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medieval

reviews August 9, 2013

To Be Queen by Christy English

To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Christy English

After her father’s sudden death, fifteen-year-old Eleanor is quickly crowned Duchess of Aquitaine and betrothed to King Louis VII. When her new husband cannot pronounce her given name, Alienor becomes Eleanor, Queen of France.

Although Louis is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by the church and a God that Eleanor doesn’t believe in. Now, if she can find the strength to fight for what she wants, Eleanor may finally find the passion she has longed for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen. (Goodreads)

When Eleanor of Aquitaine was young, she was raised to be her father’s heir to be Duchess of Aquitaine. Soon after her father’s death, Eleanor is wed to Dauphin Louis of France and the young pair has mutual affection for each other from the start. Louis was meant for the church but his elder brother’s death changed everything. He remained very pious his whole life, preferring church to his wife.
Eleanor tries to be a good wife but she soon learns that she may not compete with the church her husband is so devoted to. When her marriage starts to deterioate, she starts to think about divorce.
And when she meets Henry Plantagenet, Eleanor sees a new start for herself.

I liked that the book focused on Eleanor’s early life because it’s less often written about. Eleanor’s marriage to Louis is usually overshadowed by her marriage to Henry II of England and I was intrigued to read about them and I wish there was more books about them.

Eleanor was determined, fierce, no-nonsense person but there were just times I wanted to shake her and yell “Why did you do that?!”. And of course all the rumours of affairs had to be included. It would have been interesting to hear Louis side of the story too.

Book was ok; it was fairly quick and easy to read.

3/5
Published: NAL (2011)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 380
Source: my own

reviews August 8, 2013

The Captive Queen by Alison Weir

The Captive Queen by Alison Weir

It is the year 1152, and a beautiful woman rides through France, fleeing her crown, her two young daughters and a shattered marriage.

Her husband, Louis of France has been more monk than monarch, and certainly not a lover. Now Eleanor of Aquitaine has one sole purpose: to return to her duchy and marry the man she loves, Henry Plantagenet, destined for greatness as King of England. It will be a union founded on lust, renowned as one of the most vicious marriages in history, and it will go on to forge a great empire and a devilish brood.

This is a story of the making of nations, and of passionate conflicts: between Henry II and Thomas Becket; between Eleanor and Henry’s formidable mother Matilda; between father and sons, as Henry’s children take up arms against him – and finally between Henry and Eleanor herself. (Goodreads)

Eleanor of Aquitaine was first married to King Louis of France, but he was more interested spending his time in prayers than with his wife. She’s not happy and extremely bored and when it’s suggested that Louis finds a new wife to get much needed male heir she’s not resisting.
Then she meets young Henry FitzEmpress and it’s insta-lust from the start. After Eleanor gets her divorce from Louis she and Henry marries without permission.

I’m still wondering why I ever started this book and how I managed to finish it. I haven’t been huge fan of her fiction books but this sure was something.

The sex scenes weren’t so bad than I thought and not as graphic but I don’t need sex scenes from the start. At page 2 she’s remembering her hot night with her future husband’s father and it’s downhill from there. But then she sees Henry for the first time and forgets Geoffrey just like that and after just few hours after their first meeting Eleanor and Henry are having sex. She’s supposed to have had an affair with this troubadour guy too, and of course with her uncle. Because if there’s some ugly rumour ever spoken of Eleanor you can trust to find it in here. As I said the sex wasn’t that graphic but it also wasn’t good and got very repetitive very soon. And I’m wondering how she managed to do all this without her servants knowing? To be successful, these kinds of products demand not just marketing, but camouflage marketing. Sex is a huge part of any married relationship and just like the relationship itself, sex goes through many different phases. I’m only going to focus on two main phases in this article; the “just got married” phase and the “just had kids” phase. Why? because I’m going through the just had kids phase so I’m finding it very relevant right now. In fact, we can probably summarize the just got married phase and then skip right to the problem, sex after kids. You can check special deals from the Magic Men site here. When you are newly married, sex is a huge part of your relationship, but probably for different reasons than when the relationship matures. Things are still relatively new and you are both still exploring each other and building intimate bonds. This is great stuff especially since you still have the time to actually enjoy each other. You have the time to make sure both of your “needs” are met and even throw in a little cuddle time if you want to. I actually mean cuddling, not “cuddle” as defined by the housemates of Jersey Shore. So you’re growing with each other, learning and loving and life is pretty good. Then one day you decide it’s time to grow your family. Visit Air by Bellesa for more information.

At page 22 we get this wonderful peace of information

Henry was surprised to find his father’s muscles iron-hard – not bad for an old man of thirty-eight, he thought. He had glimpsed too Geoffrey’s impressive manhood, and wondered seriously for the first time if his father had indeed been speaking the truth about knowing Eleanor carnally, and if he had, whether he had satisfied her as well as he, Henry, had done.

Like any normal father-son day, right?

Somehow Weir manages to turn this strong and intelligent woman into weak, childish, sex-addicted woman. And her portrayal of Henry isn’t that better. Where is this powerful man who’s spectacular rages made men fear? Instead we get someone who spends most of his time drinking, swiving random women at closets and other random places and stamping his foot when everything won’t go as he planned. There’s some fighting between Eleanor and Henry but unfortunately it sounds like a 3 year old is having a tantrum.

And if this all wasn’t enough she had to make Beckett to be in love with Henry. Like seriously?

I wasn’t fan of the writing itself which was the biggest reason why I hated this. But towards the end something happens and the writing get better and the characters started coming to life. We actually get one moving scene between Eleanor and Henry regarding Rosamund.
Speaking of writing, at some point after she has given birth she’s thinking about how queen’s can’t raise their kids and breastfeed them by themselves and then few pages after she puts the baby to her breast. Ouch!

