What a fascinating story. This is the first book I have read about the dark ages I think. It will not be the last!
Women's lives were not their own back then--Men ruled--women had to scheme and hope for the best. Adelheid only wanted to live in an abbey--but it was not to be. She made many mistakes along the way until she learned how to trust and be a "good" wife.
You really don't hear or read too much about the woman back in the dark ages--they were non entities. I am happy to see that Anna Chant is going to try to bring as many to our attention as she can! Their stories should be told.
About the Book: (from Amazon)
The daughter of the King of Burgundy, Adelheid’s destiny has been decided at the age of two. She will marry the son of her father’s rival, the King of Italy, taking her place one day as its queen.
As Adelheid grows up, she dreads her impending marriage, longing instead for a life of contemplation and devotion in an abbey. But aware it is her duty, she and King Lothair of Italy are wed.
The marriage is as unhappy as it is brief, their lives dominated by Berengar, the true ruler of Italy and his vicious wife, Willa. Widowed young, Adelheid hopes she can at last take up the religious life she has always dreamed of.
But tenth century Italy proves to be a treacherous land for the beautiful young queen. Berengar, now the King of Italy, is jealous of Adelheid’s popularity with the people. He plots to marry her to his own son, the odious Adalbert and he will not take no for an answer.
Only one man can help her - Otto, the King of Germany and the most powerful man in Christendom. But Otto’s help will come at a price. A widower, whose heart lies in the grave with his beloved wife, he demands Adelheid’s lands and her beauty for his own…
Read a Chapter or Two Here
Purchase the Book Here
About the Author: (from Amazon)
Anna was born in Essex in 1974. She loved reading from an early age, enjoying books such as the Chronicles of Narnia and Watership Down. She discovered historical fiction in her teens and this soon became a favourite genre, with 'Katherine' by Anya Seton one of her most read books.
After a completing a degree in history, Anna lived in Germany for a year before training as a teacher. She currently lives in Devon with her husband and three sons.
Anna has always enjoyed writing and has experimented over the years with various genres including thrillers, children's and science fiction. In 2015 she started work on a book inspired by her love of history and her Scots ancestry. The result was 'Kenneth's Queen', a tale of the forgotten wife of Kenneth mac Alpin, his rise to power and the birth of Scotland.
Anna has fallen in love with the Dark Ages and the part played by the often unrecorded and uncelebrated women who lived through these tumultuous events. She plans to tell the stories of as many as possible!
Author's Website
Goodreads
All opinions expressed are my own honest opinions. For more information please check my Disclosure Statement. Our giveaways are in no way sponsored or promoted by Facebook or Google.
1 comments :
I'd actually really like to ready this
Post a Comment