The Queen's Maid: Anne Boleyn in France

by Rozsa Gaston

The Tudor series continues! For fans of Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick, Carol McGrath and Anne O’Brien.

A new adventure begins for Anne…

France, 1514

After an enlightening period of training as a lady’s maid at Margaret of Austria’s court, Anne Boleyn has been sent to France.

She arrives at the Palace of Tournelles, home of ageing King Louis and his new English wife, Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII. As Anne speaks French, her main role is to serve as translator for Queen Mary.

Anne’s sister Mary is also at the French court, and Anne soon learns that not everyone is pleased about the union between the French king and his young queen.

The king’s cousin-in-law, Louise of Savoy, is desperate for Queen Mary not to fall pregnant, so that her son Francis will ascend the throne.

And with Louise and the English queen pulling Anne in two different directions, it will not be possible to appease everyone.

Can Anne successfully navigate the familial politics at the French royal court? Will she make her mark as one of the queen’s maids?

Or could her divided loyalties prove to be her undoing…?

THE QUEEN’S MAID is a thoroughly researched, fascinating historical novel set during the 16th century in Europe. It is the second book in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles series.

‘Wonderfully detailed and entirely enjoyable. This is a young Anne in whom I absolutely believe, and who does much to explain the woman she’d become.’ – Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens

THE ANNE BOLEYN CHRONICLES
Book Maid of Honour
Book The Queen’s Maid
Book Queen of Diamonds

Genres: Historical

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2026

About the author

ROZSA GASTON writes books on women who reach for what they want out of life. Her focus is on 16th century European female rulers.

GASTON studied history at Yale, and then received her master's degree in international affairs from Columbia. She lives in Bronxville, NY with her family. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub for the latest on special offers. https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rozsa...

Her motto? History matters.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating series that focuses on Anne Boleyn's experiences in European royal courts when she was a young girl. In The Queen's Maid, she joins Mary Tudor's court in Paris, where her sister Mary Boleyn is already serving. There is plenty of drama and plenty of cultural clashes, with Mary Tudor married to the old and sick King Louis. Young Anne Boleyn is the only English attendant who speaks French, which often puts her in awkward political and personal situations. This series highlights the powerful, politically astute, and well-educated women in European courts who influenced Anne in her formative years. In the first book, Margaret of Austria was a treasured mentor who showed her how clever a female ruler could be. In this book, Anne is put through her paces by the formidable Louise of Savoy. She also has a brief encounter with Diane de Poitiers, which I hope will develop in the next book. Reading these books, it's clear that Anne learned her lessons well, but these are the attributes that will doom her later as Henry VIII's second queen. This well-written series is deeply researched and offers a deeper look at Anne Boleyn. I loved it.

[Jules Larimore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating coming-of-age story of Anne Boleyn

In 1514 France, after completing her training in the Netherlands as Margaret of Austria’s lady's maid, Anne Boleyn is confronted with entirely new surroundings and customs when she is sent to the Palace of Tournelles in France to serve the aging King Louis XII and his new, young English bride, Mary Tudor (sister to Henry VIII). Because Anne is fluent in French, she serves a vital role, being appointed as a translator and primary attendant to the new Queen Mary.

Through her sister, Mary Boleyn, who is also at the French court, Anne discovers a web of court intrigue and hostility toward the royal union. Louise of Savoy, the king's cousin-in-law, is determined to prevent Queen Mary from producing a male heir so her own son, the future Francis I, can ascend the throne. Anne soon finds herself caught between the competing interests of Louise of Savoy and the queen, forcing her to navigate dangerous familial and international politics.

The story explores whether Anne's divided loyalties will be her undoing or if she can successfully establish herself within the treacherous French court. She must measure each step with care, learning lessons along the way — not only in survival, but in how to thrive.

Rozsa Gaston’s engaging story bridges past and present. Her thorough research shines through, with glittering court settings and dramatic scenes, in a humanizing story that will feel relatable to today’s young women as they struggle to make their way in strange, new worlds, seeking to satisfy their ambitions while striving to live up to their duty. The entertaining narrative sparks curiosity, revealing seldom discussed facts behind what shaped Anne’s personal growth, helping us to have a clearer picture of who this controversial woman might have actually been.

Tudor fans will not want to miss this compelling second installment in The Anne Boleyn Chronicles, the rarely talked about coming-of-age of Anne Boleyn.

[Rozsa Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for READERS' FAVORITE

Anne Boleyn is off on another adventure. Having left her training at Margaret of Austria’s court, Anne is now entering the French court as one of Mary Tudor’s most trusted ladies’ maids. In Rozsa Gaston’s The Queen’s Maid, Anne, with her fluency in French, is privileged to listen and learn as well as serve as the new queen’s translator since Queen Mary's French is limited. Anne thought the politics of the Habsburg Netherlands court difficult to tolerate, but in the French court, things are much more complicated. Thrust into court life, Anne is torn between serving the queen and following the demands of others to spy on her. It would appear that the politics amongst the court layers is thicker than the politics of those who rule.

Rozsa Gaston’s The Queen’s Maid: Anne Boleyn in France is the second book in the Anne Boleyn Chronicles. With a profound understanding of Anne Boleyn's history and her days before capturing Henry VIII’s attention, the author weaves a compelling story of intrigue and espionage in an era when power ruled supreme. The characters are well-developed and believable for this era, and the dialogue fits in well.

Like well-known historical fiction authors Philippa Gregory, Sharon Kay Penman, and others, Gaston writes an inviting, in-depth novel filled with facts and fiction. These are the defining moments of a young woman who would one day become the second wife of a powerful monarch in the sixteenth century and the mother of one of the most commanding rulers of all time. This is an engaging and educational story that will certainly appeal to those who enjoy a good historical read. I can't wait for the next installment in Anne Boleyn's life.

[Maya Ch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second installment in the series about young Anne Boleyn (AB), Anne before court of Henry VIII.
I just love Rozsa’s writing style and always highly anticipate her next book.
In “The Queen’s maid” AB becomes a maid for Queen Mary Tudor, young bride of Louis XII. Thanks to her experience at the court of Margaret of Austria and fluent spoken French, all translation and communication tasks were bestowed on her. This placed AB in the center of inter-courts intrigues - Mary Tudor, Louise of Savoy, Francis d’Angoulême...
Resilience becomes the first priority for Anne. She is in the midst of contradictory orders and clashing authorities. What skills will she acquire? Who will become a guide and behavioral model for AB?

Read and enjoy this sparkling foray into 1514-1515 French court personalities and events.

On a special note, I love mentions of the artifacts, namely tapestries.
In book 1, “maid of honor”, at the court of Margaret of Austria mentioned tapestries with scenes from Christine de Pizan “City of Ladies”. In book 2, there is a description of Mirror of Naples and Crown Jewels.

[Janda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I opened this book, I was drawn into another world of Tudor intrigue and 16th-century drama. The descriptions and historical details made me feel as if I were among the people at the French court. The author succeeds in combining real history with narrative fiction, but it was still based on a premise I was completely unaware of, offering a glimpse of Anne Boleyn before her rise and fall in England. It's a wonderful backstory to how Anne would become an integral part of English history. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction.