Lady of the Roses is set in the conflict that was the War of the Roses, but with the added poignancy of a sheltered young woman's impetuous and successful marriage to a man forbidden by time and family circumstance (Isobel Ingoldesthorpe and John Neville, brother of Richard Neville, "the Kingmaker").
Believing in their commitment, Isobel is unwavering, embracing her marriage while conscious of the price they may have to pay. Soon enough, the world intrudes, and with it the enmity of the great families of the realm. Given the nature of this interminable war, Isobel realizes that she may not always have her great prize, that such a love is purchased dearly.

Arriving at the court of Henry VI and his queen, Marguerite d' Anjou, Isobel is essentially a Lancastrian. But when Isobel sets eyes on the handsome John Neville, a Yorkist, the die is cast. Realizing it is in the queen's power to decide whom she will wed, Isobel invokes the privilege of agreeing to any match, to which Marguerite acquiesces. After much negotiation, Marguerite allows the marriage to proceed- at an exorbitant bride-price.

Marguerite is challenged by an increasingly popular Earl of Warwick, John's brother, the Earl earning the people's loyalty and affection. And the battles wage on between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists of such moments is Isobel's life with John defined, his divided loyalties between king and brother, the mentally unstable Henry unable to lead, bowing to his wife's decisions.
With the advent of Yorkist Edward of March, history takes another turn, the York's ascendant; John's fortunes increased after years of loyalty to the crown.

Power breeds extremes, Warwick eventually becomes at odds with the new king, Edward IV, especially after Edward's disastrous marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. As detrimental to the kingdom as Marguerite d' Anjou, Woodville, a woman from Isobel's past in the queen's court, wreaks havoc on the kingdom, demanding titles and lands for greedy relatives. Warwick finally rebels, John facing his most critical crisis of conscience, a choice between king and brother. Throughout it all, the faithful Isobel remains her husband's best friend and staunchest supporter.

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I liked this, but I never felt completely swept away with it. Ms. Worth has flagged her characters for us with physical appearance hashtags. The main character falls instantly and forever in love with someone who has " an unmistakable air of knightly nobility." The less worthy characters have jewels that "glint dangerously," or "greasy hair," or "shifty eyes," etc. I'd have preferred a little more subtlety. On the other hand she's done enough research to give us lots of details like dishes served at the feasts, and I enjoyed that.

Part of the fun of reading a lot of historical fiction is getting to see people and events from lots of different points of view. So for a while you despise So-and-So, until you read a book in which she's the central character, and get some insight into why she did what she did. Even Elizabeth Woodville, for instance, gets to tell her story in Philippa Gregory's 'The White Queen.' But nowhere have I found anyone who has a kind word for Marguerite d'Anjou. The historian Thomas Costain, who wrote the wonderful 'Plantagenets' series, is extremely critical of her. Since she was so universally disliked, I'm a little surprised that the Yorkists and Lancastrians never thought of putting their quarrel aside for long enough to keep her out of the country after she was forced out. Perhaps it's easiest to hate the enemy you have in front of you every day.

This book has a private bonus for me, since I learned from the back cover that Worth is Canadian-American. So it qualifies for the Canada Day release challenge, and I'll save it up until next summer.

Released for gypsysmom's Canada Day Release Challenge

On shelves in Book Nook