A Marriage Made in Secret by Jenni Fletcher

Mathilde Gosselin is young and naive when her father sends her to the Parisian court of Isabella, Queen of England. Overwhelmed when the queen singles her out for attention, she pledges her loyalty. Unbeknownst to her lady, however, Mathilde meets Henry Wright, illegitimate but honourable, and thereby blossoms a friendship that as the months pass, blossoms into something more. The queen isn't content to live in comfortable exile, however, and her ambition will force Mathilde to choose between her queen and her love.

I'm not terribly familiar with this turbulent period in English history, but I was very impressed with how the author managed to weave two believable and sympathetic characters into historical events. Their relationship grows slowly with gaps of weeks or months as Henry's duties take him away from Court but I was fully invested, especially as it became clear that certain choices were going to cause tension between the pair, not least Mathilde's devotion to her queen. While both leads (and many supporting characters) are well-fleshed out, this is not at the expense of plot, for history marches on and there is little time for naval gazing.

Beautifully researched with brilliant characterisation and just a pang of heartbreak to deepen the emotional resonance, this is a fabulous historical romance set in a less usual time period. I'm definitely keeping an eye out for this author in the future!

A Marriage Made in Secret is available in ebook or hard copy.

I received a copy of this book from the author; all opinions are my own.