3 .5 (rounded down) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Orion and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I love historical fiction and I really enjoy Anne O’Brien as a writer, I have read most of her books. For me this one was a more original idea, using the Paston letters to focus on gentry rather than royalty. I found that aspect really interesting.

What fell a little flat for me were the characters. Maybe it was too many POVs, but I didn’t feel like I really knew anyone.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a mediaeval historical novel looking for something a bit different.

England. 1469.

A fortunate marriage will change history.
A scandal could destroy everything...

Margaret Paston, matriarch of the Paston family, knows that a favourable match for one of her unruly daughters is the only way to survive the loss of their recently acquired Caister Castle. But as the War of the Roses rages on, dangerous enemies will threaten even her best laid plans.

Margery Paston, her eldest daughter, has always strived to uphold the Paston name and do her mother proud. But when she loses her heart to a man below her station, she must make a terrible choice: will she betray her family and risk everything for a chance at true love?

Anne Haute, first cousin to the Queen, is embroiled in a longstanding betrothal to Sir John Paston, the eldest son and heir to the Paston seat. But despite his promises, Anne can't help but doubt that he will ever keep his word and make her his wife...

In the midst of civil war, each of these women must decide: Head or heart? Love or duty? Reputation- or scandal?

This author writes with warmth and engaging perception about our relationship and understanding…..

Many thanx as always to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Another wonderful slice of Medieval ways bought to life by the author as she explores more of the Paston family and their woes in the ways of love! It really gives you a great glimpse into the posturing for position and how the women are basically used as pawns for the betterment of their families.

The Paston women are strong though and it was great to hear their various stories as each of them get their own storyline and focus, so it gives you different perspectives on their various experiences. It explores the conflict in families, especially between the old and the young where duty is placed above love.

It also explores a very turbulent time in history, so it's even more critical that you pick the right side to back, so to speak, and shows the sacrifices made to do the right thing - the emotions involved really add to the characters experiences that you get to explore, and what I love about these books are that they make me want to explore more about the history of the times!

This sequel to The Royal Game continues the story of the Paston family. The Pastons were an influential Norfolk family during the 15th century and left behind a collection of private correspondence, known as the Paston Letters, which are a valuable source of information on life in England at this time. In this novel and her previous one, Anne O’Brien brings the story of the Pastons to life, using their letters to provide the outline of the plot. You could read this book as a standalone if you wanted to, but I would recommend reading both in order if you can.

A Marriage of Fortune is again narrated by several of the Paston women. First there’s Margaret Mautby Paston, now a widow with seven children. Her eldest son, Sir John, is now head of the family following the death of his father, but Margaret still takes an active part in managing the household, arranging the marriages of her younger children and continuing the ongoing feud against the Duke of Norfolk over the ownership of Caister Castle. Margaret’s priority is seeing that the Pastons continue to rise through the ranks of society, so she is furious when her eldest daughter Margery announces that she is in love with the family bailiff, Richard Calle. She refuses to allow a marriage between the two, but is unprepared for the lengths to which Margery is prepared to go.

The relationship between Margaret and Margery is very sad to read about. Margery is another of our narrators, which means we get to know exactly how she feels about her mother’s refusal to accept her love for Richard and the family estrangement that occurs as a result. Margaret believes that a daughter’s first duty should be to her parents and that Margery has no right to consider her own happiness, but there’s always a sense that she might come to regret taking this stance and we are kept wondering whether mother and daughter will be reconciled in the end.

We also hear from Margaret’s sister-in-law, Elizabeth Paston Poynings, whose husband has been killed fighting on the Yorkist side at the Second Battle of St Alban’s, leaving her a widow with a young son. Like Margaret, Elizabeth has found herself facing a struggle to hold on to her late husband’s estates, which are being claimed by the powerful Percy family. A fourth narrator is Anne Haute, cousin of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s queen. Anne is betrothed to Margaret’s son, Sir John Paston, but with the rapidly changing political situation in England – Edward IV on the throne one minute, Henry VI the next – it seems that Sir John is reluctant to either make the marriage official or release her from it. I had a lot of sympathy for poor Anne when she begins to discover that she’s wasted years of her life on a man who clearly doesn’t really love her.

I enjoyed A Marriage of Fortune; this is one of my favourite periods to read about, but I still haven’t read the original Paston Letters. This was maybe a good thing as far as this novel was concerned, as it meant that although I was familiar with the historical background – the kings and queens, the battles and rebellions – I didn’t know the personal stories of the individual Paston family members, so I never knew what was going to happen to them next. However, I do think this novel, like the first one, was slightly too long, with a lot of information packed into it. It may have been better to have focused on fewer characters; Elizabeth Poynings’ story, in particular, felt very separate from the others and could possibly have been left out.

