Crowned Viper: Anne Boleyn is finally queen...

The Marwood Family #6

by Amy Licence

Anne Boleyn has her crown … but for how long? For fans of Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick, Carol McGrath and Anne O’Brien.

A new queen is on the throne…

Spring 1533

London is awash with excitement and tension in the run-up to Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation.

Thomasin and her husband are happily living in the countryside, enjoying their estates, although they’ve not yet been blessed with children.

But when Thomasin's uncle dies, they travel to London to settle his estate.

On her return to court, Thomasin finds it much changed. Catherine of Aragon is banished and Thomasin’s former lover Rafe has been married, in a match arranged for him by the Boleyns.

As Anne Boleyn’s pregnancy advances, Thomasin sees cracks appearing in the royal marriage.

Cryptic verses depicting Anne’s beheading are found in her chamber and when an intruder tries to break in, Thomasin witnesses Anne’s increasing fragility under her mask of bravado.

Could Henry be ready to cast off another queen? Is Anne’s life in danger?

Thomasin once more finds herself at the centre of court intrigue…

CROWNED VIPER is a page-turning historical drama set at the court of King Henry VIII and featuring Anne Boleyn. It is the sixth book in the Marwood Family Tudor Saga Series.

THE MARWOOD FAMILY TUDOR SAGA
Book Dangerous Lady
Book Troubled Queen
Book False Mistress
Book Lady of Misrule
Book His True Wife
Book Crowned Viper

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2026

About the author

Medieval and Tudor historian, with a particular interest in women's lives and experiences, also dabble in Modernism. I write fiction and non-fiction, also journalism for The Guardian, BBC History website, The New Statesman, The Huffington Post, The English Review and The London Magazine. I appeared in TV documentaries "The Real White Queen and her Rivals" and "The Private Lives of the Tudors." Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Katharina Boekhorst · Rating 4 out of 5]

nooo I can’t wait another year for the next part

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhh, this is a good one! I love this series, and this latest book, Crowned Viper, doesn't disappoint. Thomasin, now happily married, has been away from the court for four years and has no interest in returning to London. She is enjoying life as the mistress of her own manor and all that it entails, but fate has other plans for her. When she must return to London to settle her uncle's estate, she becomes ensnared in the Boleyn family's political intrigue. Since Thomasin is despised by Anne, Mary, and George Boleyn, I was completely unprepared for the plot twists in this story. In a time where even queens aren't safe from scheming men, no woman can feel completely safe. As always, Amy Licence includes fascinating details of Tudor life, from food to flowers to fashion details, artfully woven into the culture and royal politics. Since we are only on wife number 2, I sincerely hope there are more books to come. If you are a Tudor fan, you'll love all of the books in this series.

[Susan Priestley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I have just finished reading Crowned Viper and it was not a gentle closure. They say as one door closes . . . but here there were doors, windows and ideas flying around everywhere. Having studied the tudors I didn’t think I would be so invested in the Marwood family. Can’t wait to read what happens next but please Amy be kind to Thomasina?

[Nicola Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope there are more!!

Another wonderful book! I hope we see more of Thomasin in the future! Well written and well paced, this is yet another wonderful book exploring the Tudor court! A few unexpected twists as well!

[Diane Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of slow,

Though pleasant enough I feel this book was not very exciting or entertaining. It was fairly easy to know what would happen next.

[Modesta Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I love this series so much. I eagerly look forward to the next book, I cannot wait. You feel like you are actually living there in that time.