The Winter Crown, sequel to The Summer Queen, by Elizabeth Chadwick was a fitting read for this freezing January month. I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy and the second was just as good. I’ll give you the synopsis and then my thoughts. This will have spoilers but the book is based on actual history so I wouldn’t consider them real spoilers.

The Synopsis

As Queen of England, Eleanor has a new cast of enemies―including the king.

Eleanor has more than fulfilled her duty as Queen of England-she has given her husband, Henry II, heirs to the throne and has proven herself as a mother and ruler. But Eleanor needs more than to be a bearer of children and a deputy; she needs command of the throne. As her children grow older, and her relationship with Henry suffers from scandal and infidelity, Eleanor realizes the power she seeks won’t be given willingly. She must take it for herself. But even a queen must face the consequences of treason…

In this long-anticipated second novel in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, bestselling author Elizabeth Chadwick evokes a royal marriage where love and hatred are intertwined, and the battle over power is fought not with swords, but deception.

*She is called Eleanor on the cover of the book but Alienor throughout the book because it is historically accurate.

My Thoughts

These books are somewhat hard to review because they cover such big chunks of the characters’ lives. The first book takes place from when Alienor is thirteen until her early thirties. This book picks up where that one left off and covers a twenty year time span. During this time she has multiple children, living and dead, falls in love with her young husband and then later grows to despise her husband. There’s a ton of political upheaval, especially as her eldest children become men and want more power that their father refuses to give them. Throughout all of this Alienor grows from a hopeful woman in her prime to a bitter, middle aged woman. This book is just as good as the first one but is much sadder. I’m terribly attached to Alienor, that should prove how well written these books are, and I hope that everything turns in her favor in the last book.

The last book in the trilogy is called The Autumn Throne and the review for that will be up in about two weeks. If you’re reading this review odds are you’ve read the first book already so I would love to know what you think about the series. If you haven’t read the books, do they sound like something you would enjoy? Let me know! Thanks for reading and have a great day!