📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick

Sphere
5 September 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her. Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world. Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...

From the award-winning and bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick, comes an epic love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of high chivalry, deadly warfare, devastating plague, and savage rivalry in the fourteenth century - the first of two parts telling the remarkable story of a woman who rose from royal rebel to formidable influence.

 📖 My Review

With the fourteenth century very firmly in place we become part of the English royal household as they travel to Antwerp and there within the court of Edward III, his cousin, Jeanette of Kent becomes powerfully attracted to Thomas Holland, a household knight, with little to his name other than his skill at the joust and tourney. The young lovers marry in secret and therein starts a struggle which results in them having to live separate lives with Jeanette even forced to bigamously marry another man.

Recreating history is what this author does best and in The Royal Rebel it has been a real delight to be taken back in time to witness the struggles and dangers which were very much part of court life. I particularly enjoyed following in Jeanette’s footsteps, witnessing her joy at her marriage to Thomas only for it to start to unravel. The lengths that people around her went to in order keep the couple apart demonstrates just how dangerous it was to live in the shadow of the English throne.

During some of the most momentous years of Edward III’s reign we witness Jeanette’s complicated life at the royal court as she moves between Europe and England and the sheer terror of living with ruthless people who, without any conscience, would do you harm. War, pestilence and danger are never far away and all are described in vivid detail thus making the story such a lively and atmospheric read. Part of a duology of books about the complicated life of Jeanette of Kent, The Royal Rebel is historical fiction at its absolute best.

About the Author

Elizabeth Chadwick is a prize-winning historical novelist and New York Times bestseller, published in 22 languages, with over 1 million copies of her work sold in the UK alone. The Royal Rebel is the forst of three new novels set in the fourteenth century.

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