Firebrand

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Fremantle

Narrated by: Georgina Sutton

The basis for the major motion picture Firebrand—which reveals the tumultuous darker side to the marriages of the notorious King of England, Henry VIII, and the wife who survived.

“Smart, sensual, and suspenseful as a thriller, this is a must-read for Philippa Gregory fans.” —People

Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one, Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. Instead, she attracts the amorous attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal. Haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and rely on her wits and the help of her loyal servant Dot to survive the treacherous pitfalls of life as Henry’s queen. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

Amazing story

Amazing storytelling would recommend to anyone who loves the Tudor family and all things including this time period.

The prose

Loved the story. The writing was superb. Characters were well drawn.
The Reader was excellent.

Amazing

Beautifully written, I absolutely loved every minute of it... Narration was Superb and entrancing... Great

Amazing Fortitude from Catherine Parr

We are truly lucky as modern women. Catherine Parr's story is heroic and interesting. She was was a women in a man's world. She probably had know idea how women would look up to her and be curious about her story in the future. Elizabeth Fremantle books always pull me in and keep me looking for more. I hope Audiable gets more of her books!

Sometimes it's NOT good to be the queen

The book follows Katherine Parr’s marriage to King Henry VIII, and after Henry’s death, her marriage to Thomas Seymour. As Henry’s sixth wife, Katherine knew her position as queen was precarious. She did not want to marry him, but once he set his eyes to her, she had no choice.

Katherine Parr has always been my favorite of Henry’s six queens. She was undoubtedly very smart and charming. She learned from the mistakes of her predecessors, and successfully navigated the religious and political court intrigues. This was made even more difficult because Henry’s Catholic advisors had her on their hit list due to her Protestant beliefs. Fremantle has done an excellent job of showing us a strong and brave Queen.

It is sad to me that she survived her marriage to Henry, only to be betrayed by the man she truly loved and die in childbirth. She deserved so much better than that.

I also liked that along with Katherine’s story, we get points of view from those around her: her physician, her step-daughter, and her servant. Their stories are also intriguing and give a better understanding of life in those times.

Georgina Sutton’s narration is very good, and added to my enjoyment of the story. She is passionate without being over-the-top. She captured Katherine’s voice very well.

After finishing this book, I added Fremantle’s other titles to my wishlist.

you won't be disappointed

I was a little unsure of purchasing this book, just because I'd never heard of the author, but I'm so glad I did. If you like historical fiction novels, then you're in for hours of captivating listening. I'm so excited to download another title from this author. Hopefully they'll be many other titles similar to this one in the future.

Fills in gaps in a delightful way

The author has presented a deep, balanced view of the conflicting forces behind the religious reformation of Henry's court woven into a compelling story of Katherine Parr and her ladies. Highly entertaining dose of history.

Riveting

This book kelp me engaged the entire time. I was emerged in the time period.

Good story well read

Excellent
narration on a well told story. The reader was just right—Not overly dramatic.
I very much enjoyed the book and the production.
I would recommend this book

Really enjoyed it

If you love English history, and the descriptions of life in the court of Henry VIII, spend a credit on this one.