From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) comes a riveting and scandalous love triangle between a young woman on the brink of greatness, a young man whose ambition far exceeds his means, and the wife who cannot forgive them.In the autumn of 1558, church bells across England ring out the joyous news that Elizabeth I is the new queen, yet one woman hears the tidings with utter dread. She is Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert, and she knows that Elizabeth’s ambitious leap to the throne will draw her husband back to the center of the glamorous Tudor court, where he was born to be.Elizabeth’s excited triumph is short-lived. She has inherited a bankrupt country where treason is rampant and foreign war a certainty. Her faithful advisors warns her that she will survive only if she marries a strong prince to govern the rebellious country, but the one man Elizabeth desires is her childhood friend, the ambitious Robert Dudley. As the young couple falls back in love, a question hangs in the air: can he really set aside his wife and marry the queen? When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival.
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"This book started out very slow. I kept putting it aside to read others. When I finally got into it about midway through, I couldn't put it down. It leaves some things to speculation which is a kind of fun thing for me and appropriate I believe since it is based on fact and nobody ever really knows what happens behind closed doors. Not my favorite Gregory novel but worthy in its own right." — Danette (4 out of 5 stars)
"This book started out very slow. I kept putting it aside to read others. When I finally got into it about midway through, I couldn't put it down. It leaves some things to speculation which is a kind of fun thing for me and appropriate I believe since it is based on fact and nobody ever really knows what happens behind closed doors. Not my favorite Gregory novel but worthy in its own right."
“Jolly good fun.”
“No lover of Elizabethan history should be without this novel, nor will any fan be disappointed with the meticulous research and marvelous portraits of Elizabeth, Dudley, and the court.”
“Expertly crafted…readers addicted to Gregory's intelligent, well-researched tales…will be enthralled.”
" I bounced back and forth between loving Elizabeth, hating her for her wrath, and feeling pity for our Virgin Queen. I love how this book describes a life our Queen could have struggled with. Really makes her come alive! "
" I usually love her writing but I found this book almost disappointing. I wanted so much more about Elizabeth "
" Maybe loved a little more even than the others...love, love, love Queen Elizabeth....what a woman! "
" I believe this is the final book in the Tudor saga that started with the "Constant Princess" and ends with "The Virgin's Lover". Good book, but not as good as its predecessors. This one bored me a little. I felt the same way about the 'Constant Princess". The middle 3 I liked. Per Philippa Gregory style, great historical fiction with a theory on an unsolved mystery. I like the way she finds that one loose thread in history and just pulls until she gets her own reality. I enjoy her writing. But I am getting tired of the Tudors :D. "
" Philippa Gregory brings the intrigue and scandal of Tudor Court to vivid life with authenticity and flair. Dialogue rings true and characters are historically convincing - a rare accomplishment in the period genre on both counts. The only bugbear I have with this book (and many others of Gregory's) is that although it is based on conjecture, I found myself treating the story as fact! "
" This was entertaining, though it got old reading the same thing over and over- Elizabeth's fear of losing the throne followed by Robert Dudley stepping in and wooing here and then repeat for about 100 pages. Certainly not the best from the series, which I don't think are as good without the ever changing moods of King Henry, since this is past his time. "
" I love the Tudors. They were all so evil and backstabbing! "
" An interesting interpretation on the life and origin of the Virgin Queen. I enjoyed it despite the fact that the pacing was really slow. Aside from that it was quite injoyable. "
" Gregory is always fun to read, though not very historically accurate--she changes history to suit her needs more than I care for, but she's an excellent story teller. "
" I read mixed reviews about the book, but I LOVED IT! "
" A great way to get a taste of Elizabethen history in a soap opera format. Loved it! "
" You have to read The Queen's Fool to appreciate this one. Wish we knew more about Elizabeth -- she is a fascinating character. "
" Another great work by Philippa Gregory. I am keen to read her other books! "
" Listening to this. It was better than ok. Abridged edition, may have been better if I had heard the unabridged edition. Nevertheless, a good travel companion. "
" I didn't like this one as much as I liked the other Philippa Gregory books I've read (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Queen's Fool, The Other Queen), but it was still a good/interesting read. "
" Very interesting read. Her take on the story of Elizabeth and her maybe lover is facinating. "
" I found this book easier to read and quicker moving than some of Gregory's other books. I found it redundant in parts, and it seemed to be stalled on a single issue, but I still enjoyed it. "
" It was just ok. I loved some Of her other books but I really had to push to get through this one. There was no compelling character for me to hang on to. I guess it's ok if they are not all "good" but I need one to have a redeemable quality. "
" I found it very disappointing. The Elizabeth portrayed in this book seems to be weak and indecisive. She is bullied by the ambitious men in her life. In the end she will not allow herself be with the man she loves because it would be scandals. "
" Just about as good as (but not quite) The Other Boelyn Girl. "
" Robert Dudley's ambition is to become the King of England. The first part of the book dragged but the second half was excellent. "
" A nice read for fans of historical romance, good while sitting before the fire with a cup of tea. Who really did kill Amy? "
" I have enjoyed Philippa Gregory's other novels but did not really care for this one. I could not find anything likable about any of the characters. "
" The Tudors spin so many webs. Another good book by Phillippa. "
" Some nice writing and history here but the sex was too raunchy for my taste. The language was overly colorful too. This is fiction!!! You don't have to be that realistic. "
" Not nearly as good as the Boleyn books. Maybe Elizabeth I just wasn't as interesting? "
" I loved this one as much as all of her other ones!!! "
" Another great read from Philippa. A very easy way to learn history. "
" After being a bit disappointed in the Constant Princess, this book definitely redeemed her. Kudos to a great story! "
" This is probably my least favorite in the series. It just didn't have the spark that the previous books had. Overall still wonderfully written. The ending also left something to be desired but I guess you can't really choose your ending with historical fiction like this can you?! ;) "
" Some of the quotes were definitely reminiscent of my life "
" Being a big fan of Queen Elizabeth this book was a dream come true. Philippa Gregory does an amazing job of breathing life into a character long since past. This was another book I couldn't put down. "
" Eh. Her other books were better. This book just made me angry. "
Phillipa Gregory is an internationally bestselling author of historical novels whose success extends to the United States as well, where she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She earned her BA from the University of Sussex and a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from Edinburgh University, where she is a regent. Gregory is the author of the Wideacre trilogy, the Earthly Joys series, and the Plantagenet and Tudor novels, which include the enormously popular Other Boleyn Girl, of which there are over a million US copies in print. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction.
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.
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