Possibly the best historical novel I have yet to read! I felt the author was Cecily Neville! I was living her hard fifteenth century life - I was there in the room with her remonstrating with her philandering son ,the King, I felt her every emotion, her frustrations, her anger, her horror of what she was about to do when son was pitied against son! Her deep love for her ‘Son in Splendour’ and the regret she felt for her son whose loyalty bound him to his brother, the King! How could she have given birth to a son such as George! And her nemesis Margaret, their lives running parallel! Oh this book left me breathless, tearful and so very involved! Her conclusion was so plausible though left me emotionally drained! My admiration for this author is boundless - I sincerely hope her next book will be out very soon!

I have read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. The characters are familiar and I feel that the details are well researched and written with detailed knowledge of the period. I took a while to get into the story, in spite of having read the previous book. When I was into the story I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is great to read about a strong woman having power and influence in the 15th century! I am not sure if Cecily Neville was a good person but she’s certainly seems to have been a strong one!
Recommended

The cousin's war is my favorite period of history. This historical novel, told from the perspective of Cecily Neville, strong mother of two kings, helps to make things clearer in what is a very complicated story of betrayals, battles and executions. The characterization is believable; I particularly liked the portrayal of Elizabeth as an emotional wreck, and Richard III as loyal and thoughtful. The author has interesting theories regarding the deaths of Henry VI, George, Duke of Clarence and Edward V and his brother, Richard, A really entertaining and educational read.

I really enjoyed reading this. It was exactly what I needed it to be. Characterisation was great, pacing was good. There were some beautiful sentences too.

Having read "Cecily", and raved about it to everyone I know, I was very keen to read this second book about Cecily Neville, now that her son Edward I is king. A fantastic read, and a wonderful dive into the life of this powerful matriarch of the House of York. Annie Garthwaite is a worthy successor to Philippa Gregory in terms of shining a light on strong women from history. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

This is a book I could have done with when doing History at school. It really brought everything to life, giving me a different perspective of King Richard III, who normally comes across as a bitter, twisted person. The times were really hard, death common place, and intrigue and secrets running rife. It really did feel like some of the people were chess players, playing a long game, scheming to get what they wanted, whatever way they could. Even though you knew what was going to happen to many of the individuals, with them having real lives and deaths, it was fascinating to read. I also didn’t realise there was a different view on what happened to the Princes in the Tower. For anyone even vaguely interested in History, or is just looking for a really good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.