In the words of the author, “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a story that Henley masterfully brings to historical romance, a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.
Many women never find one true love;
Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was
much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two
love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual
history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know
it wasn’t fact.
This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John
died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a
brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the
three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon
de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.
When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the
son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved
and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a
negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until
she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and
ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's
sister and thinks to diminish her.
Others are plotting the demise of
William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would
finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is
suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes
a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord,
Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have
her.
There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one
my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the
constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing
England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail
in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply
devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty
tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero
(two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.
The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):
The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century
The Raven and the Rose (1987) - 15th century
The Hawk and the Dove (1988) - 16th century
The Pirate and the Pagan (1990) - 17th century
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