For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick
Ida de Tosney was a ward of King HenryII through childhood. As a teenager she was presented to the King who would determine her future. Hopefully he would find a suitable marriage for her and she would have a happy life. However, once set eyes on Ida, he decided to keep her for himself and kept her as his mistress. She had no say in the matter.
Ida prayed that she wouldn't become pregnant and have King Henry's bastard child. She took every preventative measure she could find however, she conceived a son. Though she was worried about the religious ramifications, she fell in love with her son. In the mean time, she became infatuated with Roger Bigod.
Roger had a story of his own. He rebelled against his father and took the side of King HenryII. He spent the majority of the time trying to win the Kings favor and getting his family land holdings after his father died. His rightful title was Earl and he wanted it.
Eventually, King Henry married Ida de Tosney off to Roger Bigod and they had many children of their own. However, the son she had with King HenryII, was kept from her.
Many of my friends, including those at Historical Tapestry have been encouraging me to read a Elizabeth Chadwick book for a very long time. I have had her on my TBR and finely had the chance to read one of her books when I received an invitation to review this advance readers' copy.
Chadwick did not disappoint! She had a good cast of characters from real life to draw from. She made them come back to life with richly textured scenes of England and Royalty. I felt like I was one of the maids, getting to witness everything that happened. I will definitely be reading more Chadwick in the future!
Note: For the King's Favor was released previously as The Time of Singing.
4.5/5
Thanks to Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks, Inc. for this book.
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If you reviewed this book, please include the link in the comments so I can give you some "link love."
"R" is for Roger Bigod
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I am reading my first Elizabeth Chadwick at the moment. It's going pretty good so far, but I am just barely 100 pages in!
Kailana said... September 8, 2010 at 3:28 AM
Sounds like another great author I need to try.
bermudaonion said... September 8, 2010 at 5:43 AM
I love Chadwick's books - she really does have a way of bringing the period to life. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Daphne said... September 8, 2010 at 7:24 AM
My review of For the King's Favor will post on my blog tomorrow. I definitely liked the book, being a former history major, I love books that delve into the sorted past of history's players. Elizabeth Chadwick does an excellent job with this book. I loved it.
justpeachy36 said... September 8, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Kelly, which one? I hope you like it through the end.
Kathy, I know historical fiction isn't your favorite genre. I would say that this is a must for historical fiction lovers.
Daphne, she sure does!
Just Peachy,I'm glad you liked it as much as I did!
Teddy Rose said... September 8, 2010 at 9:40 PM
What's going on? Both you and Kelly finally read Chadwick this week! And you both enjoyed the books you read....like I knew you would! lol!
So glad that you are planning to read more!
Marg said... September 9, 2010 at 7:59 PM
Marg, I know you told me so. LOL! I can hardly wait to read more!
Teddy Rose said... September 9, 2010 at 8:45 PM
Oh, glad you finally read Chadwick, Teddy! I admit this one didn't *quite* hold my attention the way that the others by her I've read have, but it was a good read all the same!
Aarti said... September 11, 2010 at 8:58 PM
Aarti, which of her books is your favorite?
Teddy Rose said... September 11, 2010 at 9:17 PM
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