I think this is time to stop reading her fiction books and not even try her next book!

1/5
Published: Arrow (2011)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 528
Source: my own

reviews August 7, 2013

Queen of Shadows by Edith Felber

Queen of Shadows by Edith Felber

In fourteenth-century England, beautiful Queen Isabella-humiliated by her weak, unfaithful husband-is emerging from the shadows to take her revenge. But her newly arrived, twenty-oneyear-old Welsh handmaiden, Gwenith de Percy, also seeks vengeance-against the English invaders who crushed her beloved Wales. Isabella’s once-golden marriage is now her penance. Due to his rumored relations with men, Parliament forced Edward to share his throne-a demeaning arrangement that torments Isabella.

With the help of her secret, noble lover, Roger Mortimer-an enemy of her husband, imprisoned in the Tower of London-the queen plots to take control. Thrilled by this turn of events, Gwenith realizes that a king cannot afford to be weak-especially when his formidable, discontented queen seeks his power as her due. (Goodreads)

Gwenith’s family is killed when Edward I crushes Wales and Gwenith grows up with her grandmother, who makes Gwenith promise to seek vengeance for her family. She starts to serve Queen Isabella intending to bring harm but comes to respect Isabella, but comes hate the Despensers.

Book is told mostly from Gwenith’s point of view, for reasons I can’t figure out. The idea of Gwenith taking revenge for her family is kinda far-stretching. Why does she want to kill Edward II who isn’t in anyway responsible for the things that happened to her family? It would have been far more interesting to hear the story just from Isabella’s point of view. Instead we get abruptly changing POV’s which made me so confused. I had to read a sentence few times to make sense of it.
But I have to say I didn’t like Isabella either. She was just too good to be true. She is constantly complaining how the women are treated, how everyone loved her in France more and telling all the time that she is the queen.

The most annoying this was that it’s hinted through the book that Edward II wasn’t the real father of future Edward III, and it’s never told who the real father is supposed to be! I mean why!? It’s mentioned that Isabella spent some time in Scotland when Edward abandoned her and had an affair from which Edward III was born. If you invent such rubbish at least you could tell the inventory man’s name!

Isabella is also sneaking out to The Tower to have sex with Roger Mortimer, multiple times. Because queen can just leave castles wearing a hood as her only disguise. Queens are constantly watched and very rarely alone so how could she have managed to get her little trysts?

In the afterword it’s told that Edward III had huge sexual appetites and had many mistresses and illegitimate children. I don’t remember reading about any other mistress than Alice Perrers but I’m not sure about the children. Wouldn’t call it “huge sexual appetite” if he has one known mistress.

1/5
Published: NAL (2006)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Source: my own

reviews August 4, 2013

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England’s queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.

Adeliza, Henry’s widowed queen and Matilda’s stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.

In the anarchy, in a world where a man’s word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda?

How long can Matilda fight for the throne that she has struggled so bitterly to win? (Goodreads)

Matilda is summoned home after her husband the Emperor dies. Her brother has died and King Henry I has only a daughter for heir. He tries to find suitable husband for her and chooses young Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. Matilda is less than pleased with the decision but knows that duty comes first.

Adeliza of Louvain is Henry I’s second wife and close to Matilda’s age. Despite Henry having bastards fron numerous women, Adeliza seems to be barren much to her distress.

But everything changes when Henry dies and Matilda’s cousin Stephen takes the throne. The women’s close friendship gets tested when Matilda fights for her crown and Adeliza is married to William D’Albini who supports Stephen.

Another great book by Chadwick! It was hard to put down and I wished I would have had more time to read it faster.

Matilda is determined and strong and yet she’s not without faults and I really liked how she was portrayed. She did what she believed was right and would not back down.
Matilda’s and Brian’s relationship was portrayed well and thankfully not glossed upon.

I really enjoyed reading about Adeliza since there’s not much written about her. She was more submissive and gentler than Matilda but that doesn’t make her any weaker. I loved reading about her life with William which seemed to be a loving marriage.

I wish there would have been more of Robert of Gloucester and it would have been interesting to know Stephen’s thoughts about the whole thing, But guess you can’t have all.

5/5
Published: Little, BrownBook Group (2011)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 532
Source: my own

reviews August 2, 2013

My Lord John by Georgette Heyer

My Lord John by Georgette Heyer

John, Duke of Bedford grew to manhood fighting for his father, Henry IV of England. A prince of the royal blood, loyal, strong, the greatest ally that his brother — the future Henry V — was to have. Filled with the clash of bitter rivalries and deadly power struggles, this is Georgette Heyer’s last and most ambitious novel. (Goodreads)

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything about this era so I spent more time on google than reading and thank goodness for character list! But it’s so annoying and confusing when you can’t call someone the same name the whole time. I mean there’s half dozen Henry/Harry, John, Richard, Hugh, Thomas… No need confusing the reader by calling the person sometimes by their given name and other time by their title.

It was also quite slow to read. Heyer has tried writing how people spoke at the fifteenth century and it slows down the reading. There were many times I had to read the sentence few times to understand it.

I liked how John was portrayed and the scenes that focused on him but at times I felt like I was having history lesson instead of reading historical fiction.

Heyer died before the trilogy was finished, but did the book had to end in mid sentence?! Even if the manuscript breaks off like that. What were the editors thinking!

I liked this more than The Conqueror but I still wouldn’t recommend this.

2,5/5
Published: Pan (1975)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Source: library