Her Highness, the Traitor

By Susan Higginbotham

A daughter can be a dangerous weapon in the battle for the throne of England

Frances Grey harbored no dream of her children taking the throne. Cousin of the king, she knew the pitfalls of royalty and privilege. Better to marry them off, marry them well, perhaps to a clan like the Dudleys.

Jane Dudley knew her husband was creeping closer to the throne, but someone had to take charge, for the good of the country. She couldn't see the twisted path they all would follow.

The never before told story of the women behind the crowning of Jane Grey, this novel is a captivating peek at ambition gone awry, and the damage left in its wake.

Praise for Susan Higginbotham's Novels

"Susan Higginbotham transports her readers into a vividly portrayed past."—Helen Hollick, author of The Pendragon's Banner trilogy

"Susan Higginbotham draws the reader under her spell...she brings the dead to life."—Christy English, author of The Queen's Pawn, praise for The Stolen Crown

"A beautiful blending of turbulent history and deeply felt fiction...Higginbotham has given readers of historical fiction a gift to treasure."—Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Irish Princess, praise for The Queen of Last Hopes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781402265594

Susan Higginbotham

Susan Higginbotham is the author of seven historical novels, including Hanging Mary, The Stolen Crown, and The Queen of Last Hopes. The Traitor's Wife, her first novel, was the winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2005 Silver Award for historical fiction and was a Gold Medalist, Historical/Military Fiction, 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards. She writes her own historical fiction blog, History Refreshed. Higginbotham has worked as an editor and an attorney, and lives in Maryland with her family.

Reviews for Her Highness, the Traitor

[sarah_gruwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Higginbotham never fails to please in making history real to her readers; giving vague historical figures a 3D persona and impulses all their own. This work took a bit longer to get into, but she still exceled in these key points.It took a bit longer for me to get into this work than her previous works. It had to do with the timeframe this one explored, Tudor times rather than the High Middle Ages. I’ve not read as much in the Tudor era as it seems overdone. Yet, this one talked about minor players in the “Game of Thrones” that was Tudor England politics so I figured I’d give it a try.Historical integrity made an appearance, another hallmark of Higginbotham. The turbulent years of post-Henry VIII are lovingly portrayed in all their bloody and magnificent glory. Families and individuals rose and fell with startling swiftness in these years; the author explores how that impacted the women of these families, often the pawns of others trapped in a dangerous game. Knowing these ladies were real, getting to know them through tragedy and fire, is why I read historical fiction.At first, I got a bit lost in the deluge of names, faces, and titles. Some background knowledge of Tudor politics and personages probably would have helped in this era. About the only title I recognized was the Duke of Somerset (Thank you Tudors TV show! LOL) and then of course, I knew of Jane Grey, her sisters/mother, and husband.Higginbotham makes them so much more, though. Jane is a spoiled, cunning brat that starts to mature and show vulnerability as her ascent comes to a screeching halt. Frances is swept up in the whirlwind of her husband’s ambitions and plans, trying to keep an even keel for her family. Guildford marries into the wrong family at the wrong time, an innocent caught up in the struggle for the Crown. And it goes on… Each character grows as an individual, developing as the story progresses. I grew to care about the fate of each person, feeling melancholy when fate struck and joy when happiness was achieved.Despite being a bit harder to get into than the other Higginbotham works I’ve read, this one still turned out a solid addition to her bibliography. I like that she’s getting away from the Middles Ages; her next work on my list to read is post-American Civil War. Wherever in the currents of history she chooses to play, Susan always manages to fish out great characters, glorious stories, and themes that touch the heart. Highly recommended!

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fictionalized account of the intrigue that surrounded the Grey, Seymour, & Dudley families during the reign of Edward VI and the aspiration of those involved w/ Edward to put Lady Jane Grey & her husband Guildford Dudley on the throne of England in the stead of Mary Tudor.
The book was told through the alternating first personages of Jane Dudley (Guildford's mother) and Frances Grey (Jane's mother).
The book began with Jane Dudley's narration in January 1555 (beginning her story in January 1512-January 1547) and ended with France Grey's narration of events January 1555 - April 1555.
I found this book very interesting, also there is no actual proof that Jane Grey was abused by her parents, when in fact her father doted on her and her mother had no interest in Jane's high level of learning. The book made Jane appear to be an insufferable snob who had no interest in ever being queen but had a devotion to Protestantism to match that of Elizabeth.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of Lady Jane Grey, England's "Nine Days' Queen," is a familiar one, but Susan Higgenbotham gives it a new twist by using two alternating narrators, the mothers of Jane and her husband, Guildford Dudley. In some ways, this renders Jane's tragedy as almost peripheral--which is not a bad thing. Beginning with the death of Henry VIII and the accession of his nine year-old son, Edward VI, the plot focuses on the political machinations at court, religious controversy, questions of loyalty, and the rising influence of John Dudley and Henry Grey, the narrators' husbands. But it is also a domestic story, giving glimpses into the women's relationships with their husbands and children and, in the case of Frances Grey, her cousin, Mary Tudor, the daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. It's particularly intriguing to see how the same incidents are variously interpreted by these two narrators.Both well researched and imaginative, Her Highness, the Traitor was an enjoyable read. My only disappointment was the rather schlocky conclusion, in which Frances consummates a marriage of convenience with her master of the horse. The two have been eyeing each other for years; even her husband suspects there may be some hanky-panky going on, but on the night before his execution, he asks Master Stokes to take care of Frances. While it's true that these two did marry, it's presented hre almost as a toss-in romance element.Overall, I enjoyed this novel enough that I will be looking for others by Higgenbotham.

