This is the final novel in the author's trilogy tracing the life of Margaret Beaufort, one of the most powerful women of the late Medieval period, as the mother of the first Tudor King Henry VII. This traces the reign of her son, the final remnants of the War of the Roses, the famous pretenders Lambert Simnel and the much more threatening Perkin Warbeck, and other rebellions such as the Cornish uprising. As is always the case at this period of history, the main concern among the rulers is the provision of male heirs to the throne and, less essentially but desirably, a clutch of daughters to form marriage alliances on the international stage to England's benefit. We follow Margaret's emotional rollercoaster as the ruling family descends from three sons born to King Henry and Elizabeth of York, a very healthy position, to only one, the future king Henry VIII, following the death of the heir Prince Arthur. There are more tragic deaths of royal children: Edmund the third son; one of the daughters Elizabeth; and the final daughter Katherine who dies shortly after her mother dies in childbirth ("It takes time to recover from the loss of a child. It is even worse when that child has lived long enough for us to recognise their laugh, understand their humour, and know their sorrows and fears."). The key relationship though is that between Margaret and the King her son, and as lays dying, she reflects that "since my thirteenth year, Henry has been my reason for breathing, my reason for rising each morning. He was living proof of my faith in God's goodness, and the only living creature that I have loved more than I love myself." ( )

Terrific ending to the series

You have to come away with a whole new appreciation for Margaret after finishing the series. Wonderfully written with continuous dialogue will have you experiencing difficulty putting it down. I've found another author to follow. ( )