1107. A kidnap and a devastating shipwreck. King Henry I reigns over England, Normandy, and Wales, but his rule is far from secure. He faces treacherous assassination attempts and rebellion. Nuns and bards are tasked as spies to carry dangerous messages across the kingdom.
The Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, is settled in Wales with her Norman husband but her brother is gathering support to reclaim his kingdom, and another Welsh prince has not forgotten that he was once betrothed to marry Nest. While dissent grows, a secret passion is revealed, and Nest and her Cambro-Norman children are placed in dire peril.
Nest ferch Rhys is embedded in Norman society, but where do her heart and loyalty belong, and who can she trust?
Book II in the Conquest trilogy centring on Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I.
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'Read it to me one more time' Amelina said.1: PERPLEXING PARCHMENTS
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(Self-Published, 24 April 2023, e-book, 388 pages, copy from the author)
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I loved The Drowned Court, the second book in a trilogy. This picks up soon after the first book, Daughter Of The Last King ended. Things are still as intense and twisty in this book with Nest struggling to keep the happy life she's fought for with her husband when the Price she was once due to marry decides to try and take what he feels he's owed and her brothers start making trouble, equally determined to overthrow a kingdom they believe is theirs. Nest develops a lot as a character in this book, becoming much tougher and more able to stand up for herself. I got real insight into her as a person. She has made peace with her life as a Norman wife and it's hard not to feel for her when her brothers and Owain stir up old memories. This is well-written and gripping. I can't wait to read the final book.