Isabella: Braveheart of France

by Colin Falconer

She was taught to obey. Now she has learned to rebel. When Princess Isabella is offered as bride to King Edward of England, for her it’s love at first sight. But her dashing husband has a secret, one that threatens to tear their marriage―and England―apart. As Isabella navigates the deadly maelstrom of Edward’s court, her cleverness and grace allow her to subvert Edward’s ill-advised plans and gain influence. But soon the young queen is faced with an impossible choice, taking a breathtaking gamble that will forever change the course of history. In the tradition of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick, Isabella is the story of a queen who took control of her destiny―and the throne. Revised This edition of Isabella includes editorial revisions.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Medieval, France, British Literature, Ebooks

295 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

Colin Falconer writes fast-paced historical adventures that sweep readers across centuries and continents, from the battlefields of Rome to the intrigues of forgotten empires. His novels blend action, danger, and unforgettable characters in richly imagined worlds.

Born in London, Colin now lives in Australia with his wife and their cocker spaniels. Click FOLLOW for updates on new releases, or join his mailing list for exclusive offers.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, light read covering the life of Isabella of France from the time of her marriage to Edward II of England to his death. The controversial path of her life once her son was crowned as Edward III is not covered. With the exception of the sex scenes, much of this book felt like a YA approach to her story.

Isabella begins her life in England with a devotion to her husband, despite his obvious preference for Piers Gaveston. It does not take Isabella long to understand the true nature of their relationship, but she is no less determined to win Edward's love. She stands by him and advises him with impressive self control until Hugh Despenser comes along.

Once Isabella is sent to France to negotiate with her brother, King Charles, on Edward's behalf, few believe she will ever return. This is the point in her story where I lost respect for Isabella. She suddenly begins acting with little concern for consequences. The point of view of Prince Edward was also lightly covered. Rather than being driven by a concern for her son's future, Isabella is motivated by her lust for Roger Mortimer. While this is obviously a historically true element of her time in France, it is difficult to see this as her driving force. This portion of the story was dull and drawn out, leaving little time to cover the return to England and Edward III's ascendancy.

This was an easy read that would be good for one who wants a simple overview of Isabella's life (to a point), but is missing the detail and consistency of character that could make it a great story.

I received this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm giving this one star, because GoodReads doesn't seem to want to let me give no stars.

Isabella de Valois, the wife of Edward II, makes for a wonderful subject for a novel, this novel, however, is a let down on a large number of levels.

Firstly, it was impossible to form any sort of emotional connection with any of the characters. They were all mind numbingly bland. Piers Gaveston, one of the more interesting characters to sway across the stage of English history, is reduced to a giggling man-woman.

The chapters were short and detail was sparse. Giving rise to the repeated thought of "is this all there is?"

My main complaint is the editing, or lack thereof. Chapter 23 was immediately repeated as chapter 24. The opening paragraph of chapter 49 was used again to open chapter 57. Frankly this sort of shoddiness is not something I expect from a writer of the years of experience that Colin Falconer has.

Not impressed with the cover either. The woman on the cover, who is supposed to be, I would assume, Isabella, is dressed in ELIZABETHAN clothing.

I got "Isabella: Braveheart of France" from the library. If I had paid out money for it, I would be very angry indeed.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

France, 1308: Twelve years old Isabella is being told by her father, the king of France, to love, serve and obey the man he chose for her.

Edward of England enchants her from the first sight. But he is a man in his prime and she is a very innocent girl.

Edward wants Gascony back from France, she dreams of love.

But there is Piers Gaveston. The barons want him away from the King or they threaten with war. The story spins in circles about Gaveston and barons threatening with war, at least the first 25% of the story.

Isabella is young, but she is mature beyond her age. She learned a lot by observing her father. And with age she proves to be a very strong woman. Edward II is opposite of her, he is weak.

The story progresses fast, but it could take some stops by involving more historical details and developing characters better.

@FB/BestHistoricalFiction

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!

The only bit of history that I knew about this Queen of England was that she lived during the time of Robert the Bruce because of that short cameo in Braveheart that suggests her son was actually the son of William Wallace. There's none of that in this historical fiction novel, but I learned a great deal more about her life.

I love books about English royalty. Almost anything that Philippa Gregory writes, I gobble up and this reminded me strongly of her style of writing. A big difference between the two authors is that Falconer writes less about the period style of dress and food and focuses mainly on the relationships and world politics. For the most part, I was intrigued by Isabella's deft machinations in order to survive but at times, during the political intrigues, the pace of the novel slowed to a crawl and became kind of a back and forth like: the king says you should do this, tell him I don't want to, the king really thinks you should, tell him with this witty rejoinder why I won't, etc.

