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In her debut novel, Christy English focuses on a little known Princess of France and the possibilities of her relationship with one of the most powerful women of her time. Princess Alais of France was the daughter of Louis VII and his second wife (Eleanor of Aquitaine being his first wife). In what can only be described as “truth being stranger than fiction”, Alais was bethrothed to Richard (later Richard I), the son of Eleanor and her second husband Henry II. As was customary at the time, Alais was sent as a young girl to England to be raised in the court of her future in laws.


When Eleanor first meets Alais she is surprised to find that they are kindred spirits and that Alais is more like herself than her own daughters. There is a strength in Alais that Eleanor is sure she can develop and the two become extremely close. Since Alais’s mother died when she was born, Eleanor becomes the only mother Alais will ever know; Eleanor considers Alais to be the “daughter of my soul”. Fortunately Alais and Richard also seem to hit it off and take an instant liking to each other – Eleanor is pleased as she contemplates how Alais can help her keep control of Richard and the power she can wield through them and their lands.

But Eleanor overplays her hand when she dangles Alais in front of her estranged husband, teasing him with something that he can’t have. Or can he? Henry exerts a powerful combination of charm and masculinity and a (barely) teenage Alais finds herself attracted to him, ultimately becoming his mistress and contemplating the possibility of becoming queen.

The Queen’s Pawn is not an action packed story but more of a character study, told in alternating first person narrative by Eleanor and Alais. Alais learns to use her strength to its greatest advantage by simply watching Eleanor – the graceful demeanor, the controlled exterior and the ability to never show your emotions on your face no matter how much your heart is breaking. Eleanor is every bit the strong, determined woman that I’m sure she was, tempered by her knowledge of her place in a man’s world and the means that are necessary for her to stay one step ahead of her husband. Bur more importantly, she knows who she is and what she is capable of and she’s not afraid to admit it – at least to herself.

In her “Afterword”, English indicates that part of the basis for her story was the question what if Alais was a political player with ambitions of her own. While providing the structure for an interesting and entertaining story, there were parts of it that just didn’t quite work. When Alais feels betrayed by the two people she loves the most, she decides to take her life into her own hands and pushes her way into Henry’s bed (although he didn’t take much convincing!). For a princess raised by an extremely pious father and without a mother (and who spent a few years in England raised in an abbey), I’m not sure a year or so spent with Eleanor would have turned her into such a schemer and so willing to become anyone’s mistress – even a kings! I think it would have been more believable as the impetuous actions of a teenage girl who had been betrayed and was hurt and angry. As is usually the case, it is a revenge she will ultimately discover is not all she had hoped it would be and her later decisions don’t quite add up to the calculating “player” and are more those of an emotional teenager. The two sides just don’t seem compatible. English also explains some altering of the timeframe involved.

Despite the inconsistency in Alais’s actions, overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked the writing style and thought English did a good job of portraying the formidable Eleanor and revealing her feelings of loss and pain behind her controlled court façade. Alais is less complicated as a character but as she struggles with her conflicted feelings of love and betrayal she begins to figure herself out and where her loyalty truly lies.   There is some sex in the book (between Henry and Alais) and while not overly graphic the repeated references to riding and horses was a little much.

Rating: Good (3.5 stars)

In case the FTC asks:  I received a copy of this book from the author