It's 14th century Scotland and two childhood friends,
Isabel de Burke and Rachel de Anjou, now young women, are
being separated. Edward I has expelled all Jews from his
kingdom. Rachel, along with her father, mother and sister,
are forced to leave their beloved England. She travels with
them to settle in Berwick, while Isabel is appointed lady-
in-waiting to Edward's queen, Eleanor. They are never far
from each other's thoughts; never leaving each other's
hearts.
Scotland's child queen perishes on her way to claim the
crown. That enables Balliol and Bruce, bitter rivals, to
fight for the crown of Scotland. But, England's Edward I
has a plan of his own. He wants to become ruler of
all the land.
Kieran MacDonald, a tall, dark Highlander, shows up in
Berwick at the inn Rachel's family has purchased. Kieran is
fighting alongside Rory MacGannon to keep Scotland under
Scottish rule. After meeting Rachel, Kieran not only risks
his life for Scotland, but risks losing his heart to her.
Rory is outlawed and has to move carefully through the
country unnoticed. When Rory and Isabel meet, there's an
immediate attraction.
It's only a matter of time before Isabel and Rachel are
reunited. The unrest between England and Scotland reaches
fever pitch. Isabel and Rachel must decide where their
loyalties lie. Rory and Isabel and Kieran and Rachel must
decide where their passions lie as Scotland's freedom hangs
in the balance. Rory and Kieran refuse to swear fealty to a
king that is not theirs. We also get to know William
Wallace, a true warrior of Scotland, who fought to the
death for his beloved Scotland (as portrayed in the movie
Braveheart).
RIVALS FOR THE CROWN can rival any Scottish tale written
today. It's a magnificent sequel to ON A HIGHLAND SHORE,
where we first met Gannon and Margaret. Rory MacGannon is
their youngest son and a strong and loyal Scottish warrior.
RIVALS FOR THE CROWN is simply magnificent; an epic of huge
proportions filled with intrigue and conspiracy, betrayal
and loyalty, strength and honor, and an honest and true
love story. Ms. Given's research is unparalleled, giving
her readers a sense of time and place, like nothing I've
ever read before, and characters you can almost hear
breathing. Her stories are gifts for the heart. Begin with
the treasure ON A HIGHLAND SHORE and continue with RIVALS
FOR THE CROWN. These are two of the best stories that weave
a beautiful Scottish plaid sure to touch your heart, as
they did mine.
1290: Turmoil erupts when the seven-year-old queen of
Scotland perishes en route to claim the crown. Two bitter
foes -- John Balliol and Robert Bruce -- emerge as possible
successors, but England's Edward I has his own designs on
Scotland.
In London, Edward has expelled all Jews from his kingdom.
Rachel de Anjou is heartbroken to leave behind her best
friend, Isabel de Burke, and travel with her family to the
Scottish border town of Berwick. Danger is everywhere, but
the tall, dark Highlander Kieran MacDonald presents a risk
of a different sort.
Isabel, appointed as lady-in-waiting to Edward's queen,
Eleanor, is soon immersed in a world of privilege and peril
where she attracts the notice of two men -- Henry de Boyer,
an English knight, and Rory MacGannon, a Highland warrior
and outlaw. Isabel and Rachel are soon reunited in Berwick,
but as the enmity between Scotland and England reaches its
violent peak, each woman must decide where her loyalty --
and her destiny -- lies.