Lady of the Roses- Sandra Worth

Lady of the Roses
Sandra Worth
Berkley, Jan 2008, $14.00
ISBN: 9780425219140

The rift between the Houses of Lancaster and York has led to civil war throughout England. With that backdrop, Lady in Waiting to Queen Marguerite Isobel Ingoldesthorpe and Lord John Neville fall in love. However, her liege is Lancaster while he and his powerful House support the York claim to the throne. Still after complex negotiations that anecdotally display how divided the country leadership is and an exorbitant bride price, John and Isobel marry.

Their honeymoon is everything both wanted and more until affairs of state intercede. The Roses are preparing for war and though Isobel has some loyalty issues she believes she belongs at the side of her beloved John. As the hostilities between the Houses turn brutal with madness and butchery the norm, the couple is torn asunder, but their love remains stronger than ever keeping them together even in death especially with six surviving offspring.

Known for her terrific in depth historical saga, The Roses of York (see CROWN FROM DESTINY, FALL FROM GRACE and LOVE AND WAR), Sandra Worth stays with the era providing a strong War of Roses tale. The story line is epic in scope using the fifteen years relationship between John and Isobel as a means to provide insight into England from 1456-1471. Historical fiction fans of this era will find LADY OF THE ROSES and the York trilogy worth reading.

Harriet Klausner