The Royal Game

‘I was completely captivated’ Barbara Erskine

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.

‘A wonderfully immersive and intriguing read, meticulously researched. I was completely captivated’ Barbara Erskine

Reviews

‘A gorgeously insightful, inspiring and courageous read’ Frost Magazine

‘An engrossing story of one family’s attempts to gain land and power in fifteenth 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

‘A gripping historical novel that captures the turbulent rise of one of the most influential families of the Middle Ages in rich and exciting detail’ Nicola Cornick

‘A wonderfully immersive and intriguing read, meticulously researched. I was completely captivated’ Barbara Erskine

Praise for Anne O’Brien:

‘A compelling story of divided loyalties and family betrayals. Dramatic and highly evocative’ Woman & Home

‘There are historical novels and then there are the works of Anne O’Brien – and this is another hit’ Sun

‘O'Brien manages to reinvent historical fiction’ My Weekly

‘Dramatic and highly evocative’ Woman’s Weekly

‘One of the best writers around … she outdoes even Philippa Gregory’ Sun

‘O’Brien is a terrific story teller’ Daily Telegraph

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

‘This thrilling historical novel has it all – high politics, drama, emotion, excellent writing … It's a rollercoaster of a read’ Carol McGrath

‘A deftly woven journey. Impeccable research shines through’ Matt Lewis

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

‘The characters are larger than life … and the author a compulsive storyteller’ Sunday Express

‘This book has everything – royalty, scandal, fascinating historical politics’ Cosmopolitan