The book was written in 1991, so some of its romance conventions are not used today. While much of the book is fictionalized, I really enjoyed the historical basis for this novel. To me, the book is more like historical fiction than a modern historical romance. To modern readers, this is unacceptable, but the story is based on the real-life of Eleanor, so the author can’t exactly age her up for what we now expect. She is then in a relationship with Simon before she is eighteen. The heroine is a child when she is married off (about nine years old) and a widow at sixteen. OPINION: First off, certain parts of this book won’t appeal to some readers. A year after her husband’s death, Eleanor meets Simon de Montfort, a Norman knight who desires Eleanor and wants to convince her to break all those vows she made. Inconsolable, Eleanor swore never to marry again and took a vow of chastity. Eleanor was widowed unexpectedly when he husband came to her bed. THE STORY: Princess Eleanor was a child bride whose older husband had no intention of consummating the marriage until she was an appropriate age. I enjoyed the drama and the underlying historical drama although many readers may be put off by the actions of the characters, especially the hero. FINAL DECISION: More historical fiction than romance, this book is a saga about the tempestuous romance between Princess Eleanor Plantagenet and Simon de Montfort, a real couple in Medieval England.
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