Shadow on the Crown (The Emma of Normandy, Book 1)
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By Patricia Bracewell
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2 reviews
Set in England when Vikings are on the brink of invasion, this is an epic tale of seduction, war, and unrequited love from an outstanding new voice in historical fiction
In 1002 AD Emma, a young Norman girl, must take her place as bride to England’s King Æthelred, a ruler who is looking for nothing more than a political pawn to protect his shores and bear his next child. But Emma soon realises that her new role comes with danger: the seductive Elgiva, mistress to the King, will stop at nothing in her battle for the circlet of gold. Amidst the turmoil of a kingdom under threat and a forbidden love, both women will fight for the King’s attention, a king whose haunted past is as dark as the portent in the night’s sky. And the one who rises will become the most powerful woman in the kingdom. TweetReviews
St Regulus Reading Group read this novel. The intrigue for power from both men and women in this era proved interesting reading. The way women were treated was also revealing. It was a good read
This is a gripping novel set in eleventh century England. King Ethelred has lost his wife as she bore his tenth child. He takes young Emma of Normandy as his Queen and this first book in a new trilogy sees the teenager plot a course through the intrigues of a foreign court under threat from Swein Forkbeard, King of Denmark, whose viking warriors constantly take both life and wealth in their annual raids on her new kingdom. An excellently crafted and pacy book where fact and fiction meld to create an epic read.
