Son of York by Amy Licence

Amidst the bloodshed of the Wars of the Roses and the turmoil of Lancaster versus York, a true warrior king will rise to power.

As King Henry VI descends into insanity and his grip on power begins to slip, Richard of York assumes control and proves a popular protectorate of England. But the House of Lancaster will not hand over the throne without a fight – and when Richard is killed at the Battle of Wakefield, the Yorkists' claim suffers a huge loss.

Richard's son Edward is the natural heir to that Yorkist claim , and grows up keen to emulate his father's fearsome reputation. Fired by grief and inspired by his predecessors, the 18-year-old Edward now looks to defeat the Lancastrian forces at Towton – but his story, and that of England's two warring families, is far from ove r.

Son of York follows Edward through adolescence as he tries to survive the vicious factional politics of mid-fifteenth-century England and establish himself as the true heir to the throne .

Praise for Son of York :

'If more history was written in this manner, combining historical facts with a great narrative, readers would enjoy their history lessons more. The characters are perfectly described in their complex relationships, are well drawn and the descriptions of the battles are among the best I have ever read' - Amazon review

'If you're a fan of Philippa Gregory's writing, then Son of York is definitely for you. Licence's prose is swift and cinematic – she paints clear pictures of scenes and characters that could very well lend themselves to the screen. Her writing is very present and has a good sense of flow, and I appreciated how Licence often imparts historical information via dialogue, having us learn the latest court intrigues and alliances that will shape the Yorkists' fate alongside the characters' - Goodreads review

Amy Licence is a journalist, author, historian and teacher with a particular interest in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. She has written for many publications including The Guardian , TLS and BBC History and has been a guest on numerous radio and television programmes. She lives in Kent.