Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham This is a romantic story of the relationship between Hugh le Despenser (son of Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester) and his wife, Bess. After reading so many books in a row lacking chivalrous characters (The Last Queen, My Enemy the Queen, Forever Amber) it was very enjoyable to get to know this… Read more »
The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham She-wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France… Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible; Thou stern, obdurate, flinty, rough, remorseless. ~Henry VI, part III Shakespeare is just one of the sources that has maligned Margaret of Anjou throughout history, and so we have a very interesting protagonist in The Queen… Read more »
The Prince Who Did Not Become King: Edward of Lancaster, 1453-1471 by Susan Higginbotham This critique of the short life of the son of England’s King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou covers the few known facts, mostly relayed through the political movements of his parents. The few documented fragments of his personality are historically biased, and discussed at length,… Read more »