Brandy Purdy: 10 books

From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history's most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own. . . At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future...

In the wake of King Henry VIII's death, England's throne is left in a precarious state-as is the peculiar relationship between his two daughters. Mary, the elder, once treasured, had been declared a bastard in favor of her flame-haired half-sister, Elizabeth, born of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Yet the...

A spellbinding novel of the Whitechapel murders and history’s most notorious serial killer from the author of The Secrets of Lizzie Borden. I was the first or, perhaps, the final, victim. Maybe I was neither. Maybe I was both . . . Maybe I destroyed myself . . . My name is Florence Elizabeth...

1779, France. On the island paradise of Martinique, two beautiful, well-bred cousins have reached marriageable age. Sixteen-year-old Rose must sail to France to marry Alexandre, the dashing Vicomte de Beauharnais. Golden-haired Aimee will finish her education at a French convent in hopes of making...

This richly imagined novel “breathes life and depth into . . . one of the most infamous figures in American history”—from the author of The Ripper’s Wife (Publishers Weekly). What drove Lizzie Borden to commit such a shocking crime on that stifling August morning in 1892? She...

The history books tell us that Piers Gaveston was many things: arrogant, ambitious, avaricious, flamboyant, extravagant, reckless, brave, witty, vain, and peacock proud, the son of a condemned witch who used his wicked wiles and forbidden sex to entice and enslave King Edward II. Now the object of that scandalous and legendary obsession tells his side of the story.

An epic novel of Elizabeth I—her captivity, forbidden love, and rise to power—from the author of The Queen’s Rivals.   Accused of conspiring with rebels to steal the throne, Princess Elizabeth is relegated to the Tower of London by her half-sister, Queen Mary. There she finds solace in the...

Three sisters find themselves caught in the royal intrigues of Tudor England in this historical romance from the author of The Boleyn Bride.   The Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the menacing shadow of the Tower. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary...

Shy, plain Lady Jane Parker feels out of place in Henry VIII's courtly world of glamour and intrigue--until she meets the handsome George Boleyn. Overjoyed when their fathers arrange a match, her dreams of a loving union are waylaid when she meets George's sister, Anne. For George is completely devoted...

The history books tell us that Piers Gaveston was many things: arrogant, ambitious, avaricious, flamboyant, extravagant, reckless, brave, and daring, indiscreet, handsome, witty, vivacious, vain, and peacock-proud, a soldier and champion jouster, the son of a condemned witch, who used witchcraft,...