Twice Royal Lady

by Hilary Green

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A very good read with a lot of historical detail. A very touching story of one person’s struggle with being a member of the Royal Family and the obligations she was put under.” Wendy L.

DISCOVER A COMPELLING AND GRIPPING HISTORICAL FICTION NOVEL YOU WON’T WANT TO PUT DOWN.

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England, 1100s.

Meet Matilda of England.

Betrothed at eight.
Married at twelve.
And crowned Empress in her late teens.

Matilda is the only legitimate daughter of Henry I of England.

She’s also the granddaughter of William the Conqueror and is a descendent — through her mother — from the ancient line of Anglo-Saxon kings.

She is made a widow in her early twenties and is the only surviving heir to the throne of England.

Now she must marry Geoffrey of Anjou, a boy ten years younger, and share the task of leading an often rebellious state.

Before long she gives birth to three sons and provides her father with the male heirs he’s longed for.

But when Henry I suddenly dies, the throne is usurped by Matilda’s cousin, Stephen.

Now Matilda is forced to choose between her husband and her rights as her father’s heir. Intelligent, determined and courageous, she follows her heart. But at what cost?

Fans of Philippa Gregory, Sandra Heath Wilson, K.M. Ashman, Candace Robb and Clare Marchant will be gripped by this captivating historical novel.

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PRAISE FOR TWICE ROYAL LADY:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Loved this book!” Amazon customer

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A good read.” Brookes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “An interesting read . . . this novel makes it fun to see the history unfold as if you are witnessing it first-hand.” Mo

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A very good read with a lot of historical detail.” W. Lazar

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Hilary Green has done a good job in bringing the medieval world to life in a very readable way. Both time and place feel authentic.” Jaffareadstoo

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “An engrossing read.” Lyn

ALSO BY HILARY GREEN
OPERATION LIGHTNING BOLT
OPERATION KINGFISHER
TWICE ROYAL LADY
APHRODITE’S ISLAND

Genres: Historical Fiction

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Hilary Green is a trained actress and spent many years teaching drama. She has always written, producing novels, scripts for the BBC, and short stories, one of which one the Kythira Prize awarded by the Historical Novel Society.

When not writing she gardens, rides horses, walks in the countryside and plays bridge as well as enjoying travel and has been round the world several times. Hilary is married, a grown-up son and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the story of the OG Matilda. One serious backbone. I don’t think she was afraid of anything. I can’t remember if I found a nonfiction book about her though. If anyone has a good one let me know you know what though? And I’ve read quite a bit since this one but if she “was the daughter of a king, the wife of a king, and a mother of a king” ( I know technically an empress) why isn’t the book thrice royal? I must have forgotten something already.

ROYALTY READ PROJECT

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been in an awful reading slump lately. I wasn't entirely sure if it was because of stressful situations and problems going on in my life, or maybe I was reading bad books. After reading Twice Royal Lady I can say that it was more likely for the past month I have chosen some bad books to read. For the first time in a long time I was able to escape the stress and uncertainty going around me. I was nearly late back to work on breaks because I had a difficult time putting the book down. I have mentioned in other reviews that Hilary Green is an author I enjoy and look forward to read and she didn't disappoint this time around. The story follows Matilda, who at the tender age of eight is betrothed to the Emperor of Germany Henry. From the opening chapter we meet the defiant proud and stubborn Matilda and follow her through most of her life. And what a life it is. History truly comes alive in this story. There were times I admired Matilda for her courage and strength and other times I wanted to scream at her for her actions. Even she herself admitted she drove people away by being too prideful. Widowed in her twenties (I guess that was old for those times) and married off again to someone I could only describe as a spoiled little snot (my opinion of him was swayed very little throughout the book) she eventually delivers three sons. While expecting the third her father dies and the story truly takes off. Despite this being a novel based on real historical events, Green manages to create such suspense and intensity, first as Matilda waits and bides her time to return to England and claim her place and then all of the delays that occur afterward. When she finally does get to England she is in for the fight of her life to gain what she truly believes was meant for her, the throne of England. Overall a very enjoyable dramatic and at times suspenseful story. The characters were all well fleshed out and portrayed as the real people they were with flaws and weaknesses. The book was beginning to get a bit repetitive toward the end, however as I began to notice this, the book was wrapped up and so it wasn't really that big of a deal for me. As I said a great read, my gratitude to Hilary Green for writing such a gripping book that it at last helped break my reading slump. I look forward to reading her next book.

[Chasity Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long Live Empress Matilda

An interesting and fast paced story about Empress Matilda's life. An English princess, Matilda, marries the Emperor of Rome. The 12 year old must navigate the courts. She is capable of taking on a lot of responsibility as she becomes a true wife to her husband. Her brother died on the White Ship, denying England of an heir. After Matilda's husband dies, her father, King Henry, calls her home. He has all the noblemen swear homage to Matilda as his heir and Lady of the English. When her father passes away, she must fight her usurping cousin, Stephen, for the throne.

I love the story line as the reader is swept away by Matilda's tale.

[jeannette Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean38no

A most interesting novel about a royal lady . Who was a Queen , Empress , Duchess, and Lady of England . During the time of her father Henry the first. She was married at the age of eight to a man 23 years old. Evidently he died and she was sent back to her father. He never failed use her as a pawn to marry off in his schemes for more land or cooperation. After her father died he left England for her to rule. She was then living in Normandy with her husband and family. By the time she turned her eyes toward England another had slipped the crown on their head , her first cousin Stephen. Matilda fought for the English crown for ten years. Finally after two of her brothers died defending her rights to the crown. She returned to Normandy. Her oldest son actually became Henry the second king of England. Matilda was a very brave women. She fought along side of soldiers. She could wield a crossbow as well as a man. She knew how to administrate.
All in all it was good reading with a wealth of background about the era

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good novel about Queen and Empress Mathilda.
Henry II's mother and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine's mother-in-law, was convinced she was the rightful Queen of England.....
I found extremely interesting to read about how relative it is to inherit the title of Queen, first because she was a woman and also somebody else was on the throne!!! I also was fascinated about hard she fought towards this crown: sieges, being under siege, how to get supporters, money... All at the expense of her own children who had stayed in Normandy with their father! An excellent historical background has proved a good frame for showing us an interesting, impressive and royal child who turned into a woman no less fascinating. Good characterisation revealing Mathilda with her strengths as well as weaknesses. Highly recommended!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tough Life

I don't envy Empress Matilda and her life at all. I only knew very little about her from other books that I read and really enjoyed learning about her in this book. She was a very strong and confident woman and many feel that pride was her downfall. I believe, however, that she had to be the way she was because England had never been ruled by a woman and she constantly had to prove herself. Of course she never got the chance. With the constant battles it definitely was a sad time for the country. A very good read!

[Colleen Baldwin-Hayter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Matilda of England.

The story of the young girl, the legitimate daughter of King Henry I.

This amazing story takes you on Matilda’s journey from princess, Queen, widow, Empress to fighting for her rightful place as Queen.

This is a story of a young girl’s journey to become a powerful woman in a time when men were the rulers. She has royal blood on both sides of her family tree and she fights to save her beloved England from her cousin’s reign.

I recommend this book to those interested in the history of the British Throne.

[Abbi Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy historical fiction. This book was very accurate. So much so, that I struggled to keep up with all the names and places listed, and multiple people with the same names led me to confusion about half way through. Perhaps I could have been more dedicated and written myself a list. This book is mostly factual, I prefer many more embellishments, though I did enjoy reading the parts about Matilda's life and struggles, the bare facts we a bit too much for me.

[MRS C MARSHALL · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

A new author and I give my honest review.
I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. It was exciting and a bit of history I did not know. I will not spoil this but it is worth the read.
Excellent

[gwen graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a great story. I love historical novels that are based on real people from the past. I knew a little of the history of the Empress Matilda, but this look into her history was a wonderful story to read.

[Gary and Sandra Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book

Enjoyable story of a women who in her own rite should have been England's first queen. If you enjoy history especially during this time period, this book gives you a lot of reference points to pursue for further reading g

[vickie brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

[Jill James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical read. I've always been fascinated by the Matilda/Stephen fight for the throne.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gripping story of Matilda the daughter of King Henry I of England. An excellent read and very well written

[Jenny]

Loved this book from the start,a true story about Matilda and her son Henry 11 against king Stephen.It makes a change to read about other kings and queens as it’s mostly about the tuners.

[Clare Hudson · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - threw in the towel on this one half way through.

I just didn't care about any of the characters and I found the plot really, really tedious!

Nope, not for me

[dorothy cannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish reading this book!

Having read your 63% I thought no more. Too much detail about battles. Boring. This was not the book I thought it would have been

[Helen Mendez-Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Enjoyed the history. Having just returned from a visit to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

Great to fill in some of the historical gaps. And good be able to fill in some of my historical gaps.

[Katerina Ermeidou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matilda truly was one of the most magnificent and tough women of her time and perhaps in the history of England in general. Having held the titles of Empress, Duchess of Normandy and - famously - Lady of the English, she lived a full and adventurous life, surviving the english civil war called the Anarchy, claiming the throne for herself and then for her son, establishing his right to the crown of England.

Knowing that, I expected to dive right into the story and be gripped by her intriguing life. Yet that didn't happen until the point of her father's death where the story really started kicking off. Up until then I found it quite slow and focusing a little too much on Matilda's stubborness and pride which ended up making her seem spoiled and unlikeable. While all those traits might have been true to her character - she was a princess and later empress after all - they not only took away from her life's story but also kept feeding to the narrative of the times when women like Matilda were labeled as she-wolves.

Unfortunately, this book, while enjoyable, did not quite win me over. Nevertheless, I did very much like the writing and found it easy to read so I would not hesitate to pick up another one of Hilary Green's books.

[Ted Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read. A little bit of history, a little bit of romance and the only complaint I had was the names got confusing at times.

[HalKid2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the story of Matilda, only heir to King Henry I and rightful queen of England, is interesting – her ten year struggle to claim the throne does get tedious. Her rival is her cousin King Stephen, who usurps the throne because Matilda is living outside England at the time of her father’s death. And many feel a king in the flesh beats a queen in absentia. There’s also that other issue -- a bunch of men not wanting to take orders from a woman.

It’s the beginning of civil war. There are endless battles. Lots of powerful nobles (difficult for me to keep all their names straight) changing sides – now loyal to Stephen, now loyal to Matilda, back and forth and back again. I admit I started skimming descriptions of death and destruction.

What I liked best about the book were the personal parts about Matilda herself – shipped off at 8 to marry a much older king, married at 12, soon the Empress of Germany, widowed 10+ years later, and forced into another political marriage to Geoffrey of Anjou, 9 years her junior.

History reports that even those who supported Matilda’s claim to the English throne found her arrogant and haughty. That comes across in this book. But you’ll have to decide for yourself whether the problem was really that, as a woman, Matilda refused to demure to the men around her.

Matilda fights doggedly for her throne throughout the novel. Then, abruptly just before the last chapter, she gives up the fight, and suddenly, it's some years later and she is witnessing the coronation of her famous son, King Henry II. It was SO abrupt that it almost felt like some chapters were missing or the author got tired of writing and decided to skip to the end of Matilda’s story. Needless to say, this one is NOT my favorite account of Matilda’s story.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matilda, Empress of the Germans and Lady of the English, daughter of Henry I of England, was always destined to be used as a political pawn and her life from childhood was governed and shaped by the men who would control her destiny.
Twice Royal Lady begins in Germany when eight year Matilda is being prepared for her betrothal to the future Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V. We begin to learn what shaped Matilda's character and where she got the indomitable strength which she would later have to rely on.

Matilda's life is well-documented and has been the subject of many historical novels, all of which portray Matilda as a remarkable and formidable woman. This book is no exception, and whilst it doesn't throw up any new evidence about her life, it does reiterate just how fickle medieval politics was and shows the capriciousness and volatility of male dominance.

There is no doubt that medieval history is a fascinating minefield of plot and counter plot and I think Hilary Green has done a good job in bringing the medieval world to life in a very readable way. Both time and place feel authentic and the author is largely considerate towards Matilda and describes her life in an interesting and informative way.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I needed this book after what was, to me, a bit of a slog with Kazuo Ishiguro's ' The Buried Giant'. Reading Hilary Green's ' Twice a Royal Lady' likened to being comfortably seated in an express train travelling at over two miles a minute and easily able to enjoy the landscape. With TaRL it is off from the starting blocks, hold on to your hat and away you go. The pace is mainly hectic and the history along with the story, was for me, expertly United.
The narrative concerns Matilda (Maud) daughter of Henry l. who is followed from childhood, wherein her character development fits perfectly with the later years. Matilda does manage to reach her goal through shear perseverance but then only to be knocked back into square one through her impatience. Consolation did eventually come to her at Westminster Abbey in 1154. A thoroughly good read.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. great read of an e book

Destined from childhood to be an important piece in the intricate chess game of power, Matilda is the granddaughter of William the Conqueror but also descended, through her mother, from the ancient line of Anglo-Saxon kings. Betrothed to Emperor Henry of Germany at the age of eight, she is married at 12 and crowned Empress. By her early twenties she is a widow, and the only surviving legitimate heir to her father, Henry l of England. Forced into a second marriage to a boy 10 years younger, she gives birth to three sons, the male heirs her father longs for. However, on his sudden death, the throne is usurped by her cousin, Stephen. Matilda is forced to choose between her husband and her rights as her father's heir. Intelligent, determined, and courageous, she chooses to fight for her rights.

[Garrett Olinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

History book with a bare novel interwoven.