Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Virgin’s Lover
    Unavailable
    The Virgin’s Lover
    Unavailable
    The Virgin’s Lover
    Audiobook16 hours

    The Virgin’s Lover

    Written by Philippa Gregory

    Narrated by Perdita Weeks

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    *A stunning new unabridged recording, available on audio download*

    A sumptuous historical novel set in the court of Elizabeth I, from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

    1558. After years of waiting, Princess Elizabeth accedes to the throne of England.

    For many, Elizabeth’s ascension is a glorious new dawn. Not so for Amy Dudley, whose ambitious husband, Sir Robert, is the acknowledged favourite of the new queen – a queen who must marry to secure her survival.

    But Robert Dudley has many powerful enemies. And although she is clearly besotted with him, the virgin queen will not risk her hold on the throne.

    Desire and ambition are unleashed at the court and at her home, Amy Dudley will face the ultimate betrayal.

    With an exclusive afterword written and read by Philippa Gregory, exploring the inspiration behind The Virgin’s Lover.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 4, 2018
    ISBN9780008304027
    Author

    Philippa Gregory

    Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.

    Related to The Virgin’s Lover

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      Towns Like Ours

      May 3, 2018

      Towns Like Ours
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Glove

      Mar 4, 2024

      The Glove
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot

      Feb 6, 2020

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot
      10 min read

    • Article

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows

      Nov 1, 2022

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows
      11 min read

    • Article

      Four Of A Kind

      May 3, 2023

      Four Of A Kind
      4 min read

    • Article

      Elsi, The Strange Maid

      Aug 29, 2018

      Elsi, The Strange Maid
      17 min read

    • Article

      Cabaret’s Elliot Levey: ‘This Passover, An Exodus Is Happening In Real Time’

      Apr 11, 2022

      This Friday sees the beginning of Passover. It’s the liberation story of the Jewish people: the journey from slavery to freedom. I’m sitting in my dressing room – the “Isherwood room”, named after the writer whose Berlin Stories gave birth to our pro

      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Spotlight: Your Writing Genre - Busting

      Apr 4, 2024

      What an inventive lot the WM writers proved themselves to be with the ‘Genre-busting' submission call! The response was terrific, with a postbag full of playful, off-the wall writing that read as if its creators had a gonzo riot mashing up elements f

      5 min read

    • Article

      In Love And War

      Jun 10, 2021

      April 1943 - Krakow, Poland Irena was bent over her needlework, stitching the frayed seam of her skirt when she heard a single gunshot ring out. She jerked and then scowled. After four years of war, she ought to be used to it. Why, the other night a

      11 min read

    • Article

      The PROMISE

      Aug 18, 2021

      The PROMISE
      9 min read

    • Article

      'The Pursuit Of William Abbey' Travels A Twisty Path

      Nov 17, 2019

      Claire North's new book starts with a doctor witnessing an atrocity in Africa in 1884, but becomes a spy thriller, a horror story, a supernatural mystery and an indictment of capitalism and empire.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Every CLOUD

      Aug 31, 2022

      Every CLOUD
      6 min read

    • Article

      What Ray Charles Says

      Mar 1, 2024

      The nighttime is the right time to be with the one you love, says Ray,but according to Hamlet, it’s when “churchyards yawn and hell itselfbreathes out contagion to this world. Now could I drink hot blood,”says Hamlet, “and do such bitter business as

      2 min read

    • Article

      Excerpts From The Works Of The 2024 Whiting Award Winners

      Apr 10, 2024

      The 2024 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Below are excerpts from their work.

