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From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King's Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history's greatest love stories.

Anne Easter Smith's novels are beloved by readers for their ability "to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters." In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.

History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father's household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith's greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour.

From everything I had read about Cecily, she appeared to be a strong woman. I guess she’d have to have been, considering the tragedies in her life. So, yes, strong, intelligent, loyal. But did she have to be right all the time?

Smith’s Cecily sometimes comes across as a woman of the 21st century, not the 15th. Cecily and her husband were in France during the time of Joan of Arc . But here Cecily is the only English woman to take Joan’s side. Her sentiments fly in the face of what her fellow countrymen are trying to accomplish. And, again, when Richard decides to try to take the crown, she is set against it, though being the loving wife, she doesn’t pushed her argument very hard. So she has the best of both worlds; she can be an exceptional wife, but also be right. And it constantly being brought up as to how beautiful she was got a bit old, too.

It’s a large book, and these things did sometimes get in the way of my truly enjoying it. There were also a couple of glaring mistakes. There’s a mention of harvesting a corn crop in 1450 (duh, America!) Also, Cecily’s son, Richard, was born at Fotheringhay, not Ludlow.

The book ends soon after her husband’s death, leaving much of Cecily’s life untold. I suppose if the book is read more as a romance it works better. But I found it to be somewhat disappointing.