Audiobook Review: The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

Author: Elizabeth Chadwick

Narrator: Christopher Scott

Title: The Scarlet Lion

(William Marshal #3)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published: December 7th 2006

Where I got It: My shelf (audible) 

Summary: 

Following early beginnings as a knight in the English royal household and a champion of the tourneys, William Marshal's prowess and loyalty have been rewarded by the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare, heiress to great estates in England, Normandy and Ireland. Now a powerful magnate, William has weathered the difficult years of King Richard's absence on crusade and is currently serving him on campaign in Normandy while Isabelle governs their estates. All the stability William and Isabelle have enjoyed with their young and growing family comes crashing down as Richard dies and his brother John becomes King. Rebellion is stirring throughout the Angevin domains and although John has created William Earl of Pembroke, the friction between the two men leads William and Isabelle to distance themselves in Ireland. The situation escalates, with John holding their sons as hostages and seizing their English lands. The conflict between remaining loyal and rebelling over injustices committed, threatens to tear apart William and Isabelle's marriage and their family.

Review:

Literally been wanting to read this for yearsssssssssss. Thanks to the TBR pile challenge, I decided to get my hands on a copy of this and read it. 

Years have passed and all the stability William and his wife, Isabelle, have enjoyed with their young family comes crashing down. Richard is dead and John has become King. Rebellion is stirring throughout the Angevin domains. The friction between the new King and William leads William and Isabelle to distance themselves by going to their lands in Ireland. The situation further escalates when John holds their sons as hostages and seizes their English lands. This conflict between remaining loyal and rebelling over the injustices committed threatens to tear William's family apart. 

This can be read as a stand-alone. I read book 2 years ago so I barely remember what happened there and I never read book 1. Things you need to know will be told/explained to the reader so it's okay not to backtrack to book 1 or 2.

I do remember loving William and Isabelle. They are an adorable couple and they fit each other so well. However, I did want to kick William once in a while. I get WHY he wants to be loyal to the throne and fight through the issues and find common ground...but John is a right old bastard. No Richard by ANY means. So I get young Will's annoyance with his father. 

Sobbbbbs I didn't want this to end. I hated seeing William get old. I hated seeing others get old too and die like Queen Eleanor!!! So dang sad. It made me want to re-read book 2 when William was a super youth and Eleanor was in her prime. I do want to read book 1 which is about John FitzGilbert who is William's dad. 

This had politics, feels, love, war, and death. It is the ending chapter for William, but it isn't the end of the story. There are other stories to be told. I do want to read them, but it made me cry saying goodbye to William. He was truly the greatest knight. Yes, yes, I am being dramatic, but he was such a fun character to watch grow from a boy to an old man. I would love to see a movie based on him. I think the BBC has a documentary on him, but I think the man deserves his own movie. C'MON NETFLIX OR HULU!!!!!

Anyways...this was really good. I do think a couple parts dragged a bit. We just kept waiting and waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were a couple of lulls that seemed to slow down the plot a bit. 

The narrator was pretty good. Loved his male voices. His female voices were okay.

In the end, I recommend reading book 2 but it is not necessary story-wise. I do think you will appreciate all William did for the throne and understand him better when you read book 2 first. Yours to do. I really enjoyed this. It made me cry at the end, but I am curious to see what happens next for this family.  There are a couple of lulls that slowed down the plot a hair. I'll give this 4 stars overall. 

Challenge(s):
- #31 for Audiobook challenge

- TBR Reading Challenge (#5)

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick

Paperback, 480 pages

Published April 16th 2020 by Sphere (first published September 12th 2019)

Historical fiction

Own

It has been ages since I read my last Chadwick! I wasn't a fan of he E of A books, so I stopped. But then I noticed a new one, and another new one, and I had to try again. I have missed her books, they are always filled with details and she brings out people you would never read about otherwise. And she really loves and excels at the 12th century.

Aoife is a princess of Leinster. And the Irish Kings keep fighting each other, then her family has to flee and end up in England. The choices her father does will doom Ireland, but then again, the English would have come sooner or later. Help us, and you can have some pieces of Ireland. Well thanks for that Diarmait! 

To get some English help, Aoife marries Richard de Clare. And it was here I started to know this family, it all came together. Their child would marry William Marshall. Quick fact, Isabel and William will have a bunch of sons who never manages to get any kids (except one daughter). It was said to be a Irish curse, spooky! But their male lines would die out. Ok I got off track, but this is what her books makes me do, google the shit out of everything.

She made me like Aiofe, and everyone else, ok maybe not the horny dog that was Henry II, or Richard's sister. But it is all fascinating, and I am so there in her books. At those battlefields, during the ordinary times.

Another winner from her.

