Showtime's "The Tudors," the story of King Henry VIII, returns for its second season on March 30, but for fans of romance novels who want to catch up on what happened in season one, there is a new book, "The Tudors: The King, the Queen and the Mistress" ($12.95, Simon Spotlight Entertainment). Based on the first season scripts by Michael Hirst, the novelization was adapted by Anne Gracie, a writer of historical romance novels.

TV tie-in novels aren't that unusual. "Star Trek" books are an industry unto themselves and other popular TV series ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Heroes") have inspired spin-offs, but these have generally been original stories. Since "The Tudors" is rooted in history, that would have been more difficult. So Grace's book stitches together scenes from the scripts and adds the requisite flowery language of the genre.

Here's Gracie describing the scene from the season finale when Henry and Anne Boleyn finally consummate their relationship: "Half-naked they rolled over the soft-leafed forest floor, finally touching, kissing, mouth-to-mouth and skin-to-skin, hands seeking and caressing, learning and knowing, making love like lovers through the ages."

Personally, I'd rather watch the show, but there may be a market for this romance novelization for anyone interested in the story who doesn't have a subscription to Showtime. The last page of the book includes the promise of a sequel, "The Tudors: Anne's Ascension," a novelization of season two. It's due in stores in April.