**Spoilerish**

Really interesting story. I am always curious, when I read historical fiction, about how much of it is really factual. However I am too lazy to actually do any research into the subject. I had no idea royal marriages were annulled like that back then. I figure they would have been stuck with each other no matter what. I was really creeped out that she fell in love with her uncle and slept with him. Was that not gross then? ( )

Who is Eleanor, or should I say Alienor of Aquitaine? How did she rise to power?

Eleanor’s father, the Duke of Aquitaine, taught her how to be strong and inspire loyalty from a young age but would she be able to keep the allegiance once she marries Louis, the King of France. Pious Louis is devoted to France, the Church and to Eleanor but can he remain faithful to all three at once? Eleanor is determined to have supreme power and raw passion as queen no matter what it takes.

An interesting take on her life…. A bit of fact and fiction mixed together to tell a tale of love and power. Overall, I enjoyed the book as it kept my interest and made me wonder how it would all come together. As a historical fiction fan I enjoyed the mix of history with a bit of romance thrown in…poetical license and all… ( )

Yeah, I've been giving a lot of 5 stars, but that's not because I'm trying to help out my author colleagues; it's because the writing has been so darn good! "To be Queen" is no exception, and frankly, I've added Christy English to my pantheon of historical fiction authors. I think this is one of the best portrayals of Eleanor of Aquitaine in fiction. English's Alienor/Eleanor was three-dimensional and I loved and hated her at times, some "woman what are you thinking" moments and "Yes! That's would I would have done!" moments. The first-person narrative is neither stilted or egotistical for this Eleanor. She reminds herself and us that she was born and raised to be a different kind of woman in the twelfth century, raised by a liberal, free-thinking-for-the-time parent who acknowledges her as his heir and the greatest heiress of the time. Her life is not easy despite the advantages she is born to, and she takes risks, especially with her heart and body. English doesn't side-step certain issues and plows right into them. Her portrayal of Louis is of a scared, sheltered, young man who should never have been king, and as a result, the church seizes power in his kingdom and we are shown a king who is led by puppet masters. English has a wonderful career ahead of her and I can't wait for more of her work. ( )

When Eleanor of Aquitaine was young, she was raised to be her father’s heir to be Duchess of Aquitaine. Soon after her father’s death, Eleanor is wed to Dauphin Louis of France and the young pair has mutual affection for each other from the start. Louis was meant for the church but his elder brother’s death changed everything. He remained very pious his whole life, preferring church to his wife.
Eleanor tries to be a good wife but she soon learns that she may not compete with the church her husband is so devoted to. When her marriage starts to deterioate, she starts to think about divorce.
And when she meets Henry Plantagenet, Eleanor sees a new start for herself.

I liked that the book focused on Eleanor’s early life because it’s less often written about. Eleanor’s marriage to Louis is usually overshadowed by her marriage to Henry II of England and I was intrigued to read about them and I wish there was more books about them.

Eleanor was determined, fierce, no-nonsense person but there were just times I wanted to shake her and yell “Why did you do that?!”. And of course all the rumours of affairs had to be included. It would have been interesting to hear Louis side of the story too.

Book was ok; it was fairly quick and easy to read. ( )

This was a great book about Eleanor of Aquitane. It is hard to imagine living in a world where women do not have equal rights to make decisions about their own lives, hold property, etc. I can only imagine the struggles that this fearless woman faced as she worked to live her life in the way she chose. From how this book reads, it does not seem she thought of herself as a feminist, but she did believe in her right to live as she saw fit. A great story with a strong female! ( )