Overall though, I thought that this was a fantastic read and I'm kind of surprised that I haven't read anything by Colin Falconer before this. If you're curious at all about the English monarchy in the 1300's, you should add this to your to-read list. If you like Isabella: Braveheart of France, you may also enjoy A Triple Knot by Emma Campion (novel about Joan of Kent, the cousin of Edward III), Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV by Karleen Koen, and any of the Tudor Court series by Philippa Gregory.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Isabella, Princess of France who married Edward II of England. She was a child at the time and did not understand why her husband spent so much time, and her dowry, on his friend. She turned from an obedient child into a “She-wolf” who overthrew her husband’s reign in favor of her son. Oh, and she did this alongside her lover, even though she witnessed what happened to her sisters-in-law after they committed adultery. She was apparently a fiery, courageous woman. It’s not addressed in this book, which ends w/ Edward overthrown, but she also suffers greatly for these deeds—her lover is killed and she is locked up in comfort for the rest of her life. This occurs when her son comes of age and takes over the throne in his own right.

Anyway, I like to see how different authors write about a historical character, b/c the source material is usually scanty so they can dramatize to their hearts’ content. This Isabella is more like the Princess we met in the movie “Braveheart”—lonely, confused, but ultimately cunning and bad-ass.

I only gave Falconer’s take on Isabella three stars, b/c it dragged a little in spots and really didn’t finish the story. Allison Weir’s biography of Isabella is on my TBR; my guess is that it will be better.

[Jenny Q · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Updated 5/14/14: Bumped down from 3.5 to 2.5 Stars after hearing from several readers who purchased the book and told me it is just as full of errors as the "accidental unfinished" copy I received. This sort of disrespect for readers--knowingly selling an inferior product--is unacceptable to me.**

I knew the basics of Isabella's story, but I'd never read a book about her, and so I was really looking forward to Colin Falconer's new novel about her. The story opens on the eve of twelve-year-old Isabella's wedding to Edward II, a marriage arranged to mend relations between France and England over the contested land of Gascony. Though Isabella is young and harbors romantic dreams of her future, she is, as she frequently reminds the reader, a true daughter of France, who has been shaped by her father's wisdom and austerity, and who has been raised to be a queen. She quickly realizes her new husband, while nice enough, is not the knight in shining armor she envisioned sharing her life with. He is a weak ruler living in the shadow of his father, the mighty Longshanks, easily swayed by his affections for his favorites, and increasingly unpopular with his barons. And he is desperately in love with another man, a fact that torments Isabella.

Though Edward never comes to love Isabella the way she adores him, he does eventually realize the asset he has in her wisdom and diplomacy in political matters, and Isabella finds her star rising with his people as she helps negotiate one truce after another. But as the years go by and Edward begins to neglect his countrymen even more than he does Isabella, and as he allows a new favorite to supplant Isabella not only in his bed but in his council chamber, Isabella begins to wonder if a far different future, one in which she is loved as a woman and respected as a ruler, is within her grasp. And when she has reached the end of her rope, when she is forced to finally face the harsh truth about her husband, her marriage, and the future of England, she leaps past the point of no return by throwing her lot in with the rebel leader Roger Mortimer. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the story, which chronicled the first fifteen years of her marriage and life as Queen of England. The story is fast-paced and full of drama. I couldn't put it down as events merged to lead Isabella on the road to rebellion. But unfortunately, that's where it started to fall apart for me. Isabella is so neglected and later mistreated by her husband that I was rooting for her to finally find the relationship she longed for, but I was disappointed in the result. What should have been fulfilling for her and exciting for the reader was neither. Isabella's relationship with Roger Mortimer is depicted as so single-minded that one wonders why a woman as powerful and respected as Isabella would allow it to continue. And hardly any page time is devoted to Isabella and Mortimer's conquering of England. I realize it was, in reality, a fairly easy victory for them, but after so much lead-up to their rebellion, I was expecting more depiction of it. And after everything Isabella went through, I found her final scene to be surprisingly lacking in emotion, and I did not particularly care for the tone it ended her story on. After that, the epilogue, which subscribes to the controversial revisionist theories surrounding Edward II's demise, seemed out of place.

