Virgin Widow

A Sunday Times Bestseller England's Forgotten Queens 'O'Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.'-The Times 'I was a penniless, landless petitioner, my Neville blood a curse, my future dependent on the charity of those who despised me...' Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. In England's glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Nevilles raised high. The Earl of Warwick's ambition and pride lead him into an attempt to depose the Yorkist King; his treason forces his family into exile. Humiliated and powerless in a foreign land, Anne must find the courage and the wit to survive in such a dangerous man's world. Compulsively readable, Anne O'Brien vividly evokes the story of Richard III's queen with a passion and vibrancy reminiscent of Phillipa Gregory and Alison Weir. Praise for Anne O'Brien 'O'Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.'- The Times 'A gem of a subject ... O'Brien is a terrific storyteller'- Daily Telegraph 'Joanna of Navarre is the feisty heroine in Anne O'Brien's fast-paced historical novel The Queen's Choice.'-Good Housekeeping 'A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue.'-Woman & Home 'Packed with drama, danger, romance and history.'-Pam Norfolk, for the Press Association 'Better than Philippa Gregory' – The Bookseller 'Anne O'Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists.' – Sunday Express 'A gripping historical drama.'-Bella @anne_obrien Why write about Anne Neville, a shadowy figure who barely touches the pages of medieval history books? Other than the date of her birth and death and a brief record of some events in her life of twenty eight years, Anne Neville is virtually unknown. But she was the wife of Richard III, England’s most infamous king. She was the daughter of the powerful Warwick the Kingmaker. How could Anne O’Brien resist the opportunity to put words into Anne Neville’s mouth and allow this young woman of the fifteenth century to emerge as a living entity? What if she had inherited all the self-will and pride of her Neville and Beauchamp ancestors...? Anne O’Brien was inspired to recreate her. England, 1469. A daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, Anne Neville cannot dictate her own future. But at the age of fourteen, her father's treason forces her into exile, and into an uneasy betrothal with Edward of Lancaster. Edward is completely controlled by his powerful mother, Margaret of Anjou.