It's hard for me to rate this book only because I probably should not have read it so closely after I finished Red Rose, White Rose which is also the story of Cecily Neville. When I read RRWR I knew next to nothing about Cecily and, therefore, was fascinated by her story. Then reading QBR, the basis of the story was pretty much the same. Certainly there were differences as both books are historical fiction but I enjoyed RRWR more. All in all it still was an enjoyable book and I do like this author alot. ( )

I have read 2 excellent books this year regarding opposing sides during The Wars of the Roses; this is the second one. (The first was about Margaret of Anjou.)
It feels as if Anne Easter Smith has easily captured the love affair Between Cecily Neville and Richard of York. I have always had a great deal of sympathy for the Beaufort Nevilles: except some of the family that attach themselves to Henry VI's queen. I'm a sucker for John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford.
It amazes me, the intricate family connections, and all of the destruction resulting from that precious claim to the throne of England. I love the inclusion of the family trees in the beginning of the novel, as I always appreciate the refresher-and learn something new. It's important to keep all of these characters straight!
Cecily and Richard had an amazing life together, and such tragedy in the end.
I would love to see the author write about Katherine Swynford. ( )

I've been reading historical fiction recently and finding I really like it. This book was very enjoyable. I'be been to York, Wakefield and Sandal Castle so this book really interested me. Anne Easter Smith did a great job of bringing you into the world of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily, Duchess of York and the people around them. Reading about the lives back in the 1400's always amazes me what it was like for women, the fact they are just property of men and how they battled all the time. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Anne Easter Smith. If you like historical fiction, this is a good one to read. ( )

From the political maneuverings of royals and nobles to the intimate details of apparel, the research put into this epic novel shined through. There are a ton of historical figures featured in this novel, some written very closely to the historical record and some with a bit of writer’s license used. I loved seeing all the pieces of the chess match that was 15th century politics move into place and being introduced to all the leading figures of the upcoming War of the Roses.

For the most part, I enjoyed the characters and historical figures presented. Many were very three-dimensional and made me root for them, no matter which side of the struggle they fell on. Yet, I felt that sometimes the main character of Cecily got to be a bit too perfect. Most of the time she was your typical mythical noble lady of the day: beautiful, attractive to every man she met, courageous, pious, and intelligent. The list goes on. She did show the occasional lack of maternal love and a stubborn arrogance that gave her the nickname “Proud Cis”. But, those times were few and far between.

I’d say overall that this book is a pretty solid War of the Roses novel. It definitely gets into the nitty-gritty of how that war started and the powerful figures in the background of that massive struggle. Characters are mostly solid, but the main character of Cecily does slide into the “too perfect” rang far too often to be completely enjoyable. Still, give this work a look if you enjoy the time period. ( )

I have long been fascinated with the War of the Roses. So after reading the King’s Grace I leapt head first into reading Queen by Right written by Anne Easter Smith and what a journey it was. We follow the story from the very beginning with Cecily Neville and her husband Richard Duke of York. Arguably the War of the Roses started when Edward the Black Prince of Wales died before taking the crown his Father died but a year after leaving Young Richard II as King with his Uncle John of Gaunt as regent but I digress.

Anne Easter Smith takes us on a journey from the time that the young couple meets when Richard Duke of York becomes the ward of Cecily’s Father. While the couple is told they will marry as was the custom at the time they fell deeply in love with one another and their love story is one of the ages. I positively loved following along on each turn in their life that we are guided through by Anne Easter Smith’s masterful writing. From a surprising time in France where Cecily is to come in contact with Joan of Arc before she is burned at the stake to their time in Ireland.

If you know your history you know their love ends in a tragic way but it leads to somewhat more positive things. This time period is when the War of the Roses truly did reach its height even when there was a strong King on the throne nothing was guaranteed. Any fan of historical fiction will enjoy this book immensely. It is packed full of facts so that you do not feel as if you are reading a fiction so much as living events that happened. Queen by right is simply a masterful piece of work by Anne Easter Smith.
( )