"Rose of Raby" tells the story of Cecylee, a girl belonging to England's royal Neville family in the 15th century. Although this book is fiction, it aims at historical accuracy.

At the age of nine, Cecylee is given away in marriage, in order to strengthen ties between two royal families in 15th century England. We see the world through her eyes. She'd rather not be a pawn in the adult's game, which at first she only dimly understands. "Why be betrothed now?" she asks herself. "At nine I'm expected to enter a woman's estate, with a woman's cares and responsibilities. Where is my girlhood? I don't want it to end." But the choice is not hers to make. We discover, though, as we get further into this book, that Cecylee is unwilling to surrender to others the right to determine all "affairs of the heart" for her.

Quite skillfully, it seems to me, the author combines attention to historical detail with an insightful exploration of human psychology.

"Rose of Raby" belongs to a series of books by this author. You will find reviews, including mine, of the entire series under the Amazon book title: "Thwarted Queen."