Peel me a Book
Let's Peel
The Cousins’ War
Perfect if you want to stand inside the Wars of the Roses, watching women manoeuvre in shadows while men fight in the open, and realise that survival is as much a matter of wit as of steel.
Synopsis
“When you are a woman, you make your fortune with the only currency you have: your body, your children, your alliances.”
Spanning six novels, Gregory’s Cousins’ War cycle tells the story of England’s 15th-century civil wars through the eyes of queens and claimants: Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen), Margaret Beaufort (The Red Queen), Jacquetta of Luxembourg (The Lady of the Rivers), and others who fought with marriage contracts, betrayals, and quiet plots.
Gregory pulls dynastic chess out of the archives and into chamber rooms where every whisper can crown or destroy a king.
Mood:
dynastic · dramatic · intimate · ruthless
Tone:
theatrical · immersive · gossipy · compelling
It Feels Like
Body:
The thrill of power’s heat against your skin, chased by the dread of how quickly it can vanish.
Tempo:
A long drum roll, punctured by sudden executions.
Texture:
Heavy crowns, bloodied roses, parchments folded with trembling hands.
A Little Taste
“There is no place for innocence in a kingdom torn apart by roses. The colour of your allegiance stains your hands long before the battle does.”
“They tell history as if men alone shaped it, but it is women who trade children like coin, women who choose whether a king rises or falls.”
The Aftertaste
History as theatre: crowns passed like poisoned chalices.
Women’s voices centre stage, no longer footnotes.
A saga as compulsive as gossip and as merciless as war.
Peel With a Drink
read it with a chalice of deep red claret (any Bordeaux-style red) thick and tannic, staining lips and teeth.
It tastes of power flaunted in public, leaving a residue that won’t wash away.
This is not a drink for comfort — it’s a declaration, like wearing a rose on your breast and daring anyone to rip it off.
Peel With a Reel
Elizabeth (1998, dir. Shekhar Kapur) — a later era, but the same ruthless games of thrones and survival.
Peel with a Beat
Peel me a Book
Or Try:
Maurice Druon
where Gregory’s England mirrors Druon’s France, both dynasties rotting under crowns too heavy to wear.
Let's Peel
The Cousins’ War
Perfect if you want to stand inside the Wars of the Roses, watching women manoeuvre in shadows while men fight in the open, and realise that survival is as much a matter of wit as of steel.
Synopsis
“When you are a woman, you make your fortune with the only currency you have: your body, your children, your alliances.”
Spanning six novels, Gregory’s Cousins’ War cycle tells the story of England’s 15th-century civil wars through the eyes of queens and claimants: Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen), Margaret Beaufort (The Red Queen), Jacquetta of Luxembourg (The Lady of the Rivers), and others who fought with marriage contracts, betrayals, and quiet plots.
Gregory pulls dynastic chess out of the archives and into chamber rooms where every whisper can crown or destroy a king.
Mood:
dynastic · dramatic · intimate · ruthless
Tone:
theatrical · immersive · gossipy · compelling
It Feels Like
Body:
The thrill of power’s heat against your skin, chased by the dread of how quickly it can vanish.
Tempo:
A long drum roll, punctured by sudden executions.
Texture:
Heavy crowns, bloodied roses, parchments folded with trembling hands.
A Little Taste
“There is no place for innocence in a kingdom torn apart by roses. The colour of your allegiance stains your hands long before the battle does.”
“They tell history as if men alone shaped it, but it is women who trade children like coin, women who choose whether a king rises or falls.”
The Aftertaste
History as theatre: crowns passed like poisoned chalices.
Women’s voices centre stage, no longer footnotes.
A saga as compulsive as gossip and as merciless as war.
Peel With a Drink
read it with a chalice of deep red claret (any Bordeaux-style red) thick and tannic, staining lips and teeth.
It tastes of power flaunted in public, leaving a residue that won’t wash away.
This is not a drink for comfort — it’s a declaration, like wearing a rose on your breast and daring anyone to rip it off.
Peel With a Reel
Elizabeth (1998, dir. Shekhar Kapur) — a later era, but the same ruthless games of thrones and survival.