Rivals for the Crown [Paperback]

Kathleen Givens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2007

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.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Scottish Highlands have rarely been more inviting...."

-- The Dallas Morning News --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Kathleen Givens is the author of the critically acclaimed historical novels Kilgannon, The Wild Rose of Kilgannon, The Legend, and The Destiny. She is the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's coveted RITA Award for Best Historical Romance. Her new novel of the Scottish Highlands, Rivals for the Crown, is forthcoming in paperback from Pocket Books. An ardent traveler, reader, and student of history, she lives in Southern California, but is always ready to roam the Highlands. Visit her website at www.kathleengivens.com.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416509925
• ISBN-13: 978-1416509929
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a bit of romance with your history?, August 29, 2007

By 

M. Scovell "serious music lover" (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rivals for the Crown (Paperback)

Once again, Kathleen Givens proves herself a gifted writer of historical fiction with Rivals for the Crown. I like a good romance, but a burning bedroom scene on every other page is a bit wearing and Givens doesn't do that. Instead she creates believeable characters and a true love story within real history. You never find yourself thinking, they'd never do that or speak that way with her books. A ripping good yarn within historical fact (and she does her research well), I highly reccommend this book and the first book in this series, On a Highland Shore. I can't wait for the next one!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scotland the brave, February 28, 2008

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rivals for the Crown (Paperback)

In 1290, trouble begins between Scotland and England when the 7 year old girl Queen of Scotland dies, and two rival factions, those of John Balliol and Robert Bruce, vie for the title of King of Scotland. England's Edward 1, known as Longshanks, seizes the opportunity to step in and demand that whichever candidate wins, he would be subservient to Edward and would rule, only as his vassal. English soldiers flood into Scotland, plundering, raping, destroying and abusing the Scots, until a rebel faction under the lead of William Wallace, known as Braveheart, manages to unite the warring clans, to defeat the English. Isabel deBurke was a lady in waiting to Edward's Queen Eleanor but was threatened and menaced by a corrupt and venal bishop, who sought her compliance by expelling the Jewish family of her childhood friend, Rachel deAnjou. Valiant Highlanders, Rory MacGannon and Kieran MacDonald, who love the girls, are thrown into many dangerous situations while trying to keep the girls safe at the same time as they are fighting the English. It's a great read for lovers of Scottish history.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, November 17, 2007

By 

dede "barnburner" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rivals for the Crown (Paperback)

This book was spectacular, ranking right up there with Phillipa Gregory. With the historical conflict as a background, the love story is riveting and the characters leap off the page. I could hardly put the book down--Givens is a master storyteller. If you haven't read On a Highland Shore, the prequel to this, be sure and get it too. They are both truly excellent historical sagas.