Queens of Love and War

Against the seething political intrigues of twelfth-century Europe, two royal heirs will surrender to passion as they vie for the most glittering, treacherous prize of all: the English throne At nine, Maud, an English princess, was sent to Germany to become the bride of the Holy Roman Emperora political alliance with a man her father's age. At twenty-five, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to fourteen-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud's fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire.     Stephen, a descendant of William the Conqueror, believes absolutely in his God-given right to rule. Torn between his illicit passion for Maud and his own towering ambition, he knows he must choose. Stephen's decision will wrench him from the arms of the woman he loves, ignite civil war, and lead to a shattering act of betrayal that, decades later, will come full circle and change the course of English history.

Set against the turbulent backdrop of twelfth-century Europe, as two countries compete for world dominion, one woman will take her destiny, and the future of a nation, into her own hands Aquitaine is mine. It will never belong to anyone else."   With these words, fifteen-year-old Eleanor seals her fate. Aquitaine is under the French king's safekeeping, and Eleanor, the Duke of Aquitaine's eldest daughter, knows she must wed Prince Louis in order to insure the future of her beloved duchy. Fiercely independent, filled with untapped desire, the woman who would be queen must provide Louis VII, her monkish husband, with heirs. But it is young Henry of Anjou who catches Eleanor's eyeand sets fire to her heart.   Ruled by a raging drive to succeed, Henry vows that he will not be cheated of his rightful place on the English throne. Yet the newly christened Duke of Normandy is thoroughly enraptured by the French queen. In Eleanor, Henry knows he has found a woman whose hunger for life and glory matches his own. So begins a passionate love that will span decades and change the course of history.

Set against the splendor and scheming of the Middle Ages, this enthralling historical novel brings to life the magnificent Eleanor of Aquitaine, a woman far ahead of her time and one of history's most extraordinary queens Tumultuous. Passionate. Timeless. The marriage between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenet was like no other, born of power, politics, and an all-consuming, fiery love. Within two years of their wedding, Henry conquered England and together they ruled a vast kingdom. At first they worked to unify and repair their war-torn landsbefore being torn apart by intrigue, adultery, and deadly revenge.   Henry II dreams of enacting a new judicial system, a common law that would help foster peace. But a devastating betrayal by his closest confidante, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, thrusts Henry into a rivalry that threatens to tear church and state apart. Eleanor, an accomplished ruler in her own right, steps in to help Henry quell the rebellions across their lands. But when she learns of her husband's secret romance with the fair, young Rosamund de Clifford, it shatters her heart and ignites a bitter vengeance that will engulf their family in treachery and betrayal. As Eleanor takes the side of her sons against their father, these young royals, chafing for power of their own, wreak havoc across the continent, igniting a war whose tragic consequences Eleanor could never have foreseen.

Three engrossing historical novels that bring the splendor and scheming of the Middle Ages to vivid life In The Fatal Crown, set against the seething political intrigues of twelfth-century Europe, two royal heirs surrender to passion as they vie for the most glittering, treacherous prize of all: the English throne. At twenty-five, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to fourteen-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud's fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire. In Beloved Enemy, Aquitaine is under the French king's safekeeping, and Eleanor, the Duke of Aquitaine's eldest daughter, knows she must wed Prince Louis in order to insure the future of her beloved duchy. Fiercely independent, filled with untapped desire, the woman who would be queen must provide Louis VII, her monkish husband, with heirs. But it is young Henry of Anjou who catches Eleanor's eye-and sets fire to her heart. And in Gilded Cages, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenet-whose marriage was born of power, politics, and an all-consuming, fiery love-rule a vast kingdom. At first they work to unify and repair their war-torn lands-before being torn apart by intrigue, adultery, and deadly revenge.