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Catherine Howard: Wife and Mistress
King Henry VIII has divorced his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Now he has set his sights on Catherine Howard. But unwittingly, this flirtatious “rose without a thorn” has become part of her aristocratic uncle’s plan to expand his influence at court. Catherine is all too aware of the affect she has on the lovesick king - and plays her part in the Duke of Norfolk's plans. But Catherine has a secret. Unknown to the king, he is not her first lover. She is not quite as innocent as Henry believes. In the meanwhile, Tower guard, John Butcher, is ordered to watch over Catherine. Desire proves sovereign over duty. What will happen when Henry discovers the truth about Catherine? Catherine Wife & Mistress is a tale of passion and political intrigue. Recommended reading for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir. D.Lawrence-Young is the author of numerous historical novels, including Anne of Cleves, Arrows over Agincourt and Six Million Accusers. Praise for D. Lawrence-Young. “…The characters are engaging and it’s easy to find yourself rooting for them. Being a bit of an aficionado of the archer in history, this was a book I was glad to read.” Rachel Malone – Historical Novel Society Reviews
- GenresHistorical Fiction
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 27, 2019
A History Of Shame
The story of Henry & His six wives has suffered many a re-telling over the years but here we have an author who brings a different slant to the inevitable conclusion. The sorry tale is written chapter by chapter in two halves. Firstly we have the story of Catherine herself in which she is depicted, in her own words, as a young girl with questionable morals even by the standard of those highly immoral times. Running alongside her sorry tale is that of (the imaginary) Robert Butcher, a soldier, who tells his side of the story from his position as a member of the Kings Guards.
What struck me most was the difference between a young woman from good stock who seemed to have no moral compass and that of a common chap who was guided by his conscience and his honour. Although Robert was a fictional character one imagines that he and his fellow guardsmen would have lived their lives exactly as is written, being privy to much of what went on by virtue of their invisibility as mere servants and thus being in possession of information which could, through no fault of their own, put them in highly precarious positions. The historical fact that Catherine Howard’s executioner fell ill and a Guardsman had to be chosen as a replacement causes the reader to have much sympathy for these poor fellows, one of whom was forced by duty to remove the head of a silly young girl whose only fault was to have had the misfortune to be born into a family bent on acquiring power and status and who raised her without moral guidance.
A good read of a familiar story told from an interesting angle.
The story of Henry & His six wives has suffered many a re-telling over the years but here we have an author who brings a different slant to the inevitable conclusion. The sorry tale is written chapter by chapter in two halves. Firstly we have the story of Catherine herself in which she is depicted, in her own words, as a young girl with questionable morals even by the standard of those highly immoral times. Running alongside her sorry tale is that of (the imaginary) Robert Butcher, a soldier, who tells his side of the story from his position as a member of the Kings Guards.
What struck me most was the difference between a young woman from good stock who seemed to have no moral compass and that of a common chap who was guided by his conscience and his honour. Although Robert was a fictional character one imagines that he and his fellow guardsmen would have lived their lives exactly as is written, being privy to much of what went on by virtue of their invisibility as mere servants and thus being in possession of information which could, through no fault of their own, put them in highly precarious positions. The historical fact that Catherine Howard’s executioner fell ill and a Guardsman had to be chosen as a replacement causes the reader to have much sympathy for these poor fellows, one of whom was forced by duty to remove the head of a silly young girl whose only fault was to have had the misfortune to be born into a family bent on acquiring power and status and who raised her without moral guidance.
A good read of a familiar story told from an interesting angle.
January 16, 2022
I loved the various POVs
Lawrence-Young gives us a look at King Henry VIII 's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, cousin to his second wife, through various view posts. We see her through the eyes of several guardsmen, and Catherine, herself.
Throughout this story, I felt sorry for Catherine. She was orphaned and lived with her step-grandmother who didn't take the time to groom her granddaughter. Her uncle, the powerful, Duke Norfolk, is up to his old tricks once Henry lets it known he isn't happy with his new wife, Anne of Cleves.
But can Catherine shoulder the type of responsibility her uncle is ready to drop on her? Or does she share the fate of her cousin, Anne Boleyn?
Highly recommend!
Lawrence-Young gives us a look at King Henry VIII 's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, cousin to his second wife, through various view posts. We see her through the eyes of several guardsmen, and Catherine, herself.
