Guest Author ~ Anne O'Brien

✨✨ Happy Publication Day ✨✨

Anne O'Brien celebrates 10 years of giving a voice to the forgotten women of history

It is with great pleasure that I introduce best selling historical writer, Anne O'Brien to talk to us today about Constance of York, who features in her latest novel, A Tapestry of Treason, which is published in hardback and ebook today by HQ.

Welcome back, Anne and congratulations of the publication of  A Tapestry of Treason

Constance of York

A Woman of Tarnished Reputation

Meet Constance of York, Lady Despenser, and her magnificently dysfunctional family in the reign of King Henry IV. Few families have come down through history with such a questionable reputation, and Constance not the least of them. Not averse to swapping allegiances with unnerving frequency, plotting murder and insurrection, they were a deviously cunning bunch, worthy of a soap opera. How could I not write about Constance and such a superb cast of characters?

- Her father Edmund, Duke of York , the most ineffectual and poorest of the five sons of King Edward III. 

- Her mother Isabella, a Castilian Princess, with a reputation for easy morals.

- Her elder brother Edward, on the surface indolent and pleasure loving, but driven by hot ambition and with a sly charm to match it. 

- Her younger brother Richard, penniless and lacking a title, damned with the taint of possible illegitimacy.

- Her husband, Thomas Despenser, as ambitious and self-seeking as the rest. 

And what of Constance? Tradition says that she equalled her family in ambition and treachery, involving herself in every twist and turn of their conspiracies. History has damned her as a 'thoroughly bad lot'. Enjoying recognition at the vivid Court of Richard II, Constance could not accept the fall from grace that came with his overthrow and death. Thus her life became vicious and unprincipled, devoted to revenge, to restore her family's influence.

But was Constance as black as history paints her? Here we peek behind the tapestries and spy into her life more closely. Product of an affectionless family, committed to a loveless marriage, Constance's life was emotionally barren. No victim, she chose to live in an man's world and involve herself in her family's quest for power. That is until she fell in love, with all the possibilities of change and happiness. Unless Constance threw away her chances of fulfilment. Unless her lover abandoned her. 

This is tale of treachery, that is true, but also of thwarted ambitions and betrayed love. It highlights the influence that a woman could use, but also the limits on that influence in the medieval world. Constance was a woman of misplaced loyalties but must be admired for her steadfast support of those who demanded her duty. The ultimate betrayal by Constance's lover brought her heartbreak and loneliness. 

How could I possibly resist writing about her, bringing her to life? Constance is not an easy heroine, but she presents a formidable protagonist in A Tapestry of Treason.

Huge thanks to Anne for  being our guest author today and for sharing her thoughts about Constance of York.

A Tapestry of Treason

HQ
22 August 2019

About the Author

Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in history at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history.

She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth century timber framed cottage in the depths of the welsh marches in Hertfordshire the borders between England and Wales.

Website 

Facebook

Twitter @anne_obrien #TapestryofTreason

Amazon UK

You can read my book review of A Tapestry of Treason by clicking here 

Hist Fic Saturday ~ A Tapestry of Treason by Anne O'Brien

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to...1399

HQ
22 August 2019

My thanks to the author for my proof copy of this book

Her actions could make history – but at what price?

1399: Constance of York, Lady Despenser, proves herself more than a mere observer in the devious intrigues of her magnificently dysfunctional family, The House of York

Surrounded by power-hungry men, including her aggressively self-centred husband Thomas and ruthless siblings Edward and Richard, Constance places herself at the heart of two treasonous plots against King Henry IV. Will it be possible for this Plantagenet family to safeguard its own political power by restoring either King Richard II to the throne, or the precarious Mortimer claimant?

Although the execution of these conspiracies will place them all in jeopardy, Constance is not deterred, even when the cost of her ambition threatens to overwhelm her. Even when it endangers her new-found happiness.

With treason, tragedy, heartbreak and betrayal, this is the story of a woman ahead of her time, fighting for herself and what she believes to be right in a world of men.

What did I think about it..

The richness of A Tapestry of Treason is as sumptuous as anything that ever graced the walls of a medieval castle. Lovingly stitched by an author who continues to bring fascinating life to the forgotten women of our history. 

Constance of York was born into a vainglorious and deeply ambitious family whose familial connection to Edward III places them close enough to royalty to always be a threat. It is their unwavering allegiance to Richard II which will prove to be disastrous when in 1399 their cousin Henry IV usurps Richard’s crown inciting the York’s do all they can to restore Richard back to power.

