Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens

Rivals for the Crown

by Kathleen Givens

copyright 2007

Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge

Back Cover:

1290: Turmoil erupts when the seven-year-old queen of Scotland perishes en route to claim the crown. Two bitter foes -- John Balliol and Robert Bruce -- emerge as possible successors, but England's Edward I has his own designs on Scotland.

In London, Edward has expelled all Jews from his kingdom. Rachel de Anjou is heartbroken to leave behind her best friend, Isabel de Burke, and travel with her family to the Scottish border town of Berwick. Danger is everywhere, but the tall, dark Highlander Kieran MacDonald presents a risk of a different sort.

Isabel, appointed as lady-in-waiting to Edward's queen, Eleanor, is soon immersed in a world of privilege and peril where she attracts the notice of two men -- Henry de Boyer, an English knight, and Rory MacGannon, a Highland warrior and outlaw. Isabel and Rachel are soon reunited in Berwick, but as the enmity between Scotland and England reaches its violent peak, each woman must decide where her loyalty -- and her destiny -- lies.

First Sentence:

"Rachel! Rachel, wake up!"

Rivals for the Crown, a historical romance fiction story that was captivating.

The characters of Isabel and Rachel were compelling. They both faced times of uncertainty and turmoil.

Both girls found themselves in circumstances in which they needed to make life and death decisions.

I was impressed with Isabel's growth from a naive young girl to a woman whose courage and strength is admirable.

Rachel, a Jewish girl, is torn between her faith and a love that must not be. She is very earnest to practice her faith while aware that others would not be understanding if they knew she was Jewish. She displays courage and strength to do what is right.

Both girls struggled against adversity.

The men, all were brave and courageous. Some more admirable than others.

Henry, King Edward's knight, lusts after Isabel. He does not lead his life in the most admirable way but he does display admirable qualities towards Isabel.

Rory and Kieran, both Scot Highlanders, are young and fierce. They find themselves in the midst of the Rivals for the Crown. They are both courageous men who suffer lose. They take a stand for what they think is right even though it puts their lives in great risk of death.

These characters' lives are intertwined. I found myself drawn to their stories. They all must make difficult choices. They all must make sacrifices. I grieved when decisions were made that caused pain and was thrilled when they experienced joy. I could feel the essence of the time and place - the struggles of those who loved through these turbulent times.

The beauty of this story, for me, was the wonderful job the author did in making 13th-century Scotland personable through the lives of Isabel, Rachel, Henry, Rory and Kieran. The author did a beautiful job interweaving, throughout the story, the historical facts of King Edward, William Wallace, The Clans of Comyn, Balliol and the Bruces who were The Rivals for the Crown.

I appreciated the smoothness in which the history flowed with the fictional story.

The story ended in a place you would not expect. Although, when combined with the epilogue, I found the ending to be very satisfying.

Rivals for the Crown absorbed me into this story of believable and compelling characters.

Rivals for the Crown absorbed me into this story of love, loyalty, betrayal, violence and struggles.

Rivals for the Crown absorbed me.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Note:

In the beginning of the book you will find: Claimants to the Thrown Chart and Map of Britain. These references proved to be helpful

In the back of the book you will find: Author's Note. I found this note to be very interesting as it give the facts the author utilized throughout the story. This note also explained some details the author utilized that were not facts.