Thursday, June 28, 2012

Review: Anne of Hollywood by Carol Wolper



Title: Anne of Hollywood

Author: Carol Wolper

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: January 24th, 2012


               Don’t get me wrong, I loved Anne of Hollywood by Carol Wolper.  I loved how she retold the tragic love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.  The aspect of the book I didn't like was the use of the real names.  Not just the real first name like Anne, or Jane, or even Catherine but the surnames as well like Boleyn, Seymour, and Aragon.  It just seemed a little too far fetched for parents to name their children after a tragedy and even more far fetched for them to have the same last name as those tragic players of the past.
                       Anyway, on with the story.
                Well, actually you know the story already.  Right?  And we all know how it ends?  




                
Here’s the back cover copy blurb.




                   “I wasn’t prepared for the enemies. Had I been as gorgeous as a supermodel, or as rich as an heiress, or an actress with an Oscar to my credit, people would still not be happy that I had Henry’s attention, but they’d understand. What they resented was the king coupling with a ‘nobody.’” 


Skirts may be shorter now, and messages sent by iPhone, but passion, intrigue, and a lust for power don’t change. National bestselling author Carol Wolper spins a mesmerizing tale of a twenty-first-century Anne Boleyn. 


Wily, intelligent, and seductive, with a dark beauty that stands out among the curvy California beach blondes, Anne attracts the attention of Henry Tudor, the handsome corporate mogul who reigns in Hollywood. Every starlet, socialite, and shark wants a piece of Henry, but he only wants Anne. The question is: can she keep him? 


Welcome to a privileged world where hidden motives abound, everyone has something to sell, and safe havens don’t exist. With her older sister Mary, a pathetic example of a royal has-been, Anne schemes to win her beloved Henry in the only way that gives a promise of forever—marriage. Success will mean contending with backstabbing “friends,” Henry’s furious ex-wife, and the machinations of her own ambitious family, and staying married to a man who has more options than most and less guilt than is good for either of them will take all her skill. Anne will do anything to hold on to the man—and the lifestyle—she adores, however, even if sticking your neck out in Hollywood means risking far worse than a broken heart. With Henry’s closest confidante scheming against her, and another beautiful contender waiting in the wings, Anne is fighting for her life. Can she muster the charm and wit to pull off her very own Hollywood ending?





     In the end, I loved this book a lot once I got over the names and the fact that I knew the predictable ending.  You really did not get inside Henry’s head, the story was mainly told by the women, so it looked like Henry didn’t really care about anyone or anything except himself and who he could get in bed.  There was one chapter narrated by him, and I inhaled that chapter like it was coffee and Henry was the stimulant I just couldn’t get enough of because, let’s face it.  There are always two sides to every story, and I wanted to dig deeper into why Henry (past and present) is doing and did what he did.  Confusing?  Yeah, I thought so.
      I know Henry VIII wasn't the greatest guy but everyone has motivations behind what they do and how they act and I wanted to  know his even though I knew it was fiction.


Rating

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