I’m not sure whether there will be a third book on the Pastons or whether Anne O’Brien will be moving on to something else now. Either way, she always chooses interesting historical women to write about so I know it will be worth looking forward to.

Margaret Paston is the matriarch of an upwardly mobile East Anglian family. She is concerned that her children make advantageous marriages and preserve the family wealth, not an easy task when the country is riven by conflict. Her eldest son has made a common law marriage with a cousin of the Queen but is reluctant to consecrate this, her eldest daughter has married the family balliff and been cast off. Consumed by legal battles Margery is determined that her second son should be well married and that her remaining daughter does her duty by the family.
This is a fictionalised account of the lives of a real family. The Pastons of Norwich and Caistor left behind a large cache of letters which provide historians with information about the minutiae of everyday life during the Wars of the Roses. The Pastons were new into the local gentry and their place was always threatened by lawsuits. In this novel O'Brien has woven her customary romanticised fiction around the characters and it works extremely well.

I've been looking forward to reading A Marriage of Fortune which is a sequel to The Royal Game. This book again centred around the Paston family in Norfolk, during the time of the War of the Roses.

I loved the characters in this story and felt like I was experiencing their trials and tribulations with them. Anne O'Brien is a talented author of Historical Fiction and that is evident in the amount of detail of everyday life that is included in the story.

My only criticism is that in parts the story seemed to lose its forward momentum and I felt the pace drag. This was still a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend.

The second book, continuing the story of the Paston family of Norfolk.
Just as good as the first book we follow the story of this real family & their struggles to keep their properties & position in society during the War of the Roses. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the female family members.
I was so impatient to read what happened next that I requested an e-reader ARC copy which I, not exactly regret as I enjoyed it, but wish I’d got as a hard copy (& will at some point) as the epilogue wasn’t yet written & I wanted to know more about certain members of the family!
I’ve only recently discovered this author & love her characterisations (these are real historical people taken from recovered letters but with the imagined flesh added on). Can’t wait for the next one!

This is a strong and compelling historical fiction, a family saga ful of emotions and actions.
I liked the fleshed out characters, the vivid historical background, and the solid plot.
The author is an excellent storyteller.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is the third (and most certainly not last) of Anne O’Brien’s books which I have read. A Marriage of Fortune is the sequel to The Royal Game, which I thought was absolutely fantastic.

I really enjoyed seeing what was next for the Paston women and family, although with this stage in their story I found myself feeling more touched, and even tearful, I suppose as I now ‘know’ the characters so well.

As ever, Anne O’Brien impresses with quality of her writing, I found it captivating and often moving. Though written from multiple perspectives, of lives that intertwine, I felt able to understand and empathise with each easily. I like and appreciate that the Paston story is that of real people, and whilst they had links with the Royal Court were not Royalty or nobility but on the up (dear Margaret trying so very hard) as gentry – which offered an interesting insight into the lives of those in this position, as the majority of historical fiction from this period tends to focus on the Kings, Queens, and higher powers within England.

I really don’t want the story to end! I am not sure if there will be any further books in the Paston series, however I would love to know how things work out for Jonty and Gilly, as well as Anne, and the younger siblings. I may have to do my own research to satisfy my curiosity!

Highly recommend this and the first in the series, you will be hooked!

Another success for Anne O’Brien. I am not sure if this is the end of the Paston tale or whether there is another to come with the story of Jonty & Gilly. We obviously know the result of Bosworth so maybe a happy ending! ‘The Paston Treasure’ is now on list of ‘must-see art’. This tale of Paston family with all their ups and downs was such an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for the early access.

I was really excited to read this as this is my favourite period of history. Set against the background of the Wars of the Roses, this is the story of the women of the Paxton family. The principal character is Margaret Paxton, the matriarch of the family who is desperately trying to maintain their newly acquired noble status. We also have the stories of her daughter Margery and cousin Elizabeth as well her son’s betrothed Anne.

The stories of all of the women were fascinating and the importance of marrying well to help your family is clear throughout the book. However, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of depth to most of the characters. I think that there was possibly just too much crammed into a single book. Having so many women’s lives narrated in the book meant that I never really connected with any of them.

I loved the historical detail and the court scenes. It was an interesting depiction of Edward IV, he definitely isn’t shown as ‘this glorious Sunne of Yorke’ here.

