Anne R. Bailey

The Lady's Ambition is the 3rd book in the Royal Court Series by Anne Bailey. It is the first book of hers that I have read. The novel covers the life of Margaret Douglas beginning with her marriage and ending with her death in 1570. Margaret is the daughter of a queen and the niece of Henry VIII. She enjoys a privileged life as Henry caters to all of her needs and desires. When he dies Margaret begins to press for her rise to the throne by building a genealogy that proves her case. This show more genealogy only lands her in the Tower several times because Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth both felt threatened by her legitimate claims. Having married beneath her status for love, Margaret spends most of her time trying to gain land that she believes she inherited as well as lands that her husband was entitled to. Ambition drove her actions but a life a personal loss kept her from achieving her goals.

This book did not grab my attention. I was bored while reading and could not wait for the book to tend. If the author had concentrated on one or two of Margaret's attempts at gaining power and showed us in detail how she maneuvered, it may have been a more interesting read. The Lady's Ambition falls flat. There certainly is no mystery to the plot and Margaret's life is not fictionalized much. The reader only gets the bullet points of her life. show less

Terrific

I really liked it. I don't get hung up over dates and the like. Its historical fiction and I just want to be entertained while also learning something. Mission accomplished.

A lovely story, but the abrupt ending of the story and leaving out an essential part of Edith/Matilda's life is disappointing. That together with poor editing (grammatik, missing sentences, illogical/incorrect references) brought the rating down from a solid 3. Enjoyed the read nevertheless.

Wonderful

I have always read that Frances Grey was a horrible mother. A selfish and unloving person. This story tries to explain more about her and how she developed into the woman she became. Very engaging.