A clever blending of fact and fiction brings the mercurial medieval court of Henry IV to life. Filled with political intrigue and deadly ambition, Constance discovers that despite her cunning and formidable ability she is always at the mercy of men who would exploit and deceive her. Despite an uneasy marriage to Thomas, Lord Despenser, Constance is never far from political intrigue and her uncompromising personality and her capacity to be drawn into scandal is what makes this account of her life such a fascinating read. That Constance is a worthy heroine is in no doubt, her life reads like a modern day reality show, and yet, by the end of the novel I couldn't help but have enormous respect for the trials she endured during her life in which her undoubted charisma, tenacity and sheer strength of will are tested to the absolute limits.

Beautifully written and impeccably researched, A Tapestry of Treason is another absolute triumph of a novel from an author who allows us, with her clever words and vivid imagery, to experience life in medieval England. We stand shoulder to shoulder with those strong and decisive women who forged our history, not armed with crossbows on the battlefields of Europe, but who, in draughty anterooms and dusty solar, could be found cleverly plotting and deftly weaving together the tapestry threads of  conspiracy, intrigue and deadly danger.

 A Tapestry of Treason is published in hardback and ebook on the 22nd August by HQ and is available to pre-order

About the Author

by kind permission of the author

In 2019 Anne O'Brien celebrates ten years of giving voice to the forgotten women of history

Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in history at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history.

She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth century timber framed cottage in the depths of the welsh marches in Hertfordshire the borders between England and Wales.

Website 

Facebook

Twitter @anne_obrien #ATapestryofTreason

Hist Fic Saturday ~ Anne O'Brien

On Hist Fic Saturday I am excited to welcome back to the blog 

best-selling historical fiction writer

Anne O'Brien

Anne's latest book Queen of the North is due to be published on the 31st of May by HQ and I am thrilled that she has taken the time out of her busy pre-publication schedule to talk to me about why she writes historical fiction.

Why I write historical novels by Anne O'Brien

My most vivid  memories of childhood are those when I visited historical monuments.  My father was a keen historian so holidays were spent in ruined abbeys and castles, iron age hill forts, roman villas and stately homes.  His enthusiasm was contagious.  I loved the atmosphere, the sense of stepping back into the past.  Sometimes the vibes were so strong that they remain with me to this day.  The floodlit plainsong shivering through the ruins of Fountains Abbey.  A cold wind-swept day on Hadrian's Wall, the rain beating down.  The winding staircases in Caernarvon Castle, leading up to dramatic views. 

But what about the people who lived there?

I am now privileged to write about the lives of these people from the past, to recreate as far as it is possible their lifestyle, their relationships and the influences that made them into dynamic characters.  I have chosen to write about medieval women, because it seemed to me that they were given so little time and space in most history books.  Mostly they are a brief paragraph, or sometimes simply a footnote.  It pleases me to bring them from the shadows into the spotlight, to clothe their skeletons and make them rounded individuals with emotions and opinions.  History does not often open this door for us.  It is my pleasure to do so.

Even more enjoyable is to put them into  their place in history.  What is happening in the world around these women of the medieval court, and how does it affect the lives they lead?   While their menfolk are negotiating, fighting, killing and being killed, manipulating for political gain, what are the women doing?  These were intelligent women, often well educated, from powerful families   History might not give us their thoughts and words, except for the few women who were writing, but I am certain that they had them, as I am certain that they were not silent when their families were torn apart by uprising and treachery.  We should be able to enjoy these women in all their complexity.  That is why I write historical novels.

So why did I choose to write about Elizabeth Mortimer?  Her husband played a far more important role than she did.  Here's the reason why she has joined the panoply of my historical heroines.

 

Some of my favourite scenes in Shakespeare are those in Henry IV Part One between the magnificent Hotspur and Lady Kate (Elizabeth).  It is a relationship full of politics and power, one of conflict of personality and also of flirtation, of love and affection.  As a couple they are very appealing and dominate the scenes in which they appear.

Hotspur, Sir Henry Percy and heir to the Earl of Northumberland, was such a vivid, mercurial, glamorous figure in our history.  The perfect hero.  Brave and courageous, winning glory on the battlefield, he was also flawed, bringing his own downfall.  He was more than tempting to write about.  But what about Lady Kate?  If I continued to follow my passion to write about medieval women, looking at history from a woman's viewpoint, who was she?  Had she anything of importance to add to the medieval scene?  Would she be a suitable heroine to give depth to a novel?

