Rivals for the Crown (Paperback)

by Kathleen Givens (Author)
Key Phrases: rivals for the crown, dinna understand, tavern room, Lady Dickleburough, King Edward, Isabel de Burke (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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

-- The Dallas Morning News

Product Description
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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #486,097 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Highland Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 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)

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!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking! , September 19, 2007

By	Shelley Reade (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

The characters are so well-drawn as to feel real and comfortably familiar, making the time period come to life. Isabel and Rachel are both incredibly strong women and the author offers a compelling portrait of a lasting female friendship. Plenty of court intrigue, a truly stomach-turning bad guy, heart-stopping conflicts, and a burning romance will keep you on the edge of your seat. Beautifully written, gripping historical fiction.

8 of 8 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.