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The Heirs of Anarchy #3
Shipwreck
Autumn, 1139, NormandyOn a beach in Normandy stands Matilda, once Empress, Queen and Countess, named heir to England and Normandy, daughter of Henry I. Her throne stolen from her by the hands of her cousin Stephen of Blois, Matilda has waited to gather her supporters, waited to sail to England that she might wage war to claim the throne she was promised by her father.With loyal men and women at her side, the Empress will begin her campaign for the throne of England and Normandy, to reclaim her birthright from the man who stole it from her. The period known to history as the Anarchy is about to begin, and chaos to unfold upon England, Normandy and the people of those kingdoms as one cousin struggles against another for the crown, and the right to decide their own destiny...Shipwreck is the third book in the series The Heirs of Anarchy, by G. Lawrence.The author's thanks are due to Julia Gibbs, proof reader of this work, and Consuelo Parra, the cover artist. Cover Art Aquilina-das.deviantart
Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2021
107 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
G. Lawrence
50 books285 followersI am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.
The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.
I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...
You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...
The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.
I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...
You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 13, 2026
Shipwreck is the third book in The Heirs of Anarchy series. King Henry I has died. However, Empress Matilda cannot immediately go to England because she is pregnant. During her pregnancy, her cousin, King Stephen stole her crown. When Empress Matilda learns that her inheritance has been stolen from her, she wages a civil war against King Stephen. Empress Matilda learns that only one of them is destined to wear the crown.
I find that Empress Matilda has matured throughout the series. Empress Matilda is not only intelligent, but she is also very determined. She has a love of England and wants to be a great queen. She is also very vulnerable. She knows that she is in a very dangerous position. Empress Matilda cares for those she loves and is willing to make sacrifices for them. I also like that she acknowledges her mistakes and her flaws. Therefore, Empress Matilda is a very compelling figure, and I am very invested in her story!
Overall, this book is about ambition, war, and choices. I liked the characters in the story and thought that they were fleshed out! I also liked the historical details in the novel. I also thought that Mrs. Lawrence did an excellent job in describing the Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. There were some parts of the novel I thought were repetitive. Nevertheless, the novel moved at a faster pace than the previous novels! It was very action-packed! I can’t wait to read the conclusion to Empress Matilda’s story! I recommend this book for fans of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Anne O’Brien!
I find that Empress Matilda has matured throughout the series. Empress Matilda is not only intelligent, but she is also very determined. She has a love of England and wants to be a great queen. She is also very vulnerable. She knows that she is in a very dangerous position. Empress Matilda cares for those she loves and is willing to make sacrifices for them. I also like that she acknowledges her mistakes and her flaws. Therefore, Empress Matilda is a very compelling figure, and I am very invested in her story!
Overall, this book is about ambition, war, and choices. I liked the characters in the story and thought that they were fleshed out! I also liked the historical details in the novel. I also thought that Mrs. Lawrence did an excellent job in describing the Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. There were some parts of the novel I thought were repetitive. Nevertheless, the novel moved at a faster pace than the previous novels! It was very action-packed! I can’t wait to read the conclusion to Empress Matilda’s story! I recommend this book for fans of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Anne O’Brien!
August 30, 2021
What a marvellous book this is - I loved every word. By far my favourite so far of this series.
In line with Gemma Lawrence's many other tales of English women of history, this begins with Matilda in old age, pondering the waters of life and death, God and free will, winter, youth and old age, power and the accumulation of wisdom. So beautifully written I highlighted far too many passages to add to this review; the two that follow are maybe not the most lyrical, but were some of the first to jump out at me.
We spend our lives trying to forget we are but temporary creatures, that Death will come one day. All things we accumulate, money, clothes, possessions, houses, even love are but loaned to us, we castellans of all that life provides. We are here to carry the story on, take it to another page, pass it to another ... what matters is the torch, the light we pass on, the shadows that light casts.
When fools ask why God, all powerful and of goodness made would allow sin and evil to exist, I shake my head...he granted free will so when and if we choose to do good, it is our goodness, worth all the more for we could have worked evil.
God wanted us to learn, and we learn more from making mistakes. Without free will there would be no mistakes, and so we, His children, would never grow.
Before reading this book I knew nothing about the fight between Matilda and Stephen for the throne of England, except that she gained recognition as rightful monarch but was never crowned, then the tables were turned and Stephen was crowned a second time. I was to learn about the part Stephen's wife, another Matilda, played in the strategy of this war; of course, as with the Wars of the Roses, the victories won by the women, away from the battle field, featured little in the history books until recently. Our Matilda talks much about the lot of women, throughout this book - and here's something I learned: long ago, the Queen in chess was all but useless, moving only as the King, sticking by his side. I wondered who changed her into the most powerful piece on the board, and when this happened; I suspected it was around the time of the Tudor women, so looked it up. The modern move began in Spain during the time of Queen Isabella I - Catherine of Aragon's mother.
The military strategies and ways of the 12th Century world are fascinating to read about; more than ever, in Ms Lawrence's books of these pre-Plantagenet times, I felt the atmosphere of those castles, could imagine myself in Matilda's shoes, every step of the way. From when she captures Stephen, the constant sense of foreboding made this such a page turner, as her older self warns the reader that she got so much wrong. Not least of all, she was not confident enough to be the Matilda that her supporters loved, but thought she must transform into, an almost sexless ruler, cold and hard as steel, rather than be criticised simply for being a woman.
We can't imagine the hardship people lived through in those days, though at times, when I read about Robert and her other friends fleeing cross country on foot, hiding from Stephen's armies, trading even their clothes for a place to stay or something to eat, I thought, maybe this is truly living—knowing danger and hunger and still waking up to walk another day, as opposed to the cossetted lives we live now. A romantic notion, I know.
I liked this: 'Heinrich once said to me that the appetite often feeds on eating, that when one has not eaten for a while the belly ceases to protest, for it assumes there is no food and there is no sense squalling like a child for what it cannot have'. Applicable to much.
The devastation that was wreaked on Winchester and Oxford during this war, in particular, made me contemplate how nothing changes or will ever change—those of money, born into power, set apart from the common man, see them as collateral damage when working or fighting to get what they want, even though the good amongst them might regret this. They send people out to fight and die, laying waste to their homes, food, livelihoods, so that they might wear the crown (metaphorical or otherwise) and gain what they consider to be their rightful seat of power. Matilda contemplates all this and more throughout the her lengthy and gradual downfall, when she learns so much and becomes, paradoxically, a woman worthy of a crown.
The book ends with the battle all but lost, in Oxford castle under siege and almost out of food, when Matilda and three loyal guards walk out into the snow to they know not what, so that those in the castle can safely surrender.
I can't wait for the next book, in which Matilda campaigns for England in the name of her son, Henry - who becomes, of course, Henry II. This book works as a stand alone, and I can't recommend too highly.
In line with Gemma Lawrence's many other tales of English women of history, this begins with Matilda in old age, pondering the waters of life and death, God and free will, winter, youth and old age, power and the accumulation of wisdom. So beautifully written I highlighted far too many passages to add to this review; the two that follow are maybe not the most lyrical, but were some of the first to jump out at me.
We spend our lives trying to forget we are but temporary creatures, that Death will come one day. All things we accumulate, money, clothes, possessions, houses, even love are but loaned to us, we castellans of all that life provides. We are here to carry the story on, take it to another page, pass it to another ... what matters is the torch, the light we pass on, the shadows that light casts.
When fools ask why God, all powerful and of goodness made would allow sin and evil to exist, I shake my head...he granted free will so when and if we choose to do good, it is our goodness, worth all the more for we could have worked evil.
God wanted us to learn, and we learn more from making mistakes. Without free will there would be no mistakes, and so we, His children, would never grow.
Before reading this book I knew nothing about the fight between Matilda and Stephen for the throne of England, except that she gained recognition as rightful monarch but was never crowned, then the tables were turned and Stephen was crowned a second time. I was to learn about the part Stephen's wife, another Matilda, played in the strategy of this war; of course, as with the Wars of the Roses, the victories won by the women, away from the battle field, featured little in the history books until recently. Our Matilda talks much about the lot of women, throughout this book - and here's something I learned: long ago, the Queen in chess was all but useless, moving only as the King, sticking by his side. I wondered who changed her into the most powerful piece on the board, and when this happened; I suspected it was around the time of the Tudor women, so looked it up. The modern move began in Spain during the time of Queen Isabella I - Catherine of Aragon's mother.
The military strategies and ways of the 12th Century world are fascinating to read about; more than ever, in Ms Lawrence's books of these pre-Plantagenet times, I felt the atmosphere of those castles, could imagine myself in Matilda's shoes, every step of the way. From when she captures Stephen, the constant sense of foreboding made this such a page turner, as her older self warns the reader that she got so much wrong. Not least of all, she was not confident enough to be the Matilda that her supporters loved, but thought she must transform into, an almost sexless ruler, cold and hard as steel, rather than be criticised simply for being a woman.
We can't imagine the hardship people lived through in those days, though at times, when I read about Robert and her other friends fleeing cross country on foot, hiding from Stephen's armies, trading even their clothes for a place to stay or something to eat, I thought, maybe this is truly living—knowing danger and hunger and still waking up to walk another day, as opposed to the cossetted lives we live now. A romantic notion, I know.
I liked this: 'Heinrich once said to me that the appetite often feeds on eating, that when one has not eaten for a while the belly ceases to protest, for it assumes there is no food and there is no sense squalling like a child for what it cannot have'. Applicable to much.
The devastation that was wreaked on Winchester and Oxford during this war, in particular, made me contemplate how nothing changes or will ever change—those of money, born into power, set apart from the common man, see them as collateral damage when working or fighting to get what they want, even though the good amongst them might regret this. They send people out to fight and die, laying waste to their homes, food, livelihoods, so that they might wear the crown (metaphorical or otherwise) and gain what they consider to be their rightful seat of power. Matilda contemplates all this and more throughout the her lengthy and gradual downfall, when she learns so much and becomes, paradoxically, a woman worthy of a crown.
The book ends with the battle all but lost, in Oxford castle under siege and almost out of food, when Matilda and three loyal guards walk out into the snow to they know not what, so that those in the castle can safely surrender.
I can't wait for the next book, in which Matilda campaigns for England in the name of her son, Henry - who becomes, of course, Henry II. This book works as a stand alone, and I can't recommend too highly.
February 17, 2024
Book three is full if surprises. The introspection and personal growth of Matilda was astounding. A great series and on to book four.
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July 31, 20243,70
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews