A Rose for the Crown

November 14, 2005
Inspired by the historical record of Richard III's bastard children, Smith invents a spirited, "tawny-eyed" mistress for the 15th-century king in her sweeping debut. Kate Bywood is plucked from her peasant life at the age of 11 to join the household of her mother's noble cousins, the Hautes, as companion to her timid cousin, Anne. A brief, unwilling marriage to an older, wealthy merchant leaves Kate a young widow with a considerable fortune. A second marriage to George, an opportunistic Haute cousin who prefers the stable boy to Kate, leaves her yearning for love. In a chance encounter, she meets Richard of Gloucester, and the ensuing secret romance is filled with the passion and intimacy her marriage lacks. George is killed during an attack in the forest, and Kate bears Richard three children. The narrative flies when the lovers are together, but once Richard marries Anne Neville, and he and Kate are separated for long stretches, the story loses its spark. Readers hungry primarily for romance may also tire of Smith's details about the complicated internecine rebellions and rivalries among pretenders to the throne. Nevertheless, this story fills in some historical gaps and conjures a winning heroine.

December 1, 2005
A humble farmer's daughter, Kate Bywood has no idea that her life's path will become entwined with that of one of England's most controversial kings. As she matures from a lovely child into a beautiful woman, Kate learns hard lessons about life and love; widowed and then remarried, she finds herself trapped in a sham of a marriage. But then she meets the young Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), and they begin a passionate love affair that produces three illegitimate children. In her first book, writer and musician Smith has produced a vibrant story full of careful historical detail and well-developed characters. More than just retelling historical events, Smith creates an empathetic and fascinating heroine in her own right. As Kate witnesses the monumental events that take place at the highest levels, the reader becomes engrossed in her story. Even more fleshed out than Robin Maxwell's "To the Tower Born: A Novel of the Lost Princes", this novel is highly recommended to all public libraries." -Anna M. Nelson, Collier Cty. P.L., Naples, FL"

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2005
Into the crowded ring of fictional treatments of fifteenth-century English royal court life, rife with strife, this first novelist tosses her colorful hat. From the start, given the novel's length, it is apparent that a copious amount of research has been done. The question is, then, for the first-time historical novelist, has it been done smoothly? What Smith accomplishes with elan is a very credible biographical novel about a woman whose true identity has never been known. Smith creates Kate Haute as the mother of the illegitimate children of the infamous King Richard III, who is reputed to have had his nephew, the boy-king Edward V, and the king's little brother murdered when Richard usurped the throne. Fans of historical fiction will little note nor at all care that this is the author's first novel. Smith's involved plot correlates well with the convoluted politics of the time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)