As a Brit with an average knowledge of history, I was captivated by this hugely enjoyable romp through an alternative history of the British monarchy. Reading about the Crusades, the Wars of the Roses or the Hundred Years’ War from the perspective of characters who never quite made it to the throne brings a real freshness to events I thought I knew. The “what if’s” are tantalizing: Had it not been for a jousting accident here or a well-timed piece of regicide there (there are far more bloody terminations, civil wars and attempted rebellions than I was ever taught at school), consequential monarchs like Henry VIII and Richard II would never have stamped their mark on history. 
 
Hoffman is particularly good at drawing out the women - often brave and long-suffering - whose claims to the throne are woven through a surprising number of these historical episodes. But what really makes this book is how deeply personal it feels: Hoffman cares, and he makes you care, as he draws out his characters. Though he doesn’t stray from the demands of strict scholarship, this willingness to grapple with the historical record enables him to bring to life fascinating figures who would otherwise be lost in the mists of history, like the indomitable Empress Maud and the captivating Princess Charlotte, who died in childbirth at 21. It makes you wonder how different things might have been had these women donned the crown!