The Scandal of Christendom

Above all Others - The Lady Anne #4

by G. Lawrence

Autumn, 1530.

Cardinal Wolsey has fallen.

The notorious Cardinal and Chancellor is gone. But even with the death of her greatest enemy, Anne Boleyn finds herself no closer to her goal to become Queen and marry the man she loves. Katherine of Aragon is still Queen of England, Rome and the Emperor Charles of Spain stand against Henry's wish to place Anne on the throne, and there is increasing dissent in England. Armed with words and deeds, Anne must fight on. She has allies and friends, but as her path to the throne becomes increasingly controversial, she finds many foes too... including Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More.

Believing the King must be pushed into a radical mind-set, Anne, along with Cromwell and Cranmer, work through Parliament, the Church and court, attempting to make their King into both Pope and Emperor within England. Henry will rule over a Church of England, as the temporal and spiritual leader of his people, and with that title will come the break from the shackles of Rome.

In a war against the Church, against slander, sedition, and many enemies, Anne struggles on, yet even as the dawn of her new life arrives, it does not come easily. And as she toils, Anne becomes aware that the fight for her throne is transforming her into a different person; one who is isolated, volatile, and at times, cruel. Reasurring herself that when she becomes Queen, all will be well, Anne strides ahead, but will the love that has sustained her for so long endure under such pressure? And will the people of England ever accept her as their Queen?

The Scandal of Christendom is book Four in the series Above All Others: The Lady Anne, by G. Lawrence

The author's utmost thanks to Julia Gibbs, for proof reading this book, and to Consuelo Parr for the cover artwork.
Cover model credits: Black Ofelia stock.deviantart

Genres: Historical Fiction, Tudor Period, Fiction

497 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2018

About the author

I am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.

The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.

I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...

You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful addition to this series! I loved how well Henry treated Anne and how he adored her. It was nice to see the softer and more caring side to Henry than how history painted him as a cruel tyrant. This is the part in Henry’s life that I like best, when he was courting Anne.

Anne truly brought out many good traits in Henry. Likewise Henry brought out the softer side of Anne instead of the cold calculating woman history reduced her to. It was almost like reading about a modern day romance where we respect our significant others as equals. If only it could have stayed that way. I truly adored the writing style, which makes one feel what the characters feel.

For example, when Anne first discovers Henry has strayed from her during her first pregnancy , it was written so well that I felt her pain. I felt her heart break, and her feelings about it. I love that she immediately had an unshakeable bond with Elizabeth. There are some novels that display her as disappointed and a detached mother with no feelings for her daughter. This is SO not the case in this novel.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all haunted by someone, by acts and deeds, by the past and the future. We know it not, but we all dwell in this realm between life and death.
We are all ghosts to someone.

I love this series. I've always been partial to Anne Boleyn over any of Henry VIII's wives, and even though this is fiction, I like to choose to believe she was more like this than other portrayals.

This book is looong, but it needs to be. It covers from Autumn 1530 to Summer 1534. It starts at such a high point, Wolsey is gone, preparations to make Henry the Head of the Church in England are started, and it is thought a decision on the Great Matter Is just around the bend, and with it will come Anne's long awaited marriage to her true love. It ends with Anne pregnant with their second child, sure to be a son this time, vowing to herself and unborn baby that all would be well again. Like all the books previous, it's told from Anne's point of view, reminiscing her story as she waits for her execution in the Tower of London. However, in this book Anne learns Henry is not the paragon of love and loyalty she always thought. She sees sides of him she has never seen before, and eventually becomes disillusioned of her husband and the love she thought they shared.

It's not like any part of this story is a surprise to me, I know what happens. But I still couldn't help myself to be shocked when she was, when Henry said something callous. Or be disappointed and sad when she learned he was keeping secrets. And angry and heartbroken when she learned of his mistresses. I give huge credit to the author for that. Her writing sucked me in, like I was seeing the events for the first time, not hearing the same story I had heard dozens of times before. She made me believe that maybe this version of Anne and Henry would get their happily ever after, so when things start to sour it seems shocking and unexpected, even though I know better.

