BOLEYN TRAITOR

A tour-de-force performance by Gemma Whelan makes listening to this audiobook worthwhile. Jane Boleyn--Lady Rocheford--is a canny observer. She watches, she waits, she gathers information, and she reveals secrets to her spymaster, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell then uses the damaging particulars against his enemies. Whelan portrays each character with enthusiasm, growling dangerously as the narcissistic, mercurial King Henry VIII, infusing Anne Boleyn with spite and paranoia, while making "Kitty" Howard a simpleminded innocent in a court of devious courtiers. Fans of Gregory's Tudor series will be disheartened because much of the material feels reworked from her earlier novels, and the many inconsistencies regarding Jane's person are irksome. An interesting afterword with Gregory and Whelan's superb narration take some of the sting out of this disappointing audiobook. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2025]