What if Anne Boleyn had given birth to a son after Princess Elizabeth? What kind of king would he most likely have been? How would this have affected Elizabeth? Would she still have turned out as pragmatic and patient as the older sister of the King? Would this king go the way that so many sons of strong rulers have gone? That is, the way of indecision and imprudence?

Laura Andersen proposes these questions and more in the conclusion to her Boleyn Trilogy, THE BOLEYN RECKONING. She attempts to answer them with the mastery of a historian who obviously knows her history. Even though she is contorting and interjecting fictional events into the narrative, her characters feel true. Elizabeth, in her new role, even feels true to form.

King William's trusted advisor and friend, known as "The King's Shadow," is Dominic Courtenay, the Duke of Exeter. His is the voice that William hears in his mind when he is called upon to make decisions. Dominic's calm reasoning helps tone down the king's tendency to make rash judgments.

William is determined to marry the woman he loves. Minuette Wyatt and Will have been friends since childhood until one day everything changes and the feelings deepen into romantic love—at least for him. She poses no political advantage in the marriage. She is the step-daughter of Stephen Howard, of the meddling and troublesome Howard family.

But what William does not know is that while he was going through a life-threatening episode with smallpox, Minuette and Dominic are secretly married. After he recovers, they intend to tell him, but the opportunity passes and they must desperately guard their secret.

The consequences of their actions make up the rest of this tense, intriguing tale. The relationships of the four main characters: William, Dominic, Minuette, and of course Elizabeth evolve alarmingly over the course of the story. Personally, I found the various point of views remarkable as they struggle with decisions for their own advantage versus that of their country. The definition of treason is twisted and re-shaped so many times that the true meaning is lost.

Andersen effectively and convincingly constructs a tale that reflects the attitudes of this violent period of history. Aficionados of the Tudor times, if they don't mind some conjectures and what-ifs, will find THE BOLEYN RECKONING, the conclusion to the Boleyn Trilogy enthralling.