Throughout this story, I felt sorry for Catherine. She was orphaned and lived with her step-grandmother who didn't take the time to groom her granddaughter. Her uncle, the powerful, Duke Norfolk, is up to his old tricks once Henry lets it known he isn't happy with his new wife, Anne of Cleves.
But can Catherine shoulder the type of responsibility her uncle is ready to drop on her? Or does she share the fate of her cousin, Anne Boleyn?
Highly recommend!
March 10, 2021
A lower decks version of the reign of Henry VIII and too short life of Catherine Howard. The book is split in half, flipping back and forth between two narrators - Catherine herself, and a young guard who works at the Tower.
They both manage - in a rather Forrest Gump way - to be present at all major events of Henry's reign well before Catherine becomes queen. It becomes more believable once Catherine does become queen - and then there is a horrible, tragic inevitable doom to the tale as the two narrators come closer and closer to their first, only, interaction.
June 24, 2025
DNF @ ~10%
As another reviewer stated, this is unreadable. The writing feels more like a guessed recitation of facts ('my mother's name was either Joyce or Jocasta', 'I was fourteen or fifteen') and comes across as clunky.
I skimmed ahead to the end, as the blurb made it sound like there would be a fictional twist where Catherine runs off with the guard, but that doesn't happen. That would have at least made it a bit more interesting to get through.
The final year and a half of Catherine's life- from marrying Henry to her execution- is done in a chapter. One single chapter. Bzuh?
As another reviewer stated, this is unreadable. The writing feels more like a guessed recitation of facts ('my mother's name was either Joyce or Jocasta', 'I was fourteen or fifteen') and comes across as clunky.
I skimmed ahead to the end, as the blurb made it sound like there would be a fictional twist where Catherine runs off with the guard, but that doesn't happen. That would have at least made it a bit more interesting to get through.
The final year and a half of Catherine's life- from marrying Henry to her execution- is done in a chapter. One single chapter. Bzuh?
May 9, 2020
A few mistakes in the facts
One large glaring mistake is that the author got the relationship of Jane Lady Rochford and George Boleyn wrong. Jane and George were husband and wife,not brother and sister in law. Jane was so jealous of George's relationship with Anne she sends her husband and sister in law to their deaths.
Secondly,Jane went mad during her imprisonment and Parliament had to pass a law that allowed the execution of mentally ill people.
One large glaring mistake is that the author got the relationship of Jane Lady Rochford and George Boleyn wrong. Jane and George were husband and wife,not brother and sister in law. Jane was so jealous of George's relationship with Anne she sends her husband and sister in law to their deaths.
Secondly,Jane went mad during her imprisonment and Parliament had to pass a law that allowed the execution of mentally ill people.
December 17, 2020
A new version of a known tale
I would have given this a full five stars, but too many simple errors that should not have been missed. Especially calling George Boleyn brother in law to his wife.... editor missed the mark on this one. Otherwise I truly enjoyed this story and the telling by both Catherine and Rob. Will absolutely keep you engaged and I will continue to read other books from this author.
I would have given this a full five stars, but too many simple errors that should not have been missed. Especially calling George Boleyn brother in law to his wife.... editor missed the mark on this one. Otherwise I truly enjoyed this story and the telling by both Catherine and Rob. Will absolutely keep you engaged and I will continue to read other books from this author.
February 27, 2023
Good read with some editing errors and forced facts
Good read overall, and I liked the different character perspectives. There were many errors, like missing quotation marks and misplaced commas and periods, as well forced historical facts pushed through dialogue which read as forced and annoying. Good story, but at times annoying and distracting.
Good read overall, and I liked the different character perspectives. There were many errors, like missing quotation marks and misplaced commas and periods, as well forced historical facts pushed through dialogue which read as forced and annoying. Good story, but at times annoying and distracting.
March 10, 2019
Very enjoyable read
If you love Tudor history, this book puts the downfall of Catherine in simple, yet true enjoyable words. Loved it.
If you love Tudor history, this book puts the downfall of Catherine in simple, yet true enjoyable words. Loved it.
June 3, 2019
I liked the juxtaposition of the tale of Catherine and the man who ended up as her executioner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2020
A lot of information that I could have actually enjoyed is missing from this book. Its teenage lust and immature sex scenes and with nothing accurate other than a few names.
April 25, 2024
Unreadable
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews