Gregory picks up the story of the Tudors after The Constant Princess with this second novel in the series which transitions from the view of Katherine of Aragon to Mary Boleyn, the older sister of Henry VIII's second wife. The Boleyns are a family with their eyes clearly on the prize. Mary, Anne, and their brother George have grown up surrounded by family members that hope to advance the clan's fortunes. Their mother was a Howard, a very influential family in the Court, and the rest of the Boleyns are hoping to play that into a chance to produce a royal heir.

With Henry VIII dealing with the fallout of a lack of a male child with Katherine of Aragon and his interest in flirting and dallying with as many girls as possible, Mary's uncle sees an opportunity. While 14-year-old Mary is already married to one of the king's courtiers, the family carefully pushes her before Henry VIII's eye, and he definitely likes what he sees.

As a result, the two start a relationship that is not spoken of even as it is well-known among the whole Court. To make matters even more awkward, Mary continues to serve in her role as lady-in-waiting to the current queen. That doesn't stop her from serving the king in all manners, including bearing him two children in the form of Catherine and Henry.

Unfortunately, Anne seems to have inherited the family's scheming nature. She, herself, wants a chance to be Queen and is more than happy to push her way in when Mary is away from Court while pregnant. Not only is Anne able to push Mary aside as mistress, but she also works very hard to convince Henry VIII that it is vital for him to replace Katherine of Aragon with his new, beautiful paramour. As history has shown, she was successful in doing so, bringing about the birth of the Anglican church and a precedent for Henry VIII to push aside wives as needed.

The Tudor Court is filled with intrigue as the various families are constantly vying for better placement by moving against each other in order to win the favor of the king. Mary quickly earns the voice of a victim, as she is constantly placing her own wants and needs aside for her family. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to feel bad for her because she made choices that placed her in the difficult situations, but Gregory does a wonderful job of endowing Mary with a very sympathetic voice. She feels compelled to do what her family wants her to do because she cares about them so strongly. This includes her children as well as with her first husband, whom she cuckolded with the king, and with the man she came to find true love with in the form of her second husband.

Mary also provides a unique perspective on the actions of her siblings, Anne and George. The two were tried, found guilty, and executed on charges of incest/adultery. Even as Mary was constantly pushed aside for their needs, she wants to step forward to defend them even as doing so would endanger her own life. Ironically, the charges George is confronted in would fly in the face of a subplot involving him and some bisexual tendencies which may or may not be historically accurate.

Gregory does a wonderful job of letting Mary just tell the story, giving us insight not only on the actions of her siblings, but also on those of the King and Katherine of Aragon. Mary is an interesting, if flawed, protagonist, but she is also one that keeps the reader reading.