Before there was Anne Boleyn, there was Alice Perrers. Anne
O' Brien takes readers into the fourteenth-century court of
the magnificent King Edward III. Known to history as the
king who started The Hundred Years War and the monarch who
founded The Order of the Garter, O'Brien carefully crafts an
enthralling tale of one of history less known but much
maligned royal mistresses.
Alice Perrers' early life began in a convent. Although Alice
longed for a life outside the cloister. Any interest in
leaving the abbey walls resulted in brutal attacks. When the
sisters allow Alice to leave and marry a money lender, Alice
believes fate has smiled down on her. But Janyn Perrers has
no interest in winning the love of the very passionate
Alice, Instead, Janyn looks for a plain woman who will keep
him company and put a stop to the demands of his sister, who
urges him to find a wealthy wife. Alice is devastated that
her husband shows no interest in her. Alice also finds a
dangerous enemy in his domineering sister. When Janyn dies,
Alice is left penniless and forced to return to the convent.
Believing her last chance at a life outside the abbey walls
is gone forever, Alice cannot foresee the glorious future
and twist of fate which awaits her when Queen Philippa
arrives at the abbey.
When the sickly Queen of England visits the abbey, she is
enchanted with the mysterious sister who openly declares her
desire to leave the convent. When Alice shows kindness to
the ailing queen, Alice is given the opportunity she has
been waiting for all her life: Queen Philippa wishes for
Alice to join her court. Soon Alice finds herself in strange
territory: the opulent household of the Queen of England.
Although the queen finds Alice indispensable, the Queen's
daughter, Isabella is horrified that her mother invited
someone as insignificant as Alice to her household. Isabella
will be a thorn in Alice's side throughout the novel.
Although Alice is no beauty, she has a charm that others
cannot resist, especially King Edward III. When Alice comes
under attack by Edward's daughter, Isabella and his
daughter-in-law, Joan of Kent, the King gallantly comes to
Alice's rescue.
Although Alice believes the King simply desires her body,
she soon finds she has won the King's heart. When Queen
Philippa dies, Alice becomes Queen in all but name when
Edward's grief causes him to completely withdraw. Alice
makes dangerous enemies in the Countess Joan who believes
one day her husband, The Black Prince, will be king. When
the Black Prince dies, Joan rejoices that one day she will
have the crown of England in her hands through her son,
Richard. But Alice finds an unexpected ally in Edward's son,
John of Gaunt. When Alice is banished from court, Gaunt
allows Alice to return to the lonely arms of the ailing
king. Much like her hold on Queen Philippa, her hold on King
Edward proves impossible to break, even as he breaths his
last breath, Alice's enemies reel as Alice determines who is
allowed to see the dying monarch.
Anne O'Brien paints a sympathetic portrait of a woman
history has maligned for centuries. Alice is best remembered
for her hold on the aging King Edward III after Queen
Philippa's death and the theft of the king's jewelry before
his body was cold. But in THE KING'S CONCUBINE Anne O'Brien
weaves a rags to riches story readers will devour. O'Brien's
ambitious writing places her in the league of Alison Weir
and Philippa Gregory. The author took an obscure history
figure and crafted a compelling novel of romantic conquest
and undeniable passion all set in one of the most
magnificent courts in English history. History buffs will
applaud Anne O'Brien's reinventing of King Edward III's much
hated mistress.
A child born in the plague year of 1348,
abandoned and raised within the oppressive walls of a
convent, Alice Perrers refused to take the veil,
convinced that a greater destiny awaited her. Ambitious
and quick witted, she rose above her obscure beginnings to
become the infamous mistress of Edward III. But
always, essentially, she was alone...
Early
in Alice’s life, a chance meeting with royalty changes
everything: kindly Queen Philippa, deeply in love with her
husband but gravely ill, chooses Alice as a
lady-in-waiting. Under the queen’s watchful eye, Alice
dares to speak her mind. She demands to be taken
seriously. She even flirts with the dynamic, much older
king. But she is torn when her vibrant spirit captures
his interest...and leads her to a betrayal she never intended.
In Edward’s private chambers, Alice discovers the pleasures
and paradoxes of her position. She is the queen’s
confidante, the king’s lover, yet she can rely only on
herself. It is a divided role she was destined to play,
and she vows to play it until the bitter end. Even as
she is swept up in Edward’s lavish and magnificent court,
amassing wealth and influence for herself, becoming an enemy
of his power-hungry son John of Gaunt, and a sparring
partner to the resourceful diplomat William de
Windsor, she anticipates the day when the political winds
will turn against her. For when her detractors voice
their hatred, and accusations of treason swirl around
her,threatening to destroy everything she has
achieved, who will stand by Alice then?
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