Queen's Gambit : a Novel

If you love the BBC's The White Queen you'll love this. Meet the woman who survived Henry VIII in Elizabeth Fremantle's first novel, Queen's Gambit ... My name is Katherine Parr. I'm 31 years old and already twice widowed. I'm in love with a man I can't have, and am about to wed a man no-one would want - for my husband-to-be is none other than Henry VIII, who has already beheaded two wives, cast aside two more, and watched one die in childbirth. What will become of me once I'm wearing his ring and become Queen of England? They say that the sharpest blades are sheathed in the softest pouches. Only time will tell what I am really made of... For fans of Hilary Mantel, Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Elizabeth Fremantle's first novel, Queen's Gambit , is a riveting account of the Tudor queen who married four men and outlived three of them - including Henry VIII. Rich in atmosphere and period detail, and told through the eyes of Katherine and her young maid Dot, it tells the story of two very different women during a terrifying and turbulent time. If you loved Wolf Hall , The Other Boleyn Girl or the BBC drama series The Tudors , then Elizabeth Fremantle's Queen's Gambit is the book for you. 'Gripping' Woman & Home 'Sumptuous' Metro 'A major new voice in historical fiction' The Bookseller 'Rich and enticing' Stylist 'Electric' Good Housekeeping 'Wildly entertaining' Huffington Post Elizabeth Fremantle holds a first in English and an MA in creative Writing from Birkbeck. As a Fashion Editor she has contributed to various publications including Vogue , Elle , Vanity Fair and the Erotic Review and has had her fiction published in the Mechanic's Institute Review . Queen's Gambit is her first novel; her second, Sisters of Treason , will be published early in 2014. Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives?two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth?Katherine must wed Henry and become his sixth queen. Katherine has to employ all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her, including her stepdaughter, Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. With the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position, Katherine?s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor?s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love Widowed for the second time aged thirty-one, Katherine is obliged to return to court but, suspicious of the aging Henry and those who surround him, she does so with reluctance. Nevertheless when she finds herself caught up in a passionate affair with the dashing and seductive Thomas Seymour, she believes she might finally be able to marry for love. But her presence at court has attracted the attentions of another ... Captivated by her honesty and intelligence, Henry Tudor has his own plans for Katherine and no one is in the position to refuse a proposal from the king. With her charismatic lover dispatched to the continent, Katherine becomes Henry's sixth wife. Passionate about religious reform, and ever aware of the fates of his previous queens, she must draw upon all her instincts and intellect to navigate the treachery of the court. With the Catholic faction once more in the ascendency, reformers burned for heresy and those around the dying king vying for position in the new regime, her survival seems unlikely - and yet she has still not quite given up on love. "Tudor England. A dying king. A queen in danger" Cover.-Includes bibliographical references (p. 463-[465]). "Tudor England. A dying king. A queen in danger" Cover.-Includes bibliographical references (p. 463-[465]) -Katherine Parr, widowed for the second time aged thirty-one, is obliged to return to court but, suspicious of the aging king and those who surround him, she does so with reluctance. Nevertheless, when she finds herself caught up in a passionate affair with the dashing and seductive Thomas Seymour, she believes she might finally be able to marry for love. But her presence at court has attracted the attentions of another ... Katherine Parr is 31 years old and already twice widowed. She's in love with a man she can't have, and about to wed a man no-one would want - for her husband-to-be is none other than Henry VIII, who has already beheaded two wives, cast aside two more, and watched one die in childbirth. What will become of Katherine once she's wearing Henry Tudor's ring and becomes Queen of England? They say that the sharpest blades are sheathed in the softest pouches. Only time will tell what she is really made of .. A tale inspired by the life of Henry VIII's sixth wife follows her reluctant marriage to the egotistical and powerful king in spite of her love for Thomas Seymour, a situation that compels her to make careful choices in a treacherous court.