      19 min read

    • Article

      Frost FAIR

      Jan 18, 2023

      Frost FAIR
      11 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Kevin Barry

      Dec 18, 2020

      Rattling around the house in the County Sligo hills, swinging from bouts of paranoia to moments of strange, demented hilarity, a 900-page doorstopper was just what I needed to stay grounded. The post A Year in Reading: Kevin Barry appeared first on T

      2 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Chop-chop

      Feb 6, 2020

      Chop-chop
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Life In The past Lane

      Aug 27, 2021

      Life In The past Lane
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Sep 30, 2022

      I’m a single mother who struggles financially to get through each month. When my washing machine broke I had no funds to repair it, so I asked my neighbours if I could do my washing at their place. On a Wednesday afternoon my bell rang. At the door w

      5 min read

    • Article

      The King’s passion

      Aug 11, 2021

      The King’s passion
      11 min read

    • Article

      Let’s Play Dead

      Mar 3, 2020

      There was a man, let’s call him Henry VIII. There was his wife, let’s call her Anne B. Let’s give them a castle and make it nice. Let’s give her many boy babies but make them dead. Let’s give him a fussy way of being. Let’s make her smart and sneaky,

      17 min read

    • Article

      The King’s passion

      Aug 11, 2021

      The King’s passion
      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Virgin’s Lover

