Free ebook promotion!

Sourcebooks is having a wonderful promotion this weekend. The following ebook will be available for free from February 4th through Sunday February 6th wherever ebooks are sold:

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick

Find it on the Nook: Barnes and Noble.com

Find it on the Kindle: Amazon.com

Synopsis (From the Publisher):

"Royal protector. Loyal servant. Forgotten hero. 

A penniless young knight with few prospects, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II's formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor to the heir to the throne, the volatile and fickle Prince Henry. But being a royal favorite brings its share of danger and jealousy as well as fame and reward."    

                        

Having read the second book in the series, The Scarlet Lion (My Review), and it being one of my favorite historical fiction novels, I am eager to read this first book for which I have only heard the highest praise. The final book in the series, To Defy a King, will be released March 1st. Hmmm, I think this calls for a bit of a Chadwick event here on the blog!

Book Review: For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick

Publish Date: September 2010

Format: Paperback 544pp

Synopsis: (From the Publisher)

"A Bittersweet Tale of Love, Loss, and the Power of Royalty.

When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II's court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger a chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger's importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best."

My Review:

In Elizabeth Chadwick's latest novel, For the King's Favor, we find a captivating story of honor, duty and love....

Rodger Bigod, the unwanted son of a traitorous Earl, finds himself with a weighty decision: be loyal to his father or his king. Choosing the path he deems most honorable, Rodger devotes his life to the service of King Henry II. Although Rodger swears his allegiance and proves his merit in battle, he quickly learns it will take more than that to claim his inheritance and erase the shame his father brought on the Bigod name.

During his stay at court, Rodger is besotted with the young and beautiful Ida de Tosney, none other than the King's beloved mistress. Despite Ida's life of luxury and honor as the King's mistress, she longs for a peaceful and respectable life away from court. As she grows more confidant in her power of having the king's favor, she devises a plan that will possibly lead her to the life she has always dreamed of.

With a sudden twist of fate, Rodger and Ida find themselves able to make a new life for themselves. Undaunted by the knowledge of the trials that lie before them, they embark on life's journey together with high hopes and strong determination to finally claim everything that was so unjustly taken from them. Alas, the trials are more perilous than anticipated and their happy world is soon torn asunder. With uncertainty and turmoil at every turn, they begin to fear their hard hard work is for naught, because when a king is the lord of everything, what price can one pay to earn the favor of a king?


Elizabeth Chadwick has once again weaved a work of art with her vivid descriptions and ability to tell a most captivating tale. From the ripples cast in a pond at dusk to the warmth felt from a sun warmed stone, this story comes alive from the moment you read the first page! All of the characters were well rounded and had very distinct personalities. As usual, with Chadwick's writing style, the villains were ugly and intense emotion was felt for the main characters. The one thing that held this book back from receiving 5 crowns was the intensity of the plot. After reaching the halfway point of the book, I was still waiting for that crazy moment where everything falls to pieces and the plot twists and jerks you around; and I still found myself looking for that up until the end. That being said, the plot was indeed well thought out and was never dull. Overall this is yet another must read for any Chadwick fan or lover of historical fiction. I will definitely be reading anything I can find by this extremely talented author!



FTC: I received this book from the publisher. As always, these are my own honest opinions.

Book Review: The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

Synopsis: (From the Publisher)

"William Marshal returns in this sequel to The Greatest Knight with the older and wiser William well settled with his wife, Isabelle de Clare, and their ever-growing brood. However, he is now in uneasy service to King John, who suspects William for his ties to John's late brother Richard I, but cannot openly despise the powerful earl's allegiance. Still, ever spiteful John systematically strips William of titles, power, honors, and even his son, Will, who the king demands as his squire. Then John dies suddenly, and William must take the rebellious kingdom in hand and assume the regency. Chadwick delivers another accomplished historical, albeit without the thrills of its predecessor. Like William, the story is too settled and comfortable to be as exciting as the story of the young knight on the rise, but the in-depth exploration of the intrigues of King John's court is riveting. Isabelle remains a powerful noblewoman and excellent match for William."

My Review:

William Marshall is a knight who commands respect, a respect that is well deserved and freely given. In the beginning of this thrilling book we first meet William, a fearless and experienced leader, storming the castle at Milli. After a successful battle, William is joined by his sovereign King Richard I and it is instantly apparent the amount of respect William has for him. Everything is going smoothly for England with Richard as King but a sudden and fatal sickness overtakes the him and throws England at the mercy of Prince John, the new King of England. As the treacherous and twisted King John assumes the role of England's Monarch, William pledges his full loyalty, as is his duty, but has constant vigilance in all dealings with him.

On the Marshall lands in Normandy, William and his wife Isabelle have led a happy life and are continuously blessed with children. Unfortunately, their peaceful existence begins to crumble as King John repeatedly makes them prove their loyalty to him. By the king's command, two of their sons are sent to be squires for the king but in all reality they are his hostages, insuring the Marshall's loyalty. King John's unfounded suspicions are still not put to ease and he continuously attempts to break William's spirit by stripping him of titles, land, wealth and humiliating him in front of other lords of the land. Through all this, William never wavers and is ever loyal to King John; even when invasion by the French is imminent and he is forced to fight against his own son in battle.

When things look bleakest for William and his family, things suddenly change when news arrives of King John's sudden death. Peace for the Marshall family is thought to be in sight but their troubles are far from over. William now finds himself regent of England since the new King is just a child. England is a country split in two and it is up to William to bring things to order, giving England the long awaited peace it deserves.

As deadly political games are played and power hungry traitors lurk everywhere, William must find the strength to outwit his enemies in order to protect England and his family from unfathomable destruction.


In this sweeping tale of medieval England, Elizabeth Chadwick creates a intriguing and delightful story full of  gallantry, tournaments, treachery and a love story for the ages. The words flow freely from the pages and envelope you in a story so real that you find yourself having the same intense emotions as the characters. William Marshall was such an endearing and three dimensional figure that after reading 549 pages I was sad to finish and close the book. The Scarlet Lion is a sequel to The Greatest Knight; both following the life of William Marshall. Since I have not read The Greatest Knight, I can definitely say that The Scarlet Lion is able to stand alone in the series and although it follows the second half of his life, it does hinder the reader from wanting to know the his beginning and reading the first book. After reading this amazing novel, I am greatly looking forward to reading much more of Elizabeth Chadwick's spectacular work.