My only complaint is of the cover. It just doesn't seem to fit the era. I liked the previous ones much more, but that's just me.

I don't often give a book I've only read once five stars, but this was just so good. I'm both excited and sad to go on to the next, knowing it will be the end of Anne Boleyn's tale and that there is still so much heartache in store for her.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

'If this is Katherine's dusk, I would have everyone know it is my dawn'.

Having just finished this long book in forty-eight hours, I wonder if Gemma Lawrence knows Anne Boleyn better than anyone else who has ever written about her ~ not the facts (though this book is intricately detailed) but the understanding of the woman herself.

This fourth book in the series covers the period when the Great Matter is finally resolved (as much as it can be), when Anne becomes Queen, gives birth to Elizabeth and becomes pregnant for a second time; at the end, I wanted, as ever, to stand with a whip over the writing desk of Ms Lawrence and demand she write the next one now, and not sleep until it is done.

The beginning of the book sees the continuation of Anne and Henry's battles with Katherine and Spanish ambassador Chapuys, the Pope and all those who oppose them. I was glad to see old rumours dispelled, such as Anne orchestrating the plot to poison Bishop Fisher, but she is not painted only in glowing colours. Lawrence's Boleyn is far too intelligent, self-aware and analytical not to see that her frustration causes her to act in ways she regrets; indeed, she shows unseemly pride in flaunting the ermine-trimmed gowns of purple given to her by Henry (both ermine and the colour purple were to be worn only by royalty) and is sometimes spiteful, but one can hardly blame her if she sought to soil the reputation of, for instance, the King's great friend Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, who was very much against her.

'Did I stop to consider that I was spreading the same evil that had once hurt me? I did not ... I should not have lowered myself. Katherine would never have done as I did.'

Here, she is too harsh on herself. Since she first won Henry's love she has had to hold her head up high in front of all who would see her downfall, until she becomes 'as used to the (tales of her wickedness) as a crumbling dotard may become to gout'.

Gemma Lawrence puts myths and Hollywoodised images about other players to bed, too; Katherine was ridiculously stubborn, and hurt her own daughter in refusing to stand down; she also hurt the very man she claimed to love so much, and the good of the realm. Then there is Thomas More ~ the reality of this 'man of God' who tortured and burned to death those whose beliefs didn't coincide with his couldn't be further from the kindly uncle-like figure played by Jeremy Northam in Showtime's The Tudors.

There is more to this book than courtly intrigue, of course. I loved the images of the countryside of long ago: 'We rode out through glorious, crisp mornings and heard corncrakes cawing in the fields... tall oaks, elms and yews seemed to bow as our horses clopped under them ... merlins flew over moor land, chasing meadow pipits across the gorse-covered hills.' There is much to be learned about how the Church of England was born, about rituals of christening and coronations ~ and amusing snippets showing how little the people of the 16th century knew about the human body: 'The baby is drawing on your blood to help him grow, my lady. That is why women's courses cease when they are with child'.

We also learn the good about Henry, and why he is still the most famous and written-about of all the kings of England. He was not just a tyrant ~ he built up the navy to greatness, and had a way of talking to the common man as if they were friends of his, not lesser mortals, which made him so loved by his people.

In everything I've read and watched about Anne and Henry, it seems that she had begun to lose his heart even before she failed to give him a son, for which she met her death. I believe it is simply that he was so indulged that if someone wasn't shiny, new and exciting, it no longer held his absolute attention. Anne is probably the most famous woman to give truth to the quote (most commonly attributed to financier James Goldsmith) 'when a man marries his mistress, he creates a vacancy'. As soon as she is pregnant with Elizabeth, she begins to hear rumours of his other women.

'Now that I was his wife and Queen, I was vulnerable. Before, when I had ruled him as a mistress, I had held the power. Now, he was my master.'

Anne discovers that theirs is not this grand passion that can weather all storms, after all. She loses her own strength, which she hates: 'It is so easy to forget ills when one is offered love again. When a heart has known love once, it will do anything to keep it.'

