Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.
Blurb from Goodreads:
England, 1238
Raised at the court of King Henry III as a chamber lady to the queen, young Joanna of Swanscombe’s life changes forever when she comes into an inheritance far above all expectations, including her own.
Now a wealthy heiress, Joanna’s arranged marriage to the King’s charming, tournament-loving half-brother William de Valence immediately stokes the flames of political unrest as more established courtiers object to the privileges bestowed on newcomers.
As Joanna and William strive to build a life together, England descends into a bitter civil war. In mortal danger, William is forced to run for his life, and Joanna is left with only her wit and courage to outfox their enemies and prevent them from destroying her husband, her family, and their fortunes.
As I find my way back into reading for fun, I begin to remember how much I enjoy reading historical fiction. It’s something that my mother and I had in common (my mother and both of my grandmothers were great readers). A Marriage of Lions is simply wonderful.
Simon de Montfort’s legacy is well known but what of the men set against him? The half-siblings of Henry III are remembered as, well, grasping foreigners, but this book delves into their side of the story. Told largely from the perspective of Joanna of Swanscombe, a noblewoman who became an heiress , this is the story of her arranged marriage to William de Valence, the king’s youngest half-brother. Although they do their duty to the king by marrying each other, this is a love story, and it’s also a story of a remarkably strong-willed young woman.
This book is so well-written and so immersive. I admire any author who can make the everyday workings of a household as fascinating as the ongoing political intrigue, and who can move from the beautifully written intimacy of an evolving marriage to the wider war. One of the other things that hits hard is how fragile life was in the thirteenth century. Joanna and her older brother Iohan (John) are sent to court after their father remarries after the death of their mother. The first, most shocking death is that of Iohan, and that’s a warning of what is to come; there is violent death, as one might expect during a time of such unrest, but it is the quiet deaths, in childbirth, of beloved children, that hit the hardest and are written so well.
The relationships between women are also really compelling. Joanna’s mentor, Cecily de Sandford, is a wonderful character, who equips Joanna with the knowledge she needs to navigate life at court. Joanna’s relationship with the Queen changes is fascinating and emphasises just how tenuous her position in court really is.
I also fully appreciate how the author uses different spellings of the same names so we are never in doubt as to the identity of any given character; there is the Queen Alienor and the Spanish princess, Leonora; there is Iohan, and there is John de Warenne.
I’m absolutely going to read more by this author. A Marriage of Lions has re-awoken my interest in historical fiction, particularly that based around English nobility and royalty (and I’m not just saying this as someone who has relatively recently discovered a whole heap of royal ancestry!).
Rating: 5 stars.
TL;DR: a resourceful young woman and an ambitious young man navigate life in the court of Henry III, and loyalty prevails.
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