CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy Review for Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Please join Brandy Purdy as she tours with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for The Queen’s Rivals from June 17 – August 7.

Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 384p
ISBN-10: 0758265999

Their ambitions were ordinary, but they were born too close to the throne…

As cousins of history’s most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the Tower’s menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but unavoidable…

Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.

A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Queen’s Rivals recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.

Also published as The Fallen Queen in the U.K.

My Thoughts:

"Mary Grey, born about 1545 was the third and youngest daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Lady Frances Brandon, daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and Mary Tudor, the younger of the two daughters of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Mary had two sisters, Lady Jane Grey, the 'nine days Queen', and Lady Katherine Grey" ..Wikipedia

The Queen's Rivals tells the tragic fictional story of the Grey sisters, as told in the voice of Mary Grey. The sisters were very close to each other, their mother Lady Frances Brandon was too worried about appearances and the royal court to pay a lot of attention to her daughters, unless she profited from them. Their father on the other hand was very indulgent if not a little flighty and preoccupied with 'sweets'.

Lady Jane Grey along with her husband and father were executed for what was called the Wyatt rebellion. The Wyatt rebellion was the uprising brought on by the fact that Queen Mary was said to be engaged to marry Philip of Spain, which the English did not like. Jane was Queen for nine days before Mary was back on the throne and ordered the execution.

Lady Katherine Grey, as were all the Grey sister's, a potential heir to the English throne. Queen Elizabeth was not happy when Katherine secretly married Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and lived in captivity until her death. She was pregnant and was able to keep it secret for a long time but was found out. While in prison after her the birth of her first son, she gave birth to another son after clandestine visits from her husband who was also in imprisoned in the Tower. She was the mother of the 'boys in the Tower'. As punishment for thwarting the Queen she was separated from her family to live out her days alone.

Lady Mary Grey also married Thomas Keyes,sergeant porter to the Queen, without the Queen's permission and was subsequently separated from her husband never to see him again. She lived in house arrest in various households for over seven years. She eventually became one of the Queen's Maid's of Honour and lived for 33 years. Even though she was considered a dwarf and not expected to live long, she outlived her sisters.

I love Brandy Purdy's books, she does thorough research into the lives of the people in the Tudor era and it shows in her writing style. Very descriptive, engaging characters makes The Queen's Rivals a page turning novel. If you are a fan of the Tudor era like I am, then this book is a must.

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my reviews.