My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin UK (Mira) for an early digital edition to read and review.

 


The King’s Concubine is set during the reign of Edward III, and describes his relationship with his wife, Philippa of Hainault, and his mistress, Alice Perrers. Little is truly known about the life of Alice Perrers, and yet Anne O’Brien has woven a skilful and believable story about how, in the mid 1360’s, young Alice became one of the Queen’s waiting women. The way in which Alice colluded with Queen Philippa in order to begin a sexual relationship with the King, is described in a compassionate and romantic manner. The story quickly evolves into a sympathetic and warm account of an aging king and his love affair, not just with his astute young mistress, but also with his wife, and courtiers. The medieval court is beautifully described and is perfectly placed within the context of the story.

There is much debate about Alice Perrers, and the influence she had on the aging King, she is often depicted as an avaricious, scheming harpy, or as a femme fatale, but in The King’s Concubine, Anne O’Brien has given a lighter and possibly more sympathetic view of this charismatic medieval mistress.

I enjoyed this version of Alice’s early life, and would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction by Philippa Gregory, Vanora Bennett and Emma Campion.

Thanks very much for the review.

One of my all time favourite books is Katherine by Anya Seton and Alice Perrers, Edward III and Queen Philippa feature in that.  Alice isn't a very likeable character in Katherine so it will be interesting to see her portrayed in a different light. I think the King's Concubine will suit me well

Thank you for the review. I liked this book too and did a review for Amazon Vine; it's here:

I enjoyed this one, especially because of its unusual protagonist; having Alice Perrers, the king's mistress, as the voice of the novel gave it an added spice. Alice is often much maligned in history; after all, she was a commoner who rose to extraordinary power and amassed a fortune, acquiring numerous manors and estates. Even worse, she is sometimes thought to have manipulated a senile old king and to have used him to line her own pockets. Perhaps, she did indeed do this; it is unlikely that we will ever know for certain. However, having a novel from her perspective gives us another view of this women, and we understand some of the motivations behind her behaviour. This is not to say that Alice is a perfect angel in the novel; she certainly has her rough edges and, like most humans, is a mix of good and bad characteristics. I like this as it makes her more believable and realistic.

I enjoy O'Brien's historical novels (if you have not read it yet, give 'Devil's Consort' a go) - her writing style makes it all come alive and draws the reader easily into the story. I am sure she probably takes some liberties with the characters and the history; obviously any author who puts dialogue into her historical character's mouths is taking liberties as we cannot know what they actually said However, the essence of the tale is correct and more importantly, O'Brien creates the atmosphere and feel of the period, and this is what makes the novel engrossing. If you like Phillipa Gregory, you will probably enjoy this novel too, although Gregory pays more attention to the historical details. However, the overall effect is the same and if you like the one, you will probably enjoy the other.

I am really thrilled that Anne O'Brien ,the  author of The King's Concubine has taken the time to answer a few questions for jaffareadstoo and has very kindly offered a signed copy of The King's Concubine to one lucky UK winner of my blog giveaway.

Pop and see Jaffa and have a go at the giveaway....

Interview with Anne O'Brien