First of all: Kudos to the author for the extensive and accurate research in order to write this book.
The narrative is strong throughout the book. Cecylle Neville, the Duchess of York, is the main character--and what a character she is. The book starts with the "voice" of a young Cecylle and as she grows, so does her personality. She becomes a strong-willed, wise, and spirited woman.
Married to the King, she has an extramarital affair, and her son, Edward is the result of it. Eventually, her husband finds out, and accepts him as his own. This sure put a strong twist in the story. Though never historically proven, it was believed by some that Cecily had an illegitimate child. I love how the author delved deep and flushed this part of history out. Actually, I am impressed with the detail regarding just about everything in this book--the war, family drama, the “mad king”, as well as other colorful characters throughout the story. Thwarted Queen has it all. Complex plots, and subplots are well thought out. I must add that the descriptive settings are written with such finesse I could "see" them. I highly recommend this book.
J.M. Powers aka Summer Falls ( )

This was my second novel about Cecily, Duchess of York. Both were enjoyable in their own right. This one is geared towards a young adult audience and is available in 4 parts as well as in the entirety to perhaps make for easier reading for younger minds.

This book is written as Cecily's memoirs written as she is dying. She wants to make sure her story gets told HER way, not history's way. It follows the course of what is known about her but this book does allow that Cecily had an extra marital affair and that Edward IV was illegitimate. It makes for interesting reading at times. Do I believe she had that affair? That is neither here nor there in regards to this book.

I did enjoy it but I found that at points it dragged, in particular the third "book" in her life; The Gilded Cage. This was the time of wars and the book read rather like a history lesson rather than a novel. I suppose this is somewhat inevitable given the amount of back and forth between York and Lancaster but I still was a bit bored. Perhaps for someone without the basic knowledge of the time period it would not be so tedious.

Overall though it was an enjoyable read of a well covered subject. Cecily is a fascinating woman it is truly a shame that more did not come down through history about her. ( )