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The Queen's Rivals
Their ambitions were ordinary, but they were born too close to the throne...
As cousins of history's most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the Tower's menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but unavoidable...
Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.
A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Queen's Rivals recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.
As cousins of history's most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the Tower's menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but unavoidable...
Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.
A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Queen's Rivals recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
22 people are currently reading
1128 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 24, 2018
Un roman de ficțiune istorică nerecomandat fanilor Philippei Gregory. Am scris mai multe pe bloghttps://dorinadanila.com/2018/08/24/r...
May 20, 2025
This book is in the POV of Lady Mary Grey, youngest sister of (Queen) Jane Grey, which is pretty unique. She tells the story late in her life, so the author can get away with describing events from her childhood in detail. The sentences tend to run so long though. Some liberties have been taken with the characters of course, like how ugly and "monstrous" Mary was, how childish Jane was and how vain Guildford was. Speaking of Guildford, he managed to quote Shakespeare a decade before he was even born! Big historical error there. I can maybe turn a blind eye to corsets being mentioned, but that... So I think I'm gonna have to give this book 2,5 stars. It reminded me a bit of Innocent Traitor, but I think that one was better.
December 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this historical fiction about the 3 Grey sisters. Queen Jane, Lady Katherine and Lady Mary. Tudor blood through their mother daughter of Henry viii sister Mary and Henry grey making them having Grey blood from Edward IV wife queen Elizabeth and Henry VIII mother queen Elizabeth. All 3 had turbulent sad unhappy lives. Queen Jane ended in beheading at 16, Katherine died at 27 a prisoner and Mary died of the plague at 33. Katherine and Mary only wanted happy marriages and Jane only wanted to study and lead a pious life. But life event truly destroyed all 3 lives.
July 22, 2013
Purdy has a very descriptive writing style which I fell in love with! Reading her descriptions of the food, castles, clothes….everything was like seeing it and touching it up close and personal!
It did take me a little bit to get used to Purdy’s writing style though. For me it seemed a little long and dramatic….flowery if you will. Once I got used to it, I was able to become more engaged in the story but it did take a little getting used to at first.
If you are a fan of Phillipa Gregory, you will enjoy Purdy’s writing style and this novel.
See my full review here
It did take me a little bit to get used to Purdy’s writing style though. For me it seemed a little long and dramatic….flowery if you will. Once I got used to it, I was able to become more engaged in the story but it did take a little getting used to at first.
If you are a fan of Phillipa Gregory, you will enjoy Purdy’s writing style and this novel.
See my full review here
February 10, 2018
The heroine of this novel is Mary Grey, the youngest sister of Lady Jane Grey. For most of the novel, Mary is about 8 or 9 years old, but has the wisdom and maturity of an adult. She's much wiser and more mature than either of her two older sisters, Jane in particular.
Like the other Brandy Purdy novel I've read, The Boleyn Wife, The Queen's Rivals is full of silly moments and baffling artistic decisions. Also, like The Boleyn Wife, there are moments that are genuinely compelling. There were moments that actually brought tears to my eyes. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.
Like the other Brandy Purdy novel I've read, The Boleyn Wife, The Queen's Rivals is full of silly moments and baffling artistic decisions. Also, like The Boleyn Wife, there are moments that are genuinely compelling. There were moments that actually brought tears to my eyes. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.
July 8, 2017
Did not finish the entire book; quit after about 75 pages. Writing is lively, erotic & compelling, but unfortunately I knew too much about the subject matter to ignore the liberties taken with history. I plan to read more from this writer on subjects less known to me.
Fictional account of: Jane, Katherine & Mary Grey
Fictional account of: Jane, Katherine & Mary Grey
December 31, 2025
One thing I love about Brandy Purdy's books, aside from the copious, gorgeous outfit descriptions, is how her writing makes you feel like you want to hug the heroines after all they went through. And that's how I felt reading the Lizzie Borden book, and how I felt reading this. Poor Katherine and Mary Grey.
March 3, 2022
Good read. I was able to create a picture of each sister's personality in my head. I am not sure how close to history this perspective is, but it did encourage me to read further on all three sisters and their descendants.
Read
October 8, 2021????????????????huh??????
December 27, 2021
Overall a good tale but rather fanciful in terms of clothing and details. I prefer historical novels that a more true to times
July 18, 2013
The Queen's Rivals tells the tragic fictional story of the Grey sisters, as told in the voice of Mary Grey. The sisters were very close to each other, their mother Lady Frances Brandon was too worried about appearances and the royal court to pay a lot of attention to her daughters, unless she profited from them. Their father on the other hand was very indulgent if not a little flighty and preoccupied with 'sweets'.
Lady Jane Grey along with her husband and father were executed for what was called the Wyatt rebellion. The Wyatt rebellion was the uprising brought on by the fact that Queen Mary was said to be engaged to marry Philip of Spain, which the English did not like. Jane was Queen for nine days before Mary was back on the throne and ordered the execution.
Lady Katherine Grey, as were all the Grey sister's, a potential heir to the English throne. Queen Elizabeth was not happy when Katherine secretly married Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and lived in captivity until her death. She was pregnant and was able to keep it secret for a long time but was found out. While in prison after her the birth of her first son, she gave birth to another son after clandestine visits from her husband who was also in imprisoned in the Tower. She was the mother of the 'boys in the Tower'. As punishment for thwarting the Queen she was separated from her family to live out her days alone.
Lady Mary Grey also married Thomas Keyes,sergeant porter to the Queen, without the Queen's permission and was subsequently separated from her husband never to see him again. She lived in house arrest in various households for over seven years. She eventually became one of the Queen's Maid's of Honour and lived for 33 years. Even though she was considered a dwarf and not expected to live long, she outlived her sisters.
I love Brandy Purdy's books, she does thorough research into the lives of the people in the Tudor era and it shows in her writing style. Very descriptive, engaging characters makes The Queen's Rivals a page turning novel. If you are a fan of the Tudor era like I am, then this book is a must.
Lady Jane Grey along with her husband and father were executed for what was called the Wyatt rebellion. The Wyatt rebellion was the uprising brought on by the fact that Queen Mary was said to be engaged to marry Philip of Spain, which the English did not like. Jane was Queen for nine days before Mary was back on the throne and ordered the execution.
Lady Katherine Grey, as were all the Grey sister's, a potential heir to the English throne. Queen Elizabeth was not happy when Katherine secretly married Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and lived in captivity until her death. She was pregnant and was able to keep it secret for a long time but was found out. While in prison after her the birth of her first son, she gave birth to another son after clandestine visits from her husband who was also in imprisoned in the Tower. She was the mother of the 'boys in the Tower'. As punishment for thwarting the Queen she was separated from her family to live out her days alone.
Lady Mary Grey also married Thomas Keyes,sergeant porter to the Queen, without the Queen's permission and was subsequently separated from her husband never to see him again. She lived in house arrest in various households for over seven years. She eventually became one of the Queen's Maid's of Honour and lived for 33 years. Even though she was considered a dwarf and not expected to live long, she outlived her sisters.
I love Brandy Purdy's books, she does thorough research into the lives of the people in the Tudor era and it shows in her writing style. Very descriptive, engaging characters makes The Queen's Rivals a page turning novel. If you are a fan of the Tudor era like I am, then this book is a must.
July 24, 2013
Although I know of Jane Grey's story, her lineage and the circumstances surrounding her execution, I did not know a lot about her family. I certainly did not know that one of her sisters was a dwarf, or that her mother was so very cruel. Now I realize that this is historical 'fiction' and, not having read extensively about Jane Grey, I can't say how historically accurate this book is. However, Purdy has written a great book giving us not only the story of Jane Grey, but a glimpse of the lives that surrounded her. I enjoyed the characterization of the sisters. Jane, it would seem, was very studious and serious...and stubborn, which really rubbed their lady-mother the wrong way. The vivacious Kate was a delight to read about and Mary seemed such a sweet girl. It must have been a difficult life for her.
There were a couple scenarios in the book that were quite shocking. Again, not sure about historical accuracy, but the elements added some interest to the story. Of course, the execution parts of the books were very sad and, Jane's time at the block especially, brought tears to my eyes.
In all, I very much recommend this book. Maybe it isn't completely accurate historically (again, I can't say for sure on what I know of the subject matter), but historical fiction is 'fiction' and the value of a good story is that it makes the reader more interested in the subject matter and thus more interested in history. For me, that's the goal and it was achieved here.
Read more of my reviews at http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/
There were a couple scenarios in the book that were quite shocking. Again, not sure about historical accuracy, but the elements added some interest to the story. Of course, the execution parts of the books were very sad and, Jane's time at the block especially, brought tears to my eyes.
In all, I very much recommend this book. Maybe it isn't completely accurate historically (again, I can't say for sure on what I know of the subject matter), but historical fiction is 'fiction' and the value of a good story is that it makes the reader more interested in the subject matter and thus more interested in history. For me, that's the goal and it was achieved here.
Read more of my reviews at http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/
July 18, 2013
There are certain authors I know will always delight me when it comes to the Tudor Period. One of those authors is Brandy Purdy.
In this Tudor novel we are treated to the lives of the Grey sisters, Katherine, Jane and Mary.
Everyone knows of Jane...who was the 9 day Queen. She's written about quite a bit in historical fiction. What surprised me was that the voice of the story was the younger sister, Mary, who I didn't really know much about until reading this book.
Like all books in the Tudor period this one is filled with drama and a lot of emotion. A lot of emotion, especially once you reach the point where sister Jane is put on the thrown..and then cousin Mary takes it from her. As you see the sister's lives crumble because of their position in the line for the thrown of England, you have to feel sad for all of them. The lives of Jane and Kate were truly heartbreaking.
From the beginning Mary is a voice you get a huge amount of "feels" for. She's described as a dwarf (She stopped growing at 5 years of age) and a hunchback. Yet of all the Grey sister's she's the one that came out the best.
Brandy takes a few liberties with history, but it makes the story so much more powerful. I loved that the thee sisters were almost like The Three Musketeers, The Brilliant One (Jane), The Beautiful One (Kate) and The Beastly One (Mary).
I highly recommend this book to fans of the Tudor period, or those looking for a different story other than the usual players.
In this Tudor novel we are treated to the lives of the Grey sisters, Katherine, Jane and Mary.
Everyone knows of Jane...who was the 9 day Queen. She's written about quite a bit in historical fiction. What surprised me was that the voice of the story was the younger sister, Mary, who I didn't really know much about until reading this book.
Like all books in the Tudor period this one is filled with drama and a lot of emotion. A lot of emotion, especially once you reach the point where sister Jane is put on the thrown..and then cousin Mary takes it from her. As you see the sister's lives crumble because of their position in the line for the thrown of England, you have to feel sad for all of them. The lives of Jane and Kate were truly heartbreaking.
From the beginning Mary is a voice you get a huge amount of "feels" for. She's described as a dwarf (She stopped growing at 5 years of age) and a hunchback. Yet of all the Grey sister's she's the one that came out the best.
Brandy takes a few liberties with history, but it makes the story so much more powerful. I loved that the thee sisters were almost like The Three Musketeers, The Brilliant One (Jane), The Beautiful One (Kate) and The Beastly One (Mary).
I highly recommend this book to fans of the Tudor period, or those looking for a different story other than the usual players.
June 23, 2013
This novel tells the tale of the three Grey sisters; Jane, Mary and Kate. I was quite familiar with Jane's story of course, but not so familiar with her sisters'. It starts from their girlhood and progresses through their tragic ends. It's narrated by Mary - the last of the three to die.
The girls came to their adulthood in dangerous times carrying a dangerous heritage; they were next in line to the throne after Henry VIII's offspring and were therefore used as rallying points for those opposed to the rules of Mary and Elizabeth.
I enjoyed learning more about the other two Grey sisters and Tudor intrigue is always fascinating but the characterizations were so one note for all of the major characters it was frustrating; Jane was always an uptight, religious fanatic. Mary was always a perfect, sweet girl. Their mother was a dominating, horse mad woman. Minimal nuance at all within a character. The plot was a foregone conclusion but I found plenty to keep me interested in the stories of the other two girls.
3.5
The girls came to their adulthood in dangerous times carrying a dangerous heritage; they were next in line to the throne after Henry VIII's offspring and were therefore used as rallying points for those opposed to the rules of Mary and Elizabeth.
I enjoyed learning more about the other two Grey sisters and Tudor intrigue is always fascinating but the characterizations were so one note for all of the major characters it was frustrating; Jane was always an uptight, religious fanatic. Mary was always a perfect, sweet girl. Their mother was a dominating, horse mad woman. Minimal nuance at all within a character. The plot was a foregone conclusion but I found plenty to keep me interested in the stories of the other two girls.
3.5
July 6, 2013
Told from the viewpoint of Lady Mary Grey, the youngest Grey sister, this story is a fascinating look at the political machinations that went on during the Tudor era of England's history. The Grey sisters were just girls who longed for simple lives, but who were caught up as pawns in the race to secure the throne in the uneasy time after the death of King Henry VIII.
I loved the intricate descriptions that author Brandy Purdy used in this story - the details of the foods, the clothes, the jewels, the castle, even the animals the three sisters adored - all are described in such a manner that the reader can almost feel, taste, and appreciate the actual items.
I enjoyed this novel, and I think fans of Tudor history, English royalty, and historical fiction will enjoy it too.
I loved the intricate descriptions that author Brandy Purdy used in this story - the details of the foods, the clothes, the jewels, the castle, even the animals the three sisters adored - all are described in such a manner that the reader can almost feel, taste, and appreciate the actual items.
I enjoyed this novel, and I think fans of Tudor history, English royalty, and historical fiction will enjoy it too.
May 4, 2015
This book....I couldn't get into it. It's one of the most selfish portrayals of the Grey sisters-filled with horrible fluffy prose and excessive descriptions. It's almost like she tried to pad out a story to make a novel. But that was unnecessary, there's so much factual details to tell. I was lost very early on and found myself sickened by how she charecterized Jane and Katherine Grey. Jane age had bordering on cruelty and Katherine she had so stupidly vapid that I found myself want to suffocate the character. Then there was Mary....portrayed as way to wise for her years. Poorly written. I love this time period, I just did not enjoy this work.
May 12, 2015
Lovely book
This book is a true tear jerker. The differences in the sisters and their fates was a riveting read. I am not sure of the actual historical significance of the sisters (other than Jane of course), but the telling of their story was an interesting one. The author did a wonderful job on the voice of the little known (to me at least) main character.
This book is a true tear jerker. The differences in the sisters and their fates was a riveting read. I am not sure of the actual historical significance of the sisters (other than Jane of course), but the telling of their story was an interesting one. The author did a wonderful job on the voice of the little known (to me at least) main character.
June 6, 2013
Well written and interesting novel of the Grey sisters - Jane, Katherine, and Mary. Told by Mary, readers are taken through the days leading up to Jane's marriage to Guildford Dudley and the deadly decisions made after Edward's death. Katherine and Mary have their own heartbreak too.
June 8, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this! The writing style is clear, but with very beautiful imagery that really captures the time period. The characters were overall very interesting and I wasn't bored once during my journey with this book.
September 11, 2015
Consanguinity
The story of three sisters born and raised in the web of fertility and succession politics, prevalent in the English court during the tenuous reign of the Tudors. A continuous struggle of survival...
The story of three sisters born and raised in the web of fertility and succession politics, prevalent in the English court during the tenuous reign of the Tudors. A continuous struggle of survival...
May 2, 2013
3.5 stars. Full review posted here: http://teacake421.livejournal.com/129... Summary: I liked it.
April 23, 2015
Enjoyable, wild, fresh look at life the life of the three Grey sisters.
Review to come 7/17 for the blog tour!
Review to come 7/17 for the blog tour!
April 8, 2013
Review coming soon. I just felt creeped out the entire time while reading this.
May 6, 2014
A book about 3 sisters: the beautiful one, the brainy one and the beastly one who are in line to be queen. An interesting story told from the beastly one's perspective.
July 10, 2016
Children don't talk like that...
April 22, 2017
Very good. Another interesting look at court life under Queen Elizabeth.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews