Hugh and Bess [Paperback]

Susan Higginbotham (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 1, 2009

"A delightful novel full of chivalry, romance, and real-life terrors."
Historical Novels Review

Forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just 13 years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he really loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work?

Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built.

Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham's impeccable research will delight avid historical fiction readers, and her enchanting characters will surely capture every reader's heart. Fans of her first novel, The Traitor's Wife, will be thrilled to find that this story follows the next generation of the Despenser family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A novel following in the footseps of Jean Plaidy and Norah Lofts." - Dear Author

"No matter what the topic, [Susan Higginbotham's] readers are sure to be pleased" - Historical Novel Reviews

About the Author

Susan Higginbotham's meticulously researched historical fiction brought to life by her heartfelt writing delights readers. Higginbotham runs her own historical fiction/history blog and is a contributor to the blog "Yesterday Revisited." She has worked as an editor and an attorney and lives in Apex, North Carolina, with her family.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark; Reprint edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402215274
• ISBN-13: 978-1402215278
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Higginbotham's meticulously researched historical fiction brought to life by her heartfelt writing delights readers. Higginbotham runs her own historical fiction/history blog, History Refreshed by Susan Higginbotham, and owns a bulletin board, Historical Fiction Online. She has worked as an editor and an attorney and lives in Apex, North Carolina, with her family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Higginbotham does it again! August 1, 2009

By Amy M. Bruno

Format:Paperback

Elizabeth de Montecute (Bess) is not a happy camper when she learns she is to be married to the son of the notorious Hugh le Despenser, lover to King Edward II. The fact that the son is nothing like the father does nothing to assuage her displeasure.

Now, Hugh is no more thrilled about the arrangement than Bess, but he's a realist and when the king offers you an heiress and daughter of his closest advisors, you take it!

After the grisly execution of his father, the third Hugh le Despenser was imprisoned for a few years and then granted a release from King Edward III, whom he serves loyally. Hugh made a name for himself as a great fighter and led troops in some of England's greatest victories, never once deviating from his lifelong mission of bringing back honor to the family name. His efforts are rewarded with the return of family land and the young and beautiful Bess for wife.

Hugh & Bess is a story of two people coming to terms with their fate and the journey along the way. One thing that really sets Susan Higginbotham apart as an author for me is her ability to bring her sense of humor to each character. And characters that can poke fun at themselves are my kinda people! If you've ever read her blog, you'll know what I'm talking about. Another thing Susan is also brilliant at is dialogue, which seems to me the hardest part of writing a novel.

Hugh & Bess is a great historical fiction novel for pro or amateur and at 320 pages it's an easy one-sit read!

Much thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me Hugh & Bess!...

Favorite Quote:

"Hugh had led men in battle with success and was on reasonably good terms with the king, though they would never be intimates; in any case, his father had been so close to his king that this would probably have to suffice for whole generations of Dispensers." Read more ›

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not my favorite September 17, 2009

By Heather O'Roark

Format:Paperback

Hugh and Bess was different from most historical fiction I've read lately. It was "lighter", I suppose, focusing more on the relationship between the two main characters than on the historical events surrounding them. The events certainly played a huge part in the story; however, the characters themselves were much more the focal point of the book.

Bess was an extremely sympathetic character, I liked her right away. I so felt for her when, as a youngish teenager, she was informed that she was to marry Hugh, a man much older than her (by something like 10 or 15 years), and a man with a tarnished family history. While she was terrified by the thought of marrying Hugh, it was sweet to see their relationship unfold, especially as Hugh was such a gentleman with his young and immature wife. He respected her entirely, and this respect was what ultimately led them to come together as a couple. They learned about each other first, got to know each other, and then started to live as a married couple. Theirs was a truly sweet romance, of the type that you don't get to read about too often.

And although the book was lighter on the historical details than most historical fiction novels, there was definitely plenty of historical "stuff" within Hugh and Bess to keep my interest. A ton of time passed in the pages of this novel, and within that time there were plenty of important historical events (including the plague!). Higginbotham expertly weaved the history of these times with the relationship of Hugh and Bess to create such an excellent combination.

All that being said, I have to admit that I didn't love Hugh and Bess. The book really never grabbed me, in fact, if I wasn't committed to reading it I may have put it down after the first fifty or so pages.... I definitely ended up enjoying the novel, for all the reasons I spoke of, but it will not go down as one of my favorites. I liked the characters and the story well enough, but unfortunately, things just never came together enough for me to wholeheartedly gush about the book. I will say, however, that many others have loved the book so far, and in fact I am a part of a current blog tour of Hugh and Bess - I'll display the rest of the tour stops below. Despite my reservations about this novel, I think fans of historical fiction should absolutely give it a try - it was a quality novel, just not the perfect book for me personally. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Ideal Sequel August 21, 2009

By Miller VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

After reading and loving The Traitor's Wife, I eagerly anticipated Higginbotham's sequel of sorts, Hugh and Bess. When it finally did arrive, I became so wrapped up in the soapy romantic drama that I dropped everything and finished it in a day. The story centers on a young Elizabeth de Montacute or Bess, the daughter of favored Earl and the much older, Hugh le Despenser, a wealthy (yet disgraced) Lord. Hugh's grandfather and father were executed as traitors, and Hugh's father was accused of adultery and sodomy with the former King. Hugh himself was imprisoned missing a near execution himself, but is now working hard to restore his family's honor. Bess is understandably horrified at marriage into a family with such a reputation, and Hugh is honored by the match in theory, but he is in love with another woman. Can they find happiness in a marriage that neither sought and both are entering with reluctance?

At the heart of Hugh and Bess is a love story. Higginbotham manages to give Hugh and Bess an electric chemistry that compels throughout the historical drama. What makes the plot successful is Higginbotham's tendency to ground the story in known facts then realistically elaborate the humanistic elements. For example, Bess begins the story at 13, and she reads and feels--13. This is a refreshing change from the tiny calculating power hungry seven-year-old cliché that dominates the historical fiction genre. Those who have read The Traitor's Wife will be pleased as we get a few more glimpses of favorite characters. And this story takes care to fill in gaps in time, and show that story from different perspectives. You'll want to read the Traitor's Wife if you haven't not because it is necessary for Hugh and Bess, but because it's a great novel....

That said; the last few chapters seem to drag. We've moved on from a lot of the action, and not to spoil and plot lines, but the climatic challenges that face the couple, and the ensuing chapters read like and after thought. It was almost as if Higginbotham had fallen in love with her characters and was unwilling to let go. Also, having read The Traitor's Wife, and other historical works of the time, I still found it hard to place some of the minor characters. It doesn't help that the English nobility of the time only used a couple of family names repeatedly, ie, Elizabeth, Hugh, Edward, Isabella, Joan, William, etc... A little more guidance and more thorough introductions would have been helpful.

However by focusing on the romance, Higginbotham delivers a relatable historical fiction piece that transcends generations. If you (like me) just can't get enough of these English court novels, I'm certain you'll love Hugh and Bess. Read more ›