Review- Her Highness, the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks for an advance digital copy to read and review.

The complicated complexity of Tudor England is well described in this fictional account of the rise in power of two very different families. In the aftermath of King Henry VIII’s death, and with his nine year old son Edward on the throne of England, there is great opportunity for personal advancement. Two families close to the throne will take advantage of the new King’s vulnerability. Jane Dudley is a married to an ambitious man who will stop at nothing to gain power, whilst Frances Grey, cousin to the new King of England, is aware that she sits very close to the throne, and yet it is her daughter Jane, who is destined to be Queen of England.

Much has been written about the ill-fated nine day rule of Lady Jane Grey, but what was interesting was the attention to the detail behind the plot, and the involvement of two very different families and the role they each played in this tragic historical event.

This well researched historical novel is written in a light and easy style, which conveys a real sense of the past. The chapters are nicely divided into the voice of different characters; I found it interesting to observe the story from different perspectives.

This is my first Susan Higginbotham novel, and I look forward to more of her historical narratives. Overall, I thought it was a good historical read, and I am happy to give the book a 4**** star review.

Book to be published in the US 1 June 2012

Book to be published in the UK 29 June 2012