WELCOME TO RACHEL’S FICTION WRITING AND REVIEWS BLOG
This is where Rachel keeps you up to date with her novels and stories and also shares reviews, highlights and extracts from other authors.
Inês by Catherine Mathis
Today, I am delighted to host Catherine Mathis for the blog tour for her novel, Inês, the first book in her The Queens of Portugal Trilogy. Catherine has kindly provided an excerpt – please see below.
An heir to the throne, a gorgeous blonde lady-in-waiting, the king's trusted advisor. When a father and son don't understand each other, the son pays an outrageous price.
Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th century Portugal.
In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro's father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile's royal convulsions though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians.
The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king's powerful, unquestioned counselor who is mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês.
There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês?
Inês is based on real people and events, exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history.
Book Review: The Disgraced Knight's Redemption by Ella Matthews
As I hadn’t read the other two novels, I never really understood the details of the disgrace Sir Tristan had suffered, but it was clearly not his fault, and he was clearly an honourable man who just wanted to help out his friends (who’d had their own adventures in the previous books) and a great knight. He had a mission to fulfil on behalf of the king so he could overcome his ‘disgrace’. That mission, which he chose to accept, was to convince a young Welsh heiress to leave her castle and lands and go to court, so a man could take over.
The only problem was that she and her castle and small group of very loyal people were already under attack, about to be besieged by a treacherous neighbour who wanted her lands and castle.
Sir Tristan to the rescue! He, being a capable (and incredibly handsome) knight, trained the people and helped them withstand the siege. But he still intended on taking her to the king after, and fulfilling his mission.
What he didn’t reckon for (and neither did she) was the instalove and mutual attraction they’d find in each other.
How could he complete his mission when he was falling for her? How could she look after her people when she was distracted by him?
All in all, a lovely romance with themes of love, found family, redemption, honour, and ultimately a satisfying ending.
If you love classic love stories with a medieval flourish - castles, sieges and the like, then this one’s for you!
The Shadow of Becket: How a Murder Shook the Kingdom
For years, the quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket raged. Becket fled to France in 1164, finding refuge with King Louis VII—the same Louis who still burned with resentment against Henry II for marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine. The dispute became as much about politics as faith: two monarchs using one archbishop as a pawn.
In 1170, Henry and Becket made a fragile peace. The archbishop returned to England to cheers from the faithful. But within weeks, their conflict flared again when Becket excommunicated bishops loyal to the crown.
It was then, in a moment of fury, that Henry uttered the words chroniclers would never forget—perhaps not verbatim, but in essence:
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
Four knights took him at his word.
LADY OF LINCOLN Cover Reveal!
I’m overjoyed to share the cover of my debut historical novel, LADY OF LINCOLN — a story inspired by one of England’s most extraordinary medieval women, Nicola de la Haye, and longlisted for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction.
A Woman Who Defied Kings
LADY OF LINCOLN opens in the twelfth century, amid brewing rebellion. This is the untold story of the eventful early life of a noblewoman and castellan who would become known as “the woman who saved England.”
Medieval England.
A Civil war.
A teenage heiress.
A disastrous marriage.
What happens when a girl expected to yield… chooses to lead?