If you enjoy historical fiction this series is a must.
The final book in Iggulden's Wars of the Roses trilogy lived up to extremely high expectations for me. The first two books I already thought were awesome, drawing you into the story with effortless ease in a charming, engaging way which left you wanting more and more. Well, book 3 surpassed even those epics and I can give no higher praise.
The stroryline is exciting and compelling, the characters meaty, diverse and rich, the writing impeccable, the battle scenes glorious.... Truly one of my favourite series of all time.
I admit to being jealous of Conn Iggulden. I wish I had his talent, his vision, his artistry... Well done son ! ( )

I'm rating this 5 stars as opposed to 4 stars I gave the previous two books in the series. Reason is I liked this book much better than the first two. Much more story vs. battle scenes and lots more dialogue. It's not that I don't like reading about the battles it's just that I don't need to get so deep into them. I do like this author as you do feel like you are a fly on the wall observing everything that goes on and as I mentioned in previous reviews of the first two books, he focuses more on the minor characters of the book which I am enjoying. On to the final book of the series! ( )

Certain authors tickle my fancy; Conn Iggulden is one of them.
A master at researching and crafting novels that’s both informative and entertaining, Iggulden has once again surpassed expectations with the third installment of his Wars of the Roses series, Bloodline. This book plays off pretty soon after the conclusion of Trinity, and we are privy to enjoying further conflict as the York’s and the Lancaster’s continue to battle it out for the English crown. While Margaret of Anjou is set on freeing her imprisoned husband – Henry IV – the Duke of York is ready to proclaim himself as the rightful king of England. But that’s just the beginning.
What you can further expect of this exceptional historical novel are some excellent bloody battles, realistic characters and a lot of heart.
Unlike Stormbird and Trinity, Bloodlines is a novel of unabated revenge. It becomes more apparent that the Wars of the Roses is a based-on-real-life series where royalty tore themselves apart to gain the upper-hand on their foes. Where one family stood against another, all in the hopes to gain a crown. It’s a civil war between the wealthiest people in a country already divided …
In other words, my toes were curling all while I read this book.
I absolutely love Conn Iggulden as an author. He keeps me turning the pages, and as soon as an interesting character pops up in his books, I can easily go verify the existence of said character (and his/her personality) on Wikipedia. Somehow the author just knows how to thrill readers with truthful renditions in his masterpieces.
I would urge anyone who loves history (especially the Wars of the Roses period in England), battles, well-developed stories, as well as great writing, to get their hands on these books. They are absolute must-haves!

Review originally posted on:
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The aftermath of the battle at Sandal is the starting point of the escalation of war between the houses of Lancaster and York. Queen Margaret has overseen the slaughter of the Duke of York and his son plus the Earl of Salisbury and his son. This has made the remaining members of the York and Neville dynasties implacable enemies. Meeting in a climactic battle at Towton the Yorkist forces are victorious and this places King Edward on the throne. England now has two kings, Henry VI still lives in imprisonment and the Lancastrian dynasty is still alive. As Edward's favour shifts from the Neville family to the family of his wife, so he alienates Warwick, is closest friend and advisor.

This is the third book in Iggulden's series about the Wars of the Roses and again it is a triumph. Iggulden is strongest when writing about battle and his description of the battle of Towton is brilliant. Whilst there is a great deal of fictional licence in terms of his development of characters, his focus in this book tends to lie with Richard Neville (Warwick) and there is a clear understanding of Warwick's frustration and motivation as he contemplates changing sides. As an opposite to the more romanticised writing of Phillipa Gregory, but still displaying that level of research, this is a terrific read. ( )

This engaging novel covers a period of the Wars of the Roses that I'm very familiar with. So interested am I, in fact, that I can't go many months without wanting to read another author's interpretation of events from these intriguing medieval times.

The authors of most novels I've read set during the Wars of the Roses tend to be pro-Yorkist. Conn Iggulden, however, strikes me as pro-Lancastrian, which makes a change.

Margaret of Anjou, queen consort of England’s Henry VI, is one of the most fascinating women from medieval history. Often she’s portrayed as the villain of the piece, yet here we see a more rounded character.

I'm less impressed with the author's portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville. She comes across as too one-dimensional, when from all accounts she was as fascinating an individual as Margaret.

Same applies even more so to Edward IV. Yes, he's seen as the great warrior king that he was, but I dislike how the author depicts Edward as a moody young oaf, for want of a better description.

On the most part, though, I do like Mr Iggulden's characterisations of "real" people.

Regarding style, I have one notable criticism, namely the overuse - and often unnecessary inclusion - of "he/she knew". The reader doesn't need to be informed that "Edward knew this would happen", or "Margaret knew such and such a thing wouldn't happen." It's obvious. Don't, for example, write, "He knew he couldn't walk any further", just put, "He couldn't walk any further."

This "he/she knew" trait is common with authors who haven't studied elements of English style or undertaken creative writing classes at university level.

Apart from the above criticism, this is a very good read. ( )