Ireland, 1160

Aoife MacMurchada is just 14 years old when her father Diarmit, King of Leinster, is brutally deposed, and her family is forced to flee Southern Ireland into English exile. Diarmit seeks help from King Henry II, an alliance that leads him to the charismatic Richard de Clare, lord of Striguil, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons.

Diarmit promises Richard wealth, lands, and Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid, but Aoife, has her own thoughts on the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn and she will play the game to her own advantage.

From the royal halls of scheming kings, to staunch Welsh border fortresses and across storm-tossed seas to the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love and loss, heartbreak and survival.

B's Monday Review: The Winter Mantle by Elizabeth Chadwick

Blurb: Fresh from his defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy has returned home in triumph, accompanied by the English nobles he cannot trust to leave behind. For Waltheof of Huntington, however, rebellion is not at the forefront of his thoughts. From the moment he catches sight of Judith, daughter of the King’s formidable sister, he knows he has found his future wife.

When Waltheof saves Judith’s life, it is clear that the attraction is mutual. But marriage has little to do with love in medieval Europe. When William refuses to let the couple wed, Waltheof joins forces with his fellow rebels in an uprising against the King. William brutally crushes the rebellion, but realizes that Waltheof cannot be ignored. Marrying him to his niece, he decides, is the perfect way to keep him in check.

But is the match between the Saxon earl and Norman lady made in heaven or hell? As their children grow, Waltheof and Judith must choose between their feelings for each other and older loyalties. At the same time, the reputation of Waltheof’s Norman acquaintance Simon de Senlis continues to flourish. The son of William’s chamberlain, he shares a special bond with Waltheof, who rescued him from being trampled by a horse when he was a squire. Now Simon enjoys the confidence of both the King and the rebel earl. And when tension between the two ignites once more, it is Simon who is set to reap the reward.

My thoughts:

I have read almost all of her books, and I do like how she take characters that makes you want to read more.

In this one we have Judith, she is the niece of William the Conqueror, and she married a Dane/Englisman, Earl Waltheof. We get to see those big events, and we are also on the side, which I liked. You do not have to be in the middle of things to get the picture.

Judith, oh she was nice and turned into a bit of a shrew. Waltheof was nice, but did not really see the big picture.

But yes I thought the book would be about them, nope after half the book we get the POV of their daughter Mathilda and her marriage to Simon de Senlis. And it ended before the good part! Well the good part for me, I wanted to know about her second marriage to King David of Scotland. She was just so old, I get that they wanted a connection, still so old, could have been too old for kids (but was not), and I would have wanted to see the take on that.

Conclusion:

Interesting, but still not one of her best. She has many books after all. But worth the read.

Cover

nice

Paperback, 512 pages

Published January 31st 2007 by Sphere (first published January 17th 2002)

Historical fiction

Own

Book Review: The Greatest Knight

(Elizabeth Chadwick must have written this book with magic. I am officially part of the club that LOVES this book....)

Author: Elizabeth Chadwick
Title: The Greatest Knight (William Marshall #1)
Genre: Historical Fiction, War
Pages: 552
First Published: 2006
Where I Got It: Library


"A penniless young knight with few prospects, William Marshal blazes into history on the strength of his sword and the depth of his honor. Marshal's integrity sets him apart in the turbulent court of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, bringing fame and the promise of a wealthy heiress as well as enemies eager to plot his downfall. Elizabeth Chadwick has crafted a spellbinding tale about a forgotten hero, an ancestor of George Washington, an architect of the Magna Carta, and a legend of chivalry - the greatest knight of the Middle Ages."

*clears throat* Where to begin? At first I was a little daunted by the size of the book. Yes, I've had my fair share of large novels, but I usually know what I'm getting into before I pick up the book. I'll admit it...I never heard of William Marshal before. That's why I was little uneasy about the size of this book. I wasn't sure, but many people recommended this book for me to read. I'm so glad that listened.

Chadwick brought this tale of William Marshal to life. She once again gave life to long-dead hero. Everytime I opened the book, I felt like I was there. I felt like I was in the room as a squire or some maid. This book embodies how a Historical novel should be. It's not boring and it's not over the top. I loved William Marshal. Many people have stated this and I am now one of them. He was such a great guy. Loyalty was his code. He was a man ahead of his times. He may not have been able to read or write, but his ideas and manners far-reached many of the men of that time. That's why Queen Eleanor respected him and wanted him around.

There's nothing I can really say that's negative. I have forced my evil-and-mean side to come out. Umm, one of the only things I didn't like about this book was that....it ended. Haha. No but seriously, I didn't like the length that much and also I didn't like how it would change narrative out of the blue. I sometimes found myself confused, so I would have reread and figure out who's viewpoint I had drifted into. Other than that, I loved it. I grant this book 5*s. Woot woot!

<3 Carole Rae