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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186220 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 544 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416509936
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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

-- The Dallas Morning News

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

-- The Dallas Morning News

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.

Customer Reviews

Like a bit of romance with your history?
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!

Breathtaking!
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.

Scotland the brave
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.