REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy

Synopsis: When young Robert Dudley, an earl’s son, meets squire’s daughter Amy Robsart, it is love at first sight. They marry despite parental misgivings, but their passion quickly fades, and the ambitious Dudley returns to court.

Swept up in the turmoil of Tudor politics, Dudley is imprisoned in the Tower. Also a prisoner is Dudley’s childhood playmate, the princess Elizabeth. In the shadow of the axe, their passion ignites. When Elizabeth becomes queen, rumors rage that Dudley means to free himself of Amy in order to wed her. And when Amy is found dead in unlikely circumstances, suspicion falls on Dudley—and the Queen…

 Still hotly debated amongst scholars - was Amy's death an accident, suicide, or murder? - the fascinating subject matter makes for an enthralling read for fans of historical fiction.

My Thoughts: "Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied.”- Niccolo Machiavelli

I can think of no other historical character that fits the above quote better than Robert Dudley and unfortunately it is his wife-Amy Robsart Dudley-who suffers the most because of it.  What begins as a love match between the two quickly becomes an impediment for Robert who realizes his wife is not made for court life and she stands in the way of everything he hopes to gain.  The story is told via the dual narrative of Amy and her rival for Robert's affections-Queen Elizabeth I.  Through Amy's eyes we see the love blossom between her and the young handsome Robert Dudley, the gradual gulf form between the couple as Robert's fortunes rise due to the ascension of his childhood friend Elizabeth to the throne, and the sordid turn their lives take as Robert tries to rid himself of his burdensome wife.  Through Elizabeth's eyes we experience Robert's ambitions first hand as he does everything he can think of to please the Queen and convince her to marry him even though Elizabeth is often in doubt if his affection is genuine or if becoming king is all he really cares about.


Amy is often a character in the Tudor-verse that is put on the back burner when novelists tackle the story of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley.  She is just the country wife that everyone knows about but conveniently pretends she doesn't exist.  In The Queen's Pleasure we get an intimate portrait of the sad life of this young woman who only wants to recapture the love she thought she had with her husband.  Usually I am annoyed at characters that appear to have no backbone and won't stand up for themselves.  This was not the case with Amy because even though she is dealt repeated emotional blows at the hands of Robert (who is painted as the devil incarnate in this book), Brandy Purdy writes Amy as such a genuinely good character who is totally undeserving of her fate that you can't help but like her and feel really sorry for her as you read through her story.  Of the two narratives I did connect with Amy's story more but I also enjoyed Elizabeth's quite a bit.  While still the strong, willful Tudor Queen we know, she is also a woman experiencing intense loneliness and one who is maybe not as complicit in the actions taken against Amy Dudley as one would think.


 I did think some of the events happening at the residences Amy stayed at and also the lengths Amy goes to to preserve her love with Robert were a little much but they were also very entertaining and definitely increased my sympathies for Amy.  Also in the novel Amy is referred to as Robert's Buttercup Bride several times and it began to grate after awhile.  I loved reading Amy's story and I am glad this author decided to finally give Amy a voice.  I thought she did a marvelous job with it!

This book was provided to me to review for participation in the author's tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.  These are my honest thoughts on the book.

And now for the giveaway!  Up for grabs is a copy of The Queen's Pleasure to one lucky reader!

Giveaway is open to: US

To enter: Leave your name and email address in the comments.  One extra entry each will given for spreading the word about the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.

Giveaway ends: Midnight June 21st.  Winner will be announced June 22nd.

For more reviews, giveaways, guest posts/interviews with author Brandy Purdy you can view the rest of the tour schedule HERE.

Follow the tour on Twitter: #QueensPleasureVirtualTour

For more on Brandy: visit her at her WEBSITE ,follow her and her cat Tabby via her BLOG, or on Facebook as Brandy Purdy - Emily Purdy.  

 Note  for UK Readers: The Queen's Pleasure is being released in the UK as A Court Affair by Emily Purdy.