    3.5/5

    63 ratings47 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Elizabeth is made queen, and her long time friend Robert Dudley, is at her side day and night. Lord Robert has risen from scandal and now wants nothing more than to be part of the Queen's court. He leaves his own wife, Amy, with relatives, while he seduces the Queen. Elizabeth cannot resist Robert, and the two begin a scandalous love affair. This book had me hooked from page one. I found it hard to put down. This is the book I was up late at night reading, gladly losing sleep just to get one more page read. Philippa Gregory writes historical fiction like nobody's business. I've also read The Constant Princess and enjoyed that one too. I've read some mixed reviews about this one, but as for myself, I really liked it. This won't be my last Philippa Gregory novel.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book! Gregory is a fantastic writer.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy her historical fiction. I think she does a great job of combining historically accurate information with great storytelling. One of my favorite authors of this genre.
    • 4/5
      Liked it, I learned a lot. Not my favorite in the series.
    • 4/5
      The Virgin's Lover is the 5th Tudor Court novel of Phillippa Gregory. The pace of the writing has slowed since her earlier novels, but she certainly keeps up with the teachery and duplicity of court life with extraordinary sharpness of wit. I wanted to see Elizabeth as she has been portrayed by so many: formidable, fearless and resolutely single minded in her ambitions for her country and for the crown. In the Virgin's Lover she is utterly in thrall to Dudley and at his beck and call. She can do nothing without him at her side. She is nervous and weakened without his counsel and struggles to make important decisions of state without his guidance. At first I felt rather short-changed at this rendering of a supposedly strong woman, however, I ended up rather enjoying seeing a different portrayal of Elizabeth, as she no doubt would have been in the early days of her reign. This fictional account of her has certainly whet my appetite to learn more about the monarch, based on historical research. For me, the real star of the show is William Cecil. He is truly masterful in his cold handed way of double dealing and balancing the many conflicting interests at court. Gregory has created a masterpiece in him. I would certainly like to know more about him in life.The Virgin's Lover must be taken for what it is, a gripping and enthralling insight into Tudor court life, and the humanity behind the legends and figures in history. I would heartily recommend this to anyone wanting a little intelligent escapism.
    • 4/5
      Good read. Makes the reader to look further into historical facts to backup or refute the story.
    • 3/5
      I loved this book, it is my favourite of Gregory's Tudor series that I have read do far, I find the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert believable bearing in mind the Royal upbringing and the regular infatuations her father went through.
    • 4/5
      I always enjoy novels about Elizabeth I and this was one of the better reads.
    • 2/5
      Written relatively well, but I so disagree with Gregory's interpretation of history that I couldn't enjoy it. I know that it is fiction, but it grated on me so much that I will be avoiding her books from now on. Her Elizabeth is weak, silly, and definitely not the beloved monarch that Elizabeth I actually was.
    • 4/5
      Philippa Gregory always makes our historical characters come alive and this novel is not disappointing. You actually feel part of the young queen's court and see many of her enemies. Truly skillful pro and con listings of available husbands, for Queen Elizabeth, with a unique murder mystery twist involving the young queen's true love interest. Long after the final page, one wonders if young Queen Elizabeth murdered the spouse of her lover?
    • 5/5
      It's 1558, and Elizabeth, daughter to King Henry VIII and 2nd wife Anne Boleyn, has just been crowned Queen of England. After the brief but strict reign of her Catholic half-sister Mary, what is England to expect from the Protestant Princess who wants to abolish the Catholic ways? In a country full of turmoil, Sir Robert Dudley, longtime friend of Elizabeth since their days growing up at court together, seeks to better his position and maneuver himself into a position of power at Elizabeth's side. But what of his wife: the forgotten Amy Dudley who doesn't come to court but instead remains back home in the country, forever waiting for her husband to put aside his ambitions and return home to her, for the love of a good woman. Unfortunately, the only love Dudley's seeking is the Queen's. But to what lengths will he go to achieve his means?This was another great read in the Tudor series! Though the work itself is considered fiction, the author bases the stories themselves on fact. Of course, we cannot truly know everything that went through the minds of Elizabeth, Robert, William Cecil, and the others as not as much was recorded in the way of diaries and actual day-to-day events. But despite that, Ms. Gregory is able to take the facts from numerous sources and build a very real feeling story that draws you right in and makes you feel as if you were right there in the Renaissance period, experiencing everything firsthand along with the rest of the court. It's as if she's reconstructed history right before your very eyes!I was never much for History in school; it was always one of my worst subjects and I could never garner enough interest to retain the facts that were constantly drilled into my head. However, the way these stories are composed by Ms. Gregory, I enjoy them so much that I actually find myself easily retaining all the information I so easily forgot before, even long after I finished the book. My high school history professor would be so proud! LOL
    • 4/5
      Deliciously entertaining.
    • 4/5
