Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Don't be fooled by the cover; this book is not written on the same level as the author's similarly covered books, "The Other Bolyn Girl" and "The Queen's Fool". She has dumbed down her writing style for this book, I can only assume on a dare, to the level of pulp romance. Maybe it was meant for a 5th grade age level? Maybe this is her way of getting back at an agent who urged her to write a more romantic book? The characters are totally one dimensional; no one has any personality or motives outside of a romance novel stereotype; Elizabeth is a "giggling" blushing dimwit who "giggles" to everyone in almost every piece of dialogue. There is no description of anything or anyone, outside of the ubiquitous word "pretty". The writing is loaded with cliches, and in fact "pretty" appears in virtually every paragraph. At one point, Cecil speaks "sweetly" to Roberty Dudley. Ooooo kay. The love scenes come right out of "Top 10 phrases for romance writing" checklists. Utterly boring at best, and cringeworthy at worst. Seriously, fans of Wideacre and other Gregory books will wonder what is up the minute they begin reading. There is an inexplicable "cameo" by "The Queen's Fool" protagonist Hannah Green that goes absolutely nowhere. it is hard to imagine that this is the same author who created multi-dimensional characters in her other books. I have no idea what happened, but the writing style is markedly different, and downright horrible. If you want a book about Elizabeth that gives a romantic liason with Dudley, try "I, Elizabeth" by Rosalind Miles but steer clear of this wholly uninspired, dumbed down book.