Susan Higginbotham transforms the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey into a seductive tale of cutthroat sixteenth-century politics in her latest novel about the tragic nine day Queen. HER HIGHNESS, THE TRAITOR is narrated by Frances Grey, Lady Jane's mother and Jane Dudley, Jane's future mother-in-law. Higginbotham magnificently weaves together the events leading up to the disinheritance of two royal princesses and the coronation of a young girl more to devoted to books and prayer.

The novel begins shortly after the death of Henry VIII. Since the new king is still a boy, the country is under the control of King Edward's uncle, Edward Seymour. The Protector's influence over the boy king soon creates unrest among the English nobles as rumors begin to circulate that the Protector plans to kill the king and take the throne for himself. When the young king unexpectedly dies, he names Lady Jane Grey, the boy king's cousin, as his heir to the throne.

Higginbotham's novel is the story of Frances Grey and Jane Dudley, as each family ruthlessly plots to put their children on the throne of England. Frances Grey is the niece of Henry VIII through her mother, Mary, Henry VIII's sister. Frances is considered of the purest royal blood. The Lady Mary and the Lady Elizabeth are the late king's daughters by Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, but both daughters were declared bastards by the king. The Lady Mary, however, has never forgotten the heartache her mother suffered when lost her husband to Anne Boleyn. When Frances Grey and Jane Dudley triumphantly place Jane on the throne, they will find that the Lady Mary can prove just as dangerous as her father.

I loved how Susan Higginbotham narrated the story of lady Jane Grey through the eyes of her mother and mother-in-law. HER HIGHNESS, THE TRAITOR reveals the dangerous politics operating behind the scenes as Edward VI lingered between life and death. While the new twist on the nine day queen was an interesting change, I found the portrayal of Lady Jane unrealistic. Jane is depicted as a haughty, spoiled brat. Ironically, Frances Grey is written as a sympathetic mother who is inconsolable when her daughter's reign as Queen of England is brought to a tragic end by the Lady Mary. Higginbotham claims her portrayal of Jane and Frances are based on recent research, but her arguments and portrayals of both characters failed to convince me. I was also disappointed to find the tiresome old slander about the Lady Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour in this novel. I appreciated how the author decided to have Frances Grey and Jane Dudley narrate the book, but there were also many aspects of this novel I disagreed with.