This was the part of the book that really earned its 5 GOLD stars, a personal rating I don't give that often (it's one better than 5 stars!), not just for Anne's pain when she begins to see Henry through new eyes, but her love for her daughter, which is heartbreaking. I loved my daughter more than life, more than faith, more than Henry. If I could have held her forever and never let her go, I would have done so. There was nothing more important than her.

Anne feels sympathy for Katherine as Elizabeth is taken from her to reside in her own household (as is normal for royal children); she comes to feel many parallels with Katherine over the following months. Most sad, though, is that she does not see the two people who will bring about her downfall: the two Janes, Boleyn and Seymour.

This book left me wondering two things: if Katherine had stepped down, while Henry was still in his prime, might Anne have borne those sons and saved herself? And then I wondered if Anne's life might have been so much happier if she had married, for instance, Thomas Wyatt, and lived the life of a lady of great learning and teaching, who could have given so much to others of similar mindset; a bit like a more attractive and charismatic Margaret Beaufort, perhaps!

Gemma Lawrence never fails to write about her subjects as no one else has. This is, as I have said before, the only series about Anne Boleyn you need to read.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which Anne and Henry finally DO IT.

Refreshingly, unlike a lot of historians and historical fiction writers, Lawrence DOESN'T suggest everything fell apart the minute they had actual sex, but instead that it was a death of a thousand cuts as so many things piled up, destroying what Anne had worked for over so many years.

This book ends with Anne at one of the high points of her life, blissfully unaware of how wrong things are about to go, as the reader groans at knowing what's next, and also moaning at how a thousand little details scattered throughout are going to be twisted later into the "evidence" that will be used to destroy her.

An excellent rendition of how Anne Boleyn finally came to be queen, and also a suspenseful set up for how all that work would be undone...

[Olivia Castetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let it be known far and wide that the version of Anne Boleyn created by Gemma Lawrence remains breath-taking throughout The Scandal of Christendom (Above All Others – The Lady Anne, Book #4).
Beginning in Autumn 1530, The Scandal of Christendom follows Anne Boleyn through the aftermath of the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey and the events surrounding the unofficial banishment of Queen Katherine/The Princess Dowager of Wales, and Princess (now bastard) Mary, daughter of Katherine and Henry VIII. As Henry’s first wife and surviving child are removed from the English Court, the throne is vacant for Anne’s taking as her family scrambles and strives for the King’s affection and grace…meanwhile Anne moves ever-closer to Henry’s bedchamber to conceive the male heir England so desperately needs. After their marriage and the birth of Anne and Henry’s first child, Elizabeth, Anne quickly conceives again, just as she learns her crown is only as secure as the prince in her womb, and that her beloved’s affections may be dashing toward his alleged mistresses.
Throughout all of this, Lawrence’s insight into Anne’s incredibly-human, wholly-relatable, and—I believe—realistic emotions and reactions remain stunning. While Anne’s rage against the Cardinal is boundless and she fails to lament her cruelty toward the man, her encouraged treatment of her former mistress, Katherine, and daughter Mary give her pause. As much as Anne realizes she’s nudging Henry’s hand in their treatment for her own benefit, she realizes the ways in which the men of her family are doing the same with her. Furthermore, as Henry’s body strays from her bed during her first pregnancy, Anne begins to accept how imperfect Henry truly is as a husband, prompting another series of reflections as she ponders the similarities between her present situation and the one she brought upon Katherine only a few years prior.
This observed irony is my favorite aspect of The Scandal of Christendom. I’ve often wondered if the real Anne Boleyn ever wondered or realized the things she shared with Katherine, if only by circumstance. After reading Lawrence’s book, I can only think, “How could Anne not have realized it? Anne was a brilliant woman. The irony wouldn’t have been lost on her.”
Additionally, after Anne gives birth to her first child, a girl, Henry’s limited enthusiasm humbled Anne. Perhaps for the first time, Anne understood that Henry loved her potential as a woman who could potentially bear him a son far more than he truly loved her. After all, during their courtship, he treated her as an equal; now, as she remains in her child-bed, he treats her as the weaker sex (as if childbirth doesn’t require strength!).
When Anne conceives their second child quickly following Elizabeth’s birth and her subsequent churching, Henry’s body strays yet again into the bed of a mistress. This information distresses Anne and humbles her further; she now knows Henry does not adore her as his pretty words had promised. While Anne felt trapped throughout the duration of Henry’s Great Matter, she now expresses moments of feeling chained, struggling to come to grips with the epiphany that the sons she may bear will be her only salvation, akin to the manner in which her child-bearing potential and stark contrast to Henry’s former wife brought her to his attention so many years ago.
As Anne’s second pregnancy progresses, the book ends with an Epilogue in the Tower once more, while Anne awaits the dawn of her execution day. Reading Lawrence’s version of Anne’s thoughts, I can feel Anne’s anguish—her desire to be a mother, her love for her children she sacrificed to England’s ruler, her pain of so many lost lives of her loved ones. Imperfect she many have been, Anne was an exceptional woman (in reality and fiction alike), and the sympathy she evokes is astounding. Even though I know how history will play out five hundred years ago and what the next book holds, I am enraged that I cannot rescue Anne, a woman who could have been so much more and who deserved so much more than being queen. This, of course, is due in large part to Gemma Lawrence’s incredible skill with the written word, and for that, I am grateful.
The Scandal of Christendom was a little slow for me to start, but that is because of my personal preferences, not the book itself (I simply am not fascinated by Cardinal Wolsey, so this portion of the book wasn’t as thrilling for me to read). Nonetheless, this book absolutely deserves all five of the stars I’m awarding it, and more.

