The Forbidden Queen - Tapa blanda

"An engaging romance with well-developed and fetching characters. An enjoyable, heart-wrenching read." --Booklist

"O'Brien has excellent control over the historical material and a rich sense of characterization, making for a fascinating and surprisingly female-focused look at one of the most turbulent periods of English history." --Publishers Weekly

"Better than Philippa Gregory." --The Bookseller (UK)

"Anne O'Brien is fast becoming one of Britain's most popular and talented writers of medieval novels. Her in-depth knowledge and silky skills with the pen help to bring the past to life and put the focus firmly on some of history's most fascinating characters." --Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post

"Anne O'Brien is definitely an author to watch for historical fiction fans..." --One More Page...

An innocent pawn 

A kingdom without a king 

A new dynasty will reign... 

1415. The jewel in the French crown, Katherine de Valois, is waiting under lock and key for King Henry V. While he's been slaughtering her kinsmen in Agincourt, Katherine has been praying for marriage to save her from her misery. But the brutal king wants her crown, not her innocent love. 

For Katherine, England is a lion's den of greed, avarice and mistrust. And when she is widowed at twenty-one, she becomes a prize ripe for the taking—her young son the future monarch, her hand in marriage worth a kingdom. 

This is a deadly political game, one the dowager queen must learn fast. The players—the Duke of Gloucester, Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor—are circling. Who will have her? Who will ruin her? This is the story of Katherine de Valois. 

 

"Anne O'Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists."  —Sunday Express 

"An absolutely gripping tale that is both superbly written and  meticulously researched."  —The Sun