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The Queens of Love and War: The Fatal Crown, Beloved Enemy, and Gilded Cages

Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, Queen of France and eventually Queen of England, she is well educated, politically savvy, she is a force to be reckoned with. Beloved Enemy concludes with Eleanor leaving at the height of her power, to go back to Aquitaine, angry at Henry for his infidelities. Gilded Cages, the final book in the trilogy, picks up wehre Beloved Enemy leaves off, and includes the most tumultuous times of Henry's rein.

His children are angry at him because he wasn't share power after foolishly crowning his eldest son King of England while Henry was still alive , his old friend Thomas a' Becket turns against him after being made Bishop of Canterbury, his son Richard hates him All three books are full of intrigue, passion, political plotting, romance Eleanor is a well documented woman, and her story makes wonderful telling. My only complaint with the books are that Jones seems to have included off of the most salacious rumors about Eleanor, which sort of demeans the historical integrity and at times reads more like a romance novel.

For those who are well read about Eleanor, this is a distraction. Nevertheless, it's a wonderful trilogy, well written, interesting, exciting, and a very painless way to learn about two of the most fascinating women in history. May 18, Heather rated it it was amazing. I will be honest. Knowing the names and knowing the history are two different things.

May I say what an exquisite way to learn history? Now, I know that these books are fiction, in a way, but the majority of the characters existed in history, a lot of the rumors th I will be honest.

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Now, I know that these books are fiction, in a way, but the majority of the characters existed in history, a lot of the rumors that these stories are written around have been passed down from history. Ellen Jones took all of those moments and wove these intricate tales of intrigue and romance and deceit and conspiracies and it was amazing how it all lined up with the major events in history. How do I know they lined up with history? I kept spoiler alerting myself. I had to Google all the characters and read their actual history. Bummed myself out when I found out the ending to their story before I got to that part in the book.

During a lot of the book I was thinking how lucky I was to be born in my time and not back then. Though, I think my parents were stricter than my friends. I loved the other two books as well, but that one pulled at my heart the most. It is wonderful reading though. It took me about six days to read it but I read really fast. Now that I am done with that, as much as I enjoyed it, and as much as I want to see if Ellen Jones has more books out, I need a little light, fluffy, happy reading next.

Diana rated it liked it Nov 15, Erin rated it liked it Jun 27, Nadine Harrington rated it really liked it Jan 12, Diana Prallon rated it it was amazing Jan 25, Sarah rated it liked it Sep 12, Jackie Taylor rated it really liked it Jul 22, Jazz Compton rated it it was ok Mar 15, Linda Miller rated it it was amazing Jan 10, Anna Almazan-Osmundson rated it it was amazing Sep 14, Elizabeth Gibson rated it it was amazing Oct 06, Valerie Latona Machemer rated it really liked it Oct 08, Kathleen rated it it was amazing Jul 26, Margaret Sweet rated it really liked it Nov 01, Lorin Carter rated it really liked it Mar 05, Jan 02, Heather rated it it was ok.

Tremendous potential, a nearly satisfying "what if" story of Matilda and Stephen. I don't mind the liberty being taken to suggest their deeper relationship, I just found myself longing for more than the shade and brillance of Matilda's hair repeated over and over and over again. There were good guts in this imagined play of events and some very sturdy structure to the story, complete with historical tidbits. I just had higher hopes for this to really dig in and follow through instead of leaning Tremendous potential, a nearly satisfying "what if" story of Matilda and Stephen. I just had higher hopes for this to really dig in and follow through instead of leaning on the "paperback romance" crutch.

It was enjoyable for someone not reaching too high or looking for the depth and breadth of something in the style of Margaret George and the like. There hasn't been enough written about Matilda Maud and with Helen Castor's recent work through the "She Wolves" novel, there seems to be an open door for this subject. Oct 07, Maria Logan-Montgomery rated it it was amazing.

Maud was one of the first women to encounter the glass ceiling when, following her only legitimate brother's death, her father, King Henry I, named her as his successor. Kings were allowed mistresses and illegitimate offspring, but queens were expected to be faithful. It was the only way to ensure the "purity" of the royal bloodline. The book contains a little sex, a lot of romance, and is rife with political intrigue.

That is, women who were crowned queen simply because they were married to a king. Married against her will at age 9 to the Holy Roman Emperor of Germany, a man her father's age, Maud begged not to be sent away from home. Fourteen years later, after the death of the Emperor, Maud was summoned home by her father. On seeing each other again, both Maud and the married Stephen felt the pull of attraction. Stephen's brother, a bishop who wanted to become Archbishop of Canterbury, was instrumental in pitting the lovers against each other in seeking the crown.

Stephen eventually was crowned king, but was ineffective and a poor manager of money, almost breaking the kingdom. After the death of his son, Eustace, Maud revealed to Stephen that her son, Henry, was also his son. This was the Norman-Angevin dynasty. This was also a time when people did not have surnames.

Geoffrey's grandson, Henry III, believed by most at the time to be his direct descendant, was the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am anxious to read more by this author. Jones admits to taking a bit of license with the calendar to fit it to her story, but the book is otherwise true to history. Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

Henry I dies and there is not clear heir — lots of fighting ensues. Second complaint — there is too much sex in this book. Third complaint — this book felt like it too forever to read. Feb 28, Nightwitch rated it liked it Shelves: A pleasant enough historical romance; the author has clearly done her research - and infodumps just so we know it - but has chosen as her subject a frustratingly inaccurate romance: I have always assumed the rumors of their affair spawned from the fact that view spoiler [Stephen made Matilda's son his heir despite the fact that he still had a kid of his own - although politically and com A pleasant enough historical romance; the author has clearly done her research - and infodumps just so we know it - but has chosen as her subject a frustratingly inaccurate romance: I have always assumed the rumors of their affair spawned from the fact that view spoiler [Stephen made Matilda's son his heir despite the fact that he still had a kid of his own - although politically and common-sensically, that was the only way to stop the multiple decades of civil war which had been ravaging England.

It's a historical romance. Maud is a historical romance heroine, dashing wildly about in the grass with no socks on and proclaiming that she has no interest in the womanly arts. Stephen at least is a historically accurate Cheaty McCheatypants he was married before he and Maud ever met as adults, so yeah.

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This novel should not be listed under 'fiction' but 'fantasy'. Jones made her fiction debut with The Fatal Crown , a historical novel about the twelfth-century British princess Maud. History revealed in believable characters and dialogue. I couldn't decide between 4 and 5 stars, but the ending was good and brought a tear to my eye, plus I thought the epilogue was a nice addition so I awarded it 5 full stars. Jones made her fiction debut with The Fatal Crown , a historical novel about the twelfth-century British princess Maud. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

There are lines like "She would rather be buffeted by the turmoil of the wind and wave than by the turmoil of his touch. There are a bunch of little inaccuracies which make me assume that the author relied on a couple of books from the s for research and, seeing that this was published in , that's probably the case , but nothing too grating. The thing that really bothers me about this kind of historical romance, if I may be blunt, is that on the one hand, the heroine is waving the banner of Anachronistic Feminist - just because I'm a woman I can do anything a man can do!

You are at war with him. That is why he is in a dungeon. Similarly, she doesn't return to her husband because she realizes that the only way to gain power is to garner his military support and produce male heirs; she does it because she's been knocked up by her married boyfriend. Reconfiguring her motivations to make them, at least partially, about a man is basically the opposite of feminist. But that's a larger issue with the whole idea of turning Matilda's story into a historical romance between Matilda and Stephen.

As a romance, it suffers too, because there is really no happy ending, and the characters, historically, went decades without seeing each other. Covering all of the historical high points - which this book definitely does - means that there is a lot of ground to cover. Jun 16, Coleen Dailey rated it really liked it. This novel was an interesting twist on the battle between King Stephen and the Empress Maud for the crown of England. An interesting twist as to the parentage of Henry II. I enjoyed this book, and the details of Maud's life.

Very interesting person in History. Feb 16, Thomas Nelson rated it really liked it Shelves: It has historical merit and was an entertaining enough plot Who can recommend after that amount of time? Feb 21, Paula rated it really liked it Shelves: Great historical romance, I guess, but it seemed a little hard to believe as a historical novel. Mar 06, Janet Richards rated it liked it.

The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones

Mindless reading while I ignore the class in the news. Interesting juxtaposition reading about a chaotic time period in English history. Lots of history with a liberal dose of fictional romance. I love historical fiction based on real characters, and especially those that go far back in time and bring eras entirely mysterious to me to life. I know so little about this time period really, all I know of Maud and Stephen I learned from The Pillars of the Earth , which isn't a lot that I was really excited about learning more.

And as usual I'm not sure how much to believe; I've been taught by The Tudors to expect that the more fantastic the rumour, the more likely it is to be included in t I love historical fiction based on real characters, and especially those that go far back in time and bring eras entirely mysterious to me to life. And as usual I'm not sure how much to believe; I've been taught by The Tudors to expect that the more fantastic the rumour, the more likely it is to be included in the storyline as fact. Not the least of which is, in this case, the premise itself: But it's fun rumour that makes for great fiction.

Plus, I imagine the basic facts are true, so I'll go with it.

Most of all, I appreciate the effort to humanize figures who are little more than names and icons almost a millennium later. Maud's bad decisions are chalked up to naivete and irrational faith in the loyalty of others. Stephen's mercy towards Maud is chalked up to chivalry And this is where historical fiction can help fill in the blanks when everything else is lost to dust and decay. Whether it's accurate, we can't know, but it's fun to speculate.

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I loved that about this book -- how questionable actions were explained with motivations modern readers can relate to. Occasionally the language took me out of it. Also, when Maud gets upset, she goes shopping. In a historically appropriate way, but still. Perhaps there's evidence of her decadence during that time of her life, but it came off a bit silly. As historical romance, The Fatal Crown is going to be a bit disappointing by nature; if it weren't disappointing, it would be far too inaccurate to swallow. As historical fiction, it gets a bit florid.

However, I became absorbed in the world and learned a lot, and I even enjoyed the florid bits, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, accessible glimpse into this era, one that's slightly shorter than The Pillars of the Earth, at least, and with slightly less sex among the infrequently washed.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in conjunction with the Retro Romance reading group on Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review. Fictionalized or not, reading about the way women were used in the royal classes in the very distant Medieval days will set your teeth on edge. This is an account of the life of Maude or the Empress Matilda who lived a very interesting, albeit difficult life in 's Normandy. Married off while still a child, Maude lived in Germany until the death of her much older husband with whom she had a close bond.

The Queens of Love and War: The Fatal Crown, Beloved Enemy, and Gilded Cages

When she is forced to return to Normandy so quickly after her husband's death she was very upset as Germany was where she felt she belonged. Once she is back home she is reunited with her cousin Stephen and a torrid affair begins despite the machinations and politics that surrounds them. It's like seeing a movie based on a true story. If you go back and check the actual facts you will see how the movie is usually vastly different from reality. Often when reading about real people from history and knowing a little about their story it is a little annoying to see an author make up an alternate story around the facts as we know them.

Many are offended by this. So, a word of caution. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. The Miracle at St. The One Thing More. Saraband for Two Sisters. Never Dare a Wicked Earl. The Queen and the Courtesan. Lament for a Lost Lover.

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Why Kill the Innocent. The Girl in the Glass Tower. First of the Tudors. The Witch from the Sea. Twice Upon a Time. The Daughters of England Books 1—3. Curse Not the King.

The Queens of Love and War Series

A Scream of Angels. Upstairs at the White House. Within A Captain's Hold. Who Buries the Dead. Root of the Tudor Rose. Empress of the Night. Promised to the Crown.