Historically Lady Kate was not Kate at all, but was Elizabeth Mortimer, one of the powerful Mortimer family that ruled over the Welsh Marches where I now live.  I am surrounded by Mortimer castles, so immediately Elizabeth was of interest to me.  Great-grand-daughter of King Edward III, Elizabeth inherited royal Plantagenet blood through her mother Philippa, daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence, King Edward III's second surviving son.  This placed Elizabeth in the very centre of the struggle for power from the Mortimer claimants to the English throne, after the death of Richard II and the usurpation by King Henry IV.  All royal cousins, this would be another compelling family saga of power and treason, of betrayal and death.  The Mortimer Earls of March had a strong claim to the throne even if it was through the female line.

Even better, Elizabeth's story would also draw in a whole spectrum of exciting characters.  Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, cunning and ambitious, determined to keep Percy hands on the reins of power in the north of England.  Owain Glyn Dwr, the great Welsh Prince, driven to take up arms in his struggle for Welsh hegemony.  King Henry IV, the Lancaster king, fighting hard to stabilize a dangerously uneasy country after the death of Richard II.  And then Thomas de Camoys, a most sympathetic character who played a large part in The Queens Choice.  What a marvellous set of characters to engage with, not to mention Hotspur himself.

So why was I compelled to write about Elizabeth?  Because of her Mortimer blood, she was a woman who deliberately took on the role of traitor in support of her nephew Edmund, Earl of March.  She would know at first hand the resulting struggle between family loyalty and a desire to pursue what she saw as the rightful claim to the crown of England, despite all the pain it would bring her.  She would also learn the constraints on her freedom,  common to all medieval women.  It is a story of loss and acceptance, of love and tragedy.  How could I resist such a marvellous tale?

Such is history, and why I write it.  The stories are better than any I could make up, not least the one that is unfolded in Queen of the North.

HQ
31 May 2018

1399:

A year of great upheaval in England.

England’s crown is under threat.

King Richard II's hold on power is undermined when exiled Henry, Duke of Lancaster, returns to reclaim his inheritance and ultimately the throne.

For Elizabeth Mortimer the succession is clouded with doubt.  With King Richard dead in Pontefract Castle, there is only one rightful King by the law of inheritance – her eight-year-old nephew Edmund, Earl of March.

But many, including Elizabeth’s husband, the mercurial Sir Henry Percy known as Hotspur, heir to the Earl of Northumberland, do not want another child-King.

Questioning her loyalty to the new King Henry, Elizabeth places herself in conflict with Hotspur and the powerful Percy family, but to concede to Henry's claim challenges all her Mortimer principles.

This is one woman’s quest to turn history on its head.

A tale of love and loyalty, of tragedy and betrayal.

Will Elizabeth be prepared to pay the cost of personal and family ambition?

Huge thanks to Anne for being such a lovely guest and for sharing her love of historical fiction with us.

Queen of the North will be available to buy from all good book stores on the 31st May 2018


You can read my book review here

Amazon UK

Find out more about Anne on her website and Facebook

Follow on Twitter @anne_obrien #QueenoftheNorth

Review ~ Queen of the North by Anne O'Brien

HQ
31 May 2018

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me 

What's it all about ..

1399: England’s crown is under threat. King Richard II holds onto his power by an ever-weakening thread, with exiled Henry of Lancaster back to reclaim his place on the throne.

For Elizabeth Mortimer, there is only one rightful King – her eight-year-old nephew, Edmund. Only he can guarantee her fortunes, and protect her family’s rule over the precious Northern lands bordering Scotland.

But many, including Elizabeth’s husband, do not want another child-King. Elizabeth must hide her true ambitions in Court, and go against her husband’s wishes to help build a rebel army.

To question her loyalty to the King places Elizabeth in the shadow of the axe.

To concede would curdle her Plantagenet blood.

My thoughts about it..

When Henry of Lancaster usurped the throne from Richard II in 1399, it was a far from amicable take-over of power, as it opened the country to the possibility of counter claims to the English crown. Elizabeth Mortimer is married to Henry Percy, the heir to the earldom of Northumberland, better known in history as the volatile and impetuous 'Hotspur', and even though Percy's involvement in English politics results in danger and uncertainty, it is through Elizabeth’s Mortimer connection to royalty where the real challenge comes, as Elizabeth is determined to see that her young nephew, Edmund Mortimer, pursues his legitimate claim to the English throne.