      First things first. I recommend you read The Queen's Fool before reading this one. It contains a bit background information and a bit of a foundation to carry you over to The Virgin's Lover. It's not necessary but it's nice to have that extra bit of info in the small moments where the book makes a reference to the past. Besides, The Queen's Fool was a good book so why would you not want to read it? :)There's plenty of intrigue and double crossing in here, so if you're really into that this is the book for you. I love that stuff. I love seeing characters you don't like get the axe because they were too careless and got double crossed. It's just so satisfying. Which brings me to this other point. I hate Robert Dudley. Everything about him made me want to grind my teeth, made me want to jump into the book and punch him in the gonads, or made me want to run a lance into him. I just can't stand the guy. He oozes sliminess and his ambition is just way over the top it made you want to roll your eyes and slap him across the head with a sledgehammer. His arrogance made me want to scream. He was all right at first but once you saw past his true colors you just wanted to curl your lip in disgust at the guy. Either I need serious help, or Ms. Gregory just did a wonderful job at character development and creation here. :P I have never hated a character so much until I came across Robert Dudley. Amy (Dudley's wife) made you want to cringe because she was everything you didn't want her to be. She was the epitome of submissive wife. There were moments where she finally grew a backbone (and you had to cheer for her during those times) but you just can't help but pity the poor woman. Of all the characters in the book I sympathized with Amy the most. It was just painful to see her pain and suffering and the way she fawned at Dudley made you want to pity her, but at the same time be quite disgusted with her. She admirable though. She put up with a lot of issues and crap for that time. It's hard to decide how I feel about Elizabeth. She's whiny. She's NEEDY. She's clingy. She nearly made me want to jab something in my eye. However there were moments where I thought "Heeeey..she's not so stupid after all!" so it's very hard to see Elizabeth in a different view than what you usually see (usually as a very strong character who defied the Spanish Armada). So I thought it was difficult to like her in this novel. I was on the fence with her. Overall, I thought it was a good read. There are romantic parts but not that explicit and quickly done and over with. So to me, they were tolerable. No battle scenes here which was unfortunate but wasn't really the main part of the subject anyway (this book rather focuses on Dudley and Elizabeth). The intrigue of court life was here as usual (all of Gregory's novels have it) so that was good to see. I just really enjoyed the character development and creation in this book.
    • 2/5
      The Virgin's Lover is a historical novel that focuses on the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It tells the tale of the young queen, her lover Robert Dudley, and his wife Amy. Despite being married, Robert Dudley seeks to court the queen and thus gain the crown for himself.I noticed that there was a significant discrepancy between the writing around the story and the story itself with regards to the focus of the tale. The author's note seemed a strange note to end on because it left me with the impression that the book should have been some great mystery or at any rate that it was in some way Amy's story. This was backed up by the blurb and the fact that the opening chapter was written with a focus on Amy. However, Amy herself gets very little stage time and the title gives a better indication of the focus of the story--Robert Dudley. Perhaps this could have been made clearer from the beginning.I was pleased to see that Gregory got rid of the irritating first person perspective she used in The Queen's Fool, however there was plenty else to irritate me in its place. The opening paragraph was particularly annoying and all the more so for being repeated in the next chapter--the metaphor seemed forced the first time and the repetition did it little favour.The characters were, again, thoroughly unlikeable people, with the possible exception of Cecil. The female characters in particular were incredibly weak. Elizabeth's situation did remind me of an abusive relationship at one point, but overall her vacillation and her arrogance did very little to endear her.Though Amy wasn't quite the raving lunatic she was at times in The Queen's Fool she is nevertheless deluded to the point of absolute stupidity. She manages to redeem herself a little after the first 250 pages (during which she still gets very little stage time), but slides back again with the way she grasps onto anything that even remotely resembles hope. I felt like shaking her and telling her to have some self respect.The book does have a few things to recommend it, however. It gets points from me for sharing continuity with The Queen's Fool. It also illustrates very clearly what it means to be pariah in the closing stages of Amy's story when not even her family will shelter her and the doctor refuses to treat her. A sad highlight indeed.Overall, I'm left to conclude that Gregory's work is not really for me
    • 1/5
      Frankly, although I've enjoyed some of Gregory's Tudor novels, I could only stomach 2/3 of this one before I stopped reading it. It was little more than a bodice-ripper. Other readers have complained about the way she portrays Elizabeth, and I have to agree: she's depicted here as a slut and a wimp. The only thing more irritatingly wimpy in the book is Dudley's wife, Amy. I couldn't wait for her to get pushed down the stairs and break her wimpy little neck. I didn't get that far, but I know that, historically, she was either pushed or fell. After reading 2/3 of this book, I'd be willing to give her a shove myself.
    • 4/5
      i didn't enjoy this as much as i was hoping to! i guess there has to be so much conjecture about this subject that you know what you're reading is much more 'fictionalised' than her other books. Still a good read though.
