First published 2024
Jeanette of Kent accompanies her cousin King Edward III to war-torn Antwerp in 1338. The royal court buzzes with preparation for England's campaign against France. Jeanette meets Thomas Holland, a skilled knight in the royal household. Their attraction proves mutual and immediate. Both understand that their growing love violates court expectations and family plans. They choose to wed in secret anyway. Thomas departs for battle before they can reveal their marriage. While he fights overseas, Jeanette's family forces her into a second marriage and confines her. Thomas eventually returns from war to discover what happened. He and Jeanette face a new kind of battle against relatives determined to keep them separated. The couple refuses to surrender their bond despite mounting pressure from powerful enemies. Their struggle unfolds against a backdrop of medieval warfare, chivalric codes, and plague. This story captures one woman's transformation from defiant young royal to a figure of real political power.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, historical-romance, medieval
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, secret-marriage
Setting: Antwerp, England, France
Period: 1338
528 pages · Hardcover · Sphere