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A Rose for the Crown  By  cover art

A Rose for the Crown

By: Anne Easter Smith
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Publisher's summary

In A Rose for the Crown, we meet one of history's alleged villains through the eyes of a captivating new heroine - the woman who was the mother of his illegitimate children, a woman who loved him for who he really was, no matter what the cost to herself.

As Kate Haute moves from her peasant roots to the luxurious palaces of England, her path is inextricably intertwined with that of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III. Although they could never marry, their young passion grows into a love that sustains them through war, personal tragedy, and the dangerous heights of political triumph.

Anne Easter Smith’s impeccable research provides the backbone of an engrossing and vibrant debut from a major new historical novelist.

©2006 Anne Easter Smith (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"[A] sweeping debut." (Publishers Weekly)

"Remarkably assured debut spins a romantic yarn around England's much-maligned King Richard III...a delightful, confident novel that should be a favorite with lovers of the genre. A strong new voice in the field of historical romance." (Kirkus Reviews)

"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...highly recommended." (Library Journal)

What listeners say about A Rose for the Crown

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating

Most English history novels put me to sleep so I was a little apprehensive about taking a chance on this book. Am I glad I followed my whim! I literally fell in love with all the leading characters and the novel has inspired me to look into other medieval dramas. The writer and the narrator are both outstanding and deserving of a standing ovation for this fabulous piece of fact woven fiction. Definitely one of the best 5 novels I've chosen from Audible. Highly recommend for both serious and entertainment readers!

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

love story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and looking forward to the author's next book Daughter of York added to audible.com. This book is about a young girl and her life and loves in a turbulent time during the War of Roses. If you want to know the background to the Tudor time in English History and the politics of the time mixed with life in the middle 1400's this is the book to listen too!

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent read

Having recently read Ken Follet's stories of feudal England (Pillars of the Earth and World Without End) and Phillipa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl", I hungered for more tales from this past era. I was not disappointed, as the characters in this book were just as engaging. I look forward to more books from this author (and narrator).

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best audiobooks ever

This book can probably best be described as historical romance. It's a long one and extremely satisfying. It spans many years, includes drama, love, suspense and is very well written and narrated. Can't wait to download the other two in the series.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and Wonderful

This book was a great listen... the story is wonderful and the narrator does it such wonderful justice... You will enjoy this beautifully written story.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it

What made the experience of listening to A Rose for the Crown the most enjoyable?

I loved the detail as was reflected in all her books. The characters and the events were so captivating it was hard to stop listening. The only issue I had was trying to keep up with all the characters that had the same names!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good!

I really enjoyed this book. The attention to details made the characters come "alive". It was hard to stop listening to this book but at the same time I wanted to "draw" out the listening period so the book could be completely savored.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish this one

I began listening to this as preparation for a trip to England because this is a time period that I'm not as familiar with as others. I LOVE historical fiction when done well. I enjoyed the beginning of this novel believing the author was setting the scene for the "historical" part. A better description of this book would be a "fictional romance set in historic England". I gave up more than half way through because the hiSTORY was so lacking and the "breathtaking passion" so increasingly the focus of the novel.

First of all, I know times were different and princes were raised to rule the world from a very young age, but I don't know a 14-year-old male in the world (and very few 35-year-olds for that matter) with the wisdom and maturity the author gives to the character here. Secondly, the story line was endlessly drawn out and became not much more than her waiting for him and while she waits, interact with a few notable people from history (no interesting interactions, just enough mundane references to be able to call this "historical"), passionate rendezvous, him waiting for her while off making British history (that is passingly acknowledged), passionate rendezvous, ad infinitum.

If you're looking for a fictional romance that happens to be set in historic England with some famous characters, you will probably enjoy this. If you're looking for an interesting historical fiction with a story line that is not predictable and that goes somewhere, find another read.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly hypnotic book, read beautifully

I highly recommend this title. The book is truly engaging, and the narrator does beautiful job. As lightly historical novels go, this one is extraordinarily palatable.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved It

Very good, but was it worth 2 credits? Hummmm

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7 people found this helpful