A dark, legendary story - Rated 
If there's such a thing as a cult/indie history book, then Geoffrey Richardson has nailed it with 'A Pride of Bastards'. The book tells the story of the illegitimate Beaufort dynasty, beginning with the legendary romance of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, the lives of their four influential children and their progeny down to Margaret Beaufort - the mother of King Henry VII. The unstoppable rise of the Beauforts is marred by a constant stream of violence, tragedy and sudden death - so much so that is reads in many ways like a bloody Norse saga, and Richards' enthusiasm for the period is highly infectious. I disagree with some of the criticism over the bias of this book. Although they were no worse than many other clans of their time, and acted wisely and successfully, I believe the Beauforts were bastards in all senses of the word, and Richardson's black judgement of their tidings adds inspiration to a story that could easily become remote. As the previous reviews show, readers are not so naive that they cannot distinguish the written history, backed up by evidence, from the authors opinion of it, which serves to spice up the story.
Richardson is right to place supreme importance on the Beauforts, whose actions served as the deciding factor in the battle between York and Lancaster. Richardson clearly understands the paradox of their illegitimate status - to be children of the crown but debarred from it, and the negative ways they acted out this frustration, eventually emerging as the real victors of the Wars of the Roses. Popular history has downplayed their relevance, but this book distinguishes itself in devoting itself to the Beauforts and unveiling much of their forgotten history.
Readable, but hopelessly biased - Rated 
As previous reviews have stated, this is a very readable book - the illustrations of the various battles in particular deserve a mention as they do much to bring to life the text describing the encounters. However, the Beaufort family are subjected to a continual barrage of criticism and judgement for actions which, although admittedly unpleasant, are really no worse than those of their contemporaries from other families. The often venal, self-serving and downright vicious behaviour of the latter is merely described, usually without comment. The Beauforts were undoubtedly no saints, but neither were any of the other major players at this point in history and I fail to understand why their behaviour has been selected by Mr Richardson for particular opprobrium. This, I feel, is a major flaw in the book and one which materially damaged my enjoyment of it. Although I would still recommend this book to other readers, I would do so with caution and urge them to chose other, less biased books on this subject if they want a rather more even-handed view of the period.
Disappointing - Rated
Although the style is readable, it is clear that Mr Richardson is no fan of the Beauforts. I found this to be a very biased history of the Beaufort family.
The Beaufort family - Rated 
Geoffrey Richardson has a concise and readable style, which make his books a pleasure to read, but there is no lack of relevant detail. The Hollow Crowns deals with the battles of the Wars of the Roses and The Deceivers deals with the mystery of the Princes in the Tower and Richardson has complemented these with three volumes each following one of the three most instrumental families in the Wars of the Roses. A Pride of Bastards gives us the story of the Beauforts, illegitimate family of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of Edward III, by Katherine Swynford. The Beauforts inherited not only Gaunt's royal blood, but his thirst for a crown - and preferably the English one at that. Despite their legitimation by Henry IV, the Bar Sinister remained as far as inheritance of the Crown was concerned, but the pride of this family ensured that this bastard sprig of Lancaster would be a driving force behind the conflicts of the Wars of the Roses. The Beauforts would stop at very little in pursuit of wealth and power. History would have been very different, and a lot less bloody, without them.
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