    • 5/5
      Good read!
    • 2/5
      I really enjoyed the series. But this one fell flat to me. It was about Queen Elizabeth, whom in the previous book showed a lot of courage and leadership, but in this one she fell flat, she let others tell her how to lead. We didn't get a good look into her rule as Queen. And the end of the books was very disappointing, it just ended after a plot was found out, we have no idea how the main characters were to resolve it.Still enjoying the history in this series, the end had a great author's note, unsolved mysteries, the author book a Great spin on things :)
    • 4/5
      This was my first Philippa Gregory book. It was a very enjoyable read, and I especially liked how she integrated historical events into the narrative. If you enjoy Elizabethan era history and movies like "Shakespeare in Love" you will enjoy this book.
    • 5/5
      Maybe the best of the series, and left me with the need to find out what happened, historically.
    • 3/5
      As always, Philippa Gregory's writing is fabulous. What I typically love about her books is that she takes on a different perspective from what we've all learned in the history books (and Hollywood). However, the subject of Elizabeth and Dudely has been done so many times that I actually surprised that Philippa decided to do it as well.
    • 2/5
      The Virgin’s Lover, as you might guess, is a story based on one of the most renown love triangles during the Tudor period. The red headed Queen Elizabeth I came to power after the death of her half-sister; Queen Mary (referred to as Bloody Mary in popular culture). Already considered a spinster despite being twenty-five years old, her marriage was a considerable issue since the beginning of her reign. Many were ready to marry this protestant queen and possibly extend their power, although no one succeeded in their attempts at the end. But according to historians one suitor came very close, and that person was none-other than Robert Dudley.Robert Dudley descended from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in England. However, he was a fallen noble with both his father and grandfather charged and executed for treason. Even with generations of duplicitous family history looming on the background, the dashing Robert Dudley was determined to rise again and his time came when his childhood friend became Queen of England. His charms made him Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite in court, but what good could come of it for him with a wife stashed in countryside? He had married Amy Robsart when he was a young lad and, even though she was a nice, loving woman, she didn’t share an iota of Robert Dudley’s ambitions causing him much frustration. Rumors began to spread of the budding romance between the queen and Robert Dudley and not long after Amy Robsart was found dead at the foot of a flight of stairs at the Cumnor Place. Her death resulted in quite the scandal at the time, and through her fiction; The Virgin’s Lover, Philippa Gregory tells us her theory on what caused Amy Robsart’s death, which remains a mystery to this date due to its peculiar nature.Although I have read a few of Philippa Gregory’s books, I never had much appreciation for her writing skills. Sometimes things get repetitive with her to a level it starts irritating! For instance, in The Virgin’s Lover, the facts that Cecil; chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth I never signs his letters and keeps spies have been repeated on multiple occasions. Unless someone starts reading the book midway, which no one would, I can not seem to comprehend the point in her repetition!:-/And then we come to the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I… Even though I am aware The Virgin’s Lover is purely a work of fiction and I should not be expecting it to be historically accurate, I was a little bummed to see Queen Elizabeth I depicted as a weak and indecisive ruler, when history tells us she was anything but. One might call her naive due to her folly with Robert Dudley, but I find it hard to believe she was the kind who would have taken orders from him on the issues of governing England, no matter how hard she loved him.The only plus for me in The Virgin’s Lover is William Cecil. Albeit being a secondary character in the novel, what he says and does is sensible which I believe remains true to his character. Having said that, I must add this will not be the last of Philippa Gregory’s I read. For some season I seem to developed a blind spot for soap opera type historical novels!
    • 3/5
      I think it was a good book and well written. I think a very important thing to remember when reading this book is that it is fiction. The story is based on people who actually existed but veers off from there. Ms. Gregory did her research (check her sources in the back of the book) and formulated her own version of Elizabeth's life. I didnt like how weak and wishy washy Elizabeth was but the story was very interesting none the less. It pulled me in, I was rooting for Elizabeth and Dudley for part of the book and hating them the next. I even gasped out loud at the ending. Im looking forward to Ms. Gregory's new book.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable story of the early years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign.
    • 3/5
