Lady of the Roses: Sandra Worth

Little is historical information is known about the marriage of Lady Isobel Ingoldesthorpe and Sir John Neville. The only real information anyone has about them is that Sir John paid the exorbitant (at that time) sum of one thousand pounds that was asked as Isobel's bride price by Marguerite d'Anjou, Queen of England. The fact that a Yorkist knight would pay one thousand pounds to wed a 16-year old Lancastrian lady-in-waiting speaks through the dust of time of what could only be love and Sandra Worth has done a masterful job of giving voice to this long-passed couple.

Isobel is a ward of the court of Marguerite d'Anjou, Lancastrian Queen of England. She has been approached by many suitors but wants no one after she sets eyes upon John Neville, a Yorkist knight whom she knows she will never be allowed to wed. Isobel is not one to give up easily though and between them the two find the means to bring about the impossible: a love-match between Lancastrian and Yorkist. As the battles for control of England rage around them John is away more then he is with Isobel, fighting at the side of his brother, Richard, Earl of Warwick. The times that Isobel and John have together are rare and precious, as was much in life at that time. They hold tight when they can, and let go when they must but they never doubt their love for one another.

As I've said before in reviews, historical fiction, especially with a subject so old and so little know, can be difficult. To capture a subjects voice without appearing to have created it is a neat trick and one that Sandra Worth has proven that she is quite capable of doing. Isobel is a fierce, loving wife and mother who will do whatever she must to protect her family and help her country. While she abhors the things she sees around her she knows that some battles must be fought to win peace. This book is a beautiful love story, truly captivating.
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Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (January 2, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0425219143
ISBN-13: 978-0425219140