What then follows is a gripping story of politics, ambition and thwarted power which has its foothold firmly established in the unsettled atmosphere of a country which has been divided, not just by the political ambitions of people who merely wanted power for the sake of power, but also from those game players who truly believed that right was on their side.

Into this incredibly masculine world of control and authority, Elizabeth tries to make her voice heard and it is thanks to the skill of this talented writer that she comes to life in such a realistic and positive way. All too often the important women of history are side-lined by their sexier and more powerful male counterparts, and yet, as is so often the case, the women who endured and who worked surreptitiously in the background often had huge influence on the way that events eventually played out.

The author writes with passion and authority deftly bringing medieval England alive in all of its convoluted glory. There are plots and counter plots, meetings with the Welsh Prince, Owain Glyn Dwr, and time spent at the spectacular Northumberland castles of Alnwick and Warkworth and through all of the political maneuverings, Elizabeth Mortimer comes across a determined and hugely intelligent woman who felt that she and her family had grievances aplenty against a king who was, quite simply, not listening. That it doesn't bode well for Henry Percy is enshrined in history but what Queen of the North gives us so vividly is Elizabeth's interpretation of events as they unfolded during the momentous years between 1399 and 1408.

Mixing historical fact with fiction is a difficult challenge especially as so little is documented historically about Elizabeth Mortimer and yet, the author has succeeded really well in bringing her entirely to life, and gives Elizabeth a clear voice which is as bright and distinctive as the woman herself.

About the Author

Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in history at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull. She lived in the East Riding for many years where she taught history.

Leaving teaching-but not her love of history-Anne turned to writing and her passion for giving voice to the oft forgotten women of the medieval era was born. Today Anne lives in an eighteenth century cottage in Herefordshore, an area steeped in history and full of inspiration for her work.

 Website 

 Facebook 

Twitter @anne_obrien #QueenoftheNorth

Queen of the North will be published on the 31st May 2018 by HQ

First Remembered Read ~ Historical Novel

Those of us who read, and who are influenced by books, tend to squirrel away our memories of all the stories we have read over the years. 

And yet, there is always that one special book tucked away in the far corner of your mind which reminds you just why you love reading so much…

During July and August I've invited a few friends to share their First Remembered Read..

I'm thrilled to welcome to Jaffareadstoo

Anne O'Brien, author of The Shadow Queen

The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes

As a young reader, in that difficult transition between child and adult - no YA in those days - I picked up a book in my local library called The Passionate Brood. It was the cover that took my eye: two knight jousting with all the colour of heraldry, of banners and pavilions and ladies watching their knights fight for the glory of victory in the tournament. I doubt it was very accurate but the image appealed. I also remember my mother looking askance at the title - we were far more innocent in those distant days - but the book came home with me.

It is a Plantagenet story of the family of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, particularly of King Richard I, packed with all the romantic elements of high chivalry. It is also unashamedly romantic in bringing Berengaria onto the scene, as well as the character of Robin Hood. And I loved it. The elegant style and marvellous detail brought these characters to life, even though they lived more than six hundred years ago. They were real and engaged my emotions, living with me in all their passion, their loyalties and betrayals, as I devoured the book. Their conversations drew me in to their joys and their sorrows. I wept with Berengaria when King Richard met his death at the end. 

At that time it did not matter to me that there was no evidence for the romance, or for these particular origins of Robin Hood. The world that The Passionate Brood opened for me was simply magical. It has never lost its fascination.

HQ
2017

Susan Grossey, author of Portraits of Pretence

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

I have no doubt at all that this book ignited my love of hiding away in the past, and I quickly graduated to Goudge’s historical fiction for adults – a full collection of which I was thrilled to find on my mother’s bookshelves. My mother died when I was ten, and having this shared love of a particular novelist means a great deal to me.

I re-read “The Little White Horse” every year, and also at times of stress as I find it reliably calming and reassuring. I made the mistake of recommending it to a book club, and they tore it to shreds, pointing out the clumsy religious imagery which had gone – indeed, still goes – right over my head. I learnt from this and have avoided both the “Moonacre” television series and the film “The Secret of Moonacre”, which are based on the novel, in case things are not as I have always pictured them in my imagination. I once saw a very handsome hardcover edition in a bookshop, but nothing would tempt me away from my much-sellotaped, worm-eaten little paperback.

CreateSpace
2017

Huge thanks to Anne and Susan for sharing the memories 

of their First Historical Read with me today.

Next week : My First Horror Novel

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Review ~ The Shadow Queen by Anne O'Brien

HQ
4 May 2017

What's it all about ..

A tale of treachery, power-hungry families and legal subterfuges.

Woven through it is a remarkable story of a beautiful girl, desirable as a bride, growing to be a woman of foresight and power.

A story of love and loyalty and of the cost of personal ambition. The story of the woman who would ultimately wield power as the King Mother to 10 year old King Richard II.


What did I think about it ..

If Joan of Kent had been alive today she would most certainly have been one of those people who the press would have had enormous amount of fun pursuing. Secretly married at twelve, bigamously married at fifteen and then, righteously remarried at twenty-one to the man she first married at twelve, only to be widowed, and then remarried to the heir to the English throne. Well, they do say that truth is stranger than fiction…

In The Shadow Queen, Anne O’Brien has once again given us a story of a little known member of the English royal family. Born on the periphery of the royal household, and a princess in her own right, Joan of Kent was never going to approach life by taking the easy option. Her abiding love for Thomas Holland, a minor knight, was to set to last despite her mother’s best efforts to ignore it and even, Joan’s bigamous marriage to William Montagu, a match that would, in effect, unite two prosperous branches of the English aristocracy, was doomed from the start.

Beautifully written and impeccably researched by a historical fiction writer who is absolutely at the top of her game, The Shadow Queen allows the little known story of Joan of Kent, to come alive in a truly exciting way. Filled with intrigue and dark with secrets, the story is both romantic and adventurous and this novel shows just how much scheming and plotting went on at the very heart of the medieval English court.

Joan is shown to be very much a woman who knows her own mind, she is both forthright and outspoken in an age when women who so often influenced by men who sought to control them. She is a feisty heroine, sharp, shrewd and a clever manipulator both in terms of her personal life and also in the way that she seemed determined to control rather than be controlled. Her later marriage to Edward, Prince of Wales, who we know from history as the Black Prince, is shown in a rather special way, and I particularly enjoyed seeing how their relationship, in the shadow of the crown, played out.

I devoured the book in quick time as, even when I had put the book down to grab a cup of tea, I was always eager to return to the fourteenth century and to the world of knights and jousts, war and intrigue, love and lust. Back to the story of a warm hearted heroine so beautifully brought to life by this clever author.

So intrigued was I by Joan’s story that I was encouraged to find out more about her first husband, Thomas Holland, and to my delight I discovered that Thomas, a minor knight was born in Up Holland, Lancashire, which is an area I know well as it is just a few miles from where I live. 

I love it when history comes alive on the page and in the hands of this talented author I  know that I am always guaranteed a good story, well told.

Best Read with..a glass of spiced wine and small bowl of sweet comfits...

About the Author

Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in history at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull. she lived in the East Riding for many years where she taught history.

Leaving teaching-but not her love of history-Anne turned to writing and her passion for giving voice to the oft forgotten women of the medieval era was born. Today Anne lives in an eighteenth century cottage in Herefordshore, an area steeped in history and full of inspiration for her work.

You can discover more about Anne on her website on Facebook and Twitter @anne_obrien #TheShadowQueen

Read a tantalising extract from The Shadow Queen  by clicking here...

My thanks to Bethan at edpr  and to HQ books for sending a copy of The Shadow Queen to read in advance of its publication on the 4th May 2017

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Blog Tour ~ The Shadow Queen by Anne O'Brien

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the Blog Tour 

for

The Shadow Queen by Anne O'Brien

The Shadow Queen by Anne O’Brien is published on 4th May by HQ (£12.99 hardback)

A tale of treachery, power-hungry families and legal subterfuges.

Woven through it is a remarkable story of a beautiful girl, desirable as a bride, growing to be a woman of foresight and power.

A story of love and loyalty and of the cost of personal ambition. The story of the woman who would ultimately wield power as the King Mother to 10 year old King Richard II.

I am delighted top be able to share this tantalising extract from The Shadow Queen...

I took a breath.

William scowled.

I swallowed and spoke out.

'There is an impediment to this marriage.'

How strong and clear my voice sounded as I launched the statement into the confines of the room, like a fire arrow winging its destructive path over a besieged castle wall to bury itself in a thatched roof of the stabling, with instant conflagration. A statement that would change everything. That would bring ire and retribution down on my head.

I saw Will flush to the roots of his tawny hair. Well, he could not complain. I had done what I said I would do.

'An impediment?' For the first time throughout all that discussion, my uncle Wake's regard fell fully on me, and without approbation. His voice acquired a rough edge. 'What ill-judged nonsense is this? Of course there is no impediment. Have we not studied the lines of descent of our two families with care? There is no connection between us. There is no complication of consanguinity.' He glanced across at Countess Catherine, an assured smile replacing the severe lines. 'As the Countess knows, there is no obstacle to this marriage.'

'What are you thinking, Joan? This is no time for misplaced levity.' My mother tried to sound amused, and failed.

'It is a highly desirable,' Sir Thomas continued, riding roughshod over any objections that anyone might raise. He thought that I had raised my voice because I did not like Will. Did not like him well enough to wed him. How little he knew of me, to think that I would be guided by so trivial a matter of who I liked or did not like. He did not know me at all.

Taking a cup of wine and emptying it in one gulp, my uncle was saying: 'What could be more comfortable for you than our disposition of your future.' He repeated the decisions, as if I had not heard them for myself. 'You have known each other since childhood. You will both continue to live in the royal household until you are of an age to set up your own establishment. You will receive money necessary to do so. What is there not to like? I'm sure the King will settle a castle on you for your household. There can be no impediment.'

Countess Catherine looked across at her son. 'Have you argued? Is that the problem? Arguments are soon mended.' And then regarding me as she was want to do in the past when I was an errant child who had defied her. 'I am sure that you have a kind nature, Joan. There will be no rift with my son.'

Yes, indeed, as if I were a child who affections could be commanded.

I was no child.

'No, Sir Thomas, my lady, madam my mother.' I curtsied once more. 'I like William well enough. And I think he likes me. There has been no disagreement.'

I had to do it. If I didn't, Will most assuredly would. He was already moving his feet as if finding secure ground to launch his accusation.

I spoke calmly, with faux assurance.

'I cannot marry William. I am already married. I already have a husband.'

If I had ever dreamed of making an impact on a busy room, this was it. Silence fell. The only sound the priest, who, still writing, promptly dropped his pen with a soft flutter to land on the birds and flowers that adorned the painted tiles. I watched the expressions form and change. My mother astounded, then full of recrimination. My uncle expressing disbelief, quickly subsumed into fury. Lady Elizabeth and her daughter in law both simply perplexed. The priest also full of anxious puzzlement. The servants with their silver flagons and ears pricked for any tasty morsel had been struck into immobility. And Will - William! - full of unholy joy at the debacle I had just created.

'You should know,' I added, 'that I have been married for more than six months. Since April of this year.'

'You do not know what you say.'

My mother took one long step to seize my wrist in her hand. It was not a gentle grasp.

'But I do know, madam. And I have witnesses to my marriage.'

'And who is this husband, of whom we know nothing?' My uncle Wake, his brow thunderous.

I must of course tell them.

'My husband is Thomas Holland. Sir Thomas Holland. A knight in the royal household. You all know him well.'

And in that moment a species of black anger shook me. For my husband of six months had wilfully abandoned me to face this situation alone.

About the Author

Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in history at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull. she lived in the East Riding for many years where she taught history.

Leaving teaching-but not her love of history-Anne turned to writing and her passion for giving voice to the oft forgotten women of the medieval era was born. Today Anne lives in an eighteenth century cottage in Herefordshore, an area steeped in history and full of inspiration for her work.

You can discover more about Anne on her website on Facebook and Twitter @anne_obrien #TheShadowQueen

My thanks to Bethan at edpr for the invitation to be part of this blog tour and also for the kind permission to share this extract.

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Review ~ The Queen's Choice by Anne O'Brien

Harelequin
MIRA
January 2016

The Queen's Choice opens in 1396, when Joanna of Navarre, already the cherished wife of John de Montfort, Duke of Brittany, meets Henry, Earl of Derby for the first time at the wedding of Richard II to his six year old child bride, Isabella of Valois. Whilst fate decreed that Joanna and Henry would meet at this time, it would be several years before a momentous marriage between them would propel them both into the annals of English history.

Henry, known as Bolingbroke and later, Henry IV, had an uneasy connection with his first cousin Richard II, and even though they were brought up together as children, their troubled relationship would eventually end in a power struggle, which would tear England apart at the seams. In 1399 when Joanna's first husband dies, she is given the responsibly of ruling Brittany until her eldest son comes of age, it’s a challenge that Joanna is more than a match for and yet, an undeniable attraction exists between Joanna and Henry, now Henry IV. When delegates from England attempt to woo Joanna on Henry’s behalf, she has a huge decision to make, either to stay in Brittany with her children, or leave France forever in order to start a new life with a man she knows very little about. There were huge political and personal pitfalls to overcome for both Joanna and Henry and the troubled times in which they lived meant that life was never going to run smoothly for either of them.

The author writes about strong and decisive women with such conviction and uses considerable research to really bring her characters to life. Joanna is shown to be a complex woman with hopes and dreams, and yet, she also both resilient and vulnerable in equal measure. The love story between the royal couple is tender and passionate, but there is never a moment when some higher game of political spin is not being carried out. And such was the emotional pull of the novel that I was irresistibly drawn into royal court life of the early fifteenth century, taken back to a dangerous time when a deadly game of thrones was being carried out in the schemes and machinations of powerful men. 

Anne O’Brien writes the type of historical fiction I love to read. Beautifully written, impeccably researched and with a wonderful richness which truly brings history alive on the page. Without doubt, those royal women who have been so long overlooked have finally found their voice in the writing of this talented author.

Best Read with…. A silver gilt ewer of good Rhenish wine and a platter of preserved plums, sticky with syrup ..

About the author

Find Anne on her website

Visit her on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @anne_obrien

Amazon UK

Read a guest post by Anne here

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me and also to the team at ed public relations and to Mira for my copy of this book

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Blog Tour ~ The Queen's Choice by Anne O'Brien

I am delighted to be involved in this exciting Blog Tour

The Queen's Choice is published in Hardback on the 14th January by Mira Books

   

October 1396. Attending the marriage of Richard II, King of England, Joanna of Navarre encounters Henry Bolingbroke, the Earl of Derby. Their attraction is immediate and mutual, despite Joanna’s marriage to the much older John, Duke of Brittany.

Several years later, Henry has been crowned King of England having overthrown the tyrannical Richard, and the recently widowed Joanna is surprised to receive a proposal of marriage from him. To accept means losing her sons, and abandoning her Regency of Brittany, but unable to discard her still-strong feelings for Henry, Joanna reluctantly agrees.

I am delighted that Anne O'Brien has written this very special guest post for Jaffareadstoo. 

Wooing By Proxy

A Medieval Love Story

In February 1400, Joanna of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany and newly widowed, wrote this letter, in her own hand, to King Henry IV of England.  It was within five months of Henry becoming King of England in September 1399 and within three months of the death of John Duke of Brittany, Joanna's husband, on 1st November 1399.

My most dear and honoured lord and cousin,

Forasmuch as I am eager to hear of your good estate - which may our Lord make as good as your noble heart can desire, and as good as I could wish for you - I pray my most dear and most honoured lord and cousin that you would tell me often of the certainty of it, for the great comfort and gladness of my heart.  For when ever I am able to hear a good account of you, my heart rejoices exceedingly.  And if of your courtesy you would like to hear the same from over here - thank you - at the time of writing my children and I are all in good health (thanks be to God and may he grant the same to you) as Joanna de Bavelen, who is bringing these letters to you, can explain more plainly ... and if anything will please you that I am able to do over here, I pray you to let me know: and I will accomplish it with a very good heart according to my power.  My most dear and honoured lord and cousin, I pray the holy Ghost that he will have you in his keeping.

Written at Vannes, 15th February, the duchess of Brittany.

What do we make of this letter?  

It is friendly in tone, warmly considerate, and obviously in reply to an earlier letter from Henry to Joanna, enquiring about her health and that of her children.  It is deeply courteous and has strong religious references.  What is clear is that it is not simply a letter between one ruler and another (Joanna was Regent of Brittany for her young son at the time).  It may not be a love letter in the accepted sense, but it is certainly more than a diplomatic missive.

So what was their relationship in February 1400?

We know that Joanna and Henry had met previously and probably on more than one occasion, since through her mother, Jeanne de Valois, a French Princess, Joanna was closely connected with the French royal family.  Certainly Henry and Joanna would have been in the same group of high-blooded nobility at the marriage of Richard II and the six year old Isabelle de Valois at Calais in 1396.  Most probably they also met when Duke John was made a Knight of the Garter at Windsor in April 1398.  We know that Joanna attended this celebration with her husband.  There is also a high probability that they met when Henry was in exile in France after Richard accused him of treason. Froissart says the John of Brittany lent Henry ships to return to England.  Although this seems unlikely since Henry landed with few personal followers at Ravenspur, and with no foreign troops, it does suggest that there was a connection between Henry and the Brittany household.

Were Joanna and Henry attracted to each other from these early meetings?  Both were mature, respectable people in their early thirties rather than young and foolish, both with their own growing families, and both with a reputation for piety.  Was there any impropriety between them?  There is certainly no evidence of this.  Joanna's husband might be more than twenty years older than she, but their marriage appears to have been built on strong affection and respect.  But whatever the truth of it, the attraction between Henry and Joanna was strong enough to cause these letters to be written once Joanna was widowed.

How many such letters passed between them?  

We have no idea.  If they were all of this nature, it was definitely a lukewarm wooing, and yet events leading to their marriage were immediately set into motion.  Three months after Duke John's death Joanna sent ambassadors to Henry's court.  By March 1402 a papal Bull had been obtained to allow their marriage (they were related within the degrees of prohibited consanguinity) and in April of the same year Joanna was married by proxy to Henry at Eltham Palace, witnessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and some of Henry's closest friends.  Her ambassador, John Rhys, stood in for her as the bride.  Finally Joanna travelled to England, met with Henry in Exeter and their marriage took place at Winchester in February 1403.  During all this time they did not meet once, until Henry travelled to welcome her in Exeter.

So we are still left to ponder whether this was a love match, conducted at a distance, or not.  Certainly on first glance there were few advantage to this marriage, and many stumbling blocks to it ever coming to fruition.  War was once more looming between England and France.  The prospect of Joanna's marriage to the King of England would find no favour with all her Valois uncles and cousins at the French court.  Furthermore it would undermine her own power in  Brittany.  Joanna could not expect to remain Regent of Brittany as well as Queen of England.  She would also, as it happened, be forced to give custody of her sons into the care of the Duke of Burgundy and leave them behind.

For Henry, the ongoing trading disputes between English and Breton merchants were sufficiently keen to make this proposed marriage alliance unpopular with parliament, but  there was an advantage for Henry if he could achieve an important bride.  It would be no bad thing for him to have such a well connected woman as his wife, given the fact that he had just usurped the English crown.  Henry was intent on improving his European status.

So what is the outcome for us?  

We are still left with little evidence to get below the surface of this very adult relationship.  What we can surmise is that their courtship was conducted by 'go-betweens', such as the lady Joanna de Bavelen, by word of mouth.  What was not written down could not be used in evidence against them.  When Henry's Royal Council asked the purpose of the Navarrese ambassadors at the English court, all Henry would say was that they would be informed in due course. 

All in all, their desire to marry was strong enough to bring them together after three years of being apart.  It was strong enough for Joanna to leave her country, her power and her sons, to be with Henry.  And so I like to think that it was a love affair: a very private, understated emotion.  They remained very close until Henry's death ten years later, putting aside war and insurrection to spend every Christmas together, usually at Eltham Palace.  Sadly, although both with large families from their previous marriages, they had no children together.

Tomb of Henry IV and Joanna in Canterbury Catherdral

Finally, have we indeed lost more of these letters? 

 I am sure that we have.  In Joanna's personal possessions, confiscated when she was imprisoned for witchcraft in the reign of Henry V, there was a pen case and a silver-gilt inkhorn engraved with the words 'God make us goode men.'  Was this a gift from Henry, to keep him in her mind as Joanna wrote to him, even though they were apart for so long?  It is a gift that seems to fit their temperaments very well. 

A nice thought.

©Anne O'Brien

January 2015

ANNE O’BRIEN was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master’s in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years where she taught History. Leaving teaching – but not her love of history – Anne turned to novel writing and her passion for giving voice to the oft forgotten women of the medieval era was born. Today Anne lives in an eighteenth-century cottage in Herefordshire, an area steeped in history and full of inspiration for her work.

Find Anne on her website
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Huge thanks to Anne for her fascinating insight into this most enigmatic of royal couples and also to Sophie at ED public relations for her help with this Blog Tour. 

Do visit the other stops on the tour.

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