England during the reign of Richard III

Richard is king of England, not necessarily because he sought it, but because he has no choice. His beloved brother Edward, who wed Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner, and fathered several children, has died suddenly, and it has come to public attention that Edward was already married when he wed Elizabeth. Now that the Woodville offspring, including two young sons, have been declared illegitimate, Richard is the sole heir. Reluctantly, but with honor, Richard and his queen, Anne, begin their brief, but amazing reign.

Some of Richard III's accomplishments during his all too short time as king included the concept of bail, equality under the law, presumption of innocence (which, towards the end of his time, would try his honor dearly), and he proclaimed laws in English so that even the poor could understand them. Yet Richard has been vilified by some scholars as the murderer of the two young princes, although, even to this day, no one knows for sure what exactly happened to the boys. Many theories abound as to why he would or would not have murdered the children, but just as many point to others who had as much to gain, if not more, by the deaths of Edward's sons. At any rate, Ms. Worth deals with this part of Richard's story with her own very plausible theory.

I dreaded reading this book because everyone knows how Richard dies at the battle of Bosworth Field, but the beautifully written and impeccably researched FALL FROM GRACE shouldn't be missed. The love Richard and Anne have for each other and for their young son, Ned, is poignantly apparent throughout the tale. But it seems as if a good-hearted, well-intentioned, intelligent leader has as much of a struggle to reign as a tyrant does. Richard agonizes over trusting old friends who betray him, wondering near the end just who will next turn on him? His court is teeming with plots and gossip, and Richard valiantly tries to go about ruling his country with honor and fairness.

FALL FROM GRACE is an amazing, brilliantly composed conclusion to the story of a man who would, today, be considered not only a hero, but a wise leader, something of a rarity in this age. Sandra Worth's attention to detail, her incredible amount of research and devotion to portraying Richard and those who both loved and hated him as realistically as possible, shines through on every page. I'm sorry to see the trilogy end, but am looking forward to her next book on the War of the Roses. As I've said in previous reviews of The Rose of York books, this is a Perfect 10. Although FALL FROM GRACE can easily
stand alone, I highly recommend reading the entire trilogy beginning with THE ROSE OF YORK: LOVE & WAR, and THE ROSE OF YORK: CROWN OF DESTINY.

Jani Brooks