The Royal Game

By: Anne O'Brien

Narrated by: Jilly Bond

The spellbinding new historical novel from the Sunday Times bestseller Anne O’Brien.

England, 1444. Three women challenge the course of history…

King Henry VI’s grip on the crown hangs by a thread as the Wars of the Roses starts to tear England apart. And from the ashes of war, the House of Paston begins its rise to power.

Led by three visionary women, the Pastons are a family from humble peasant beginnings who rely upon cunning, raw ambition, and good fortune in order to survive.

Their ability to plot and scheme sees them overcome imprisonment, violence and betrayal, to eventually secure for their family a castle and a place at the heart of the Yorkist Court. But success breeds jealousy and brings them dangerous enemies…

An inspirational story of courage and resilience, The Royal Game, charts the rise of three remarkable women from obscurity to the very heart of Court politics and intrigue.

©2021 Anne O'Brien (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A wonderfully immersive and intriguing read, meticulously researched. I was completely captivated." (Barbara Erskine)

"An engrossing story of one family’s attempts to gain land and power in 15th-century England...an eye-opening insight into how wealth was gained and lost in late medieval England as well as a pleasure to read." (Mick Finlay)

"Fast paced, immersive historical fiction that breathes life into the figures that populated our medieval past - I thoroughly enjoyed it!" (Anita Frank)