I would recommend this to readers of historical fiction who are more interested in the historical retelling rather than a character driven narrative.
Thank you to Net Galley and Orion Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love this author so was thrilled to be able to read this

Loved it

Loved the way it was written - very accessible - I was engrossed from the beginning

If you love historical genre this is one you'd love

Highly recommend

O'Brien has written another sweeping, engaging read about the Paston family. For the most part I did enjoy this read and O'Brien really captures the people and atmosphere of the time. I did think this was far too long and it started to feel dull at times. I also thought we were reading from too many character perspectives and not all of them added anything to the book. This aside, I really felt for these strong, resilient women and what they faced.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an advance copy.

Anne O'Brien is a Queen of historical fiction in her own right. The pages are steeped in historical detail and tell the story of multiple women during this time. An interesting insight. Historical storytelling at its finest.

This was well-written and I enjoy historical fiction in this time period, so overall this was a good read. The author did a good job of taking real people and bringing them to life. The book was a little over-stuffed with plot and characters.

Unfortunately this one didn't meet my exoectations. I have been reading this author's books for a while and this one tried to cover a lot which can make it very dense. Sometimes other characters should have their story outside another book.

Anne O'brien has done it again! If you're a historical fiction fan, then this is a book you'll definitely want to read! Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory or Elizabeth Chadwick.

England. 1469.

A fortunate marriage will change history.
A scandal could destroy everything...

Margaret Paston, matriarch of the Paston family, knows that a favourable match for one of her unruly daughters is the only way to survive the loss of their recently acquired Caister Castle. But as the War of the Roses rages on, dangerous enemies will threaten even her best laid plans.

Margery Paston, her eldest daughter, has always strived to uphold the Paston name and do her mother proud. But when she loses her heart to a man below her station, she must make a terrible choice: will she betray her family and risk everything for a chance at true love?

Anne Haute, first cousin to the Queen, is embroiled in a longstanding betrothal to Sir John Paston, the eldest son and heir to the Paston seat. But despite his promises, Anne can't help but doubt that he will ever keep his word and make her his wife...

In the midst of civil war, each of these women must decide: Head or heart? Love or duty? Reputation- or scandal?

What I love about Anne O’Briens books is that they are based in historical fact. The Paston’s existed, they wrote a lot of letters and their lives are documented incredibly for us. Margery Paston and the families bailiff Richard Calle really did have a ‘love affair’ and they married in secret much to the Paston’s despair. This is told so beautifully, these feel like real people, my heart went out to them. I also really felt for Anne Haute, trapped into a ‘marriage’ with Sir John Paston who is frankly a bit of a drip! The machinations of the medieval marriage market were something to behold that’s for sure! These womens lives; Margaret, Margery and Anne are told in rich detail, I also loved the stories of Elizabeth and Gilly. What a bunch of strong women these were, their lives were real, love, desire, loss and war were all part and parcel of the times. I was totally immersed in this book and couldn’t put it down!

‘Were all Paston women, even if they discovered love, fated to experience loss and heartbreak?’

A wonderful piece of historical fiction, richly woven, utterly entrancing and keeps you reading, if you haven’t discovered these books yet, please pick one up, they are worth it!

The continuing saga of the Paston women and their extended family and acquaintances.

Once again O’Brien has done what she excels at, telling a story that’s factually correct, with the added bonus of presumed conversations. The very best combination done so well, a master storyteller. I have loved all this author’s works and this one is a fine addition.

The story covered quite a lengthy period, easily enough for two books, so we have been spoilt! The relationship between Margery and Richard was depicted beautifully, though Anne’s marriage left me wanting to know more, but perhaps that’s all there is to say, history dictates it’s own endings! Gilly was a delight, more of her story, please! It validates the fact that although this was not my favourite work of this author, it is still a wonderful read and I thoroughly recommend.

As a matter of some concern, the arc I received was extremely poorly put together. No breaks, little spacing and no capitalisation, which made reading a physically hard slog. It took me far longer to read this arc than I usually take. This is out of the control of the author and I have rated my review without taking the poor reproduction into account. Hopefully, once published, I will be able to reread a complete and finished copy as, with all O’Brien’s books, it will only improve with rereading.

A very good 4.5*read, rounded up to 5*

Thank you NetGalley.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I love books that are set within this era of the plantagenets and so forth. The writing was good and the stroyline was gripping but for me it was the characters that made the book. I loved some and didn't like some but they were all so well developed.
A good read.