Description:

A story of huge emotional power set against the road to Magna Carta and the fight to bring a tyrant king to heel. The privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in England, Mahelt Marshal’s life changes dramatically when her father is suspected by King John. Her brothers become hostages and Mahelt is married to Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Norfolk. Adapting to her new life is hard, but Mahelt comes to love Hugh deeply; however, defying her father-in-law brings disgrace and heartbreak. When King John sets out to subdue the Bigods, Mahelt faces a heartbreaking battle, fearing neither she, nor her marriage, is likely to survive the outcome . . . ### From Publishers Weekly A majestic High Middle Ages series continues in Chadwick's latest (after For the King's Favor) as Mahelt "Matty" Marshal, the daughter of legendary British knight William Marshal, becomes a bride at 14. Though the marriage, to Hugh Bigod, future earl of Norfolk, is arranged, Matty is open to it and embraces the passion that eventually comes. She bears Bigod four children and enjoys a peaceful life until tyrannical King John takes her paternal family hostage, first her brother Will, heir to the earldom of Pembroke, then her brother Richard, and finally her father, who has openly opposed the king's greed and land-grabbing. Matty's determination to save her father and brothers while also standing by her husband and keeping her new family safe creates both conflict and, ultimately, joyous rewards in a well-told saga filled with just the right amount of exacting period detail. Both longtime fans and readers new to Chadwick's series will be thrilled. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. ### From Booklist Chadwick (For the King's Favor, 2010) again captures the inherent complexity of medieval alliances and rivalries in this irresistibly readable historical romance featuring a willful and wily heroine ensnared in a particularly thorny political hornet's nest. Married at an indecently young age, Mahelt Matty Marshal, beloved daughter of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, eventually permits herself to fall in love with her husband, Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Pembroke, as she adapts to life in a new household. Unfortunately, during the reign of the infamous king John, trouble inevitably looms on the horizon. When Matty's father falls out of favor with the king, and her brothers are taken hostage, her loyalties are painfully divided between her birth family and her marriage family. As her resolve and her allegiances are tested by cruel circumstances, she must decide who and what she is willing to risk in defiance of the king. Chadwick's characters step directly off the pages of history into this fresh fictional reimagining of a perilous time and place. --Margaret Flanagan