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Rival to the Queen

A Novel

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Rival to the Queen

By: Carolly Erickson
Narrated by: Susan Lyons
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About this listen

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII comes a novel about the bitter rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her fascinating cousin, Lettice Knollys, for the love of one extraordinary man.

Powerful, dramatic and full of the rich history that has made Carolly Erickson's novels perennial bestsellers, this is the story of the only woman to ever stand up to the Virgin Queen— her own cousin, Lettie Knollys. Far more attractive than the queen, Lettie soon won the attention of the handsome and ambitious Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a man so enamored of the queen and determined to share her throne that it was rumored he had murdered his own wife in order to become her royal consort. The enigmatic Elizabeth allowed Dudley into her heart, and relied on his devoted service, but shied away from the personal and political risks of marriage.

When Elizabeth discovered that he had married her cousin Lettie in secret, Lettie would pay a terrible price, fighting to keep her husband's love and ultimately losing her beloved son, the Earl of Essex, to the queen's headsman.

This is the unforgettable story of two women related by blood, yet destined to clash over one of Tudor England's most charismatic men.

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I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrater has a really lovely, rich voice, which well suits the character of a Great Tudor Lady. It’s a great historical fiction book, written in first person, and I found it very engaging. Given how close Lady Leicester was in such a myriad of ways to Elizabeth I, it’s a shame there isn’t more information preserved about her. As all woman, she is largely silent in history, but I have no doubt she was an incredible lady. I enjoyed the book very much!

A great read!

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As a fan of period pieces, I was hoping to enjoy this book and I did but not 100%. The story was told well and kept a good pace, but some of the characters did not seem to have sufficient motivation for their deeds and at some parts, it seemed the same story over and over again about the rivalry and not much more. Yes this is the title to the book but I would have enjoyed a bit more richness to the details and environment to get the imagination going. I still enjoyed it, but it did not hold my attention as much as other similar style books.

good book, needs a bit more details

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