Lady Margaret's Disgrace

Henry's Spare Queen Trilogy #0.5

by V.C. Sportelli, Victoria Sportelli

A Brave Noblewoman Loses All

In 1099, Lady Margaret is betrothed to the heir of a great Norman estate and will become a countess. Before she weds, her beloved mother dies.

After the funeral, Margaret is betrayed by her father, Lord Charles, who falsely proclaims she traded her honor for pleasures with a lowly Saxon. He declares Margaret his slave and seeks to make her life a misery.

Meanwhile, power struggles rack medieval England. King William II dies under suspicious circumstances. His brother Henry I wins the crown but struggles to keep his throne from the factions plotting to take it. The conquered Saxons watch the Normans fight among themselves.

In a world where women are property, Margaret believes nothing can save her from her miserable life. She is wrong. Soon the king will demand her service.

Meet the king, the queen, and the woman who can save them.

This novella contains beatings, murders, and the death of an infant, which may be triggers for some readers.

This book introduces Lady Margaret’s
Lady Margaret’s Escape (Book One)
Lady Margaret’s Challenge (Book Two)
Lady Margaret’s Future (Book Three)

This series utilizes Old English to better capture the voice of the times. Each book contains a glossary of words and terms you might not recognize.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Ebooks, Novella, Fiction

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2021

Reviews

[Lilias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all of these books, they have filled in a big Norman shaped gap in my knowledge of English history. There are lots of books dealing with the Plantagenets, but fewer about the earlier period, and the information about daily life was interesting. It is just a shame that the editing allowed so many typos, I presume it was done by a machine as the mistakes were words but not words that made sense.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

I was not aware of the extent to which noblemen of this era could punish not only their servants but also their wives and children. This is an interesting story. Even though I knew this was a prequel, my first thought was, “not yet.“

I look forward to more in the series. This is a good author and deserves praise.

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was interested in what would happen to poor Margaret and to Henry. There is intrigue. The fact that so many supported Margaret was wonderful.
Still, I found it boring.
I guess it continues too. So, I wouldn’t find out what happens anyways.

[Don Maker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written

A part of the plot is predicted on the old notion that people of the era only lived perhaps 50 years, which is ridiculous. Much of the other cultural notions are equally suspect. The story is okay, but not well-written, especially the dialogue.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine enough. But where it said it was a prequel made me think I'm missing context of a later book. This made it hard for me to find the thread of the different storylines. That's probably my mistake.

[Melissa Everly-kosek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent prequel

The author does an excellent describing the setting, and characters. This was a exciting, fast paced book. Can't wait to read the next installment.

[Cindy Kline · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed

This was a short and great read. The historically researched accuracy was fantastic. Though parts depicted the brutal lot of women of the era, it was worth reading.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Glenna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of novella’s and the editing was awful. The content was good but every character underdeveloped, I hope actual trilogy is better because I love this time period.

[Jody Bishop · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written, not enough story line to keep you interested and large gaps of time in the story

[Betty Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright tale of the turn of the first millennium AD. A time of chaos in England. This story brings the period out of the dark ages and onto the page. Historically accurate with detailed explanation and a hand glossary to help the reader understand the story. There are three more books in the series (this was a prequel)
. I’m on my way to Amazon

[Alison Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intersting

Fairly short but interesting history lesson .
I would have liked a longer period to be described as this was too short.