Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

I will say while I'm not a history or Tudor buff, I do love the Tudors. I was excited to read this because of that. I was a bit disappointed. The dialogue was a bit awkward, which made me struggle in some parts. There also seems to be some confusion historically speaking, and I'm not sure if that was me misunderstanding what the author was saying, or the author mixing things up (I mean, there are quite a few Henrys in a row). Otherwise the storyline was enjoyable, but I would've rated higher if it wasn't for those stumbling blocks.

The historical inaccuracies of this novel was just absolutely sickening to me. I am a history major and my view of historical fiction that doesn't stick close to fact makes the book a moot point

The story was promising, but the dialogue is stilted. Thank you for providing me with the review copy.

Historical fiction novels about Henry VIII and his many wives always catch my eye, and I typically enjoy them. When I came across this book on Netgalley, I was excited about it and couldn't wait to get started.

Unfortunately, this book left me feeling frustrated and horribly disappointed. Any excitement I initially felt about reading this book dwindled away, and it took me an entire week to hit the 60% mark. I set it aside and read a different book, attempting to convince myself that I would return to Thorns and finish it after I was done with Wunderland. I ended up reading five more books, instead.

I've finally admitted to myself that I have zero desire to read anymore of this book, and DNF'd it at 60% with a sigh of relief.

What made me dislike this book so much I refused to finish it?

Horrible dialogue.

Most of the dialogue between characters is stilted, pointless, and frustrating to read. More often than not, it's unclear who is saying something, because no indication is giving of who is speaking, making it very difficult to follow along without becoming confused.

Example 1:

‘So, tell me Lady Hall…may I call you Mary?’
‘That is my Christian name, sir.’
‘Marry, I shall call you Mary.’
‘Merry, if you like.’
‘You have wit, Mary. I like that in a woman.’
‘Do you, sir? Most men prefer us witless, I thought.’
‘I assure you only witless men prefer witless women.’
‘You are saying then that Master Hall, my husband, is witless.’
Cranmer smiled. He poured himself some wine and sipped.
‘I assure you, I make no such insinuation about your husband.’
‘Oh, but it is true, sir.’

Example 2:

You don’t mind if I record notes?’
‘As long as you record accordingly.’
‘I shall write only in accordance to what you say.’
‘Then I am in full accord of your recording.’



The passages above come from a tedious conversation in chapter two that goes on for fifteen pages. I probably should have stopped reading there, but I was convinced the story would improve.

Non-linear storytelling and shifting perspectives.

Listen, I don't mind when storylines take place in both the past and the present. Flashback sequences (or chapters) are an effective way of telling a story and maintaining a certain level of suspense at the same time. I also don't mind stories with more than one character's perspective. I greatly appreciate each of the aforementioned things when they are well executed. In my opinion, that was not the case with this book.

The first third of the book focuses on events leading to Katherine Howard's execution, making me think the focus was solely on this particular queen of Henry's. The title itself is a reminder that Henry supposedly called her his "rose without a thorn"... so it was quite jarring when his other wives were brought into the spotlight.

I may be in the minority, but I think the story would have been much better if it were told in linear fashion. Starting with Wife #5, having to go both forward and backward from there AND switching perspectives from one character to another felt a bit chaotic to me.

Historically inaccurate.

The author couldn't keep his Henrys straight, apparently. Henry Bolingbroke is referred to as "Henry V", but he was actually Henry IV. His son was Henry V, whose son would become Henry VI.

When I read the paragraph in the book about the previous King Henrys, it felt off, somehow, but I couldn't figure out why at the time. Kudos to reviewer Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ whose review on Goodreads made me realize why it felt wrong. Thank you for solving the mystery!

Final Thoughts

I'm glad I gave this book a chance, because getting inside Henry's head and seeing how he may have felt about his wives was a fantastic idea. It failed to captivate my imagination, sadly, and I ultimately gave up on it. That being the case, I do not recommend this book based on my lack of satisfaction with it.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Top Hat Books via Netgalley.

Thorns in a Realm of Roses by Thomas Crockett covers the time period beginning whilst married to Katherine Howard to his death. Throughout the book we go back further through the memories of not only Henry but others in his family, Mary, his wives and friends.
The book gives viewpoints from these characters but is mostly told from Henry's point of view and the thoughts and conversations inject some humour in to the history of this King.
The book takes us through Henry's desperation for a son, his loneliness and his thoughts on how different his children are especially the daughters that constantly remind him of their mothers.
It also focuses on his son, the future heir, his worries for him, his health and Henry's arrangement of his council to advise him upon the death of Henry and who he wishes to be part of that council.
The reader is given Henry's view on religion, diplomacy and each of his wives and how he felt about them and how they haunt him as he ages. It seems he regrets some actions but not all. I won't say which to avoid spoiling it for anyone!

I found the book to be fairly light hearted to read and different to other Tudor era books I have previously read with it's humour. It did get a little confusing on some chapters whose viewpoint I was reading about but I figured it out based on the content. I also noted spaces in names such as Dr. Bu tts rather than Butts but this could be the format I read it from.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I am not sure I would read another in the same format without further indication who the chapter was based on.

In was really excited to read this book. This is about King Henry VII last two wives. I enjoyed the book but I did not like how the dialogue went back in forth and the jumps in time. There were a couple of times that I had to go back a couple of pages to see who said what.

If only every novel I read could be this engrossing! THORNS IN A REALM OF ROSES: THE HENRY QUEENS is a brilliant work of historical narrative fiction elucidating that famed tyrant-king Henry VIII of England, and the poor ladies summoned to be his multiple consecutive wives. A fine work of character delineation as well as revelation of history, the novel kept me beyond enthralled throughout, as I kept turning the pages without really realizing so, as I was so enrapt with the story line and characters.

I especially admire the way in which the author balances the viewpoints of multiple characters and also how he managed to delineate the character and personality of Henry throughout his life, from his ascension at age seventeen, to his literally "larger than life" middle age (tall, grossly obese, a constant daily consumer of rich, fatty foods in astonishing quantities, in poor health, unable to properly joust, ride, or tour his country). THORNS IN A REALM OF ROSES is a truly remarkable narrative, both as history and as fiction, and is definitely one to re-read.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, especially when it comes to the Tudors. So pleased to have received a copy of this book, which i very much enjoyed reading. I seldom write what a book is about as i prefer one to read it for themselves, but i do recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

I love Tudor historical fiction so was pleased to get a chance to read this.

This story focuses on the latter part of Henry VIII's life. Chronologically it covers his marriages to Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr. Through flashbacks, recollections and conversations the earlier part of the King's reign and the story of his four previous marriages is told.

Clearly a lot of research has gone into the writing of this books, and the theological debates might be hard going for readers who are not already familiar with the period. The structure of the dialogue can be a bit co fusing and the story drags in places.

If you like abodixe ripper then this probably isn't the book for you as it is more Hillary Mantel than Phillippa Gregory. Katherine Parr really stood out for me and I really enjoyed the imaginings of her interior monologues.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

SOME THINGS JUST CANNOT BE EXCUSED

DNF at 42%

Look what happened to Henry Bolingbroke of Lancaster when he murdered Richard II in 1399 and became Henry V. His reign and life ended quickly. His son Henry VI fared worse. He lost what his father gained, that being France, and soon after lost his throne, dying insane."

I have a master's degree in history. I care a lot about historical accuracy in historical fiction novel. I except the others of these books to do the same. That was apparently not the case here.

Henry Bolingbroke did displace Richard II and become king. However, he wasn't Henry V. He was Henry IV. Henry V was his son and Henry VI his grandson. This is just such a glaring error, that I could not get over it. This was just, to me, unforgivable. Even though it didn't impact the storyline, I still couldn't overcome it. It ruined this book for me. Others, who don't know that this is wrong, might not feel the same as me, and that completely up to them. I just cannot read a historical novel that would get something so big so wrong.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I liked the story and the book itself. I thought it was sometimes hard to follow with dialogue switching with no warning as to who the next speaker was, an example would be when Henry is speaking to his father. That being said I liked all the flashbacks and thought they really added to the story. I think it was obvious there was a more pro reformation stance.

Thorns in a Realm of Roses focuses mainly on Henry VIII and his current wife, Katherine Howard, then onto his final wife, Catherine Parr. I love anything Tudor. I read everything about the Tudors that I can get my hands on. I see the subject, and I know I MUST read whatever is there. When I received an ARC for this book, I was so excited that I could not stop thinking about it until I was able to get home and open my kindle. The opening pages were well written and smooth as Henry VIII reflected on his wives, comparing them to the roses he was touching, smelling, observing. However, it did not take long after that before the book began to sour for me when the investigation on his current wife began. I know the author was trying to be witty, but the constant back and forth and endless dialogue was tedious at best, and groan worthy at other times.
I believe this book would have been better suited for a play than a novel. The dialogue was seemingly never ending, without the typical novel feel to it. It simply did not have the right... let's say, flow to it that a novel needs. I started feeling myself not wanting to read one word farther, but making myself do it anyways out of gratitude of receiving an ARC. The characters also felt rather flat to me. I found myself sighing and knowing this could be a great book. It has promise! Hopefully the dialogue is trimmed or toned down before the final copy comes out. Overall, this author deserves kudos for all the research done to make it as historically accurate as possible.
I'm rating this book 3 stars for the great research the author did, even if this book is not right for me. Perhaps this book would be better suited for those who are not as familiar with the Tudors.

This book finds you in the treacherous court of King Henry VIII, in his last days. It focuses mostly on his last two wives, Katherine Howard and Catherine(Kathryn) Parr. The author gives the reader excellent background on the previous four wives, so you're not at a loss as to how His Majesty came to have six wives. Two lost their heads. Most people, when you mention Henry VIII, think he had all six wives heads chopped off.
I enjoyed this author's perspective of King Henry VIII. I've been a huge fan of His Majesty and his Court since 10th grade, many years ago! I read every book I can find about him. This is thanks to a wonderful English teacher, who introduced me to him and his wives and his fascinating life. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction and His Majesty, The King, Henry VIII.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you,Netgalley!
Thank you also goes to John Hunt Publishing and Top Hat Books!
All opinions are my own.

As much as I love every single book that comes out about the Tudors, this book just did not keep my interests up.

In Thorns in A Realm of Roses by Thomas Crockett, you will find a focus on Henry VIII and the latter end of his marriage to Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
The novel itself includes narratives mainly including:the king, his queens, and Archbishop Thomas Cramner.
Their relationships, their thought processes that theoretically make up the reasons for their famous actions are written out in banter/witty dialogue vs a traditional novel itself.
While the banter was creative, at times it seems to drag on unnecessarily and the overall scheme seemed somewhat disjointed at times. Maybe perhaps the book could be converted to script for theater?

A good read overall, however personally knowing a fair amount about this particular Tudor period, make the book a bit more dull for me then it might be for others that know a little less about this specific time period.
3.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book , focusing on the last two marriages of Henry VIII but also touching on his other marriages one of my favorite periods in English history I found it well researched and a joy to read. Perfect for any lover of historical fiction.