Title: The Summer Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitane #1)
Author: Elizabeth Chadwick
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Eleanor of Aquitaine, the legendary 12th century queen of France and later of England, is one of the most powerful and irrepressible women in medieval history, and her story of romance, scandal and political intrigue has fascinated readers for centuries.
Young Eleanor (or Alienor as she was known) has everything to look forward to as the heiress to the wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father William X suddenly dies, childhood is over. Sent to Paris and forced to marry Prince Louis VII of France, she barely adjusts before another death catapults them to King and Queen. At the age of just 13, Eleanor must leave everything behind and learn to navigate the complex and vivacious French court. Faced with great scandals, trials, fraught relationships, and forbidden love at every turn, Eleanor finally sees what her future could hold if she could just seize the moment.
The first in this highly anticipated trilogy, The Summer Queen follows Eleanor through the Second Crusade to the end of her marriage to Louis VII. The author's meticulous research (including delving into the Akashic records) portrays the Middle Ages and Eleanor with depth and vivid imagery unparalleled in historical fiction that will keep readers riveted and wanting more.
Praise for The Summer Queen
"A magnificent woman's story told by a brilliant historical novelist; realistic, emotional, vibrant, exciting and unputdownable." - RT Book Reviews, July Top Pick
"The Summer Queen is a fabulous novel based on the most up-to-date and meticulous research. This is historical fiction at its best and I loved every page of it." - For Winter Nights: A bookish blog
"Meticulous research and strong storytelling." - Woman and Home
"A rich and compelling read." - Candis Magazine
"Uses authentic period detail to bring to life a new queen and the drama and intrigue surrounding her" - France Magazine
"Absolutely fantastic... It has it all, romance, adventure, and intrigue! I give this novel a solid FIVE out of FIVE stars!" - Historical Fiction Obsessed
"An immersion in the life of a queen who helped shape the Western world." - Kirkus
Book Trailer
Buy Links
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About the Author
Best selling historical novelist Elizabeth Chadwick won a Betty Trask Award for her first novel The Wild Hunt. She has been shortlisted for the UK's mainstream Best Romantic Novel of the Year Award 4 times and longlisted twice. Her novel The Scarlet Lion about the great William Marshal and his wife Isabelle de Clare, has been selected by Richard Lee, founder of the Historical Novel Society as one of the landmark historical novels of the last ten years.When not at her desk, she can be found taking long walks with the dog, baking cakes, reading books (of course!) exploring ruins, listening to various brands of rock and metal music, and occasionally slaving over a steaming cauldron with re-enactment society Regia Anglorum.
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Giveaway
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Ends at 12:01am CST on July 13th
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Recently I watched The White Queen and really liked it so it makes me want to read some Phillipa Gregory books. Too bad the cable TV show is no more.
ReplyDeleteI love Philippa Gregory! I read everything she wrote for about a decade. I never got to watch the show, but I have no doubt that it was amazing.
DeleteThe Pillars of the Earth is my FAVORITE historical fiction............
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that novel. There was so much depth to the story. I got the sequel with every intention of reading it as well, but I never got around to it. :-)
DeleteThe Summer Queen sounds like a fascinating book. Great book trailer. I enjoy historical fiction/romance. My favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo. Thanks for the great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by! I have never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I've always meant to. Maybe I'll listen to the audiobook one of these days.
DeleteI love the music in the trailer. It's so haunting! Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by to enter the giveaway!
DeleteHistorical fictions always have some interesting elements that captivates the reader, even the worst ones, IMO. My favorite HF book is Geisha. The trailer is well made and this giveaway is simply fabulous. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read Memoirs of a Geisha, and that was one of the first books that I read based solely on the cover. I absolutely adored it and the movie that was made from it.
DeleteI loved the trailer! The music is awesome! One of my faves is Eleanor of Aquitaine because I am a descendant of her and Henry II
ReplyDelete