Virgin Widow, published in 2010 was Anne's first novel based on the life of an historical character, Anne Neville, wife of Richard Duke of Gloucester. Since living there she has become hooked on medieval history. Anne now lives with her husband in an eighteenth century timber-framed cottage in the depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire, on the borders between England and Wales. To date nine historical romances and a novella, ranging from medieval, through the Civil War and Restoration and back to Regency, have been published internationally. Leaving teaching, she wrote her first historical romance, a Regency, which was published in 2005. Success in short story competitions spurred her on. Always a prolific reader, she enjoyed historical fiction and was encouraged to try her hand at writing. Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Masters degree in education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding as a teacher of history. It certainly explains why she has come down through history with such a bad reputation.Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. And it’s intriguing to watch Alice navigate King Edward’s III’s medieval world where her attitudes and actions, ones that would now be considered commonplace and acceptable, were challenged and perceived as threats. In fact, it turns out that her wiliness, the thing that sets her apart from other women, is the very thing that brings her to the attention of royalty. Even though these characteristics run counter to the rules society tries to impose. Instead, she rises because she is blunt, clever in business, determined, and fiercely independent. Unlike most royal mistresses, Alice doesn’t advance simply because she’s beautiful, talented, or otherwise able to catch the eye of important people. Given the circumstances of Alice’s early life, she grows up unwilling and unable to trust others and determined to rely on her wits alone to secure a future for herself and later her children. She simply has the sensibilities of a modern woman, living in the 1300s.Ībandoned at birth and left to the brutal rearing of a convent, it’s a rags-to-riches story. The portrayal of Alice in this book is quite different.

Before this book, I only knew Alice Perrers as Edward III‘s “evil” mistress, vaguely aware that she was supposed to have been power-mad, greedy, and vicious.

The King's Concubine by Anne O'Brien