The Forbidden Queen

A Sunday Times Bestseller

England’s Forgotten Queens

‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.’
-The Times

An innocent pawn. A kingdom without a King. A new dynasty will reign…

1415. The jewel in the French crown, Katherine de Valois, is waiting under lock and key for King Henry V. While he’s been slaughtering her kinsmen in Agincourt, Katherine has been praying for marriage to save her from her misery. But the brutal King wants her crown, not her innocent love.

For Katherine, England is a lion’s den of greed, avarice and mistrust. And when Katherine is widowed at twenty-one she is a prize ripe for the taking. Her young son the future monarch, her hand in marriage worth a kingdom. This is a deadly political game; one the Dowager Queen must learn fast.

The players – Duke of Gloucester, Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor – are circling. Who will have her? Who will ruin her?

This is the story of Katherine de Valois. The forbidden queen who launched the most famous dynasty of all time…

Praise for Anne O’Brien

‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale.’
- The Times

‘A gem of a subject … O’Brien is a terrific storyteller’
- Daily Telegraph

‘Joanna of Navarre is the feisty heroine in Anne O’Brien’s fast-paced historical novel The Queen’s Choice.’
-Good Housekeeping

‘A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue.’
-Woman & Home

‘Packed with drama, danger, romance and history.’
-Pam Norfolk, for the Press Association

‘Better than Philippa Gregory’ – The Bookseller

‘Anne O’Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists.’ – Sunday Express

‘A gripping historical drama.’
-Bella

‘This book has everything – royalty, scandal, fascinating historical politics and ultimately, the shaping of the woman who founded the Tudors.’ – Cosmopolitan

www.anneobrien.co.uk
@anne_obrien

Reviews

Praise for Anne O’Brien

‘Joanna of Navarre is the feisty heroine in Anne O’Brien’s fast-paced historical novel The Queen’s Choice.’
-Good Housekeeping

‘O’Brien is a terrific storyteller’
- Daily Telegraph

‘A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue.’
-Woman & Home

‘Packed with drama, danger, romance and history, The Queen’s Choice is the perfect reading choice for the long winter nights.’
- The Press Association

‘A gripping historical drama.’
-Bella

About the author

Anne O’Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master’s in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history.

She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth-century timber-framed cottage in depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire on the borders between England and Wales.