Leonor de Aquitania, inteligente, elegante y hermosa, vivió asediada por su pasión por los hombres. Ella pasó a la posteridad como «la reina de las cortes de amor». La cristiandad se escandalizó por las infidelidades que cometió, ultrajando el honor de su marido, el rey de Francia. Enrique, duque de Normandía, bisnieto de Guillermo el Conquistador, doce años menor que la reina de Francia, será el objetivo de Leonor. Tan pronto lo conoció, ella decidió que se casaría con él, pasara lo que pasara. Leonor y Enrique, la pareja sensual, se unieron para desafiar al mundo de su época y para formar un reino vasto y poderoso que se extendía desde los Pirineos hasta el Mar del Norte.

Jean Plaidy's books are great but do lack a certain something hence only 4 stars ( )

As a child, my mum had a shelf of books that I avoided as they were "romances". this included Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy. The two authors couldn't be more different. This is the first Plaidy I have tried and it may well be the last. Based on this, her writing hasn't stood up to the passage of time.
This was curiously flat, for such a roller coaster of a story in our history. It starts as being the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, but mid way through it changes focus and concentrates on the relationship between Henry II and Thomas a Becket. Eleanor comes over as fickle and it is as if the author thinks she should just submit to Henry and brush the rest under the carpet. There are much more interesting, dramatic interpretations of this story out there. ( )

What a struggle! Historical fiction has come so far since Plaidy’s heyday … ( )

Great book and great start to what I know is going to be a wonderful series on my favorite English historical family - The Plantagenets! I just love this author and how she wrote - it is constantly a page turner and you enjoy reading every written word. This first book is mainly about the start of the family i.e., Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II. A must read if you enjoy reading about The Plantagenets! ( )