[pattymclpn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. This gives us another fresh look on the life of Jane Grey. Yes it is another book about the Tudors, but this one carries a much different portrayal of Lady Jane Grey. It is backed up with research and well done by the author. The author uses the mother of Jane Grey and the mother of John Dudley to tell the story. I think that this is what makes the book!! I have read other novels about Jane Grey, but it is interesting to read what opinions other authors have about her life. This is another fascinating look at the Tudor court, the personalities, the splendor and the twisted politics. It has everything that I like about this period in time. I admit even with the character index, I still got confused with Jane Dudley and Jane Grey. I will give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Her Highness, the Traitor is the story and events leading up the execution of Lady Jane Grey. The story is told by both Jane Dudley, wife of John Dudley and Francis Grey, mother to Jane.I always like to read about the Tudors and it made a nice change to hear from someone different. I already knew about Francis Grey but nothing at all about Jane Dudley. The book I was expecting to be more about Lady Jane Grey but it did focus more on the two mothers and the events as they saw then happen.The book starts way back and covers the events of both Seymours, Thomas and Edward. Following this is the death of King Eward VI and the rise in power of John Dudley and then the business with Jane Grey. Much of this I already knew so I had no surprises reading the book.For me the first part of the story was interesting historically but did drag on a bit. The reason being is that both Jane and Francis tell the story but both see the same events, so making the story a little repetitive. For me the best part of the book was the second section which did focus on Jane becoming Queen. I did find though that this part was over and done with in a short section. I know she was Queen for nine days but story was dealt with quickly.I still thought the book was an ok Tudor read and would be a good book for anyone wanting to read about that part of history. For me it dragged in places but overall it was an interesting read.

[Belinda Watson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised that the author deemed it necessary to denigrate the indigenous people of the Continent of Africa in this story. The reference to "savages" was uncalled for and in no way enhanced the storyline or plot. Indeed, it appeared manufactured and mean-spirited. I ask the author for her reasoning to interject that negativity into a perfectly unrelated piece of literature. If it was purely author's license, then it was based in a character flaw of the writer herself.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel set in Tudor England tells the story of Lady Jane Grey from the perspective of her mother, Lady Frances Grey and her mother-in-law, Jane Dudley. The two narrators are women clearly involved with pivotal events of their time, yet they are not the typical subjects of history or fiction written about the Tudor era. In addition, the author questions some of the long-held traditional approaches to the well-known historical figures who appear in this novel. Lady Jane Grey emerges as a very young and stubborn girl rather than a matyr and John Dudley is a sympathetic figure and family man who attempted to obey the wishes of a dying king. A fun read, definitely for fans of historical fiction set in the Tudor era.

[bookaddictdiary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The tale of Jane Grey is a tragic one, and even though I've read a few different renditions of her story before, it never gets old and it never gets less tragic. Author Susan Higginbotham's take on the tale is one of the most complete, most polished, and most well-told versions of the Jane Grey story I've ever read. Not only is Higginbothan an incredibly gifted writer and researcher, but her approach to the subject is unlike any others I've read. Told through the eyes of Frances Grey, Jane's mother and niece of Henry VIII, and Jane Dudley, the mother of Guildford Dudley, Jane Grey's husband, Her Highness, The Traitor offers a mostly-factual retelling of the events surrounding Jane Grey's sudden rise to throne and just as sudden fall.The story began in Henry VIII's final days. With the king's life ending, preparations are being made for Edward's accession to the throne, Katherine Parr is making plans for another marriage, and the future of England hangs in the balance. When Edward takes the throne, barely nine years old, his uncle Thomas Seymour is placed in charge as Lord Protector, and Seymour, along with Jane Dudley's husband, proceed to rule through Edward. But Edward's reign doesn't last. Just eight years later, Edward dies, and is manipulated into declaring his cousin Jane Grey as his heir. That one moment of raw ambition by a small group of men sets off a chain reaction that puts themselves, their wives and children in the crossfire of war and politics.Just like Higginbotham's previous novels, I was completely enchanted by Her Highness, The Traitor. The research here is impeccable, and strikes the perfect balance between fact and fiction. Higginbotham does an excellent job of giving readers just enough of a history lesson about certain characters and family connections without it bogging down the action or becoming overly confusing for the reader. She also manges to help readers understand the difference between the many characters and their relations to one another, despite the fact that they all have the same names -I've read many other historical fiction authors who can't pull this off, so this is impressive!Highly recommended for fans of historical novels of the Chadwick persuasion. Elegantly told, thoroughly researched and powerful.