England, 1444. King Henry VI’s grip on the crown hangs by a thread as the Wars of the Roses starts to tear England apart.
And from the ashes of war, the House of Paston begins its rise to power.
Led by three visionary women, the Pastons are a family from humble peasant beginnings who rely upon cunning, raw ambition, and good fortune in order to survive.
Their ability to plot and scheme sees them overcome imprisonment, violence and betrayal, to eventually secure for their family a castle and a place at the heart of the Yorkist Court.
But success breeds jealousy and brings them dangerous enemies…
The Royal Game by Anne O’Brien is published in paperback on 31 March, 2022.
Anne has written about how women were used to build wealth and power through strategic alliances in To have and to hold: pawns in the medieval marriage game.
She’s also looked at a woman who was a member of one the the most important families in the 14th century and who married Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy in Discovering Elizabeth Mortimer.
