She was the mother of Henry VIII and wife of Henry VII, but who was Elizabeth of York? Raised as the precious eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth had every reason to expect a bright future until Edward died, and her life fell apart.
When Elizabeth’s uncle became Richard III, she was forced to choose sides. Should she trust her father’s brother and most loyal supporter or honor the betrothal … betrothal that her mother has made for her to her family’s enemy, Henry Tudor?
The choice was made for her on the field at Bosworth, and Elizabeth the Plantagenet princess became the first Tudor queen.
Did Elizabeth find happiness with Henry? And did she ever discover the truth about her missing brothers, who became better known as the Princes in the Tower?
Lose yourself in Elizabeth’s world in Plantagenet Princess Tudor Queen.
This novel has been selected by the Historical Novel Society as an Editors’ Choice and long-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award.
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Elizabeth of York was the daughter of Edward IV, niece of Richard III, wife of Henry VII, and mother of Henry VIII, Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and Mary, Queen of France. But what was she like as a person? In Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen: The Story of Elizabeth of York, Samantha Wilcoxson brings the matriarch of the Tudor Dynasty to life for readers of historical fiction.
I continue to be fascinated with the Tudors and Tudor era of history, so it isn’t surprising that this novel immediately appealed to me even before I read its description. Not having read a book that focused on Elizabeth of York made this an even bigger must-read for me.
The story is told in two sections: Part I–Plantagenet Princess and Part II–Tudor Queen. The one constant throughout both sections of the book was intrigue, particularly involving what happened to the Princes in the Tower (Elizabeth’s brothers Edward and Richard) who vanished and were presumed murdered—a mystery that continues to endure centuries later. (I enjoyed the author’s imagining of what happened to the Princes, by the way. The timing of the ‘revelation’ was perfect!) Another constant was the conflict Elizabeth often feels regarding Henry’s actions to retain the throne. It was so easy to put myself in Elizabeth’s shoes and imagine how torn she must feel over her loyalties to her family and her husband, and being forced to choose between them time and again.
Wilcoxson’s writing is fantastic, and I adored the descriptions of events happening within the Tudor Court, and the various locations or general surroundings Elizabeth found herself in. Dialogue between characters was easy to follow and consistent, and Elizabeth’s inner thoughts made perfect sense in relation to the conversation at hand. These aren’t things I’d ordinarily make a point of mentioning in a review, but as these things were greatly lacking in something I recently reviewed, it stood out to me while reading this book.
This is the first book in the Plantagenet Embers series. I’m currently reading book two, Faithful Traitor: The Story of Margaret Pole, which I’ll be reviewing sometime later this month. Based on what I’ve read so far? It’s a sure bet I’ve found a new historical fiction author to follow. Hooray!
I’m definitely recommending this book to historical fiction fans.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of BooksGoSocial via Netgalley.
I was lucky to meet Samantha Wilcoxin at a writers event at a bookstore. She was one of the speakers and turned me on to historical novels. This novel is a fun way to learn about history and is an enjoyable read.
4 stars
This is a great book about Elizabeth Woodeville (eldest daughter of King Edward IV), a Plantagenet princess who becomes the wife of King Henry VII. Elizabeth has decided to put aside the hurts of her past, the deaths of her father Edward IV, brothers, and other relatives to marry Henry Tudor who some think doesn’t deserve the throne.
There are those who feel that since he had very little “real” royal blood, he didn’t deserve the throne and those who believed that since he won the throne on the battlefield he was not fit to become king. But Henry and Elizabeth surprisingly turn out to have a loving and devoted marriage and Elizabeth comes to love him in spite of the rumors and turmoil that surrounds the his reign.
The book shows that Elizabeth’s mother, another Elizabeth, was a scheming and volatile woman. It shows a side of Henry that I hadn’t read about before. Or perhaps I never considered it, but have read that they had a loving relationship. Henry’s mother Margaret Beaufort was a very controlling woman and managed to get her own way most of the time.
While the book mainly focuses of Elizabeth, the reader meets many other people in Elizabeth’s life: Henry, her cousins, her sister Cecily, her mother and her father and other relatives and those who played a major part in the War of the Roses. We see Elizabeth grow from a naive and too trusting girl to a woman not only of incredible beauty, but she matured to have a remarkable sense of self possession.
The book also discusses the War of the Roses and its major players and how the Plantagenet’s played a part. It discusses how Henry finally triumphed over the unrest and put an end to the War of the Roses. Another underlying theme is what happened to the princes in the tower. It has long been speculated that Elizabeth’s uncle King Richard III had them put to death, but the evidence has not yet been uncovered to prove that. Perhaps it never will be and this shall remain one of the unsolved mysteries of history.
Ms. Wilcoxson has certainly done extensive research in writing this book. The descriptions she draws with words are clear and beautifully drawn. It is a very easy and enjoyable read. This is my first Samantha Wilcoxson novel for I have relied mostly on Alison Weir and Hilary Mantle for my readings about the Tudor period. It won’t however, be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books of hers and was pleased to see that this book is one of a series.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this most enjoyable book for me to read, enjoy and review.