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The Queens of Love and War #1
The Fatal Crown
Against the seething political intrigues of twelfth-century Europe, two royal heirs will surrender to passion as they vie for the most glittering, treacherous prize of the English throne
At nine, Maud, an English princess, was sent to Germany to become the bride of the Holy Roman Emperor—a political alliance with a man her father’s age. At twenty-five, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to fourteen-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud’s fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire. Stephen, a descendant of William the Conqueror, believes absolutely in his God-given right to rule. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. Stephen’s decision will wrench him from the arms of the woman he loves, ignite civil war, and lead to a shattering act of betrayal that, decades later, will come full circle and change the course of English history.
At nine, Maud, an English princess, was sent to Germany to become the bride of the Holy Roman Emperor—a political alliance with a man her father’s age. At twenty-five, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to fourteen-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud’s fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire. Stephen, a descendant of William the Conqueror, believes absolutely in his God-given right to rule. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. Stephen’s decision will wrench him from the arms of the woman he loves, ignite civil war, and lead to a shattering act of betrayal that, decades later, will come full circle and change the course of English history.
560 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
105 people are currently reading
1261 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Jones
58 books31 followersEllen Jones was born in New York City and raised in a family of history teachers and musicians, who exposed her to a variety of ideas, cultures, and lifestyles. After graduating from Bennington College, she spent a few years studying drama in graduate school, which led to her first writing efforts. After getting married and while raising two young children, Jones wrote two plays, one set in eighteenth-century Vermont and the other based on Japanese history. These two works were performed by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth in Hawaii. Jones and her family then moved to England, where she fell in love with London and its colorful history. During her five years in England, Jones was able to explore the country; she also traveled throughout Europe, including a visit to the French region of Aquitaine. Her travels deepened her interest in history and the seeds of her novels began to take root. Jones made her fiction debut with The Fatal Crown (1991), a historical novel about the twelfth-century British princess Maud. This launched Jones’s trilogy about three strong, passionate, and self-willed founders of the Plantagenet empire: Maud, Henry, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 5, 2024
Enjoyable read, more than a historical fiction romance thank goodness and perfect for 15 hrs of air travel/layovers. In fact, after getting through about the first 400 of 567pp during travel, I didn't pick it up for almost a week upon returning home. It actually got a little bogged down for about 100pp before I flew through to the end. I don't know much about this era in the 12th C surrounding the English royal line, much less about how the Plantagenet name came about, so it was very interesting and I wasn't thrown by any small inaccuracies that have been pointed out by other reviewers. I realize the relationship between the two protagonists vying for the crown were a total invention by the author, it did seem pretty unlikely as a civil war in England were waged between the two. I hope that Maud truly was a strong, smart and educated independent-minded woman that is portrayed in the novel who tried to move the needle in regard to women wielding power. Not that she was without her faults (and who doesn't have them?) but a woman one could look to for those who would come after her, building on her accomplishments and learn from her mistakes. Strong queens are noted in history over the next few centuries but as the author noted that it would be 582 years after Henry I's death before a woman actually ruled as Queen of England.
August 7, 2011
I bought this book for almost nothing at one of those roving book sales where nearly all the literature is semi-awful, and that's why they're unloading it. Like many a teenager, I was guilty of judging a book by it's cover, and the cover made it seem like the sort of book I'd enjoy because they were dressed in what I, then, called "garb," because I spent too many summers at Renaissance Faires.
That said, the book sat on my shelves for years, unopened, because I couldn't imagine that it'd be a very good read. Come on, a book about someone called Maude? No thanks.
However, during a string of illnesses that left me bereft of library books and without the fortitude to even watch television, I decided to go through and read all the books I'd been neglecting.
Much to my surprise, I found The Fatal Crown both fascinating and well written. I enjoyed the rich detail and the depth of the characters.
Though as an historian, I found the basic premise of the book to be unlikely, as a work of historical fiction, I found it made the larger events of the time much more accessible than the average book regarding the era.
