Recommended for book clubs that enjoy historical fiction or enjoy books featuring strong woman.

Other interesting threads are the role of woman, the meaning of family and marriage and the sacrifices necessary to snare (and keep) the throne. It's fascinating and thought provoking to read about the conflicting values of Margaret Beaufort who is extremely devout, considers herself favored by God and yet is self serving and ruthless. The events depicted show the turncoat nature of people and the need to question the loyalty of everyone. Talking Points: This book truly captures the life style and emotional strife of royalty during the mid to late 1400's. A great book for those who enjoy historical fiction and not to be missed by Philippa Gregory's fans. In short I enjoyed this book a lot and couldn't put it down at times. I always love reading about strong women and the protagonist in this book is as tough and ruthless as they come. She maintains tension and keeps the plot moving. Once again, Philippa Gregory brings this era to life, creates wonderful characters and immerses the reader in vivid historical detail. There's very little overlap, however it's interesting to compare the few events that are covered in both books from the different woman's viewpoint. It covers roughly the same time period as The White Queen, but it's being told from the opposite point of view. This is a period in England's History that is marked with strife and civil unrest as the House of Lancaster and the House of York continuously plot, scheme and wage war against each other for the throne. The story is told from the perspective of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII and grandmother of Henry VIII. This is the second book in the cousin's war trilogy.

The red queen gregory