When widowed single mother Lisa Grey meets wealthy businessman Elias York, romance blossoms. Alas, she is marrying into a complicated family. Her new sister-in-law doesn’t want to know her, middle brother Gabriel’s marriage flounders under a cloud of infidelity and gambling debts, while the youngest, Richard, keeps his dark secrets well hidden—and his wife suffers in silence.Lisa and her mother … her mother are bonded by a powerful intuition, but on some subjects they dare not voice their fears; neither can explain the terror Lisa feels whenever she walks through the doors of the ancient, imposing York Towers.
Love and loss, abduction, incestuous desires and murderous intent form the basis of this compelling saga in which horrors float just beneath the surface, culminating in a shocking outcome.
The House of York spans the years 1993 – 2014; history lovers may be interested to know that the story is inspired by events from the era of the Wars of the Roses.
‘Anyone else who is a fan of Penny Vincenzi type family saga series will no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did’ – Mrs Bloggs book blog.
‘Best book I’ve read this year’ – Amazon best selling author Joanne Phillips
‘Compelling, engaging and a writing style that flows. One for your wishlists’ – Shaz Goodwin, Jera’s Jamboree book blog.
‘I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover Terry Tyler – what a great author!’ – Emma B book blog.
‘I enjoyed The House of York so much that I read it in one sitting’ – Scatterbooker book blog
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What a rollercoaster of emotional rides this one is! The House of York is quite an amazing book in that it contains all the intrigue and manipulative politics of a medieval drama, but in a thoroughly modern setting. Added to that it has its own Machiavelli, or should I maybe say two of them? The story spans several decades of the York family history and corresponds loosely with the history of the historical House of York of the fifteenth century. This was a period of incredible plotting and scheming and power was the name of the game. It is this power struggle that lies at the heart of Terry Tyler’s book.
I have to say the twist at the end wasn’t entirely unexpected but the responses of some of the characters were and the ones I expected to be ‘done away with’ weren’t. I know something of the history Edward IV and Richard III period, so I was glad Terry Tyler didn’t follow it completely as it did leave me guessing quite a bit of the time. Apart from that I really enjoyed the characters, especially those of Megan and Lisa: one off the wall but funny and kind ,and the other incredibly ordinary but with unusual insights. I loved the fact they become such good friends in the end. I also liked Gabriel for all his faults and I really felt sorry for Phoebe. I hope if there’s a follow up, she will crawl out of her hole. The abuse she suffered was enough to finish a strong woman let alone one as emotionally frail as she was – although I suppose a strong woman would never have suffered it in the first place.
See what this book has done? It’s made me think about these characters as if they are real people. That’s Terry Tyler’s skill. She creates characters and then gives them life and I start to really care about them. In truth, I know nothing about living in this kind of wealthy environment, but it didn’t matter as I could imagine it easily from her descriptions and it all seemed perfectly natural and authentic. I honestly couldn’t put this book down and even read bits when I was supposed to be invigilating an exam. It is beautifully written and flows like good wine. I have now read about seven of Terry Tyler’s books and I’ve loved them all. Fantastic writing!
Love family saga books and this was no exception. Great characters and plot. Couldn’t put it down. Will read more by this author
Enjoyable read
This book was entertaining but tragic in many ways . The characters were interesting .But if you want a ending this isn’t for you . I like a book that doesn’t leave you hanging and this one does .You were given small shots of what was going to happen at the end . I keep thinking this character is going to change . At the end they do but again , you are left hanging as to what happens.
Complex characters and story line.
I like the family dynamics and would like to see more from this author.
Excellent writing. A great read.
I could not put this book down. So sorry when ended I want to read the next book pronto
good read
An unique concept for a most interesting book on historical characters and a very violent time. It reminds me of the old adage “there is nothing new under the sun”.
I am a big history buff and this is a modern re-imagining of one of my favorite events. I loved the characters and how they came alive. The ending was kind of a cliffhanger but so well done and out of the left field!
still in the middle of this book. Really enjoying he story-line. Good character build up.
Just finished this one. What a dysfunctional family.
I know something of the story The House of York has been based on and of how King Edward IV met Elizabeth Woodville, or in this case, how Elias York met Lisa Rivers.
Tyler has written a tale of this family saga spanning over eleven years and involving more than twenty characters and the tale progresses with chapters written from about nine different point of view in whoever’s voice is most appropriate at the time.
Tyler writes the different characters very well throughout and I particularly enjoyed the earlier chapters. Gabriel’s was a joy to read and I seriously disliked Jane but then being a married woman I would, wouldn’t I?
I thought Lisa’s chapter in Autumn 2006 was particularly well portrayed as along with so many of the characters Tyler really knows the people she has created – what they would think about themselves and others, how they would react and interact with each other and I thought the development in the main players was superb.
If you’re unfamiliar with the characters of the Wars of the Roses, it doesn’t matter as this is a terrific tale anyway but there is an added pleasure to be gained if you do know who each character corresponds with during that period of history.
The House of York is another winner from this author and I shall be looking out for what comes next from her prolific pen.
Many individual sections about different people in the book. Hard to follow and rather depressing. – I would not recommend it.
I enjoyed the book but the “f” word was used way too much and it would have been just as readable without that in there at all.
Was extremely disappointed in ending.
I was left hanging in the air! Plot was a bit erratic jumping from character to character.
Not sure if I would read anything else by this author.
Could not finish this book – just did not engage me.
Was not my favorite. Very crazy characters. Dysfunctional family at the least.
Very unappealing characters. By the end of the book, I was cheering for unhappiness for all of them. I couldn’t work up sympathy for any of them – they all deserved what they got.