From the Publisher’s Website:
A Bittersweet Tale of Love, Loss, and the Power of Royalty
When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II’s court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry’s seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger a chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger’s importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King’s Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Chadwick’s Blog
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My Opinion:
I have read many a rave about Ms. Chadwick’s books and so I was thrilled to be able to read one for myself.
I now understand what all that raving was about – the writing is exemplary and the attention to detail sublime.
In this book we have young Ida de Tosney who has come to King Henry II’s court as his ward. She is an heiress and he is to protect her and find her a suitable husband. Instead of protecting her he finds her irresistible and he makes her his mistress. One cannot defy the will of the King now, can one.
Roger Bigod is the son of man who made war against Henry. By that act he lost his title, his castle and most of his lands. Roger made the decision to side with the king so he was welcome at court but not completely trusted. He was working tirelessly to get back the family title and lands. His stepmother was fighting just as hard for her sons; she felt they deserved them even though Roger was firstborn.
At court Roger meets Ida and there is a spark between them. As time goes by and especially after Ida gives birth to Henry’s child, Henry starts to lose interest in Ida and she knows she needs to plan so as to protect herself. Henry will want to marry her off and she wants to make sure she will be happy. She manipulates the situation so that she marries Roger.
There is so very much more to this story and it is a book to be savored. From the very first chapter I felt as if I were living at Henry’s court. The descriptions, the writing style, the pace of the book – everything comes together to make you feel as if you are actually there. It was a hard book to put down and to be honest, I didn’t. I read it straight through in one sitting. It was that good.
The little details about food, clothes and the homes of the people help the make the book an experience rather than just a read. The conversations and feelings expressed seem so true to the characters as they are allowed to develop. There is no rushing of relationship or event just to move plot and that is a real delight.
I can honestly say I can’t wait another book by Ms. Chadwick.
For the King’s Favor is available at Sourcebooks and is 35% off for the month of September. Just use the code 35SEP10 at checkout to receive the discount.
After that For the King’s Favor
is available at Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of For the King’s Favor from Sourcebooks. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by the receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
