I, Richard Plantagenet: the Prequel Part Two: A Vous Me Lie: I, Richard Plantagenet Prequel Book 2

by J.P. Reedman

A Vous Me Lie—I am Bound to You. (An early motto found in a book of Richard of Gloucester, later King Richard III.)


Young Richard of Gloucester has returned to his brother King Edward’s court after training in the household of the Earl of Warwick. Quickly the young man finds himself caught up in court the famous Smithfield Joust, the Woodvilles’ theft of Thomas Cook’s tapestries, the killing of the Earl of Desmond in dubious circumstances. He also is befriended by the older John Howard, and experiences his first tastes of love –which results in the births of his two natural children, John and Katherine.
Duty soon beckons, however, when Warwick’s friendship with Edward is irrevocably broken and George of Clarence, Richard’s other brother, takes Warwick’s side. Rebellion now threatens the stability of England and even Edward’s throne. Young Richard, not yet eighteen, must retrieve Welsh castles, sit in judgment on traitors to the crown…and even stamp on the toes of the side-swapping Lord Stanley. He meets some loyal friends along the way but, unwittingly, he makes enemies too, who will one day return to haunt him.
As the clouds of war darken, Richard is finally driven into exile in Burgundy with the King. Butas the ship leaves the harbour, he swears he will return…

Part 2 of I, Richard The Prequel.
All five of the I, Richard Plantagenet novels, both the two prequels and three main books of the series can be read as independent, self-contained stories of the life of Richard III.

Genres: Historical Fiction

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2021

About the author

Born in Canada, J.P. Reedman has been a UK resident for over 30 years. She has been writing since the age of 5, and preferred genres are fantasy and historical (or a mixture of both.) Interests are British history and prehistory, especially the neolithic and bronze ages, archaeology, anthropology and features of the countryside. She is author of the STONEHENGE SAGA a novel that places the legends of King Arthur back into the bronze age, and a number of works about King Richard III, including the epic, I RICHARD PLANTAGENET, which, with both parts combined, is over 250,000 words long and written from Richard's first person perspective. She is also the author of the bestselling medieval novel, MY FAIR LADY, about the little known Queen, Eleanor of Provence which is first in an ongoing series about lesser-known medieval noblewoman. 13 SO FAR!

Reviews

[Deyanira C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

‌3.5 stars
I've been waiting for this novel for a long time and I'm glad I was finally able to finish this saga.This is the last book in the saga; I, Richard Plantagenet, but it would be the second if you read them in chronological order.
The story begins with Richard Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) who is about to turn 15 years old and goes to live at the court of his brother King Edward IV, and the story ends when he goes into exile in Burgundy with the King in 1470, this book takes place mainly as the war between Edward and Dick (Richard Neville) turns frontal and reaches its breaking point, which is uncomfortable for Richard who appreciates Dick the man who raised him but is loyal to his brother Edward whom he loves not only as a brother but also as King, unfortunately the court is not the best place for Richard who is surrounded by the Woodwille family and their ambition, as you can see the main argument of the book is not new, it is actually what you read over and over again in most novels on this subject, but this book adds very interesting and often omitted episodes in Richard's life as his first problems with Thomas Stanley all because Richard wants justice for a family that is being robbed by Stanley, then there is the way he met the two mothers of his illegitimate children what is a very plausible story , I enjoyed the most the way he conquered Kate, how he becomes a useful man for his brother, his handling of the first important charges he received, his reaction and thoughts about some actiones made by Elizabeth Woodville, his mother Cecil and other prominent people, of course also his relationship with men like John Howard, Anthony Woodwille, Francis Lovell, George Duke of Clarence, etc.In this sense what we have here is a never before seen image of Richard's younger years and those things that could explain much of his late actions, the novel is very well researched and gives us a history class as you read a novel, for example: the prostitution in those times and how this was connected with the nobles, the concept of marriage and the relationship between a royal family, at the same time we have family background, such as the story of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, John of Gaunt, Edward III, and many other historical figures, also places, churches, inns .... etc.In short, a novel well written and creative, although my favorite of the saga will always be "Tante le desire" (the third in chronological order).

Now, my reasons for not giving 5 stars: First let me say that I love the way JP Reedman tells her stories she always gives details that nobody else gives and having the story of Richard III in the first person is extremely different and interesting, but some chapters I found them extremely long better said too detailed, to the point of being boring it was as if I could not get to the main point of the situation and I felt myself going around in circles indefinitely so I get frustrated at times, going to the next point this can be something personal but in many moments I could not connect with Richard and that didn't happen to me in the other books of the saga here there were even moments in which I found some things he did and said impossible to believe that were coming from him or even moments when I considered him silly. Next, the background that I expected to find here or the explanation behind the two books that follow this one was never developed as expected, I mean I wanted to understand his loyalty and love towards Edward that made Richard fight for him, go to hell for him and reject a good deal and a safe place next to Warwick all for Edward IV, but I couldn't see why? , Edward IV was not even a good brother nor King and Richard seemed so passive and obedient for no reason that I couldn't portray the intelligent and practical man I read about later specially because I couldn't see him growing up from the first book to this one, in the same way, the story behind his relationship with Anne and the background of his marriage is too warm I dare to say too plain and simple, he is not in love with Anne but he wanted her with passion we knew it from the next novels but in this book that Richard is in a very important point in his life such as the leap to being a man, he strangely goes from just considering Anne a good little child to be jealous and obsessed with her from one day to the next without further explanation or logical process, I never understood why he would like her or why he would want to marry someone with whom he barely spoke and a girl that was the most average in his world, of course I understand the advantages of the marriage in question of money-family that very well explains the next book but here was supposed to show where came from his overwhelming desire towards her, and his desire to have her why would he hate Edward of Lancaster expressed here but never explained and at that point I felt that the author needed to fill in the blanks to connect with the other novels so that everything fits together, but it would seem that this novel was already too long and she couldn't express herself anymore giving a natural and balanced process or a practical and realistic response or that is the impression that I have. Finally, Richard's scoliosis is an element that was not known until recently and I may be wrong about this but I think that only two novels have added scoliosis to their stories, one is "This son of York" by Easter Smith and this book, in "this son of York" it is well explored and focused on Richard's time but overused, Richard cannot take a step without thinking about scoliosis that is why he is afraid of God , but that doesn't prevent him from committing adultery, murder etc. In this case, Richard rarely thinks about his scoliosis he almost had no pain and it doesn't really affect his faith or actions, for many times you forget it exists and to be this the point in his life when this could have developed so the portrait of it here is not convincing to me, so this doesn't manage to be the successful story that is needed about how his scoliosis could and should have impacted him and that's perhaps the biggest problem I have with this novel, I mean you can explain why he became so pious, why despite having illegitimate children he condemned adultery and other sins, why he was always worried about his relationship with god among other things, but all that here is just part of his character because yes what left me waiting for something that never came.When it comes to exploring the people close to Richard the story is very light and we don't really have a good view of them, but that is due to POV, so I can understand it. I would still recommend the entire saga and will be looking forward to a story of Richard and Edward IV in burgundy, but this was definitely not my favorite book.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second installment of the author’s prequel to her I, Richard Plantagenet series. Richard has just entered his teenage years and has come to his brother’s court after finishing his knightly training with his Cousin Dick (Earl of Warwick). He is a serious-minded, idealistic youth who is uneasy because of the conflict between his mentor, Cousin Dick, and his brother and king, Edward IV. He is searching for some worthy person to emulate. Richard finds that person when talking to his sister Meg who describes their father as kingly in bearing, stern but just, and one who loved all his family. Richard promises himself that he will be like his father—although without the trust in others that proved fatal. He vows to follow his brother Edward as the inheritor of their father’s mantle, adopting the motto A Vous me lie (“I bind myself to you”). Expressing his desire to be a perfect knight, he also finds appealing the motto Tante le Desiree (“I desire it so much”), writing it in the chivalric romance Ipoedmon.

Richard soon learns that Edward’s court can be a treacherous place as he becomes implicated (quite innocently) in brother George’s traitorous schemes, and Edward decides to teach both his brothers a lesson by imprisoning them for a night in the Tower. Richard is also repelled by the licentiousness at court. Concerned that his Richard is far too monkish, Edward recruits John “Jockey” Howard to take the lad to a Southbank brothel to gain some experience with women. Jockey assures Richard that he frequents a “clean establishment, free of disease.” What follows is an entertaining episode that does not turn out exactly as Edward and Jockey might have expected.

We know from history Richard fathered two illegitimate children most probably when he was a teenager. Many writers believe that Alice Brugh was the mother of his son John of Pontefract and Katherine Haute bore his daughter Katherine. This writer follows this convention, and Richard’s relationships are not idealized but seem realistic. Alice is practical and intelligent while Kate is, well, beautiful. His feelings for Kate are more romantic and passionate, but by the end of the novel when he is about to go into exile in Burgundy, a certain cooling has taken place as both people realize that they could never be together “beyond the occasional grappling in secret.” Throughout the novel, Richard’s thoughts occasionally wander to Anne Neville. When he learns of her betrothal to Edward of Lancaster, he is sickened to think of that vicious lad pawing at her, the girl who had once been his intended bride. He tells himself that he does not love her, but he has always felt affection for her. They shared a connection as two quiet children “like little brown starlings huddled in the shadow of bright-plumed peacocks. That drew me to her, along with her steady, practical nature.”

As tensions between Edward and Cousin Dick mount and eventually erupt into open warfare, the maturing Richard becomes an active participant. From this point, the book becomes episodic: retaking the castles in Wales; the confrontation with Lord Stanley over Hornsby Castle; and, even the horrific executions at Southampton ordered by John Tiptoft, the “Butcher of England.” While the pace of the book seemed to drag a bit in the second half, I appreciated that the author detailed the events that are usually glossed over in other works. After all, Richard’s encounters with Rhys Ap Thomas in Wales and Stanley may have been significant factors in Richard’s ultimate fate.

The weakness of the book may be the failure to show that Richard was in any way conflicted during the struggle between his brother Edward and Cousin Dick, who had been in mentor. In fact, Cousin Dick makes only a fleeting appearance. (In the first prequel, Cousin Dick remembered Richard’s name day and gave him a dagger. Richard’s father apparently did not remember his son’s birthday, but after he was shown the dagger, he gave his son a jeweled sheath for it. In this book, Richard refers to the dagger his father gave him at Ludlow. Why the discrepancy? Could be a different knife, I suppose. Or, maybe, Richard’s memory was faulty?) Certainly, Edward is not portrayed as someone that Richard would want to emulate, but on the eve of their flight to Burgundy he sees Richard as their noble father’s inheritor. Edward’s action then ultimately justifies Richard’s faith. While this prequel seems to complete the I, Richard Plantagenet series, readers like me will still want to hear Richard’s first-hand account of the events during his second exile in Burgundy.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Vous Me Lie: I, Richard Plantagenet,
the Prequel, part 2
By J P Reedman
Reviewed November 24, 2021


A Vous Me Lie is the fourth installment in J. P. Reedman’s I, Richard Plantagenet series, although chronologically speaking it would be the second, coming after The Road From Fotheringhay, which told us the story of Richard’s childhood.

This is Richard of Gloucester’s coming of age story. It covers his teen years, starting with him as a youthful and somewhat innocent 14-year-old and ending with him a maturing young man of 18.

The title comes from an early version of the motto Richard eventually chose (Loyaultie me lie) and means “I am bound to you.” It shows how loyalty was an important part of his life from a young age.

As the story starts, King Edward has recalled his youngest brother from Middleham, where Richard had been under the Earl of Warwick’s tutelage. Now at court, Richard finds himself learning to deal with the various factions and conflicts that are part of court life, including his older brother George who is never satisfied and always wants more, and the queen’s avaricious family.

Though only 14, Richard is considered on the verge of adulthood, and the king gives him more and more responsibilities, part of his training to be his brother’s right-hand man.

But it’s not all work and no play. Aware that his young brother is beginning to experience those hormonal changes that turn a boy into a man, the king puts Richard into the care of John “Jocky” Howard, whose task is to teach the boy the ways of the world. Looking upon Jocky as a kind of uncle figure, the two visit the Southwark Stews, where Richard has his first up close and awkward experience at a brothel.

Richard isn’t interested in having one night stands with whores, though. Instead, he’s drawn to chivalry and courtly love, and these feelings eventually lead to affairs with the two women who will be the mothers of his natural born children, John and Katherine.

But life is never simple for Richard, and while he would love to spend more time being a father and a lover, the king has other tasks for him. These include some of Richard’s earliest conflicts, events often glossed over (if mentioned at all) in a lot of Ricardian literature.

Along the way, Richard finds himself entering into the dispute over Hornby Castle and making an enemy of the powerful northern magnate, Thomas, Lord Stanley.

He also makes a foray into Wales with orders from the king to retake a couple castles that are illegally occupied by Welshman Rhys ap Thomas and his brothers.

Both of these foreshadow the tragic events that will take place in August of 1485, suggesting that its eventual betrayals had more to do with paybacks than anything else.

It is also during this time that "Cousin Dick" (because it seems they were all related in some way or another) aka Warwick the Kingmaker has fallen out of favor with Edward. Always loyal to his brother, Richard finds himself aiding in the putting down of rebellions and meting out the king’s justice, which is often bloody and brutal.

In conjunction with this, Richard has to work alongside John Tiptoft, the Earl of Worcester and Lord High Constable of England. Known as “The Butcher of England,” Tiptoft was a blend of intellect and brutality, whose forms of punishment included impaling the corpses of executed prisoners.

A Vous Me Lie is another great story by Ms. Reedman. While few details are known of this period in Richard’s life, the author has used her extensive research and imagination to fill in the blanks in a believable and plausible way, giving us a story filled with equal measures of romance and adventure.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the swcond part of the prequel of the series I Richard Plantagent, and it tells of Richard's youth and slow transition from boy to man, while he copes with the unrest, problems and turmoils of his brother's later first reign. Of course also more personal problems, like his first love affair and his two illegitimate children. As always J.P. Reedman writes wonderfully and in details, incorporating some funny/not funny incidents, like Richard's youthful crash with Lord Stanley (resulting in a banner's loss) as well as Richard's escapade while on a hunting lodging. Episodes of doubtful historical truth maybe, but fun and entertaining. The book ends with Richard's flee into exile.
I didn't grasp all the subtelties of Richard's personal relationship, especially in regard of Anne Neville. It seems like the author wanted somehow to stay in the middle, nor too romantic, nor too detached, but it's made clear Richard didn't love her at first, but then suddenly he can't stop thinking of her, hating Edward of Westmintser and wanting to make her his wife. Maybe I would've explored more of their relationship. But anyway, this is an excellent book and an excellent addition to the series.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Plantagenet Duke of Gloucester the coming of age a fabulous read

[kathleen r. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair but a little disappointing

I always enjoy reading J. P. Freeman's books but this volume seems to offer very little of the usual powerful story telling.
It feels a bit strained and ends so abruptly the text feels unfinished.
Those who have followed the history so far might find it a bit different from the first book but I think that's only the fact that at the beginning of this story Richard, Duke of Glouster is still only in his teen years but of course he already considers himself a seasoned warrior and sees himself as powerfully skilled and yet he constantly overstates his experience and has difficulty controlling his temper, his flawed reasoning and his actions.
He never wants to disappoint Edward, his older brother and his king, but on more than just a few occasions that is exactly what he does whether or not he intends to do so. He is a very young and not particularly strong boy thrust by family and his over zealous beliefs of his own importance onto a stage that is simply a matter of the times in which he lives. History has still never really worked out what may have happened to Richard before he will (later) lose his own life at Bosworth, but scholars and historians alike have tried for many years to determine once and for all how the political culture of Edward's reign may or may not have schooled Richard in the art of statecraft but most of what is known is very likely some truth and some fiction but many believe he eventually did bring about a short period of time during which he was able to bring about some varying degrees of trade, improvement of living conditions and some necessary changes in government but essentially he was still a very impulsive and easily angered king for the length of his life.
In fact a recent discovery in England has been validated as his remains, beneath a parking lot being reworked and improved. Carbon dating and DNA proved the bones were Richard's but there are still some questions that will likely never be known such as how did the body finally be placed there and by whom. Those are interesting questions but not particularly important to telling this story.

I think the most important part of this story isn't about the shallow grave or whether or not Richard's final words were really as important as they might have been but more so that so much has been conjecture at best and dramatic license at worst.
That he lived to succeed his brother in the face of dangerous situations and never knowing who he could really trust regardless of the circumstances and perhaps even in spite of the great grants of land, wealth and power he could and did bestow on the notable names of his time, like Neville, Warwick, Southampton, Bedford and others. The genealogy boggles my mind.
But I also think because so much of what an author has to work with involves not just researching through recorded history and verified documentation but also imagination and powerful craft but the desire to succeed in telling a really good story.
The story of Richard of Glouster will always be part fact and part fiction. For me because I have read quite a long list of various authors and different dramatic points of view reading further doesn't hold quite the same fascination for me now. Honestly I'm just a little tired of both the Yorkists and the Lancastrians . it's a tale worth knowing but not really following for years.
We learn from history or we repeat it as Santayana wrote hundreds of years ago. I'm not sure we can learn more from a history that failed to bring about any real change in its time and by its own importance.
This isn't a bad book by any means but the story of Richard is now simply worn out.
He was a king yes, but his final resting p!ace is always going to be rememObered as a modern day parking lot. For so great a personage that seems pretty undignified and honestly very sad.
I'm going to read something a bit more modern for the next choice.

[PR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book from Richard Plantagent's Perspective

As good as the first book in the series. Though fictional, this continues the story of the brother of King Edward IV. His trials, tribulations and Responsibilities are well covered. Other books written about Richard III vary in depth and perspective. The book is told from his point of view and is more sympathetic to it than some others. I think what is lacking is the feeling of emotional depth, though described in the telling, one does not Feel it...just a description of how he must have felt. I miss the element of Feeling what the characters felt, understanding the depth of the turmoil often described. I dis appreciate J. P. Freeman's depth of knowledge and the seamless telling of the story as if it had truly happened just the way she describes it in every detail. I am to read the third book about Her Richard just to fins out where she will go with her interpretation of his story as it unfolds. I would highly recommend these books to anyone interested in the subject. I do love her descriptions of the settings...All the settings and terrain, the weather, the atmosphere and the places...Kings and their families, friends, soldiers, sailors, retainers and servants, horses and carts, and etc. ...had to travel...how often and the vast preparations for this travel took! She writes clearly ,understandably, and well. Her characters real and imaginary are well drawn and accessible. Look forward to the rest of Richard's life story...so tragically short.

[Carrie Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all three of the prequels, now. I'm enjoying them immensely and am looking forward to getting onto the main series. They're well researched, credible, and present us with the story of the Prince of York in a way we're not used to seeing: from his own perspective. I'm really pleased that many terms are explained to the modern reader without coming over as patronising. I also loved the that the dialogue is believable, albeit in the modern tongue. Not an easy balance when recreating history, but achieved with aplomb.

I don't have any criticisms, really, save two: we don't use the word "normalcy" in the UK, at least certainly not before recent homogenisation of the global English language following an explosion in digital forms and increased accessibility to it - we commonly use "normality". That was a single use in the first book, so a tiny thing; This second - and by far the longest - book in the series really needs a thorough editing. I'm afraid missed words, wrong tenses and evidence of forgotten changes from earlier drafts were plenty and really spoiled the continuity for me. I did finish it and will happily read the rest, but if a serious edit could be done, it'd make what is a lovely, informative and interesting read into one with the improved rating it deserves. I've given it four stars in the hopes that this could be addressed, ignoring the irritation the mistakes caused.

A must for all lovers of English medieval history. Recommended series.

[Jacinta Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clunky

If you want to see the difference between a great writer and a wannabe great writer, read We speak no Treason followed by these two pitiful 'prequels'. They just aren't well written. Grammatically, they're pretty pitiful, the sentence construction - 3/10, history? Let's not go there. Conversation? I'm sorry J P Reedman, l really am, but it's also pitiful. Sharp intake of breath pitiful. I'm not sure which is worse, but l advise you as a reader, not to be enticed into finding out.
I hate writing bad reviews, but this one just had to be. Compare it to other writers, Natalie Haynes, Pat Barker, Ellis Peters, early Sharon Penman. Read them as research. But read them for
pleasure and pain and rage and sadness and shame and joy - find out about real emotions J P, and then try again. Make me cry.

[Jon Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

One more of many

I have enjoyed the first 2 in this series, after a glut of WOTR novels, few hold the interest as sure and steady, his style rolls easy and keeps your concentration, no time wasters or uninteresting filling or padding, the historic facts and detail are tight and sharp sticking to realism as much as fiction from a colourful age allows, this is historically so famous, but so unfamiliar to modern readers, my imagination grasps the lines JPR twists so skillfully, bring on more.

[Loreley Maidana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this saga so far, I can’t rate it less than 5 stars
Richard narrating his life story in first person, I can’t get enough of it
I know it is (well documented/researched) fiction but at the same time the author brings out the person
With fears, hopes and frustrations
It brings the actual human, not the saint/malign dichotomy, the person who probably had good and bad days like the rest of us
Loved it 🤩

[Eileen Briesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, needs editing

I liked these two books on young Richard III, but there were so many typos, names spelled two different ways, words missing a letter (may being written as my, for example) and grammatical errors. If this author needs an editor, I am available.