A king who would not be denied. A woman who would be queen. And a gentle poet forced to watch helplessly as his one true love slipped out of his arms forever. These are the elements in Wendy J. Dunn’s poignant novel, Dear Heart, How Like You This?
       Dear Heart tells the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The novel is written in first person, from the point of view of Anne’s cousin, Sir Thomas Wyatt. Tom has secretly loved Anne his entire life, but has always been told he is not highly born enough to pursue her. He carefully masks his feelings, especially after Anne catches the eye of the king, and remains at Anne’s side as one of her staunchest friends and supporters. Then the unthinkable happens. After marrying Anne, the king tires of her and falsely accuses her of adultery. Imprisoned himself on the whim of the king’s arrogant brother-in-law, Tom watches helplessly as his true love and his closest friends go on trial for their lives…
       Dear Heart is a novel that grips you before the end of the first sentence and doesn’t let go until the bitter end. In Dunn’s more than capable hands, Anne Boleyn comes to life, first as a whimsical child, then as a hurt and angry teenager, then as a woman both frightened and exhilarated by the dangerous game she is playing, and finally as a bruised—but not broken—victim of the king’s cruelty. Through Anne’s tumultuous life, her cousin Thomas is a spellbinding narrator, reporting the events around him with a reporter’s keen eye and a poet’s tender heart.
       I would recommend Dear Heart to anyone who enjoys a love story or who has even a passing interest in English history. It is a beautifully written novel of love and betrayal. In fact, I’m off to read it again, just as soon as I dry my eyes.

Debra L. Stang, author of Visiting Grandma

I recently read Dear Heart How Like You This? by Wendy J. Dunn and was so impressed and touched that I wanted to write a brief review to thank the author. I have never done anything like this before, so I read someone else's review of this wonderful novel to get an idea of how to write mine. The review I read was so eloquent I thought how could I possibly add anything to something so complete. All I can add are the deep personal feelings this novel brought out in me. Sir Thomas Wyatt is my blood kin. I have always had a history of my family with pictures of Allington Castle and stories of Sir Thomas. I had this image of Sir Thomas , larger than life, possessing no human frailties. After reading Dear Heart,I realized he laughed when he was happy and cried when his heart was broken, as it often was. While I read, I had to keep reminding myself that it is a work of fiction, but it did not feel like fiction to me. The characters and events are not fiction. It is not fiction that Sir Thomas loved Anne Boleyn for most of his life. Tom's grandson, George Wyatt, speaking of Thomas and Anne, said Sir Thomas "could gladly yield to be tied forever with the knot of her love." If I had inherited Tom's way with words, I could express how deeply this book touched me. I do not know what else to say except thank you Wendy.
-- Terry Daniel Wyatt from Missouri, USA

Wendy J. Dunn, Author of DEAR HEART, HOW LIKE YOU THIS? Awarded the 2003 Glyph for Best Adult Fiction. Seriously one of the best novels ever written about Anne Boleyn's life.
-- Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey, reader.

No fluke prize-winner, Dear Heart… is one of the most wonderful, deeply-felt, and touching love stories — fact or fiction — I’ve ever encountered. I love this book! -- Kurt Florman, M.I. Partner/Editorial.

A magnificent book of great emotional intensity and beauty of speech. I must admit it brought me to tears on a couple of occasions because Wendy has really tapped into the great personal sadness, not only of Tom Wyatt himself but of Anne and all the Boleyn set - thwarted in love and caught up in a great spider's web of political and courtly intrigue with the monstrous Henry at the very centre of the web. It was wonderful to hear Tom Wyatt's POV which Wendy does so poetically - you really do feel like you are hearing his true voice.
       It is a vivid book, beautifully researched - it just flows from scene to scene- and is the perfect antidote to Philippa Gregory's Other Boleyn Girl. Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful, enchanting novel, Wendy. It is going to be a favourite of mine.

Lynne Lewis, reader

Step back in time to when men were knights, women were
ladies, everybody had courtly manners and the writing
on a love sonnet to your sweetheart meant everything.
Step into Wendy J. Dunn’s utterly romantic, always
haunting and spiritually unforgettable tale of the love
affair between Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII
and her cousin Thomas Wyatt: rake, poet and impassioned
lover, torn between his undying love for his cherished
‘Anna’ and her unexpected destiny as Queen of England,
and look down the kaleidoscope to pity this man his
burden - a life he knows he will never live with her,
but a life he knows he can never live without her.

Like a soft elegy about a murderous king, a lost poet
and an unforgettable woman, who, surprisingly (probably
more for her than anyone else) in the end, loved them
both, Wendy's beautifully constructed story fleshes out
the real Anne and we like her enormously. No longer is
she a cold, flat figure who throughout history has been
portrayed as an ambitious, hard and calculating woman
who would seek the crown of England at any cost. Wendy
has delved deeply into Anne's soul and, as a result,
readers delight with an image of a tiny girl child,
dancing and spinning wildly in the sunlit gardens of
Hever, full of joy and laughter, to the frightened but
courageous and abandoned Queen, alone in the Tower
awaiting the kiss of the sword which she knows is her
inevitable doom. 

Thomas, stoic, besotted and always loyal will never
relinquish this woman who has captured his heart since
they were children. He remains steadfastly devoted to
the end of her days knowing full well he will carry the
scar of their tragedy always and one wonders how he
will manage to do so, and it's here that lies the
emotional pull of the story. Almost from the first
chapter, the reader is aware that he can avoid the
whirlwind if he chooses by escape to France or further,
but like a man who has already sold his soul to the
Devil, the devil will take all; Thomas Wyatt has no
strength against the maelstrom which eventually sucks
him under, spits him out and leaves him empty shelled. 

And throughout it all, throughout the sumptuous weaving
of this magnificently doleful tale is Thomas' poetry, a
living testament which is still so meaningful, albeit
over five hundred years later, that a man can love a
woman to the edge of doom and back, and that a love
like that will live on - presented as it so rightfully
should to those of us today who survive in the slick,
emotionless world of chat lines and speed-dating,
desperately searching for its ilk.

Of course it’s extremely difficult to have a twist on
the ageless story of Anne Boleyn, as any devotee of
Tudor history will be aware, however Ms Dunn manages to
surprise and move us further, and almost to a place we
don't want to go, with her account of the execution as
seen through the eyes of Thomas, her neighbour in the
Tower. Throughout these dark days he has languished in
grief scribbling a sonnet that he's sure she will never
read and one really, that in the end, is worthless, as
in the final analysis, it will mean something only to
him. Was there ever a more poignant ending to a love
story? Not for this reader and for every student of
Tudor history who will read to the final page and
without thinking turn the blank ones at the end, just
hoping there's a little more. 

Lyndal White, reader

Wendy J Dunn's Dear Heart, How Like You This? is a glimpse into Tudor England that has yet to be achieved by any other author. There have been many books written about the ill-fated Anne Boleyn but through the eyes of poet Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne is portrayed as never before. For instead of a queen, we see a child with a love of life unsurpassed, an innocent spirit whose path to the execution block was paved by betrayal, untruths and heartbreak. A woman who could trust only two men in her life, her brother George and the man who loved her from childhood, Thomas Wyatt.
      Based on documented history, Wendy J. Dunn has indeed added the exact amount of spice to create this superb historical novel. As Thomas shares his love for Anne, he also shares the fickle character of the Tudor time period where passions ran high and a sentence of death could so easily be achieved. Loyal to each other unto death, Anne, George and Thomas' lives are entwined so steadfastly that what could not tear them apart was instead used to destroy them.
      As we come to know Anne, George and Thomas through Thomas' own words, we learn of a friendship that truly transcends time. Spun beautifully by the author, it is a camaraderie most have witnessed and yearn for. It is the familiarity established by the author that carefully captures you and heaves you right into the nucleus of Tudor England. It is not without surprise then that once the book concludes, you feel Thomas's loss keenly and it is with an element of sadness that you allow the cover to close on his life. 
      What I admired most about this book is not only its sensitivity to the time period but its incredible grasp of human nature. In an era where life was unpredictable and fate often lay in the palms of others, Wendy J. Dunn captures the people that dwelt within it simply but effectively and ensures their vibrancy to the every end. Cleverly and thoughtfully composed, the author imparts a tale that she herself states is -- "conceived around people who were once flesh and blood."
      Historians will enjoy this book for the insight it offers on Tudor life, for the politics of the English court and for the dominance of Henry VIII. Others will enjoy this work simply because it is a tale of tragedy that cannot fail to strike at the heart of the soul. 

About the reviewer: Born and raised in Leicestershire, England, Elizabeth Batt was surrounded by some of the best British history ever known. Her passion for history remains and resides in the topic Kids British History at Suite101.com. Elizabeth is also the managing editor for Ancient & European History, the community manager for the History & Politics Center, and a Founding Dean for the School of History & Politics at Suite University.