England is in the midst of chaos in a conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. The Yorkist cause is formulating a case to take the throne’s power from Henry VI and the Lancastrians and replace the king with Richard, Duke of York, whose claim to the throne is a bit stronger. Caught in the middle of the Wars of the Roses was one strong and courageous woman who would fight tooth and nail for her family and the Yorkist cause. Her name was Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, and her story is masterfully told in Anne O’Brien’s novel, “The Queen’s Rival.”

A few years ago, I hosted Anne O’Brien to discuss this book as part of a blog tour for The Coffee Pot Book Club. I will admit that this was the first time I had read a novel by Anne O’Brien, but I had heard amazing things about her writing style, so when I saw this novel at a bookstore, it was an instant buy for me.

We begin in the year 1459 and the house of York is facing a disaster. The Yorkists have lost the Battle of Ludford Bridge and must now separate and go into exile. Cecily can only watch as the Lancastrians lay siege to her home, forcing her and her young children to be imprisoned at Tonbridge Castle. This moment might have broken Cecily’s spirit, but Cecily is a proud Neville, willing to fight until the bitter end to see her family safe and secure on the throne of England. Along the way, she must endure heartache (such as the death of her husband Richard Duke of York) and moments of betrayal, such as George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard, Earl of Warwick. Cecily’s name and reputation are dragged through the mud on numerous occasions. However, she gets to witness moments of glory, the crowning of her sons Edward IV and Richard III, and the birth of her grandchildren, to create the House of York.

My favorite aspect of this novel is that the chapters are not written like traditional chapters. The chapters are a series of letters to and from Cecily to her family members or those she considers her enemies to convince them to give her and her family leniency. Cecily’s main correspondences are with her sisters, Anne Duchess of Buckingham, and Katherine Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. One of my favorite characters is the author of England’s Chronicle, who reminds me of a gossip columnist, ready to spill all the secrets and rumors to anyone who will hear it.

I had such a fun time reading this novel. Even though I knew the events of the Wars of the Roses and what would happen, I found it refreshing to read it as a series of letters so that you can sense how the historical figure might have felt during that moment. This may have been my first novel by Anne O’Brien, but it definitely will not be my last. If you want a thrilling novel about the Wars of the Roses from the perspective of Cecily Neville, I highly suggest you read, “The Queen’s Rival” by Anne O’Brien.