When the young Catherine Howard draws the attention of Henry VIII while serving as a lady-in-waiting for his wife, Anne of Cleeves, her ambitious family uses her as a pawn in their schemes to increase their power. After his marriage to Anne of Cleeves is annulled, Henry marries Catherine and she finds herself at the whims of an aging, and often ill, husband and trying to navigate various court intrigues. Under pressure to conceive a child, she undertakes an adulterous and disastrous affair with Thomas Culpeper, the man she loves. Told in first-person, the story reveals what life may have been like for the young, fun-loving Catherine forced into a marriage with a much older man and the constraints placed upon her because of her position. Catherine remains a somewhat passive victim of her situation and those around her but struggles to meet her end with dignity. The story drags a bit in places but will appeal to historical fiction fans, especially those interested in the times of Henry VIII. There are numerous sexual encounters, but they are handled subtly.
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