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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
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The Queen’s Rival:
In the Court of King Henry VIII
by Diane Haeger
Bess
Blount loves the tales her parents tell of court intrigues. She
particularly enjoys hearing of King Henry VIII and thus she is thrilled
to learn that she will soon be presented at court. Her mother has had
to leave court and Bess is to take her place in the queen’s household.
She is immediately befriended by Elizabeth Bryan and Gilbert Tailbois,
friendships that will survive a plethora of court upheavals and
intrigues. But it is the king who ultimately steals Bess’ heart….
THE QUEEN’S RIVAL: IN THE COURT OF KING HENRY VIII is at its core a
love story. Bess loves Henry with all her heart, even as his foibles
take center stage and cause the ruination of multiple marriages and
lives. Diane Haeger does a phenomenal job at making the reader believe
in Bess’ love for Henry, even as he causes her anguish. The parallel
between Bess’ favored books and her own subsequent romance provide an
excellent context for the storyline.
Bess is an often ignored mistress, despite the longevity of her
relationship with King Henry VIII. Diane Haeger provides a convincing
portrait of Bess Blount, showing the reader the heartaches and trials
she must have faced in her role as the king’s unacknowledged mistress.
Through Bess’s eyes, we see the man that wooed so many women, even as
they knew their very lives were at stake.
Publisher: NAL Trade
(March 2011)
Reviewed
by Debbie, Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
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