Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

1497. England. A handsome man with Plantagenet looks has returned to the shores of England with his bride in tow claiming to be Richard, the younger of the “princes in the tower,” and son of Edward IV. He plans to battle for his birth right to be the king of England, but plans have a way of not always working out.

Lady Catherine Gordon is a member of the Scottish Royalty, daughter of George Gordon, the Earl of Huntley. She meets and falls in love with Richard, the Duke of York. He managed to escape his fate as one of the two “princes in the tower,” and has been accepted by all of European royalty as the true king of England. He will go down in history as Perkin Warbeck, “the pretender,” but to Catherine he is her soul mate, her love, the father of her children, and a true prince of England. Together they journey to England to fight for the crown, but the Tudor King, Henry VII is not ready to part with it. Catherine and Richard’s story is a true story of love and heartbreak that will pierce your soul.

I loved the Pale Rose of England. The love story between Catherine and Richard is a beautiful story. Catherine’s love for Richard and her ability to stick with him through high and low is a wonderful story of a remarkable and courageous woman who knows the true value of love and marriage. Her heartbreak over Richard and her son Dickon are heart rending. I was moved to tears by this book, and not too many books have that affect on me. I’d like to discuss the plot in more detail, but I do not want to ruin it for those that have yet to read it!

Sandra Worth is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I discovered her novels a couple of years ago through J. Kaye’s Book Blog. The first novel I read was Lady of the Roses and it was a wonderful historical fiction novel set during a compelling period of conflict (the War of Roses) with two great lovers whose story was little known (at least by me!). I loved it! I have enjoyed each novel I’ve read since then, and Pale Rose of England adds to her list of wonderful novels. It is again a wonderful, but tragic true love story set during a fascinating time in history.

Ms. Worth writes with beautiful prose. One of my favorite passages in this book is as follows, “Treasure the happiness, Catryn. ‘Tis only when darkness falls that the stars come out. Honor our love with your smiles. Look for me in the stars, and wherever I am, I will live in your happiness.” Richard to Catherine.

Overall, Pale Rose of England is an outstanding historical fiction novel set during a compelling time with great characters, great writing, and a wonderful love story. I highly recommend it.

This is my second novel for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Book Source: Review Copy from Penguin Books. Thank-you!