I would have given this book 5 stars except for the bit about Hastings (I won't elaborate as it would be a spoiler) which I think was totally unnecessary. As this is historical fiction and I understand that you need to take license when writing, traditionally authors stick to the essence of a person (at least as much as is known). I have read other books which characterize Hastings but never has anything like this been imagined. Other than that, I truly enjoyed the book and others have criticized the portrayal of Richard III as to much of a saint, dull, etc. If you have read other books regarding Richard III (historical fiction) they too have taken the same point. Historical fiction is just that - fiction. It is just a story and that is how I rate the book - whether I enjoyed it or not. If I want fact - I will choose to read non-fiction as I have done in the past. The book is an easy light reading and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the three part series. ( )

I began reading this one and realized, I had already done so! It's the next in the series I need to read. I do love anything regarding Richard III. ( )

I have never found the view of Richard III as being a monstrous, hunch-backed ogre to be believable in the least. He was known as a fine warrior and had admirably overseen Northern England for many years before he became king.
Unfortunately this book portrays Richard as an angelic and unbelievably wise individual who is constantly martyred by outside evil forces. All the characters in the book are written in a very one dimensional way. Richard is wise and good, Ann is sweet, Elizabeth Woodeville is evil, King Edward IV is an idiotic lecher. As we all know, real life is not so simple. Those who may do bad things can simultaneously have motives that are not nearly so nefarious.
I would have liked to read a novel that gave me an idea what may have been Richard's thoughts at momentous times in history and even told the story from Richard's point of view and not that of the Tudors who undoubtedly wished to believe the worst of him. Unfortunately the author portrayed Richard so unrealistically, and thus the story felt more like a blatant attempt to improve Richard's PR than any valuable insight into his life. ( )

This book is the first of a series by Sandra Worth, published in 2003 about the Wars of the Roses. For those who do not know, The Wars of the Roses was a period in England of civil wars from about 1450-1485. Its origins began before 1450 with much civil unrest. The term 'Roses' signify the white rose of the Yorks, the red rose of the Lancastrians. Both of these houses were direct descendants of Edward the III and began to fight for the crown. The Lancastrian King Henry VI had become unpopular along with the company he chose. This caused much civil unrest, along with the fact that King Henry was displaying periods of mental illness. There were many people involved, which becomes confusing to the average reader; therefore, if this is an introduction to this period I would suggest reading this novel first before delving into the many confusing facts of the non-fiction counterparts. About halfway through it starts to get muddled with the names/titles; the switching sides on the factions for Lancastrians versus the Yorkists occurs often. You definitely need to have your thinking cap on for that aspect which is why I suggest starting with this novel before tackling an informative non-fiction encyclopedia style book.Upon reading this novel, I was immediately engrossed in the story of the small boy Richard who is forced to deal with life and death at a young age. This small boy Richard from the House of York is actually who we know as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, brother to King Edward, who later becomes known as Richard III. He feared the "Bitch of Anjou", Queen Marguerite (Margaret) who his family was fighting against. She is the one who was pulling the strings of her husband, Henry IV who was mentally unstable. The book opens where Edward has defeated King Henry, and thus Edward becomes King Edward IV, of the frightened boy's aspect of recently losing a well-loved father (Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York) in 1460 at the battle of Wakefield, and a brother and Neville cousins. I've had this book for awhile and although enjoying the Wars of the Roses period very much, I did not think I was going to be sympathetic to the man who has been accused of murdering the famed Princes in the Tower (his nephews, heir to the throne). After reading a few of Alison Weir's books on the subject, and a book on Elizabeth Woodville by David Baldwin, my brain was inundated with names and titles and dates and multiple facts and theses. Therefore I was not in a rush to pick it up. Again, I was mistaken. I was so enthralled with this young Richard, I could not wait for my lunchtimes and bedtimes to continue his story and learn what was happening in the world around him. This is specifically the story of Richard growing from a young boy to a knight, and a sensitive young man in love with Anne Neville, Warwick's daughter. Richard Neville, aka Warwick the Kingmaker, helped Edward reach his throne, yet the new King did not honor many of the wishes of Warwick and treated him disrespectfully. This novel gives you a sense of the instability, the emotional tension between fighting for inner beliefs and family pride vs. loyalty to the royal crown. This story defines the true meaning to the phrase "Love and War". The action picks up when Richard's brother, Edward IV, secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville, who was a widow from the gentry class with two boys of her own. This marriage angered Warwick and the nobles greatly. The Woodvilles were a huge family whom upon this marriage had received many honors, titles and arranged marriages for the clan, which made them even more hated by Edward's Yorkists. Some even believed Elizabeth and her mother Jacquetta were witches for the way that Edward readily responded to their requests. It is interesting to note that the first child of Edward and Elizabeth is none other than Elizabeth of York, who was married to the Lancastrian Henry VII, and from this marriage produced our beloved Henry VIII.When Warwick and his family of Neville's decide to rebel, Richard's chances with Anne Neville decrease. Richard is loyal to his brother the King, although makes him choose against Warwick, who was a pseudo-father to him. The book deals with the anger and resentment between the multiple clashing families and although informative it is not complete drivel. As noted, it tends to get heavy with the the names and the titles and loses some of the flow halfway through but the story is compelling enough to make you concentrate as you go on. I feel the book climaxed with the Battle of Barnet in 1471 which was so compelling it twisted my heart. I do not want to give away the plot to those who do not know the whole story, so I'll end it here. I found the writing to be eloquent, and I found the imagery of Richard's surroundings to be well described without feeling too poetic or contrived. It really had a great flow from one chapter to the next, each beginning with its own little ominous and overshadowing quote. I very much liked this depiction of Richard III, and look forward to the rest of the series as well. The author's note is informative also and I may add some of the books she mentions to my TBR pile as well.I highly recommend this book! ( )

Oh dear, I only managed a few chapters before giving up on this. The writing style was just too florid to suit my tastes. ( )