The Queen's Pleasure

Book excerpt: Accused of conspiring with rebels to steal the throne, Princess Elizabeth is relegated to the Tower of London by her half-sister, Queen Mary. There she finds solace in the arms of a fellow prisoner--her childhood friend, Robert Dudley. Certain their days are numbered, their bond deepens. But they are spared the axe and Elizabeth soon wins the crown, while Robert returns to his wife and the unhappy union he believes cheated him of his destiny to be king. . . As a daughter of Henry VIII and the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth knows firsthand the cruelty marriage belies and roundly rejects the many suitors eager to wed the "Virgin Queen"--with the exception of the power-hungry Robert. But her association with him will carry a risk that could shake the very foundations of the House of Tudor. . . A captivating story of loyalty and betrayal, duty and freedom, The Queen's Pleasure is a fascinating portrait of both the rise of Elizabeth I and one of the most compelling periods in history. Praise for Brandy Purdy and The Boleyn Wife "Recommended for readers who can't get enough of the Tudors and have devoured all of Philippa Gregory's books." --Library Journal