Five hundred years after he died on the field of battle, Richard is still a figure of controversy and his story still fascinates and casts a spell. Betrayed in life by his allies, Richard was betrayed in death by history. Leaving no heir, his reputation was like his corps: left to his enemies, mutilated beyond recognition. Most people, including some Lancastrians it is implied, don't believe for a second that Edouard of Lancaster is the son of Henry VI, but since the paternal suspects are all also descended from Edward III, they say nothing. The Yorkists know they can't prove anything, but they also certainly don't believe the childlike Henry VI fathered him. The book takes this far more seriously than the rumor about Edward IV. The book was written long before Richard's remains were discovered, and it imagines that his uneven shoulders were the result of a fall from a horse compounded by other injuries. In truth, Richard had scoliosis.

Beauty Equals Goodness: applies to Bess, Cecily Neville, and Anne though she was described as frail; averted with Elizabeth Woodville, the most beautiful woman who wore a coronet but a complete Jerkass. Did Not Think This Through: Elizabeth's attempts to circumvent Edward's will and have Edward V declared King and avoid Richard becoming Protector. The Woodville's coup is immediately stopped by Richard and so Elizabeth flees into sanctuary. Ms. Penman's novel, rich in detail and research, attempts to set the record straight . . . it is an uncommonly fine novel, one that brings a far-off time to brilliant life."It’s been a long time since I tweeted this at the end of my first thread concerning Galadriel in Rings of Power. With three rewatches of the show and a lot more Tolkien knowledge under my belt, I stand by this statement, and indeed I double down on it.

Later in the book, Richard stays loyal to Edward, serves as The Lancer and becomes one of the only people Edward truly trusts. Meanwhile, George keeps foolishly thinking he can get the better of Edward, which eventually leads to his death. Those who know Richard III from Shakespeare will find that Sharon Kay Penman presents a contrasting view of the English monarch . . . He's an altogether nice man, a romantic hero as suitable to our late twentieth-century standards . . . as he was to those of medieval England . . . There is a vengeful quality to her insistence that is appealing; it makes for a good story." -- The New York Times Book Review Ms. Penman’s novel, rich in detail and research, attempts to set the record straight . . . it is an uncommonly fine novel, one that brings a far-off time to brilliant life.” Anne Neville had fallen in love with Richard when they were both mere children. And he returned her love with an all-consuming passion that was to last a lifetime, enduring forced separation, a brutal marriage, and murderous loss. She was the daughter of his father’s closest ally who was now his brother’s worst enemy and she became an innocent pawn in a deadly game of power politics. That game was to inflict wounds of the soul that only Richard’s patient tenderness could heal. The Sunne in Splendour is the story of Richard’s fight to win her and to heal her. The Cutie: In the first part of the book, Anne and Richard are precocious, charming children. As their lives unfold, a mixture of Break the Cutie and Corrupt the Cutie follows.Edward IV and Will Hastings have quite a tragic bromance as well, with a good dose of mutual Toxic Friend Influence. The two share a love of carousing and wenching and the only thing that ever threatens to come between them is their mutual love for Jane Shore. When Edward dies prematurely, Will is distraught and simply can't transfer his loyalties to Edward's younger brother. True Love's Kiss: When Richard first saw Anne after the war, he gave her a kiss as a friendly gesture. Later he began to court her and gave her a True Love's Kiss. Unfortunately, Anne was traumatized from her marriage to Edouard that she did not take it well. Written by the Winners: By the end of the book, Henry Tudor is victorious and sets about to ruin Richard's reputation. A few, including Henry's wife Bess and Francis Lovell, know the truth. This applies to most of the people in the book, as everyone who is bought into conflict with York is given at least some redeeming qualities and there is no clear cut good and bad side.

Happily Ever After: applied and then averted. This trope certainly applies at the end of Book 2 where Anne and Richard got married after numerous obstacles and returned to Middleham together as Lord and Lady of the North. However, at the end of the entire novel, Anne died from consumption; they lost their only son; and Richard met his end at Bosworth. Late in the book, a common woman shares a night of passion with a mysterious nobleman. She reveals in the morning that somewhere along the way, she realized the man was Richard, the king. She expresses her love and sympathy for him. A painstakingly drawn picture of royal medieval England from bedchamber to battleground." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review God Save Us from the Queen!: The way most of the main characters react to Elizabeth Woodville Grey and Margurite of Anjou. Old Dog: Gareth is given to Richard when the dog is just a puppy and Richard is still a boy. But time passes, and Richard and Anne, now adults, find the old dog's passing sorrowful.

This novel provides examples of:

Richard thought Joan was pleased to see Ned, too. Her face was suddenly the colour of rose petals and she was looking at Ned sideways, filtering laughter through her lashes in the way Richard had seen other girls do with Ned. Richard was glad; he wanted Joan to like his brother. What Joan thought mattered a great deal to him. The nurses he’d had in the past, before he’d come this spring to live at Ludlow Castle, had not been at all like Joan; they’d been dour, thin-lipped, without laps or humour. Joan smelled of sunflowers and had burnished bright hair, as soft and red as fox fur. She laughed at his riddles and had enthralling tales to tell of unicorns and knights and crusades into the Holy Land. Really Gets Around: Jane Shore, whose earnest nature makes her very appealing to many men. Her display even seduces the austere solicitor who'd come to deal with her during her imprisonment, and she marries him.