The story begins with the return of Eleanor of Aquitaine from the Crusades with her monkish husband, Louis of France.

She begins an affair with Geoffrey, Duke of Normandy, who has a secret motive to make her his spy in the French court.

[1] [failed verification] The book received favourable reviews, with Books and Publishing, a literary magazine, reporting that:[2] Blanche d’Alpuget’s first historical fiction novel comes as a breath of fresh air as she introduces readers to Henry II and the beginning of the House of Plantagenet.

D’Alpuget offers readers a well-researched history of her subject, which of course incorporates the required affairs, plots and intrigues that we have come to expect from any historical novel about royalty and life at court.A review published in The Australian commented:[3] D'Alpuget has chosen a fascinating, complex period of history to tackle, and there is a great deal of material within the House of Plantagenet to feed this quartet.

The period is well researched and she has no qualms about showing violence and the seedier side of sex, power and politics.This article about a historical novel of the 2010s is a stub.