The Tudor court during the reign of King Henry VIII was a treacherous place to be, even for the humble female musician. It was full of men and women vying for a position of power, and they were ready to give anything and everything for that power. This is the world that Kat Cooke finds herself in. After faithfully serving Queen Katherine of Aragon for years, she must switch her loyalties to Anne Boleyn, but when things get dangerous, where will Kat’s loyalties lie? Can Kat survive such turbulent times or sacrifice everything she holds dear? Kat’s story is told in the second book of Caroline Willcocks’ Tudor Queens series, “The Duty of Women.”

I want to thank Atmosphere Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this novel. While I have not read the first book in this series, “Of Aragon,” I did want to read this book because the premise sounded intriguing, and I have seen this book floating around on social media. I have not read any books by Caroline Willcocks, so I was looking forward to seeing what her writing style and approach to the Tudors was like.

Kat Cooke is an adopted foundling living in the court of Henry VIII. She is a married woman, and throughout she tells her story to her daughter. It should be noted that Kat is not an ordinary adopted foundling; she is the daughter of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, who was believed to have been born stillborn, which was revealed in book one of this series. Having Kat in the court as the unknown child of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII adds depth to her character as Kat is both inside and outside the court circle. We enter the story with Queen Katherine of Aragon away from court and Anne Boleyn starting to create her influence over the court. It is at the height of the Great Matter, and we get a chance to see Thomas Cromwell working with Kat’s husband, Will, to put Anne Boleyn on the throne while dismantling the Catholic church in England.

It is through Kat’s story to her daughter that we get to see how the court interacts with one another during this tumultuous time. Willcocks portrays the relationship between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour as a Mean Girls situation. We also get to see the relationship between Anne and Henry, Anne and Cromwell, and Sir Thomas Wyatt’s affection for Anne. Although Sir Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn never were a couple, Kat and Thomas do develop quite an interesting relationship that will shape her entire future and shake her relationship with Will forever.

Overall, I think this was a decent book with a unique take on the story of the Great Matter, the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, and the short reign of Jane Seymour. The story of Kat and Will Cooke is fresh and welcoming when compared to other Tudor novels. I am interested in reading the first book in this series and the other books in the series when they are published. I think if you want a fresh take on the Great Matter, “The Duty of Women” and the Tudor Queens series by Caroline Willcocks should be something you check out.