I think I started reading this trilogy ages ago and I'm satisfied by the conclusion, although I do wish the author had decided to continue Emma's story. In this volume, England is conquered by Cnut and Emma struggles to find a way for her family and her self to obtain safety. The ups and downs of the Anglo-Saxon royalty and plenty of exchanges of thrones dominate this novel, leaving me impressed with how well the author manages to make a thousand-year-old story fresh, relevant, and compelling. In the future, I hope to find more books, fiction and nonfiction, about Emma of Normandy. ( )

This is the third book in the author's trilogy covering the colourful and dramatic life of Emma of Normandy, the only woman in English or British history to be Queen to two different Kings of the country, and a powerful and influential figure in her own right. The events of this novel cover the years 1012-17 when King Ethelred (the Unready)'s England is increasingly threatened by Danish invaders led by their king Sweyn (Forkbeard) and his son Cnut (Canute). Ethelred's weakness and stubborn mistrust of his several sons undermines the country's defence. Treachery and bloodshed abound and Sweyn's forces capture most of the country and he is recognised by many as king before his sudden death, whereupon Ethelred recaptures his country. Eventually the Danes, now led by Canute, win through, and after Ethelred dies, his surviving son Edmund finally has to agree to share the country with Canute. But Edmund too shortly dies of wounds in battle and Canute wins the day. Emma, desperately wanting to prevent further bloodshed, marries Canute, while her sons by Ethelred (including the future King Edward the Confessor) go into exile in Normandy. The themes from the previous novels continue here, Ethelred's being haunted by the ghost of his murdered elder brother King Edward (the Martyr), and Emma's romantic attraction to her stepson, Athelstan. The novel ends as Canute and Emma are crowned in early 1017 and there is relative peace in England. The author's note states that she has decided not to pursue the story through the remaining dramatic 35 years of her life and politicking. ( )

This is not my first time reading the tale of the formidable Queen Emma of Normandy and given the story she has left to history I somehow suspect it might not be the last. I did not read the first two books in this series but I discovered that I do have the first one on my bookshelf. I have read about this fascinating woman in other books and was thrilled to again visit with her.

England in the 10th and 11th centuries is dealing with raids from the Danes who want to lay claim to England. It’s a time of almost constant war. King Æthelred, married to Emma of Normandy to strengthen his alliance with William of Normandy is hoping for help from that quarter but William has his own designs on England. He sees Emma as a way in – little does he know that his sister is not a wilting flower.

As Emma navigates court, her aging husband, almost constant war, a brother who is reluctant to send aid, along with an overwhelming fear for her children she finds a strength she didn’t know she had. She is the Queen of England and her people need her.

The Steel Beneath the Silk is a well researched, well written novel that brings Emma’s world to vivid life. It’s the last book in the series but one wishes there were more as Emma’s story does not end with Æthelred’s death. In some ways it only just begins. It’s a real page turner of a novel about a woman who refused to be lost to history and who left her mark in a time when women were considered chattel and only good for the sons they could give to their husbands. ( )