I liked it enjoyable and engaging, and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction without getting up in arms about how fictitiously the personal lives of the historic players have been treated.
That said, the book sat on my shelves for years, unopened, because I couldn't imagine that it'd be a very good read. Come on, a book about someone called Maude? No thanks.
However, during a string of illnesses that left me bereft of library books and without the fortitude to even watch television, I decided to go through and read all the books I'd been neglecting.
Much to my surprise, I found The Fatal Crown both fascinating and well written. I enjoyed the rich detail and the depth of the characters.
Though as an historian, I found the basic premise of the book to be unlikely, as a work of historical fiction, I found it made the larger events of the time much more accessible than the average book regarding the era.
I liked it enjoyable and engaging, and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction without getting up in arms about how fictitiously the personal lives of the historic players have been treated.
May 25, 2023
After I finished Sharon Kay Penman’s When Christ and His Saints Slept, a novel about the Anarchy, I began to receive recommendations about this novel in which Henry II is the love child of Empress Maud and Stephen—the principals in the struggle for the English crown during that time. I peeked at the ending when Stephen learns the truth. ’So that stubborn, hotheaded young rogue is my son.’. How could I resist? I couldn’t. The writing uses a lot of romance novel staples. It seems, for instance, that Maud and Stephen can never be in the same room together without a lot of trembling with passion. Their meeting when Stephen is captured after the Battle of Lincoln ends with a passionate coupling.
Despite such absurdities—Surprise— the book is actually pretty good. As a 9-year-old, Maud leaves her homeland to marry the much older Holy Roman Emperor. He proves to be a gentle, learned man who educates Maud and she is treated with respect everywhere she goes. Widowed and childless (the Emperor wasn’t much in the bedroom department), her father, Henry I, commands her to return to England. She expects the same level of respect she had become used to, but doesn’t get it. The men around her, including her father, think she is haughty (uppity) by insisting on her title of Empress. Without a legitimate male heir, Henry I names her as his successor and demands the barons swear fealty to her. The king doesn’t do this because he has any respect for Maud’s abilities but because he can marry her off to a man who will actually run the show. The barons don’t like the idea of a woman as sovereign and demand that they approve of the man who will wed her. Henry vows that he will do so, but he doesn’t mean it—he has already arranged with Fulk of Anjou to marry her to Fulk’s son Geoffrey. Henry wants to ally Normandy with Anjou as a force against France. What this book brings home is that the Normans hate the Angevins and vice verse so a queen married to an Angevin is something that the barons would never approve, but they are met with a fait accompli
This brings us to Stephen. He and everyone else expected him to be named as Henry’s heir. From the time he swears his fealty to Maud, he and his conniving brother (Henry, Bishop of Wincheste) connive to take the throne—even though he is already lusting after Maud. The unpopular Angevin marriage certainly is a boost to his prospects. Stephen is affable, charming, and very popular in London. As king, he is thought to be weak—or in reality, just not ruthless enough. His advisors, especially his brother, think they know better than he does. Already in a snit because Stephan did not back him to become Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry changes sides after the Battle of Lincoln, and becomes one of Maud’s advisors. Maud has the same problem as Stephen had with advisors—in this case they are very patronizing because of her sex. She asserts her authority, but on the verge of being crowned, she blows it by alienating the Londoners by imposing new taxes on them. If Stephen is too affable, she is unbending. This is the closest she comes to the crown, for Stephen is soon exchanged for Maud’s half-brother Robert of Gloucester and hangs on to the crown until his death. By agreement, he is succeeded by Maud’s son, Henry II, and who in this story is also Stephen’s son.
The characterizations and the politics of the period are fairly well done. Accepting the premise that there was a love affair between the two, the book failed to convey the sense of betrayal Maud must have felt because on the few occasions they meet after he took the crown, we read more about their mutual physical attraction. However, the ending is effective as they come to terms with their past. And I won’t say that I wasn’t entertained by the hanky panky.
Despite such absurdities—Surprise— the book is actually pretty good. As a 9-year-old, Maud leaves her homeland to marry the much older Holy Roman Emperor. He proves to be a gentle, learned man who educates Maud and she is treated with respect everywhere she goes. Widowed and childless (the Emperor wasn’t much in the bedroom department), her father, Henry I, commands her to return to England. She expects the same level of respect she had become used to, but doesn’t get it. The men around her, including her father, think she is haughty (uppity) by insisting on her title of Empress. Without a legitimate male heir, Henry I names her as his successor and demands the barons swear fealty to her. The king doesn’t do this because he has any respect for Maud’s abilities but because he can marry her off to a man who will actually run the show. The barons don’t like the idea of a woman as sovereign and demand that they approve of the man who will wed her. Henry vows that he will do so, but he doesn’t mean it—he has already arranged with Fulk of Anjou to marry her to Fulk’s son Geoffrey. Henry wants to ally Normandy with Anjou as a force against France. What this book brings home is that the Normans hate the Angevins and vice verse so a queen married to an Angevin is something that the barons would never approve, but they are met with a fait accompli
This brings us to Stephen. He and everyone else expected him to be named as Henry’s heir. From the time he swears his fealty to Maud, he and his conniving brother (Henry, Bishop of Wincheste) connive to take the throne—even though he is already lusting after Maud. The unpopular Angevin marriage certainly is a boost to his prospects. Stephen is affable, charming, and very popular in London. As king, he is thought to be weak—or in reality, just not ruthless enough. His advisors, especially his brother, think they know better than he does. Already in a snit because Stephan did not back him to become Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry changes sides after the Battle of Lincoln, and becomes one of Maud’s advisors. Maud has the same problem as Stephen had with advisors—in this case they are very patronizing because of her sex. She asserts her authority, but on the verge of being crowned, she blows it by alienating the Londoners by imposing new taxes on them. If Stephen is too affable, she is unbending. This is the closest she comes to the crown, for Stephen is soon exchanged for Maud’s half-brother Robert of Gloucester and hangs on to the crown until his death. By agreement, he is succeeded by Maud’s son, Henry II, and who in this story is also Stephen’s son.
The characterizations and the politics of the period are fairly well done. Accepting the premise that there was a love affair between the two, the book failed to convey the sense of betrayal Maud must have felt because on the few occasions they meet after he took the crown, we read more about their mutual physical attraction. However, the ending is effective as they come to terms with their past. And I won’t say that I wasn’t entertained by the hanky panky.
December 5, 2014
Disclaimer: This ARC was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
I really enjoyed this book, yes, it was a love story, but there were so many layers to this story. I did find the love scenes were purple prose.
I really enjoyed this book, yes, it was a love story, but there were so many layers to this story. I did find the love scenes were purple prose.
November 7, 2025
Can I please read books that have castles and knights all day? This book was my obsession this week! I love learning about this era and I was excited when I realized this is the start of the House of Plantagenets!! I enjoyed this so much. Maud was wonderful and her journey from frightened girl to a woman who needed to survive and claim the throne was a fascinating journey to read about. Her and Stephen’s doomed but not so doomed love story had me so enthralled and it made me want to dive into research on them. I enjoyed this sort of “what if” about her life, and also her son’s parentage. Who knows! The writing was beautiful. I felt transported back in time and it was such a good book and I learned quite a bit of history! Also the book cover is so beautiful! 5 stars! ❤️
January 5, 2014
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 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. "The Fatal Crown" just fell a bit short for me in style, but was enjoyable enough to keep me reading through the conclusion.
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. "The Fatal Crown" just fell a bit short for me in style, but was enjoyable enough to keep me reading through the conclusion.
February 21, 2013
Boy, am I glad that's finally over.
Review to come.
Review to come.
September 21, 2021
Great read
It was a very good read. Really enjoyed the story. Definitely interested in reading the next books in the series.
It was a very good read. Really enjoyed the story. Definitely interested in reading the next books in the series.
July 30, 2014
The Fatal Crown (The Queens of Love and War #1) by Ellen Jones is a 2013 Open Road Integrated Media publication. 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 1100'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. 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.
When reading historical fiction it is always of supreme importance to remember that it is FICTION. This story is BASED on real people. 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. If you do not like liberties being taken with facts, dates and so on you will need to pass this one up. If you don't mind reading a historical romance based on real people, then you won't mind this one too much. One other thing to keep in mind is that this book was originally published in the early 1990's and a style of writing that was common then will now cause romance readers to roll their eyes.
For me the story fell flat. I can't really put my finger on what it was specifically, but I had a really hard time staying interested at times. The book is a bit long and perhaps when being reformatted to digital someone should have gone in and did a bit of editing.
This one falls into that dreaded black hole of take it or leave it. 3 stars
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 1100'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. 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.
When reading historical fiction it is always of supreme importance to remember that it is FICTION. This story is BASED on real people. 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. If you do not like liberties being taken with facts, dates and so on you will need to pass this one up. If you don't mind reading a historical romance based on real people, then you won't mind this one too much. One other thing to keep in mind is that this book was originally published in the early 1990's and a style of writing that was common then will now cause romance readers to roll their eyes.
For me the story fell flat. I can't really put my finger on what it was specifically, but I had a really hard time staying interested at times. The book is a bit long and perhaps when being reformatted to digital someone should have gone in and did a bit of editing.
This one falls into that dreaded black hole of take it or leave it. 3 stars
February 12, 2013
The political alliances formed in the aftermath of the conquest of England in 1066 had repercussions for generations and the rulers in twelfth century Europe are depicted as a scheming combination of political aspiration and ruthless ambition. Caught in the middle are two royal heirs to the English crown, whose supporters will bring England to civil war in the fight for supremacy.
In A Fatal Crown, Ellen Jones has woven the historically accurate story of the fight for power between Maud, daughter of King Henry I, and her cousin Stephen of Blois, and has created a story of illicit passion, and royal subterfuge. I am not sure that there is any historical evidence to suggest that Maud and Stephen ever embarked on an illicit love affair, and yet within the context of this story it works well, and ultimately offers a more romantic version of what after all was a supreme power struggle.
If you are upset by slight variations in history then this book is not for you, but if you want a lively historical romp with a smattering of sex and romance then you won’t be disappointed.
Originally published in 1991, the book is now republished with new and more appealing cover art. It continues to be a fascinating and sensuous account of this troubled period in English history.
My thanks to NetGalley and Open Road for an e copy of this book to review.
In A Fatal Crown, Ellen Jones has woven the historically accurate story of the fight for power between Maud, daughter of King Henry I, and her cousin Stephen of Blois, and has created a story of illicit passion, and royal subterfuge. I am not sure that there is any historical evidence to suggest that Maud and Stephen ever embarked on an illicit love affair, and yet within the context of this story it works well, and ultimately offers a more romantic version of what after all was a supreme power struggle.
If you are upset by slight variations in history then this book is not for you, but if you want a lively historical romp with a smattering of sex and romance then you won’t be disappointed.
Originally published in 1991, the book is now republished with new and more appealing cover art. It continues to be a fascinating and sensuous account of this troubled period in English history.
My thanks to NetGalley and Open Road for an e copy of this book to review.
August 12, 2012
I could not give this book back fast enough after I finished it. The plot isn't great, but the language is just cringe worthy. Sword and sheath...I'm shuddering just thinking of that line. I think this book is the entire reason I hope that they never had an affair. Scarred for life.
Also, history gets played around with for the sake of trying to force together a very squicky romance. Is there really a huge market for people who want to read about ? Queen Matilda is actually a very interesting historical figure, at least as far as women's history, and yet this book turns her into a romance novel heroine. She deserves better.
Also, history gets played around with for the sake of trying to force together a very squicky romance. Is there really a huge market for people who want to read about ? Queen Matilda is actually a very interesting historical figure, at least as far as women's history, and yet this book turns her into a romance novel heroine. She deserves better.
December 11, 2018
I enjoyed this book, and the details of Maud's life. Very interesting person in History
October 7, 2017
I was captivated by the tragic story of Matilda ("Maud") of Flanders, granddaughter of William the Conqueror, told by Ellen Jones in The Fatal Crown. The title led me to think someone had either killed her or attempted to kill her to prevent her from being crowned, and they very likely tried. 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. "Royalty" is questionable, as this was a time in which crowns were often won in battle rather than inherited. The book contains a little sex, a lot of romance, and is rife with political intrigue.
Until that time, there had been no women who were queens in their own right, only queen consorts. That is, women who were crowned queen simply because they were married to a king. Although one of Maud's granddaughters became Queen of Sicily, and another Queen of Castile, no woman would inherit the throne of England until Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was crowned, 582 years after the death of Maud's father.
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. As she was taken away to Germany, she met eyes with her cousin, Stephen of Blois. 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.
At a time when political alliances dictated royal marriages, no matter the wishes of the two people involved, the 23-year-old Maud was again forced into marriage to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. At age 15, Geoffrey was rude, arrogant, and unable to consummate the marriage. After becoming pregnant with Stephen's child, Maud felt forced to seduce Geoffrey, and convince him the baby was his own premature child.
Unfortunately, the political situation between England, France, Flanders, Anjou, Maine, and Normandy; and the meddling of the Catholic church in political affairs forced a wedge between Maud and Stephen. 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. It was then that Stephen named Henry his successor, and Henry was crowned King Henry II. This was the Norman-Angevin dynasty.
This was also a time when people did not have surnames. Geoffrey had a love of the bright yellow flower, yellow broom or golden broom, whose botanical name was plantagenesta. From this flower he chose a surname, Plantagenet. 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. Ms. 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.
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. "Royalty" is questionable, as this was a time in which crowns were often won in battle rather than inherited. The book contains a little sex, a lot of romance, and is rife with political intrigue.
Until that time, there had been no women who were queens in their own right, only queen consorts. That is, women who were crowned queen simply because they were married to a king. Although one of Maud's granddaughters became Queen of Sicily, and another Queen of Castile, no woman would inherit the throne of England until Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was crowned, 582 years after the death of Maud's father.
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. As she was taken away to Germany, she met eyes with her cousin, Stephen of Blois. 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.
At a time when political alliances dictated royal marriages, no matter the wishes of the two people involved, the 23-year-old Maud was again forced into marriage to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. At age 15, Geoffrey was rude, arrogant, and unable to consummate the marriage. After becoming pregnant with Stephen's child, Maud felt forced to seduce Geoffrey, and convince him the baby was his own premature child.
Unfortunately, the political situation between England, France, Flanders, Anjou, Maine, and Normandy; and the meddling of the Catholic church in political affairs forced a wedge between Maud and Stephen. 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. It was then that Stephen named Henry his successor, and Henry was crowned King Henry II. This was the Norman-Angevin dynasty.
This was also a time when people did not have surnames. Geoffrey had a love of the bright yellow flower, yellow broom or golden broom, whose botanical name was plantagenesta. From this flower he chose a surname, Plantagenet. 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. Ms. 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.
May 4, 2017
I don’t even know what to do with this book beyond some unfocused ranting about why I didn’t like it. In this book’s defense, it is set during a time period of history that does not set my world on fire – that being during “The Anarchy” in England. Henry I dies and there is not clear heir – lots of fighting ensues. This book focused on Empress Matilda (called “Maud” throughout this book, possibly because there is some evidence she used that name but I’m thinking mostly because there is another female character named Matilda). First complaint, Maud does not become the least bit likable until the back 20% of the book. She’s seriously sort of awful for most of this book, and not even in an entertaining way. Second complaint – there is too much sex in this book. Words I never thought I would type – but it’s sort of boring and cliché and the reason we have to endure half a book of Maud being a complete twit while blathering on about her loins. I can’t even. Third complaint – this book felt like it too forever to read. Perhaps that’s because I wasn’t enjoying it but at some point the reading changed from entertainment to sheer stubbornness to just finish the darn book. My best moment was being all “Oh HAI, GURL” when Eleanor of Aquitaine came on the scene. I’m going to sweep on and read the next book in this series since it focuses on Miss E…but I really hope it’s better than this one.
October 6, 2021
I think this book was supposed to be historical fiction, but it actually comes across as historical romance. If it is a romance, then the writing seems a bit more competent, but if it's historical fiction, it falls far short of its mark. In either case, it's not a great read.
Its hard, if not impossible, to to rewrite major historical characters (like Maud and Stephen) with a romance bent and yet stick to the history. I have read historical romances based on peripheral characters who interact with historical people and events that are far better, because they are covering/interacting with history and historical characters while not trying to write an alternate reality of actual events.
This book covers one of my favorite times in history (which is why I glommed onto it in a used book store) - the rise and reign of the Plantagenet dynasty. Unfortunately this book does not do the period justice. For historical fiction, I would point readers to the inimitable Sharon Kay Penman. For historical romance, I would recommend Roberta Gellis' Roselynde Chronicles. And for the best read of all regarding the Plantagenets, go further back and pick up Thomas B. Costain's series.
Its hard, if not impossible, to to rewrite major historical characters (like Maud and Stephen) with a romance bent and yet stick to the history. I have read historical romances based on peripheral characters who interact with historical people and events that are far better, because they are covering/interacting with history and historical characters while not trying to write an alternate reality of actual events.
This book covers one of my favorite times in history (which is why I glommed onto it in a used book store) - the rise and reign of the Plantagenet dynasty. Unfortunately this book does not do the period justice. For historical fiction, I would point readers to the inimitable Sharon Kay Penman. For historical romance, I would recommend Roberta Gellis' Roselynde Chronicles. And for the best read of all regarding the Plantagenets, go further back and pick up Thomas B. Costain's series.
December 29, 2024
I remember reading this as a teenager and being terribly impressed by it, so I thought I’d give it another go. Woof the experience did not age well. Y’all, this book is wild. In the story, Matilda and Stephen (of the Middle Ages’ The Anarchy civil war fame) are actually in love and Henry II is Stephen’s son!
All these super important political moments are replaced with these two people (who in real life probably fucking hated each other) being teary eyed because they’re pining for each other. You can kiiiinda buy it in the first half, pre civil war, but then it gets dramatically worse because instead of instalove and lots of pining, the historical story is actually all about politics and bless Ellen Jones but it’s clearly not what she was best at writing.
To make matters worse, I almost feel like you could’ve made a proper dark romance out of it, real love-hate stuff. But in this book, these two people don’t hate each other at all even though at least one of them has extremely good reasons to.
So yeah. Once again, I find out that I can’t trust teenage me’s literary judgement 😅
All these super important political moments are replaced with these two people (who in real life probably fucking hated each other) being teary eyed because they’re pining for each other. You can kiiiinda buy it in the first half, pre civil war, but then it gets dramatically worse because instead of instalove and lots of pining, the historical story is actually all about politics and bless Ellen Jones but it’s clearly not what she was best at writing.
To make matters worse, I almost feel like you could’ve made a proper dark romance out of it, real love-hate stuff. But in this book, these two people don’t hate each other at all even though at least one of them has extremely good reasons to.
So yeah. Once again, I find out that I can’t trust teenage me’s literary judgement 😅
March 2, 2017
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: cousins Empress Matilda and King Stephen loathed each other just fine without a thwarted romance in the mix. I have always assumed the rumors of their affair spawned from the fact that (I can't quite believe I just spoiler-tagged twelfth-century history, but what the hell.)
Anyway. 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). There are lines like "She would rather be buffeted by the turmoil of the wind and wave than by the turmoil of his touch."