      The Virgin’s Lover is another historical novel by the popular British writer Philippa Gregory. Gregory has very obviously done a tremendous amount of research on British history in general, and the Tudors in particular. The Virgin’s Lover tells the story of the early years of the reign of England’s Elizabeth I.Elizabeth was only 25 when she ascended to the throne. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She succeeded her older half-sister Mary I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Mary died at the age of 45, leaving no heirs. For a time during Mary’s reign, Elizabeth had been imprisoned in the Tower of London. There were, of course, a number of other candidates with claims to the throne but, shortly before her death, Mary recognized Elizabeth as her heir. Elizabeth was crowned at Westminster Abbey on January 15, 1559.Matters at the Court were not easy, particularly for a young and inexperienced Queen. Elizabeth relied heavily on her advisers, particularly William Cecil. These are the generally accepted facts. From this point on, Gregory takes the story into the realm of fiction. She presumes that Elizabeth falls in love with the married Robert Dudley (later named Earl of Leicester) and begins a passionate affair with him. This book follows the trajectory of their affair and its consequences.Elizabeth, of course, never married (hence the sobriquet “Virgin Queen”) but, for much of her reign, she entertained various royal suitors. Most of these proposed matches were considered for political purposes. In The Virgin’s Lover, Elizabeth negotiated with emissaries from King Philip II of Spain (the widower of her late sister) as well as from the Hapsburg Archduke Charles of Austria.This book doesn’t grab your attention like The Other Boleyn Girl. It took me a while to get into the story. For me the interest was more about life in sixteenth-century England. However, as more of the back story was revealed, and as the machinations of the Tudor court were depicted, I got more interested in the story. So, if you don’t care for this book at first, it is worth reading a bit further on.
    • 4/5
      Recounts the supposed affair between a young Elizabeth I and her Master of the Horse, Robert Dudley. Dudley is a master manipulator who is seeking his way to the top. His wife, Amy, dies mysteriously and suspicion falls to him. Another great tale by Phillippa Gregory. Believable and relatable account of a historical tale. The reader really feels that they know these famous characters.
    • 3/5
      This historical novel by Philippa Gregory was a nice continuation to the histories of the Tudor court. It was a nice book that was fun and enjoyable. It was interesting how this book only encompassed about three early years in Queen Elizabeth's court and the long chapters sometimes became tiring. None-the-less it was a worthwhile read and a great one to add to the series. I would recommend the series to others.
    • 5/5
      A Historical protrayal of Queen Elizabeth 1 and her court. This novel held me captive from the first page to the last
    • 3/5
      Enticing book that captures the youth of Queen Elizabeth Tudor and her coming of age struggle with learning how to be a "Woman-King". You don't have a strong sympathy or connection with Elizabeth until the end of the book. Also, even though history tells us she remains a "Virgin" Queen, you still kind of wish she could have her cake and eat it too.
    • 2/5
      There are plot spoilers, but if you know the history of Elizabeth and of Lord Dudley, you know the spoilers already...The Virgin's Lover left me cold.Philippa Gregory’s fictional tale of Lord Robert Dudley’s relationship with Elizabeth Tudor, The Virgin’s Lover, overlaps minimally with Gregory’s The Queen’s Fool. Hannah, the Fool, thankfully plays no active role in this lackluster book full of unlikeable characters.And phenominally unlikeable they are! Lord Dudley continues to manipulate, plot, and lie his way toward Elizabeth’s bed and the throne of England. Does he actually love Elizabeth or is she another pawn in a long-line of Dudley family pawns? Most disgraceful is Dudley’s treatment of his wife, Amy, who does nothing but love him, dote on him, and pine for him.Amy, though, was so unlikeable, I couldn’t muster and ounce of pity for her. Simpering, self-depreciating, too forgiving of her husband’s lusts for power and for Elizabeth, Amy Dudley is a two-dimensional caricature of a weak, childish woman too anxiety ridden to be considered devoted. I actually skipped ahead to see how many more pages of her I’d have to suffer through before she finally died.The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth, is portrayed similarly here as in The Queen’s Fool. She is sickly, paranoid, so anxious she bites her nails and picks her cuticles until they bleed, and so unable to overcome her baser desires that she can not protect her own throne. After more than 20 years in and out of court, fighting to obtain the throne, you’d think she would have a minimal idea of how to sit on it. Instead, she requires the guidance of strong and guileful men in order to make and stick to the tiniest decision.For most of the book, the only main character I found appealing was Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth’s Secretary of State. Cecil was intelligent, kind to the Queen despite how she exasperated him, and looked first to the good of England. In the last quarter of the book, though, he set in motion something unforgivable. Granted, his thoughts were always to keeping Elizabeth on the throne in order to protect England, but he went too far and lost all the respect Gregory had endowed him with.The only likable character in the entire book was Amy’s companion, Lizzie Oddingsell, who was a true friend. She protected Amy from rumor and scandal, defended her reputation against gossips, fretted over her health, stood up to the head of her own house when he wanted Amy to leave, found Amy new accommodations when no one wanted her, and was honestly and heartily distressed at her death. Lizzie, though, was a minor character, hardly seen on 30 pages.Lack of likable characters in not this book’s only fault. As was The Queen’s Fool, The Virgin’s Lover is repetitive. Page after page, Elizabeth changes her mind again and again; page after page, Amy longs desperately for the love of her husband; page after page, Elizabeth can’t live without Dudley; page after page, after page, after page. There are entire paragraphs of dialog that seem to be re-wordings of paragraphs that were re-wordings of yet other paragraphs.More importantly, the writing style lacks depth and nuance. There is no rising and falling action with The Virgin’s Lover, no climax, and the end comes abruptly. I looked closely to see if pages had been torn out of my copy; they had not. I can’t say I was disappointed about it.Two Stars: Read if DESPERATE