Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens

Posted January 24, 2008 by Casee in Reviews | 1 Comment

Book description:

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.

Isabel de Burke and Rachel de Anjou have defied convention by remaining close friends from childhood through adulthood. When Rachel and her family were expelled from London, Isabel was heartbroken for Rachel and her family. Though she soon begins her new position as a lady-in-waiting for the Queen, Rachel is never far from her mind.

After leaving in the middle of the night, Rachel and her family relocate to a town just north of the England border. Though they lost almost everything they had, her family is optimistic that they can survive whatever is thrown their way. When the “child” Queen of Scotland dies on the way to claim her throne, Scotland and England are both thrown into turmoil. With King Edward of England claiming he has a distant connection to Scotland and therefore should be the interim ruler, Rachel’s family wonders if it will effect the new life they have worked so very hard to create.

Cousins Rory MacGannon and Kieran MacDonald are as close as brothers. Both Rory and Kieran, along with their respective families, will do anything to keep Scotland out of Edward’s hands–even if it means being outlawed. Rory is outlawed, though the reason for it is unjust. Rory soon finds himself trying to distant himself from his family to avoid bringing danger to their door, but they will not allow it.

I would not call this book a historical romance. Historical Fiction would be more apt. Though there were elements of romance, it seemed almost thrown in as an afterthought. When I read On a Highland Shore, the romance was intense. Though there was very little sex, the romance was there. In Rivals for the Crown, it really wasn’t.

This book was rich in history. I actually could feel the despair of all the different characters introduced. The plight of Rachel and her family was especially poignant. No matter what happened to this family, they persevered. Rachel’s mom was a rock. She continually told her family that if Edward came to Berwick, they would leave just as they left London. They would survive again.

I really did enjoy this book when I put my expectations aside. I probably wouldn’t have read it if I knew it was technically Historical Fiction, but I’m glad I did.

4 out of 5.


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