Really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the trilogy when it comes out in the New Year ( )

Meh this book was OK. I'm interested in this time period, place and war yet this was just too romancey for me. The real action doesn't start until far into the story and too much attention is given to marriage style. ( )

I remember reading about Edyth as a kid in Morgan Llewelyn’s Wing From Hastings. I was really young and so only remember vague impressions, like remembering that Harold was a big bully and her brothers were toads. It was a real treat to re-visit this era and these people specifically to get another look at them.

For a debut novel, this author has done a fantastic job. She took a lot of time in her world building and research of details. The reader gets a real sense for the sights, sounds, and smells of late Anglo-Saxon England and wild Wales. The intense political situation the characters found themselves in was thoroughly explored and made for suspenseful reading. I also was very fascinated by all the details on hand fasting vs traditional Roman religious weddings and the differences thereof.

All the characters and their various relationships made for enthralling reading. To see Edyth, Harold, and all the others come alive again was a real treat. The author gives them real depth of emotion, personality, and understanding. I especially liked Edyth and her understanding of the various political situations and her place in them. Being married to two men who are enemies and the particular situation with Harold/Svana showed her maturity and clear thinking. I also liked how real she felt in her sensual nature and curiosity, like any other girl/woman her age.

Altogether, I feel that this is a robust start of Joanna Courtney’s new trilogy and total career. She tells a great story, gets the historical details right, and makes her characters and their relationships breathe with depth and realism. I definitely look forward to more works by her; I feel she’s going to be among the greats for me. ( )

The Chosen Queen of the title is Edyth and the year is 1055, a decade before the Norman invasion of England in 1066, and yes, William the Conqueror.

Edyth is the granddaughter of Lady Godiva and dreams of marrying for love, but times were different 950 years ago and more often than not, women were married for political and monetary gain.

Edyth's father is close to King Edward (now known as Edward the Confessor), but after an angry outburst the family is exiled to Wales and the novel really takes off.

I read The Chosen Queen quite soon after the latest Philippa Gregory novel and I was a little worried this might pale in comparison, but I'm pleased to say it wasn't the case. Joanna Courtney manages to guide the reader through a turbulent time in the history of Wales and England with a tight, fast-paced plot and a hint of romance throughout.

Similar to Gregory, Courtney has chosen (see what I did there?) a strong female character from history in Edyth as her protagonist, and we are privy to her inner thoughts during her rise in power and influence. Lady Svana is Edyth's closest friend however their friendship is complicated and at one point they even find themselves on opposing sides. The loss of human life in battle after battle is deeply felt by the two women and Courtney has captured the times very well.

The Chosen Queen is a standalone but also the first in The Queens of the Conquest trilogy, and I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction by Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick or Jean Plaidy.

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia * ( )