[kathleen r. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandal

The words might not be verbatim but the essence of Anne Boleyn is beautifully conveyed. Although history has given the modern world some ideas of how many things she may have done that would have earned her much dislike and enmity, there was never any evidence that she deserved the death she suffered. In my opinion none of Henry 8's wives/victims deserved the ultimate ends they met with the wonderful exception of #4, Anne of Cleves, who managed not only to escape his wrath but who also prospered wonderfully as a result. I think the most fortunate of course was # 6, Katherine Parr who notably not only outlived the monster who was Henry, but who also went on to marry for love and prosper for some years before her own untimely death.
But in reading this series I have gained not only some knowledge about Anne, but also a great deal of empathy and certainly some sympathy for her life and fate.
Henry 8 might have been a great king in many ways but in his pursuit of marital bliss he was blind, deaf and dumb. That he had a superior education and certainly every personal and familial advantage never seemed to be in evidence with his marriages. Viewing it from the perspective of 400+ years, I can't imagine how any women survived as they did, struggling to keep the men who ruled their every action content and lacking the desire to slaughter them as they slept! It's bone chillingly sinister but has been the state of the world far longer than the opposite, that women have not just rights but voices and the permission to speak. In some countries of course women are still oppressed and silenced. Humanitarian crises still exist in the universe.
But to return to this story, I'm struck by the struggle Anne had to endure and how, for her time, she still tried not just to please a demented and misogynistic vulture but to advance the causes she most believed in and tried to share with her citizens. She tried and for her efforts she lost everything.
It doesn't escape me that her strength and intelligence surfaced in Elizabeth I, who notably became likely the strongest and most brilliant queen England had ever had, save the second Elizabeth, who kept England not just intact and prosperous during some very tumultuous years but who also was the firm hand guiding the nation through her entire career, likely the longest queen to ever live.
I'm impressed with the structure of this series and certainly will finish the final book to reach the ultimate but sad conclusion.
There's so much to enjoy in this series, if someone is new to Tudor history or familiar with the sagas, makes no difference.
I highly recommend this book and the entire series as one of the best available to the reading public.
Very well done.

