THE BOLEYN WIFE - Brandy Purdy
Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3844-3
February 2010
Historical Fiction

England during the Reign of Henry VIII

Being a plain, not very talented young woman in the court of Henry VIII made Lady Jane Parker mostly a wallflower. Except for her rich father and his connections, she would have been wed to an equally wealthy landowner and that would have been that. But Jane’s father and Sir Thomas Boleyn were friends and, to Jane’s delight, she was betrothed and then wed to handsome George Boleyn. Almost immediately after the marriage, though, Jane realized that her new husband had absolutely no interest in her, and despite her strong love for him, it was unlikely that he ever would care for her. George had another love, one that Jane would never be able to best...his sister Anne.

From the beginning, Jane resented how close her husband and Anne were. Jane would always be on the edge of their relationship, no matter how hard she tried to be the good wife to George. So when the time came to defend or accuse Anne Boleyn, Jane did not lift a finger to help. In fact, her involvement was anything but helpful. She thought she was helping to eliminate her rival. But things did not turn out as she thought they would.

Lady Jane Rochford, her married name, would be involved with four of Henry’s wives. But it was her cold-blooded testimony against Anne that caused such a disaster in her life and those around her, and was something from which she never recovered.

Impeccably researched, THE BOLEYN WIFE is an excellent account of Jane Rochford’s sad life, told in the first person. I highly recommend this well-written book.

Jani Brooks