I really enjoyed reading The Royal Rebel, first of the two books about Joan of Kent written by Elizabeth Chadwick, so was eager to read The Crownless Queen. Joan, or Jeanette as Chadwick calls her, is a fascinating character who lived at a time of royal upheaval. England 1360. Jeanette, happily married to her teenage love Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, fills her days caring for their four children but missing her soldier husband who is on duty in Normandy. When news arrives of Thomas’ death, Jeanette’s stable and contented life is upended, her safety and position threatened. ‘Eventually, the pain withdrew, becoming a dull, cramping ache, and the fog thinned to mist. Tears came and, with them, harsh, choking sobs that left her throat raw and her body exhausted. Reality, however, remained solid. No matter how much she sought oblivion, she was back in the world.’ Prince Edward, the Black Prince, her childhood friend and godfather to her sons, promises to help. Unexpectedly, his help comes as a marriage proposal. Still mourning, she is married again, too soon but the security of her children is assured.
This is an epic tale of a woman at the heart of royalty, the entwining of royalty and politics, foreign diplomacy and wars, set on a foundation of Jeanette’s domestic life. She is a skilled diplomat and politician and, as wife of the heir to the throne, she needs to be. Her husband’s father, King Edward III, has taken a mistress but is quick to complain about his son’s new wife who, he says, ‘Despite her reputation, she is still a golden apple on the tree.’ Those first three words refer to Jeanette’s marriage to Thomas. The King sends his son to France to govern Aquitaine. Chadwick takes the historical fact and the gaps of record, and creates a readable novel I picked up at every opportunity. Edward’s frailty, Jeanette’s awkward relationship with her brother-in-law John Duke of Lancaster (or John of Gaunt, as we know him), the lives of Jeanette’s two sons, Tom and Johan, both squires in noble homes, and Jeanette’s grief, all add layers to this story.
The blurb states that The Crownless Queen can be read as a standalone but I think in order to enjoy all the subtleties, it is best to read The Royal Rebel first.
Jeanette, which is the familiar name by which Joan was addressed by her family and friends, is the sort of character you root for. Her bravery, her sense of justice, her steadfastness. A wonderful blend of detailed family life and motherhood, combined with state politics, court plotting, romance, grief and betrayal.
Excellent.

Here’s my review of the first in this series:-
THE ROYAL REBEL #1JEANETTEOFKENT

If you like this, try:-
‘The Miniaturist’ by Jessie Burton
‘A Good Deliverance’ by Toby Clements
‘Cecily’ by Annie Garthwaite

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CROWNLESS QUEEN by Elizabeth Chadwick @Chadwickauthor https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-9ZZ via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-