[Emily Kakolewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a very good series, fantastic writing

Anyone who loves this age, these are a must read series. I have never said that, but these really deserve it. Again, the writing is done so you really feel like you are there. Ann is usually given a paragraph, maybe a few pages, or when there is a book-you just end up with the feeling that she was a shrew who got beheaded. I always had so many questions about her, things never addressed. This author gives great honor to Ann that is rarely seen, in a simple, authentic manner-she shows you what happened through Ann's eyes. I hope when people look to learn about Ann, they chose these books as a necessary part. Thank you to the author for these stories.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you see yourself in a book it can be sad but it can also be a reunion of two souls.

As I continue to read of my beloved Anne, I feel her feelings that I have helped, the need and desire to feel what true love feels like, and the sorrow of the loss of an unknown what could have been.

I feel at awe walking alongside Anne wanting to hold her hand and glide in the garden together relishing in happy moments together and sitting with comforting her.

G. Lawrence is bringing Anne alive. One more Anne book to go...how I am excited and sad at the same time to finish off Anne’s journey even though I know how it ends...ebook.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite one of the series

I have read the entire series and waited to review, until I reached the end. This is by far my favorite, as it goes over the peak of their love and shows the slow demise that is to come. Anyone who loves reading about the Tudors, she is the first author I recommend. I just wish you could get them in physical book form, so I could recommend them to patrons if the library I work at!

[Pam Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series

I love historical series even though so many of them seem to turn into pure bodice rippers. This series truly turned Henry and Anne into living breathing people. I enjoyed all four books very much. Historically accurate, well written and thoroughly interesting. I read one after the other in a marathon. Absolutely I will be checking out books by this author.

[Amy McElroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth book in this so far fantastic series covers the time between Autumn 1530 and the summer of 1534.
These are the years when Anne finally gets what she wanted. Henry breaks from Rome, they get married, Anne is crowned Queen and of course gives birth to Elizabeth.Yet another fantastic book by Lawrence as we near the end of Anne's tale and her downfall.

[Author Raven Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great detail, some editing errors

I continue to love the detail of the series, though those not as interested in the time period might not be. I’ve read many books by this author, and this one seemed to have the most grammatical errors and could use a quick once over again for typos and small mistakes.

[susan heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I have enjoyed every book in this series,as an avid Tudor fan,enjoying everyone from Jean plaidy to Hiliary Mantel,they read and flow in harmony,looking forward to the finale.....

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and am looking forward to the final book in the series. I love that each book is long and full of detail. I can’t get enough of Anne and Henry.

[Dayanara Ryelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A steady, not-too-wild read like the others in the series.

A note, however:

Author refers to Margaret Pole as "another old friend" of Katherine's—as if she's not the same Countess of Salisbury the author's been talking about the whole book! Henry returned the title to her in 1512, so it's not like this was some new development in 1533.

=23 May=
There was a brief mention of a "Lord Rochester" after the death of Elizabeth Barton, and this guy seems to be both over-the-top and hinted at being George Boleyn.

Now, I don't profess to be a Boleyn expert, but that doesn't sound like one of their titles. Wiki says:

• Baron Rochester wasn't created until 1931
• Viscount Rochester in 1611
• Earl of Rochester in 1652

The year is 1534. Who the hell is Anne et al. talking about?

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good first person interpretation of Anne Boylen

I have enjoyed this series to books about Anne. Very believable first person account. I can actually find this fictional account to be a story that might be close to what Anne went through so long ago

[Lois Anne Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as always

I have read many historical fiction novels this series is definitely one of my favourites. If you enjoyed these, her books about Elizabeth are brilliant too!

[Karen Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was excellent!!!! So well researched! Looking forward to the final book in this series!!

[vanessa hurtt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

All of her books are outstanding but this one really pulled me in. The whole series has me enthralled in it

[Hanna (lapetiteboleyn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost a whole star for unironic use of the phrase "prisoners of love" and regained it for that last line.

[Louise Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as the others in the series. The birth of Elizabrth and the coronation are good, but much of t h e discussions of poliand t h e church are dull and tedious.

[Alan Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding