I probably should've read the "prequel", The Queen's Fool, prior to reading this since there were lots of references made. I couldn't really get into this book because quite frankly, the two main women, Elizabeth and Amy Dudley, annoyed me to no end. The book started to read as a broken record esp. with Elizabeth's dialog. Started to pick up at the end, though, as we read more into foreign policy and negotiation (well, I find that stuff interesting). The historic note at the end is really thought provoking.

A very different picture of Amy Dudley than was in the Queen's Fool. Also a very different picture of Queen Elizabeth than most biographies would show. Even so, this was a very enjoyable read and follows right along with Ms. Gregory's historical novels.

I've always heard good things about Gregory's books. This was my 1st one and I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. It was not a bad story, per se, but not the great story that I was expecting.

I was disappointed in the way Queen Elizabeth was portrayed. Gregory shows Elizabeth as an almost weak-willed, indecisive woman ruled by her love of a person she knows she can not not have. She can not make a firm decision about war with France. She's left scandal about her and Dudley to run amok, let her attention stray from matters of state and her safety, since early in her reign it was anything but secure, all for her love of Dudley.. except when Dudley is ready to be her King and not King-Consort, as Phillip was for Queen Mary. And then she was ready to scheme with Cecil to remove him as a love interest and remove any hope Dudley has of becoming her husband and King of England. The switch was too sudden for my taste. In a night's time, she is gone from not being able to function without Dudley to being able to put him aside.

Also, from the jacket cover, the story outline leads you to believe this book is about the issue of Amy's death and the impact it had on the Queen and her court, especially Dudley. This is not even really touched on. Amy didn't die until almost at the very end of the book (her death was on page 410 of about 438 pages of actual story material). The scandal of her death and Elizabeth and Cecil's seemingly forehand knowledge is barely mentioned. As a book that takes place during a period of history that I find very fascinating, I have to say it was not nearly as good as I would have hoped and didn't really explore the aftermath of the scandal in the depth I thought it would.

As always, Philippa Gregory does an oustanding job of showing strengths and weaknesses of the historical characters that, heretofore, one has not seen. I love that she does such a thorough job of researching the individuals, and yet, is able to approach the stories in such a novel light.

This is my first Phillipa Gregory novel and I enjoyed it. She interwines history, suspense, romance, and politics very well. I would recommend this book but I think the blurb at the back of the book is deceiving. It says "When Amy is found dead, Elizabeth and Dudley are suddenly plunged into a struggle for survival." Amy's death happens very late in the book, perhaps with less than 100 pages to go so the conflict between Dudley and Queen Elizabeth ends quite swiftly.

Philippa Gregory is a master at historical fiction from the Henry XIII era. The Virgin's Lover is not quite as good as the Other Boleyn Girl, but is worth the read. I recommend you read the Other Boleyn before the movie comes out this summer!

This is my sixth Gregory novel. It was probably my least favorite to date. It was hard to like the characters. Dudley, while likeable in The Queen's Fool, was not so endearing in this book. Elizabeth came across as a weak and selfish woman. William Cecil was a likeable character. Overall, I finished it and I'll throw out a book in the first few chapters if I don't like it. Gregory is a remarkable writer.

This is one of Gregory's better ones. I'm fascinated by the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley and she did a wonderful job with this historical fiction set in the English Tudor era. The writing isn't as repetitious as her other books, such as The Queen's Fool.

I enjoyed this book as I have all of Philippa Gregory's books. I know Elizabeth became queen at a very young age, but I have a hard time reconciling the the dithering lovesick fool of this book with the woman who ruled as long as she did and brought a country into prosperity from the brink of bankruptcy. I also think that she could be impulsive enough to promise marriage to Dudley in such an irrevokable way on a whim, but to allow him to order her around seems odd. I am ready to read something of the transformation to her adult power. Cecil could save her from folly only so long.

None of Gregory's books measure up to The Other Boleyn Girl. It took me a long time to finish this book and the only reason I did was because I knew a bit about Dudley's wife's death and I wanted to see how Gregory spun that. The aftermath of the death though is far more interesting than what came before it in Gregory's story however, and I fear that Gregory was trying to get two books out of what should have been one--and probably would have been as compelling as the Other Boleyn Girl if she written it all as one story. Apparently, Gregory is now in the same class as King and Gaboldon--no one has balls enough to actually edit them.

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Forgettable is one word for this book. It is definitely overshadowed by it's sister books, 'The Othr Boleyn Girl' and 'The Constant Princess'.

Great for those who love historical fiction!

This historical novel is my favorite by Gregory because, as a historian, I resent the absence of political/military history in many of her historical novels. I read them all anyway, they're my guilty pleasure, but I felt no guilt when reading this book.

The Virgin's Love has a much darker tone than the rest of Gregory's work, but still has the same story elements -- good historical research, political intrigue, lively characters -- that make her novels so enjoyable. In fact, the dark tone is half the pleasure here... every character is pretty despicable and willing to do terrible things for personal and political gain. By the end, the reader is left asking themselves, "How far will they go!?"

Another great book by Gregory. Good indepth look at their relationship and how rocky it was.

For me, this was not as good as The Queen's Fool and The Other Boelyn Girl. I am reading these books in chronological order instead of the order in which they were written. I only have The Other Queen left to read. Philippa Gregory is very talented and can weave a masterful story built on sometimes scant historical facts. Just take a deep breath, remember it's fiction, and enjoy it for the taudry romp that it is!

It's so insane to read a about a time that women just couldn't do anything that they wished. As you read this, you realize that royalty, in order to remain royal had to do some crazy stuff. It makes you wonder what the world would be like today, if so many horrifying decisions weren't made in order to keep one person on a thrown...

Excellent, well written story.

Another winner from Philippa Gregory. Can't wait to finish the series.

Another great Phillippa Gragoy book.

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