BLOOD ROYAL - Softcover

Bennett, Vanora

3.64

1,379 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007281927 ISBN 13: 9780007281923

Publisher: HarperFiction, 2010

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The story of a great queen, a woman of enormous courage who made her own rules, and a true survivor. This is the first in a series of late medieval novels by Vanora Bennett, the author of Portrait of an Unknown Woman.

1420, and a young princess is offered in marriage to her country's enemy, her nation's conqueror. She is Catherine of Valois, he is Henry V. She is a princess of the French blood royal, he is the son of the usurper of the English throne. Fresh from battle he claims his bride and the right to the throne of France.

Now Catherine must live as queen to a man more comfortable with war than anything else and as the wife of a man determined to destroy her people. Alone and friendless, she finds the only man who can understand what she feels: a young Welshman, Owain Tudor, who is as much adrift among the English as she is. It's a matching of souls but this friendship will turn out to be as dangerous as it is irresistible...

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Review:

Praise for ‘Blood Royal’:

‘Bennett writes thoughtful, well-researched historical fiction, finding connections between past and present without too much silliness or fact-bending, and with plenty of romance. Enormous, in every sense of the word’ The Times

‘A page-turning story, successfully evoking the atmosphere of intrigue and fear that beset the times’
Daily Mail

'A skilful blend of fact and fiction. [Bennett's] characters, story, and fluid writing style sweep you along in a pageant of medieval life. This is quite simply an excellent read!' Historical Novel Society

Praise for ‘Portrait of an Unknown Woman’:

'Bennett's background detail is impeccable – part love story, part thriller, all excellently imagined and written.' The Times

'There is plenty to admire and enjoy in Bennett's portrayal of a society convulsed by radical change...Vanora Bennett is a writer to watch.' Times Literary Supplement

'Distinguished...Romance, intrigue and art history are confidently blended, and Holbein canvases are afforded starring roles.' Daily Mail

‘If you want a classier-than-average romantic read, one contender is this fine historical debut, a ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’-style tale.’
Sunday Times

'An atmospheric, passionate novel set against a backdrop of religious and political upheaval.' Woman and Home

Book Description:

"Bennett writes thoughtful, well-researched historical fiction, finding connections between past and present without silliness or fact-bending, and with plenty of romance. And the subject is fascinating. Enormous, in every sense of the word." - The Times, May 2009

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