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• I received a copy through the Early Reviewers list and loved it! I enjoying learning more about Katherine Grey and Katherine Plantagenet as there are many other major players during their times that receive much more attention. It was interesting to delve deeper into the characters and see more behind-the-scenes machinations of the times. Weir really does a fantastic job researching the periods and bringing them to life. Switching between the two women was a little confusing at first for me but once I got into the swing of things, it was an excellent read.

  5.00 out of 5

  staciestrela04

• England's Tower of London was the terrifying last stop for generations of English political prisoners. A Dangerous Inheritance weaves together the lives and fates of four of its youngest and most blameless: Lady Katherine Grey, Lady Jane's younger sister; Kate Plantagenet, an English princess who lived nearly a century before her; and Edward and Richard, the boy princes imprisoned by their ruthless uncle, Richard III, never to be heard from again. Across the years, these four young royals shared the same small rooms in their dark prison, as all four shared the unfortunate role of being perceived as threats to the reigning monarch.My Thoughts:This is the story of two Katherines, Lady Katherine Grey, sister to Lady Jane Grey and Katherine ‘Kate’ Plantagenet. Both of these ladies I knew nothing about so it was a refreshing change to read about someone different other than my beloved Henry VIII and his wives.The story flits between the two ladies and at times to be honest I had to stop and think which Katherine was I reading about. Katherine Plantaganet was called Kate in the story which did distinguish between the two. Both ladies had lives which were very similar although they lived years apart and to bind the two together they both had a interest in the ‘Princes in the Tower’. Kate because her father Richard III was supposed to have had them killed and Katherine because she is intrigued with the mystery surrounding them. I did enjoy reading about Katherine Grey slightly more than Kate Plantagenet. This book is full of historical detail and with Alison Weir being an historian you can see why. It is a fascinating read that held my interest till the very end. It doesn’t have the boddice ripping like some historical novels but it dosen’t need it either. Books that are well written like this do bring history to life and it was a pleasure to read it. My only negative is that towards the end it did focus on the missing princes a little too much and it could have had the same effect and just as good if the story was slightly shorter but as I say it is only a small negative.Overall a really good historical read and I found it was clever how AW found two Katherines in history and combined there very similar lives together.

  4.50 out of 5

  tina1969

• *I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*Separated by nearly eighty years of history, the voices of Lady Katherine Grey and Richard III's illegitimate daughter Katherine Plantagenet emerge to tell their own stories and to delve into the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. The story of Katherine Grey, a Tudor princess who fell victim to the wrath of Queen Elizabeth due to a love match, is told in parallel to that of Katherine Plantagenet, Richard III's bastard daughter who struggles to accept the sharp reversals of fate that befall both her and her father during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses. An intriguing story, definitely recommended for fans of historical fiction.

  4.00 out of 5

  wagner.sarah35

• The Tower of London is a dark and sinister place. Katherine Grey is happily married alongside her sister, Jane, at the beginning of Jane's short reign. Jane's fall brings the end of Katherine's marriage, as no one wants to be married to a traitor's sister. Katherine's heartbreak is mended a bit after she is brought to Elizabeth's court as the unofficial heir to the throne.Katherine's story runs parallel to Kate Plantagenet's story. The bastard daughter of Richard III, Kate is loved by her father, stepfather and cousin. Her father takes the throne, and vicious rumors spread about how exactly he obtained the throne. Kate watches helplessly as her father changes from a gentle loving father to a ruthless and suspicious king. Desiring to clear her father's name and her conscience, Kate tries to find the true fate of her cousins that were held in the Tower.Katherine Grey finds herself in the Tower after marrying without Elizabeth's permission. With a child on the way, untrusting Elizabeth knows she poses a threat. Kate's questions over the fate of the Princes, as well as her correspondence with the traitorous Earl of Lincoln, her one time lover, lead her to the Tower of London. There not even her husband will support her.Both women soon learn that Royal Blood doesn't guarantee safety.While I have several of Weir's novels on my TBR shelf, this is the first of her novels I've read. Set during the reigns of Richard III and Elizabeth I, this novelties the lives of two girls together. Though I am familiar with Katherine Grey, Kate was a new character that I had never even thought of. Both girls are undeserving of their fate. Katherine is a girl who wants to do right by her family. Though her family has fallen on hard times, Katherine still believes she will be crowned Queen after Elizabeth. Katherine is unlucky in love and languishes in the Tower, though her lover is close. Kate, however, seems to have it worse. Daughter of a Traitor, she is married to a man who desired to be close to the Throne. Never loving Kate, his cruelty increases after Kate has lost her royal connections. Abandoned, she gambles with her conscience, her father's reputation and her life. In the end, both girls have a lot in common. Weir leaves the Tower shrouded in mystery, but spins an amazing story of two girls lost to history. Very highly recommended.

  4.00 out of 5

  allisonmacias

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