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    Devil's Consort
    Unavailable
    Devil's Consort
    Unavailable
    Devil's Consort
    Audiobook15 hours

    Devil's Consort

    Written by Anne O'Brien

    Narrated by Emma Gregory

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    Anne O’Brien’s new novel, Queen of the North, is available to pre-order now

    England’s Forgotten Queens

    ‘Anne O’Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists.’ - Sunday Express

    ENGLAND'S MOST RUTHLESS QUEEN.

    July, 1137. In the baking sunshine of Bordeaux, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, eagerly awaits her first meeting with the prince who will become her husband.

    But Louis Capet is no fit match for educated, independent Eleanor. When he inherits the throne of France, it becomes clear that his monastic ways and indecisive rule could cost him his country – and his marriage.

    Determined to rule her own lands, Eleanor leads the men of Aquitaine on Crusade. The march to Outremer will make her the most scandalous woman in all of Christendom.

    And one chance meeting between Eleanor and Henry Plantagenet will change the fate of England – forever…

    Hers is a story of power, political intrigue, passion and love.

    Praise for Anne O’Brien:

    ‘One of the best writers around…she outdoes even Philippa Gregory’ The Sun

    ‘Her writing is highly evocative of the time period… O’Brien has produced an epic tale’ Historical Novel Society

    ‘Anne O’Brien’s novels give a voice to the “silent” women of history’ Yorkshire Post

    ‘Once again O’Brien proves herself a medieval history magician, conjuring up a sizzling, sweeping story’ Lancashire Evening Post

    ‘An exciting and intriguing story of love and historical politics. If you enjoy Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir you will love Anne O'Brien’ We Love This Book

    ‘A brilliantly researched and well-told story; you won’t be able to put this book down’ Candis

    ‘A fast paced historical drama that is full of suspense.’ Essentials

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateSep 22, 2016
    ISBN9780263927030
    Unavailable
    Devil's Consort
    Author

    Anne O'Brien

    Anne O'Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master's in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history. She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth-century timber-framed cottage in depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire on the borders between England and Wales.

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    Reviews for Devil's Consort

    4/5

    32 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      very well written, although I do not agree with some of the events. But that is the allure, and sometimes the frustration. of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      After reading The Virgin Widow, I had high hopes for Anne O'Brien's future historical novels. I thought she was off to a great start in the genre and had plenty of promise. While I think that promise was definately delivered upon in her follow up novel, Queen Defiant, I have to admit that it bugged me just a little bit. Queen Defiant is yet ANOTHER novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine. While I know that she's a fascinating woman, I think that I have just been Eleanor-ed out. I've read no fewer than three books this year about Eleanor (including a near-clone of Queen Defiant, To Be Queen, just a few months ago), and last year I read around four Eleanor books -and more seem to be slated for release. As much as I love Eleanor, she's just not original out there in the historical fiction genre these days. As much as I just tried to forget about that and enjoy this novel, I couldn't get that out of my head -that O'Brien is a little late to the Eleanor party (and we really don't need anyone else at the Eleanor party).Queen Defiant tells the now well-documented story of Eleanor of Aquitaine's early years. The novel opens with Eleanor's wedding to King Louis of France, not long after Eleanor's father died and Eleanor was left as the heir to the wealthy Aquitaine area. But Eleanor and Louis' marriage is anything but happy -not only is Louis a weak and inept leader, but he prefers to live his life as a monk, rather than work at fathering sons. Eleanor soon finds herself unhappy with Louis, and she starts to make her own road to happiness.Though I've read about Eleanor before, I think that O'Brien does a great job of portraying her as a strong, somewhat unconventional woman who dared to seek out her own happiness in a world dominated by men while making her feel like a sympathetic character. Louis, though a weak leader, has a well-defined, strong character that leaps off the page for the reader and makes it easy for readers to understand Eleanor's frustration.While I've read better and worse Eleanor of Aquitaine novels, Queen Defiant deserves a place on your bookshelf, as a worthwhile read. Though the plot does drag a bit a point and the setting was somewhat weak in places, especially near the beginning, the characters are well-drawn, fascinating and definitely a step forward from The Virgin Widow.
    • 5/5
      I was very kindly sent this book by Simon from BookRabbit as I had read and reviewed Anne O'Briens last book which I enjoyed immensely, and I have to say this was just as gripping. I loved it, all about Eleanor of Aquitaine, a person I knew very little about to start with, but who I now know more about and would like to learn more! The blurb on the back of the book makes you believe that Eleanor was ambitious beyond belief, but I really have to say that was not the way she came across in the actual story. Anne draws you into Eleanors life quite gently and keeps you gripped throughout. I thought Eleanor came across as a strong woman, yes and at times misguided but by and large I was sympathetic towards her. She seemed a woman more used than ambitious in my opinion.The book was very well researched and very well executed in the telling of the story. I am now a commited fan, I loved it and look forward very much to Anne O'Briens next book. (The book is actually called Devil's Consort)