I have been on a historical fiction kick lately this summer and it is no wonder because both Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory have new novels out and both are really good and fun to read.  Both of  these books are about strong women who will do whatever they can for their sons to have what they deserve.  At least what they think they deserve.

Captive Queen by Alison Weir is about Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is one of the most admired females in medieval history.  Eleanor was a heiress in her own right with her duchy of Aquitaine which was transferred to France with her marriage to King Louis VII and then to England with her marriage King Henry II.   Captive Queen is mainly about the tempestuous relationship between Eleanor and Henry and the power struggles and rivalries between Henry and their children which include Richard the Lionheart and the future King John.  Eleanor is ‘held captive’ by her love/hate relationship with her husband, Henry, and then finally after betraying him to have her favorite son, Richard, put on the throne of England she physically becomes his captive.

Philippa Gregory has started a new series, The Cousins War, that encompasses the War of the Roses. These stories are about the Plantagenet cousins, the Houses of York and Lancaster, whose claimants and Kings ruled England before The Tudors.  The first of the series is The White Queen which I do recommend reading first and it has just come out in paperback.   The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville, who captures the heart of the newly crowned young king and marries him in secret.  She and her family, The House of York rise to power and her two sons become a part of one of  history’s biggest unsolved mysteries, The Princes of the Tower of London.  The Red Queen is the story of the Lancaster family during The War of the Roses.  Margaret Beaufort is the heiress to the red rose of Lancaster and she never falters in her belief that her family is the true heir to the crown and after being married to Edmund Tudor and giving birth to Henry, the hope of the House of Lancaster she has a vision that he will one day be the King of England.   After being widowed twice, she marries Thomas, Lord Stanley, who is nicknamed ‘The Fox”.  Margaret has been separated from her son Henry for most of his life and is now putting all her hopes in her third husband to help her bring him out of exile to England to fulfill his destiny, bring down the House of York and become the King of England.

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