Book Review - Wife After Wife by Olivia Hayfield - #HolidayReading Malta

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Title: Wife After Wife

Author: Olivia Hayfield

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 9th July 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

Glamour, infidelity, murder . . .

Ruthless, devilishly handsome businessman Harry Rose is head of Rose Corporation, No. 18 on the Forbes rich list, and recently married to wife number six. But now, with his business in the spotlight and his love life under scrutiny, Harry's perfect world has the potential to come crashing to the ground.

From eighties young gun to noughties billionaire, there's a reason why Harry's many wives have found him impossible to resist. But behind the money, sex and glamour lies a truer tale of infidelity, conspiracy and murder . . .

Loosely based on the trials and tribulations of the most infamous historical playboy of them all, Henry VIII, this tale of glamour and serial monogamy will leave you wickedly entertained.

What a clever book, and wow just how much research must have gone into this. 

For Wife After Wife is a modern contemporary retelling of Henry VIII and his 6 wives. 

There is s cast list which explains the characters and their Tudor equivalents. 

I laughed when there was a mention of things like A War of the Roses, not referencing the historical one, but a battle between two members of Harry Rose's family!

The Tudors is one of the very few periods of history I actually remember anything about from school, although it probably helps that I saw Six, the musical last year which focuses on the wives stories, which combined with the book makes me think large parts of it were based in fact.

But given a modern twist. 

Think of Harry Rose as a cross between Henry VIII with regards his morals and love of women, to Richard Branson / Rupert Murdoch for also creating a massive media and more empire, and have him as the hero of the book and  with some of what he goes through you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. 

Set from the mid 80s to the present day, we see ingenious ways of dealing with the "beheaded" wives, and one of the divorces is rather cleverly done. 

It is all really impressive, and I'm delighted I had a chance to read this. On one level it is a fabulous holiday read, on another it is something I wouldn't necessarily normally opt to read purely as re-tellings and history aren't my thing but for me this just works!

Thank you to Piatkus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.