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Henry Tudor Must Die

A wickedly witchy retelling of Henry VIII's Queens and their quest for revenge

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Henry Tudor Must Die

By: Jillian Laine
Narrated by: Winsome Brown, Elisabeth Lagelée, Jillian Laine
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One queen exiled. Another headed for the gallows. Both hungry for revenge. England’s most infamous queens unite in vengeance against Henry VIII.
Anne Boleyn is going to die, and neither her cleverness nor her witchery can save her.

So when her late rival, Catalina de Aragón, miraculously appears in her cell at the Tower of London on the eve of her execution, very much alive and offering a daring escape plan, no one is more surprised than Anne.
Lina doesn’t have Anne’s magic—but she has just as much hate for England’s wretched king. Severed from her daughter and stripped of all her influence, Lina breathes only for the Hellebore Sisterhood, a clandestine and powerful society with a vested interest in keeping both queens alive…and using their particular skills to advance womankind.
Anne and Lina’s old rivalries pale in comparison to a common enemy. One by one, they capture their pawns, infiltrating the court, recruiting the new queens in Henry’s orbit, and eliminating the men who plotted against them. Always inching closer to their true target...
And they want his head.

© Jillian Laine 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Fantasy Historical Romance Royalty Revenge England
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Critic reviews

Sharp, emotional, and deeply relevant, Jillian Laine's debut tells the story of queens reclaiming their power. Read this book if you love stories about sisterhood, magic, and a witty 'what if?
Henry Tudor Must Die delivers the perfect revenge story, 500 years in the making. Witchcraft, fiery heroines and the ultimate tale of sisterhood. This is an absolute delight.
All stars
Most relevant
I tried really hard to immerse myself in this. Like many, I have a great interest in the Tudor period and have read numerous non-fiction and historical fiction books covering it. I loved the premise of a secret society of witches and the idea of Katherine of Aragon (here referred to as Catalina, or Lina) rescuing Anne Boleyn so that the two could join forces against Henry.

I was fully ready to be taken on a wild magical ride and although it started off well, it flattened out and I felt I was being fed a tale of 2026 American feminist speech forced into the mouths of the 16th century queens. The addition of an affair between Anne of Cleves and a lady-in-waiting was neither here nor there, and the eventual conclusion felt as if it had just been tagged on because the author realised that she had to wind everything up.

Unfortunately a huge part of my problem with this related to the narration and contributed to my stopping and stepping away from the book several times. The voices given to different characters were at times extremely grating.

If you are looking for another novel of this ilk, I highly recommend "The Beheading Game" - this wins where "Henry Tudor Must Die" simply fails.

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