About The Queen’s Lover
Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 8, 2011)
Catherine de Valois, daughter of the French king Charles VI, is born into troubled times. Though she is brought up in a royal court, it is a stormy and unstable environment. Before she is out of her teens, Catherine is married off to England’s Henry V as part of a treaty honoring his victory over France. She is terrified at the idea of being married to a man who is a foreigner, an enemy, and a rough soldier, and is forced to leave her home for England.
Within two years she is widowed, and mother to the future King of England and France—even though her brother has laid claim to the French crown for himself. Caught between warring factions of her own family and under threat by the powerful lords of the English court, she must find a way to keep her infant son safe. In Owain Tudor, a childhood friend for whom Catherine has long had affection and who now controls the Royal household, Catherine finds both strength and kinship. As their friendship turns to love, however, she risks not only her life and that of her son but the uneasy balance of power in England and France that will be forever changed.
History comes alive in this lyrical and moving true story of one woman’s courage and the inception of one of the most famous royal lineages of all time.
About Vanora Bennett
An award-winning journalist, Vanora Bennett is the author of Portrait of an Unknown Woman and Figures in Silk. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.
Find out more about Vanora at her website.
Vanora’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, March 8th: Unputdownables
Wednesday, March 9th: Books Like Breathing
Thursday, March 10th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, March 15th: The Lost Entwife
Wednesday, March 16th: Luxury Reading
Monday, March 21st: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, March 23rd: Life In Review
Thursday, March 24th: Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, March 29th: Hospitable Pursuits
Wednesday, March 30th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, March 31st: Katie’s Nesting Spot