Review: The Lost Queen by Carol McGrath

Today, I'm delighted to share my review for The Lost Queen – a novel about elusive Berengaria of Navarre – by Carol McGrath. Have a look!

My thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and Headline Accent for a copy.

The Lost Queen

Carol McGrath

Having read and enjoyed The Stolen Crown last year, I've been looking forward to reading about Richard the Lionheart's queen – Berengaria of Navarre.

Not that much is known about Richard's wife, and with discussions about his sexuality ongoing, she seems to have been pushed into the background even further. So it's fantastic that the poor, historically-neglected lady gets a fictional outing in The Lost Queen.

In the novel, we meet not one, but two remarkable heroines: Berengaria and Lady Avelina of Middleton. Both are thrown together on their journey, and their fates interlink from that moment onwards.

Dowager Queen Eleanor (famously of Aquitaine) is accompanying young Berengaria from her home to Sicily, where she is to marry King Richard. This secret arrangement was made to thwart the French king, and the secret soon gets out.

Avelina, meanwhile, is travelling to the Holy Land in search of her missing husband, whose nefarious brother is laying claims to her and her property. But without confirmation of William's death, Avelina doesn't give up. 

So it happens that the two ladies' paths cross in eastern France, and together they travel through the mountains and across Italy to the kingdom of Sicily, facing down assassination attempts, attacks, and other dangers.

Will Avelina find her husband? And what will Berengaria make of her husband-to-be? Well, find out in the novel!

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I love a gripping adventure with determined, intelligent heroines, and The Lost Queen provides me with an excellent tale! Avelina's sheer audacity to flee her home in the disguise of a nun, travelling with other nuns heading for the Holy Land, shows her courage, and her firm belief that her husband must be alive. She doesn't concern herself with potential what-ifs until she has proof of either his death or she finds him alive. With her hound Racer and crafty maid Mahelt by her side, she is keen to seek closure, so she can plan her life ahead, ideally without her husband's brother.

Berengaria, on the other side, is leaving a protected life at her brother Sancho's court. She has an overly romantic view of Richard, one that will be challenged through the plot, but she is also determined to make her marriage work. Well-educated and intelligent, Berengaria knows what she wants, and doesn't shy away from a bit of eavesdropping where needed. I found those instances quite cheeky and delightful, as they allowed her a deeper insight.

I'm not a great fan of Richard the Lionheart, who spent way to much time and money waging war, rather than care for his domains, and in the book, he is described as a womaniser. That, I can well believe. 

The relationship between Berengaria and Richard is intriguing. Both know their connection is first and foremost a political one – with her brother securing the southern Aquitanian borderlands from Navarre. But as they grow closer, they do form a bond, which makes for intriguing reading.

The historical background is meticulously researched, down to the most minute detail. This provides the reader with a wonderfully visual experience. The two fascinating female protagonists pull you along on their journey of personal – and political – discovery. The reader is drawn into a vividly depicted medieval world full of gripping plots (Richard's 'plan' for his widowed sister Joanna stands out), power games between rulers who can't stand the sight of each other, and avarice. 

The forever-dramatic Crusades form a spectacular political background against which the characters' lives are played out. As religious enemies try to trick each other, personal vendettas and ambitions are rife amongst the nobility as much as the lower ranks. 

Berengaria's development from young, innocent girl to worldly-wise wife and queen is riveting to follow, and it's a sign of Ms McGrath's impeccable plotting skills that we find this young lady come to life so vividly.

The rich narrative sweeps you along in a colourful adventure which makes you feel like you stepped right into the late 12th century, and the vibrant courts of the time.

A highly recommended read!

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Blurb:

1191 and the Third Crusade is underway . . .

It is 1191 and King Richard the Lionheart is on crusade to pitch battle against Saladin and liberate the city of Jerusalem and her lands. His mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine and his promised bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, make a perilous journey over the Alps in midwinter. They are to rendezvous with Richard in the Sicilian port of Messina.

There are hazards along the way - vicious assassins, marauding pirates, violent storms and a shipwreck. Berengaria is as feisty as her foes and, surviving it all, she and Richard marry in Cyprus. England needs an heir. But first, Richard and his Queen must return home . . .

The Lost Queen is a thrilling medieval story of high adventure, survival, friendship and the enduring love of a Queen for her King.

 

Acclaim for Carol McGrath's ROSE trilogy:

'Powerful, gripping and beautifully told' KATE FURNIVALL on The Silken Rose
'A tour de force of gripping writing, rich historical detail and complex, fascinating characters' NICOLA CORNICK on The Stone Rose
'A beautifully narrated novel' K J MAITLAND on The Damask Rose

 

Buy Link: https://tinyurl.com/5n8ab2xv

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About the Author:

Carol McGrath

Following a first degree in English and History, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. 

The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066, was shortlisted for the RoNAS in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022.

Carol is writing historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022.

The Stolen Crown was released in 2023 and The Lost Queen was published on 18^th July 2024.

Carol lives in Oxfordshire, England and in Greece.

Find Carol on her website: www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk.

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