The Daisy and the Bear by K.L. Clark

Tags

Edward IV of England, margaret of anjou, wars of the roses

This book is a send up of The Wars of the Roses and its many and sundry characters, and if you are unfamiliar with the period it probably isn’t the book for you as most of the jokes will likely go right over your head. Those who have read up on this period and craving for more like Brian Wainwright’s hilarious The Adventures of Alianore Audley, you might want to consider giving this one a whirl.

This book pairs the infamous she-wolf Margaret of Anjou off with a most unexpected lover.  I won’t spill the beans but what a delightful twist that was and what complications that arose from that relationship. Clark definitely seems to know her period and she pokes ample fun at everyone, adds delightful new spins to all the myths as well as a couple of ever so delightful swipes at one over-hyped historical fiction author currently writing about this period (see if you can guess),

“One day she’d use it to defeat those who stood against her. Like maybe by raising a mist to confuse them in a battle like has been suggested by at least one popular author recently but she probably just doesn’t get it, I mean, there’s people been writing this stuff for a long time, and researching and thinking and have moved on from the whole Wydeville witch thing, but she’s decided to resurrect all that Melusine nonsense and write about witches raising mists to confuse their enemies in battle which is what Elizabeth Grey, newly widowed widow and witch thought maybe she’d do one day.”

Oh and there’s ever so randy Edward IV,

“Ned was very pleased with himself for having found himself such a hot girl. Lizzie was pleased with herself because she was sure that Ned was more than he said he was. She had a sneaking suspicion that he might be the king in disguise!”

“Meanwhile, in Calais, the Earl of March was getting bored because he’d bedded all the women in Calais in the first week and there weren’t anymore. They fluttered around him like wanton butterflies, drunk with his beauty and sexual potency. They lifted their skirts and thrust their quivering bosoms in his face which pleased him a great deal.”

And let us not forget Margaret’s son Edward of Lancaster,

“In his mother’s the queen’s tent at the edge of the battlefield, Prince Edward was practising ordering people’s heads to be chopped off. He was getting good at it and couldn’t wait to do it for real.”

Last but not least young Richard of Gloucester, vilified by the Tudors,

“So, I have to hate her?” the frail and angelic® Richard or Dickon said frowning. “But Ned likes her and I am fiercely loyal to him and always will be!”

Honorable to the end, as well as always always always “frail and angelic® Richard or Dickon”.

All in all this was a hilarious send up of the period, and I was laughing my arse off for most of it (loved the A Very Neville Christmas chapter, including I’m Dreaming of White Rose Christmas). I did have some formatting issues on my kindle edition, especially an occasional large bold font where none should be, as well as some rather lengthy sentences that could use some judicious editing. A few of the jokes fell flat (at least for me), but otherwise a jolly good read and a big thanks to Brian W for mentioning it at Goodreads or I’d have missed all the fun.

FTC, an Amazon verified purchase.

The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

Tags

margaret of anjou

Margaret of Anjou is married off to Henry the VI with the hope that the marriage will bring finally peace between England and France. Hah. The English hate her, especially when she’s unable to produce the required heir. Gossip swirls about her and her alleged lovers and when she finally produces a son ole’ Henry’s about the only one who believes the boy is his.  Always in the wings lusting after Henry’s crown is Richard, Duke of York (and believes his claim is the stronger), and when Henry’s mind goes a bit awry he’s more than ready to step in and take it all…

Everyone’s fortunes take plenty of ups and downs as power passes between the Lancasters and Yorks admidst intrigue, treachery and some incredibly bloody battles (which are not recounted in detail here) – who will rule England in the end? Yes, there’s a whole lot more to it than that and if you know the history of the Wars of the Roses you don’t need a rehash (that’s what Wik is for after all), and if you don’t I’m not going to spoil it for you. I’m just here to discuss the reading experience.Kudos to Susan for taking on a character so reviled by history and shedding new light on her actions – although I’d have liked to see Margaret with a few more warts and flaws. I did struggle with the multiple POV’s at first and for me as a reader this story would have come off better in the third person narrative. That said, I did adore Hal (I’m in love) and I laughed my arse off with Edward of Lancaster and Anne Neville. All in all this is a good book, just not up to the higher quality I’ve become accustomed to in her earlier books. I hear the next one is set in the Tudor period and I’m wondering if I picked up on a hint on the topic at the end of this one. Time will tell…

Thanks to Sourcebooks for my copy.

The Virgin Widow by Anne O’Brien

Tags

Anne Neville, margaret of anjou

 Author Anne O’Brien puts a new spin on the early life of Anne Neville, daughter of the mighty Earl of Warwick, “The Kingmaker“. Both Anne and her sister Isabel are major prizes on the marriage market (and must marry where papa says), but Anne has her heart set on a Plantagenet husband, childhood *friend* Richard, younger brother of Edward IV. Getting her heart’s desire isn’t quite so easy as there’s this little dispute going on commonly known as The Wars of the Roses (or The Cousin’s War as Phillipa Gregory has decided to call it ;)). This is a very complicated period (read more here), but for our intents and purposes, Warwick and Isabel’s husband George, Duke of Clarence, get miffed at King Edward, turn their coats, hightail it to France and throw in their lot with Margaret of Anjou. George thinks he’d make a better king than older brother Edward, but Warwick’s changed his tune and marries Anne of to Margaret’s son Edward of Lancaster, who is or is not the Prince of Wales depending on whether you are a York or a Lancaster.

Confused? I told you trying to explain this was complicated. SPOILER WARNING going forward. Much of this is known history to those familiar with the period, but for those new to the party it might seem like I’m spilling the beans, so consider yourself warned.

Anne’s narrative covers her early years, her marriage to Lancaster, the failed attempts to reclaim England for the Lancasters and subsequent trials and tribulations as a consequence of her father’s treasonous plots. This book does not cover Anne’s years as Richard’s queen, the plots of That Grasping Henry Tudor, nor the events leading up to Bosworth Field.

While not necessarily a bad book, those looking for insight into Anne will likely be disappointed. From what I gathered at the author’s comments at the end (an interview of sorts, not notes), this was written more with romance in mind and that is what you are going to get. As for O’Brien’s writing itself and her take on the period, I do have a few quibbles. Written in the first person narrative (not a favorite of mine) set some limits on recounting back history for the reader and I was scratching my head a time or two when Anne had long conversations with Richard about past events both of them should know perfectly well. Anne refers to her parents as the Earl and the Countess more often than mother and father, and that is both in her *thoughts* and in private conversations with her sister. Odd, that. As a very well-born medieval lady, Anne should know that marriage is about duty and making powerful alliances and not about *twu wuv*, yet she’s constantly stamping her feet when Richard doesn’t declare his true feelings – dangit by this time she’s in a serious political pickle and anyone with a brain in her head should be jumping at the best offer she’s ever going to see.

Anne’s little episode as a kitchen maid (known history, I am not spoiling) is given an unusual twist, and by the end images of Disney’s Cinderella and Prince Charming were stuck in my head and never let go. All of the baddies are easily recognizable by their “feral” smiles, and that includes Margaret who is given a plot twist that will probably inflame the die-hard Ricardians.  That said, I do give the author kudos for giving Anne some backbone, as well as a more rounded Richard without the sugar-coated-to-the-point-of-vomit-inducing-perfection we’ve seen so much of from other authors currently writing about Richard.

All in all, not a bad book by any means, and should do nicely for readers new to the period and looking to get your feet wet, just don’t take everything as the gospel truth. The be-all to end-all book on this period is still Sharon Penman’s fabulous Sunne in Splendour and one I would highly recommend.

FTC? Library loot.