It's fairly historically accurate, although as I said, the central romance is not, and Maud thinks things like "there must be a less cruel way to maintain law and order [than cutting people's hands off]," which is kind of rich coming from a woman who thought nothing of plunging an entire country into a multi-decade civil war to maintain her inheritance rights. There are a bunch of little inaccuracies which make me assume that the author relied on a couple of books from the 1970s for research (and, seeing that this was published in 1991, 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! the Anachronistic Feminist Character proclaims - but at the same time, the demands of the romance mean that her motivations are reconfigured to be anything but feminist. The historical Matilda was pretty feminist in and of herself: she was proud, arrogant, and royal; she tried to hold England in her own right as the daughter of the king, rather than meekly offering the throne to her son or husband; she waged war for several decades rather than give up; and she did it all while bearing numerous offspring to a guy she hated. 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.
Anyway. 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). There are lines like "She would rather be buffeted by the turmoil of the wind and wave than by the turmoil of his touch."
It's fairly historically accurate, although as I said, the central romance is not, and Maud thinks things like "there must be a less cruel way to maintain law and order [than cutting people's hands off]," which is kind of rich coming from a woman who thought nothing of plunging an entire country into a multi-decade civil war to maintain her inheritance rights. There are a bunch of little inaccuracies which make me assume that the author relied on a couple of books from the 1970s for research (and, seeing that this was published in 1991, 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! the Anachronistic Feminist Character proclaims - but at the same time, the demands of the romance mean that her motivations are reconfigured to be anything but feminist. The historical Matilda was pretty feminist in and of herself: she was proud, arrogant, and royal; she tried to hold England in her own right as the daughter of the king, rather than meekly offering the throne to her son or husband; she waged war for several decades rather than give up; and she did it all while bearing numerous offspring to a guy she hated. 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.
October 23, 2022
Bello! È in sostanza la storia, ben romanzata, dell'"Imperatrice Matilda", o Maud, che fu designata come regina d'Inghilterra dal padre nel 1127, con conseguenze storiche imprevedibili e importanti. Il libro è ben scritto, avvincente, i personaggi sono ricchi ed umani, tutti sbagliano, tutti soffrono, hanno sentimenti giusti ed errati e combattono per indole o ambizione o coscienza, non ci sono eroi invincibili nè re e regine troppo regali... certo, non so se il presupposto del romanzo sia provato storicamente ma è affascinante, e rende questo romanzo anche un'intensa e dolente storia d'amore.
July 31, 2021
I picked this up at my local used bookstore for a couple of bucks because this cover was intriguing. Turns out this like no name historical fiction book from 1991 was a surprise hit! This was interesting with dynamic characters and about a time period I didn’t know much. This random buy was worth the risk.
September 18, 2024
I once again bought a book based on the Ryan reviews of other people. This book was actually a good book. I think I once again got suckered into having hopes based on other peoples reviews. I can totally say it’s worth reading and a good story where you can learn about history, but it just didn’t do anything to spark me.
previously-owned
June 3, 2025After owning this book for decades and never reading it, primarily because an affair between Maud and Stephan seemed too far-fetched, I decided it was time to donate it back to the library book sale from whence it once came. If I want to read about this time period, I will re-read Sharon Kay Penman’s When Christ and His Saints Slept.
August 6, 2024
3.5 stars.
It was good for what it is. Historical romance that fills the gaps of accuracy with passionate embraces and questionable decisions.
It was a good distraction that I didn't have to think too much about during a difficult week.
It was good for what it is. Historical romance that fills the gaps of accuracy with passionate embraces and questionable decisions.
It was a good distraction that I didn't have to think too much about during a difficult week.
June 16, 2017
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.
February 16, 2018
It has historical merit and was an entertaining enough plot... but read it over five years ago. Who can recommend after that amount of time?
April 9, 2020
Is no one gonna mention the fact that they’re cousins🤢
July 2, 2021
An amazing journey into the past, with a heartfelt love story. I was amazed at the detail and storytelling, as well as the research for such a tale.
April 7, 2022
Engaging book
Well researched and engaging novel. Ellen Jones one of my new favorite authors. Definitely recommend this book. Look forward to more.
Well researched and engaging novel. Ellen Jones one of my new favorite authors. Definitely recommend this book. Look forward to more.
April 1, 2023
Read "The White Ship" for a true accounting of the story - it actually better than this historical fiction.
April 16, 2023
This book is hilariously terrible. I loved it.
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