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The Widow Queen and her Lover
Alan Gold
Publication date: September 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical
No longer one of the spoils of war, Catherine, Queen of England and France, resolves to fight for her new life – on her own terms
Catherine of Valois, daughter of the defeated king of France, looks down from the battlements as her future rides to greet her.
As one of the spoils of war, she is to be married to her father’s enemy, Henry V of England. She is prepared to do her duty – what could be worse than continuing to live with her ailing father and cold mother – but she wasn’t prepared to fall in love.
Henry is everything that she wanted in a husband, and a king. In him she finds a devoted lover and inspiring ruler. When he dies, shortly after she has delivered his heir, her future and that of her son is in doubt. Not only must she protect her baby, the young Henry VI, she must protect his legacy from the grasping and scheming of his uncle and protector.
When Owen Tudor — Welshman, commoner, troublesomely attractive — stumbles into her lap, she sees her future. A man who will not lead armies, nor rule kingdoms. Instead, one who will devote himself to protecting what is hers. But he must sacrifice everything he has in order to marry her, and even that may not be enough to keep them all safe.
Excerpts that set the scene historically for the book
As the singing came closer, Gaspar listened more carefully, and soon picked up the song’s words. English words, and some Latin. He knew some of them, for he’d lived in England for years as a boy while his father helped build a cathedral and remembered parts of their language. The old priest had tutored him in some Latin words, hoping to make him into a … he didn’t dare think.
The words brought relief to his old bones … for this was not the day of his death, nor would he suffer hunger pains the following month from the starvation which would be caused if the English army laid siege to the castle. No, this was the day most discussed this past month, the day when the English would take control of France.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Gaspar saw movement. It was a woman coming up the steps from the rooms below in the castle. She’d heard the singing and wanted to see who was chanting. Monks? Townsfolk? Jongleurs? She didn’t look scared, and Gaspar recognized her immediately. It was the young and beautiful Catherine of Valois, only eighteen, and the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Tall, majestic, regal, yet happy in her life, friendly, open, and warm … the very opposite of the mad father and especially the cold cow of a mother. God knows how she could be so happy and cheerful when she had a mother like that woman down below, that Bavarian bitch and a lunatic for a father.
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Alan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.
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The cover of this one is perfect!
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy
I like this one also!
DeleteGood luck Alan on the success of the book!
ReplyDelete