After having given her readers a look at the Wars of the Roses through the eyes of the Yorkish Queen Elizabeth Woodville in the first book in the Cousins' War series, Gregory introduces her fans to Margaret Beaufort, a Lancater claimant to the throne and a woman of great faith.

Beaufort is in fact the grandmother of Henry VII. Growing up, she finds inspiration in the story of Joan of Arc, who was a young woman who saw visions from God that inspired her to help lead the rightful king back to the throne of France. Margaret also believes that she sees visions that will help her bring the Lancasters back to ruling England, particularly in the form of her future son.

As a representative of her time, Margaret finds herself in a series of marriages, starting with one with one of the early, influential Welsh Tudors. Unfortunately, she is first widowed at the age of 15 with only her son Henry (the future King Henry VII) and a weakening claim on his rightful lands. This is to be followed with two more marriages which help increase her influence with the Yorkish kings. In fact, she will become a lady-in-waiting and confidante to one of the Queens.

Margaret does not hold back her opinions of the lowly usurpers she sees the Yorks to be, and this is particularly true of Elizabeth Woodville, who is believed to be a witch descended from a Frankish river goddess and a whore.

While many historians present Margaret as a conniving and shrewd woman who would do anything to seek her personal claim on the throne because of her direct line to the Plantagenets, Gregory presents her as a woman of caring and emotion. She is hoping that she is able to live up to her inspirational visions, which she sees as the Word of God. The fact that they coincide with her own personal desires seems inconsequential. With that said, she will do anything to achieve her goals, making her one of the most important women in her time.

I did enjoy this volume quite a bit. I have really become quite interested in this time period in English history, and it really leads into a greater understanding of what happened during the Tudor era. It was interesting to see Margaret presented in such a positive life because everything else I have read paints her as a villain only moderately better than the last Lancastrian Queen, another Margaret. With that said, having the opportunity to see through another person's eyes really provides and opportunity to understand them better. Gregory hits another homerun.