I always find it interesting to read a historical novel told from the point of view of a historical figure about which very little is known. It gives a fresh perspective to a story that, even for those of us who are in love with the Tudors, can grow tiresome at times. Brandy Purdy has done this for us in this wonderful book and has done it very well.

In The Queen's Pleasure, we get to experience the lives and love of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley through the eyes of Amy Robsart Dudley, and we learn of her life with Dudley as well. Amy is a colorful character who at the same time is very tragic. She is swept up in a life that she thought was going to be very different and all because of politics and power play. Such were the times in Tudor England. Not many were safe from its ill effects. Though Elizabeth's reign was a good and strong one, the constant jockeying for her hand in marriage was ever present and Robert Dudley was right at the center of it. When his ambition took flight, there really was no hope for poor Amy, his wife.

All the above aside, what I really want to touch on is Purdy's descriptive and flowing prose. As I was reading, I felt that I was right there experiencing everything along with the characters, especially in the parts that Amy tells. To many, Amy may seem a bit too downtrodden, but I saw more. Purdy has given Amy Robsart life...has given us more than just a woman who was Dudley's wife and who died a suspicious death. We now see that Amy was once a living, breathing person who loved and believed in her husband and ended up betrayed in the end. How many women have been led to believe in a dream, only to be tragically disappointed in the end? Amy speaks for all of those women throughout history.

Although my favorite queen, and probably favorite historical figure of all time, is a character here, Amy Robsart is the true star of this book. This is my first read by Ms. Purdy and it will not be my last. Read this book if you love the Tudors, but also read it if you feel for the sad plight of all women through the ages. This is their story, as well as Amy's.
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Uncovering the love triangle between Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, and his wife Amy, and her mysterious death,
A Court Affair is an unforgettable story of ambition, lust and jealousy.
The future of the realm is in her hands…
Accused of conspiring with rebels to steal the throne, Princess Elizabeth is confined to the Tower of London by her half-sister, Queen Mary. There she finds solace in the arms of fellow prisoner – her childhood friend, Robert Dudley. But with Elizabeth’s ascension to the crown, Robert returns to his wife and the unhappy union he believes cheated him of his destiny to be king.
As Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth knows the cruelty of marriage and roundly rejects her many suitors – with the exception of the power-hungry Robert. But their relationship carries a risk that could shake the very foundations of the House of Tudor. . .

My Thoughts:

This story is told by both Amy Dudley and Queen Elizabeth and centers around one man, Robert Dudley.

Amy’s story is a tragic one and this version of Amy is how I had imagined her, hopeless in love with Robert and a bit of a push over, always wanting to please him. Robert himself is as I imagined, very power hungry and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

This story has it’s version of Amy’s death but what did really happen ? Did she accidentlt fall or throw herself down the stairs. Did Robert arrange her death to free himself for the queen, or did someone kill Amy to impicate Robert to stop him form being king. Did the queen herself have Amy killed. Who really knows !

The book itself was a nice read but a little overlong in places and Amy did whine on a bit too much. The style of this book seemed a little more placid unlike other books by Brandy/ Emily Purdy that have been a little bit more fun to read. Amy’s story is tragic so perhaps the tone of the book is to match the circumstances.

This book I would recommend to anybody who likes the Tudors, and it makes a change again to read about other people other tha Henry and Anne, although they will always be my favourite. ( )

I really wanted to like this book because i hated Purdy's Bolyen Wife I thought I would give her another chance. I can not really tell if the author hates the characters she writes about or she just thinks that unlikeable characters is interesting reading.
The book dragged on for ages I found my self just hoping the end would come. Amy Robsart deserved better ! ( )

I felt like everything I needed to know about this story, I found out in the first couple of chapters and that everything that came after that was just the detailed account. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book because it was an interesting enough story, but it didn't really seem to have a point to it. The writing was pleasant but rambled on with a great deal of detail that I found tedious as the story went on. Overall, this book was okay but not something I will remember. ( )

Although described as a story of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, I found this book to be primarily about Amy Dudley, Robert's wife. It presents a fresh take on the mystery of her death, but also provides much more of a focus on her life, and her illness, than I've seen in any other fiction about the Tudors. An interesting, worthwhile read. Thanks for the early reviewers copy, which I was impressed to see was an actual published version of the book, rather than a review copy. ( )