived instead of dying at six weeks old. Catherine and Henry stay married, and a new fate is written for Anne Boleyn, her sister Mary, and everyone else involved in Henry's life. Catherine's parents are behind the Spanish Inquisition, and Catherine creates her own Inquisition with her son constantly by her side. Heretics and rebels are dealt with cruelly by Catherine and Henry Jr.'s command in this story, not Henry's.
If you are interested in alternate reality historical fiction, this is a great place to start
February 20, 2014
My thoughts --
When I purchased this book for my kindle on Amazon, I really didn't expect to like this book all that well. I was thinking that any book that costs $1.99 and didn't come in paperback, couldn't possibly be a very good book. But to my complete surprise, I really liked it!
I thought that it was a clever book. I thoroughly enjoyed princess Mary's character in the book, and was relieved to see her cast as a warmer, spirited young girl who loved her father.
It was quite different to see Queen Catherine's character as less benevolent, and more intrusive. I have never really given thought to Catherine in that way, but it seemed fitting for the story.
Henry VIII wasn't the tyrant that he is in most books, and his character was very satisfying in this story.
From the moment I started reading, I could not put the book down, and my only regret was when it ended. Although the ending was satisfying, I wanted the book to keep going. For me, that is evidence of a terrific author. I highly recommend this book to those who like Fiction and alternative ending books. Thumbs up to the writer, very well written!
When I purchased this book for my kindle on Amazon, I really didn't expect to like this book all that well. I was thinking that any book that costs $1.99 and didn't come in paperback, couldn't possibly be a very good book. But to my complete surprise, I really liked it!
I thought that it was a clever book. I thoroughly enjoyed princess Mary's character in the book, and was relieved to see her cast as a warmer, spirited young girl who loved her father.
It was quite different to see Queen Catherine's character as less benevolent, and more intrusive. I have never really given thought to Catherine in that way, but it seemed fitting for the story.
Henry VIII wasn't the tyrant that he is in most books, and his character was very satisfying in this story.
From the moment I started reading, I could not put the book down, and my only regret was when it ended. Although the ending was satisfying, I wanted the book to keep going. For me, that is evidence of a terrific author. I highly recommend this book to those who like Fiction and alternative ending books. Thumbs up to the writer, very well written!
October 16, 2012
This was another book that I found through my Amazon prime account that I really enjoyed. I am a huge Anne Boleyn enthusiast so I didn't think that I would like a "rewritten history" that paints King Henry as a sympathetic character. If only Henry and Catherine's son survived infancy... That's the ultimate premise. Henry no longer has to worry about securing a male heir and instead is a more peaceful, almost absent minded ruler as opposed to the tyrant we know him to be. Unfortunately for Henry, his son Harry is taken in by Catherine's obsessive religious fervor and together they force England into their own Spanish Inquisition. It is up to a coma-stricken King Henry and a bold 12 year old Princess Mary to come together to take down "Catherine the Bloody" and the future King, Prince Harry. Much more enjoyable than I originally expected and I am super excited to read the next book in the series "Anne the Saint."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2018
Catherine the Inquisitor was one of the most plausible, as well as one of the most polished, of the series. I felt the ideas were well supported by real history, especially Catherine's piety and zealousness.
It makes sense that Henry (her son) would follow in his mother's footsteps, considering she chose his mentors, but it's a little hard to believe that Mary would so openly defy them.
The ending seems overly convenient and anti-climactic, and I wish that the story would have continued a little longer, as the end seems rather abrupt.
As a side-note, the one major error I noticed in the book was the incorrect, continual reference to King Louis of France by the feminine version of his name, Louise.
Overall, I'd recommend Catherine the Inquisitor. It's interesting and worth a read.
It makes sense that Henry (her son) would follow in his mother's footsteps, considering she chose his mentors, but it's a little hard to believe that Mary would so openly defy them.
The ending seems overly convenient and anti-climactic, and I wish that the story would have continued a little longer, as the end seems rather abrupt.
As a side-note, the one major error I noticed in the book was the incorrect, continual reference to King Louis of France by the feminine version of his name, Louise.
Overall, I'd recommend Catherine the Inquisitor. It's interesting and worth a read.
July 23, 2012
Loved it! I often catch myself thinking 'what if' and although things happened in this book that I hadn't imagined in my own 'what if' scenarios, that's what's great about not just living in my own head! Great for people interested in history and other possibilities.
Yes there are historical inaccuracies "King Louise of France" but maybe this is meant a bit tongue in cheek as well as possibly s typo?! If you can move past those things, you will enjoy it.
Yes there are historical inaccuracies "King Louise of France" but maybe this is meant a bit tongue in cheek as well as possibly s typo?! If you can move past those things, you will enjoy it.
September 28, 2025
This is an alternative history that I acquired in 2014 and never got around to reading!
What might have happened if Henry VIII had a son who lived, had a tournament fall that put him in a coma, and Catherine of Aragon and Prince Henry took over running the Kingdom in the style that Bloody Mary did in real history? It's OK, and everything evens out in the end, but it just didn't have the power to grab me like real history does. I doubt if I'll bother with the rest of the series.
What might have happened if Henry VIII had a son who lived, had a tournament fall that put him in a coma, and Catherine of Aragon and Prince Henry took over running the Kingdom in the style that Bloody Mary did in real history? It's OK, and everything evens out in the end, but it just didn't have the power to grab me like real history does. I doubt if I'll bother with the rest of the series.
March 1, 2015
interesting, if not always compelling, alternate Tudor history tale. sometimes felt like Jenkins was more ingested in showing off research than telling a story, but I still had some credibility problems. Narrator Henry's voice convinced me, but he's a bit dry.
free-kindle-today
July 21, 2012For those of us who read and laughed at her Henry VIII and His Zombie Army, today at Amazon for free is another nutty story...this time about Catherine. Hey, we all need a laugh!
October 14, 2012
Enjoyed this alternative look at the life of henry VIII
June 30, 2013
Plausible and well-written.
August 29, 2013
A very good read, read it quite quickly....really like the way we are shown the what ifs of well known tudor history!
Loved it!!!
Loved it!!!
May 14, 2015
Not quite what I expected but as this is an alternative timeline some of the story is plausible. Definitely not how I would have pictured things to have happened.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews