Her Highness, the Traitor - By Susan Higginbotham Page 0,158
my characters with their heads intact, she gamely read each of my novels upon publication. I inherited my love of books from her and would probably not be writing this today had it not been for her influence. If I ever write that novel set in Regency England, it’ll be for you, Mother—but I can’t make any promises about the heads.
About the Author
Photo by Tim Broyer
Susan Higginbotham lives with her family in North Carolina and has worked as an attorney and an editor. She has written two historical novels set in fourteenth-century England, The Traitor’s Wife and Hugh and Bess, and two set during the Wars of the Roses, The Stolen Crown and The Queen of Last Hopes. Her first novel, The Traitor’s Wife, won the gold medal for historical/military fiction in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Susan maintains a popular bulletin board, Historical Fiction Online, and writes regularly about medieval and Tudor England on her blog, History Refreshed.
The Traitor’s Wife
by Susan Higginbotham
From the bedchamber to the battlefield, through treachery and fidelity, one woman is imprisoned by the secrets of the crown.
It is an age where passion reigns and treachery runs as thick as blood. Young Eleanor has two men in her life: her uncle King Edward II, and her husband Hugh le Despenser, a mere knight but the newfound favorite of the king. She has no desire to meddle in royal affairs—she wishes for a serene, simple life with her family. But as political unrest sweeps the land, Eleanor, sharply intelligent yet blindly naïve, becomes the only woman each man can trust.
Fiercely devoted to both her husband and her king, Eleanor holds the secret that could destroy all of England—and discovers the choices no woman should have to make.
Praise for The Traitor’s Wife:
“Conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly…entertaining historical fiction.”
An unforgettable novel of young love set in 14th-century England.
When forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just thirteen years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work?
Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built.
Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham’s impeccable research will delight avid historical fiction readers, while her enchanting characters brought to life will be sure to capture every reader’s heart.
Praise for Hugh and Bess:
“Following in the footsteps of Jean Plaidy and Norah Lofts…filled with a gentle, dry, very subtle sense of humor.”
It was a secret marriage…one that changed the fate of England forever.
On May Day, 1464, six-year-old Katherine Woodville, daughter of a duchess who has married a knight of modest means, awakes to find her gorgeous older sister, Elizabeth, in the midst of a secret marriage to King Edward IV. It changes everything—for Kate and for England.
Then King Edward dies unexpectedly. Richard III, Duke of Gloucester, is named protector of Edward and Elizabeth’s two young princes, but Richard’s own ambitions for the crown interfere with his duties…
Lancastrians against Yorkists: greed, power, murder, and war. As the story unfolds through the unique perspective of Kate Woodville, it soon becomes apparent that not everyone is wholly evil—or wholly good.
Praise for Susan Higginbotham:
“Beautifully researched and incredibly captivating, The Traitor’s Wife is a book you won’t want to put down. Susan Higginbotham’s vivid portrayal of life during Edward II’s tumultuous reign makes for fascinating reading. Highly recommended!”
—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of The Heretic Queen
History would call them the Wars of the Roses. But the story began with one woman’s fury…
Margaret of Anjoy, Queen of England, does not want immortality. She does not need glory. All she desires is what rightfully belongs to her family—and that is the throne of England. Her husband the king cannot rule, but the enemies who doubt her will and dispute her valor underestimate the force of a mother’s love. Her son is the House of Lancaster’s heir and last hope, and her fight for him will shake the crown forever.
Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham will once again ask readers to question everything they know about right and wrong, compassion and hope, duty to one’s country and the desire of one’s own heart.
Praise for Susan Higginbotham:
“A beautiful blending of turbulent history and deeply felt fiction, Susan Higginbotham’s The Queen of Last Hopes brings alive an amazing woman often overlooked or slandered by historians. Higginbotham has given readers of historical fiction a gift to treasure.”
—Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Irish Princess
“A compelling, fast-paced, and well-written saga that is destined to both entertain and educate anyone interested in the spirited and fascinating Margaret of Anjou for generations to come!”
—D. L. Bogdan, author of Secrets of the Tudor Crown