In Rozsa Gaston’s The Queen's Maid: Anne Boleyn in France, book two in The Anne Boleyn Chronicles, Anne arrives in France to serve Queen Mary Tudor at the court of King Louis XII, where her knowledge of French makes her valuable as a translator. Life at court places Anne near powerful figures, including Louise of Savoy, who pressures her to reveal what happens within the queen’s private chambers. When King Louis grows ill, the court begins to watch Queen Mary closely since a child could change the line of succession. After the king’s death, the widowed queen is confined while officials determine whether she carries his heir. During this period, Mary Tudor begins preparing a plan that could decide her future once she returns to England. Anne becomes responsible for carrying letters, delivering valuables, and contacting English agents while trying to remain unnoticed inside a court where information moves quickly.

In The Queen's Maid, Rozsa Gaston does a brilliant job of depicting how, within the French royal household, succession politics reshape the French crown. The period details are incredible, and readers witness events like a tournament staged for Queen Mary Tudor’s coronation, with armored competitors before the assembled court, and later, the strict protocol of the widowed queen isolated for forty days. Anne Boleyn is at the heart of the novel, and she is, unquestionably, a fascinating, perceptive young woman learning how royal power functions around her. Gaston fleshes Mary Tudor out with equal panache, as well as the other characters, like the controlling Louise of Savoy and her warnings that loyalty must serve French interests above all else. The settings spring to life, from the vast halls of the Tournelles palace filled with evergreen garlands and clove pomanders during Christmas, to the crowded streets of Paris, where narrow lanes carry the smells of markets and horses. Well written and completely engrossing, this is the perfect read for those who love Tudor history, early sixteenth-century politics, and stories centered on Anne Boleyn’s formative years. Very highly recommended.

The Queen’s Maid: Anne Boleyn in France by Rozsa Gaston is a continuation of the story of one of the most famous characters of Tudor history. It is 1514, and Anne has spent some time as a lady’s maid in the court of Margaret of Austria, but now she is traveling to Paris to act as a lady's maid and unofficial translator to the newly minted Queen Mary, sister of Henry VIII and new wife of the aging and ill King Louis XII of France. It was hoped that the young queen could provide an heir to King Louis before he died, but forces in the French court were eager to see that fail. Anne, with her expertise in French, enters the court, where her sister Mary is also an attendant to the queen, along with a clique of young Englishwomen who immediately take a dislike to Anne, seeing her as a threat. Anne must walk a perilous line in this atmosphere of double-dealing, spying, and divided loyalties to keep her safety and prospects intact.

The Queen’s Maid seamlessly blends known historical figures and facts with a story of intrigue that will draw readers in and keep them engaged. Rozsa Gaston has done a wonderful job of fleshing out the early life of Anne Boleyn. I loved that Anne, as a character, was incredibly outspoken for her age and time. I loved the intrigue that flowed around the French court, with various cliques all vying for favor from the king, Queen Mary, Louise of Savoy, or her son, the future king, Francis. The complex different storylines lead to clever subplots and story arcs. Anne had strong opinions about politically arranged marriages and the use of female offspring to bargain for land, wealth, or peace between nations. Yet she found herself caught up in the intrigue and backstabbing of a typical European court and its power brokers. This is a well-written, impeccably researched story with plenty of subterfuge and subplots to keep any reader fully engaged from start to finish. As the second book in the Anne Boleyn chronicles, it is a standalone read, although Anne’s journey is far from over. I await book three from this immensely talented author. This is an excellent read and is highly recommended.