To Thine Own Self: The first book of The Wars of the Roses Saga

by Bonny G Smith

TO THINE OWN SELF is the first book of THE WARS OF THE ROSES SAGA , by Bonny G Smith. This epic new historical fiction series serves as the prequel to THE TUDOR CHRONICLES , a four-book collection of Tudor novels in five volumes. To Thine Own Self is the blood-soaked tale of the struggle for the English throne between the rival Plantagenet Houses of York and Lancaster. As the centuries-old Plantagenet bloodline begins to shudder on the foundation of an unwilling and inept king, the fight for power intensifies. To Thine Own Self is the story of the last Plantagenets, and how their three-hundred-year dynasty came to an end with the advent of the Tudors. To Thine Own Self begins the story of the founding of the Tudor Dynasty with the birth of Henry Tudor, an obscure Welsh knight who is nephew to King Henry VI. This sweeping saga is told against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, a civil conflict that took place in England in the fifteenth century, over a period of more than thirty years. Peopled by a fascinating cast of characters including kings and queens, peasants and princesses, courtiers and commoners, heroes and villains, we follow the lives of many of the most captivating personalities of the King Henry VI and his warlike queen, Marguerite of Anjou; King Edward IV and his beautiful, but controversial, commoner queen, Elizabeth Woodville; the Lady Margaret Beaufort and her son, Henry Tudor, the nemesis of the three-hundred-year-old Plantagenet Dynasty, who survives banishment and exile, and against all odds, becomes king and founds a new dynasty; the proud and pious Cecily Neville, Duchess of York to Richard Plantagenet's duke; the treacherous Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, the famous Kingmaker; and many more.

To Thine Own Self is a tale of bloody battles and tense sieges, love and betrayal, loyalty and treachery, ambition and power, and ruthless royalty, told against the backdrop of the one of the most fascinating and colorful eras in The Middle Ages. Over the decades that these dynastic wars were fought, the Plantagenet houses of Lancaster and York battle to take and keep the throne, but when it finally seems as if peace and stability have been won, the ultimate disaster overtakes them all.

This prequel to Bonny G Smith’s THE TUDOR CHRONICLES is the first book of a new series, THE WARS OF THE ROSES SAGA. The second book of this exciting new series, FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, is in progress.

The books of The Tudor (The first three books of The Tudor Chronicles are also avail as a virtual box set)

771 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2023

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read

So, I've read nearly all Tudor books I can find. The beginning of this is slow,in that the author seems stuck between character development and giving us a great history lesson. But if you stick with it, the story gets really good. While I knew everything already discussed historically, the similarities between Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville were interesting to ponder and one can see how a marriage alliance among the children would have been viewed in a positive light, both as former Lancasterians.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many fiction and non-fiction books about the War of the Roses. This is my favorite fiction book on this topic. What I appreciated most was how the author presented this story from the viewpoints of the main characters. This created an unbiased study of this event. Thank you Bonnie G Smith.