I was warned that I had accidentally been given a version of the book that had not undergone a final edit, so I tried very hard not to let the abundance of typos, the sudden resurrection of dead people in later scenes, and scenes appearing out of order affect my rating of the story. However, I can't help but think that the final version probably still has some of the issues that gave me pause, such as a lack of indication of the passage of time (on one page Isabella has just given birth to her second child and on the next page she has four or five) and the inconsistencies in characterization.

So what did I like about this book? That's easy: Isabella! I do feel like this is a lighter treatment of her life story--it is only 200 pages and ends long before her life does--but she was a fascinating woman, an empathetic and compelling character, and my appetite for more novels about her has been ignited. And I do think Falconer has painted a fair and realistic portrait of Edward II. Though he makes terrible decisions and is at best an ineffective ruler, he is achingly human and makes the mistake of following his heart to his ruin. This is a lightning-quick read, engaging and entertaining, and as long as the final version of the book being sold to readers has been corrected, I can recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to this famous "She-wolf" of England.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is infuriating. Imagine being married to a man who not only takes a lover under your nose, but also flaunts it in front of the entire court? Imagine being a queen only to watch another advise your husband and king, gather all the riches, lands, and titles for himself while spreading lies about you. Imagine watching your husband think with the wrong head not once, but twice, each time causing civil war in the nation. And yet you stand there and constantly try to placate the nobles, write letters asking for aide for your wayward, thoughtless husband, deny your own happiness...

This is my second novel about Isabella, the French princess turned English queen of the homosexual Edward. In the first one, I read, The She-Wolf by Pamela Bennetts, she was portrayed as a bitch, a woman who used her own son to attain her own goals.

I became quite engrossed in this version of Isabella and her tumultuous marriage. I could relate to her a lot better than I could Bennetts' version. I could feel empathy and frustration for her; wanted to pull my hair out at times. I like that for once, this queen is portrayed in a manner that doesn't scream "manipulative, evil beeyotch". Instead, the author has showed us how she was treated, how she tried to be a good wife and queen, how out-of-her-control it all was. When she finally takes revenge, it's a long time coming. I mean, seriously, just how much can one woman take? Frankly, I thought it took her too long.

This novel made me see not a she-wolf, but a woman trying to take back what should have been rightfully hers all along. As the front cover says, she was taught to obey, but it's time to rebel. After all she'd been through, I was thrilled when she finally stands for herself.

Something I prefer about this story over She-Wolf is that it takes us through the Gaveston drama, not just Despenser.

I do have some quibbles and most are editorial. I became confused at times about who was good and who was bad. Take "Burstbelly" for example. Was he with them or against them? It seemed to change every time he was mentioned and I don't think the man was switching sides.

"Burstbelly died two nights ago, in Halborn....He was the last one who stood for me against the barons."

And just a few pages before it had said, "Edward summons a Parliament but Lancaster and Burstbelly--she smiles at Gaveston's description--and the other magnates refuse to attend because Gaveston is there.

So...I became a tad confused. But maybe it's just me.

I also grew tired of Isabella reminding us at the end of what seemed every other chapter that she was going to make Edward love and adore her one day, that one day she will have his heart, yada yada. That and the "I'm the daughter of the king of France" became repetitive.

The late-blooming romance with Mortimoor is weird. It's like a love/hate thing and I didn't get it.

There are some editing errors, some minor typos, some doors that open despite the fact they are locked, etc, and I noticed the errors increased in the last half of the story. At that point, even the dead come alive again--Pembroke appears speaking twice after his death and her father is mentioned as well as though he still alive. The present-tense narrative is a bit jarring at first and at times it suddenly becomes first person and my version didn't have italics, making me do a double-take sometimes. Also, I hate this new trend of not putting commas before a person's name when the speaker is addressing him. I get it's a new way, but I hate it. Loathe it. In my day, when you spoke to someone, it was, "It's not what you think, Isabella," not "It's not what you think Isabella."

Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, that didn't go as planned.

Review to come.

[Mieneke · Rating 3 out of 5]

My predilection for historical fiction about royals is well-documented, so when I was approached about reviewing Colin Falconer's Isabella: Braveheart of France I was easily convinced, especially as I had just watched the episode of the BBC4 series She-Wolves: England's Early Queens about Isabella. And while Falconer's novel covers all the pertinent information of Isabella's life and gives us some inkling of what may have driven her to take over the English throne, I had a hard time connecting or staying connected to the main players in the novel, largely due to the stylistic choices made by the author. 

Isabella's story is told from a third person perspective in the present tense in a rather fragmentary style and a somewhat dispassionate tone, with lots of scene breaks and short chapters. This makes it hard to settle into the narrative and connect to Isabella as a character. She starts out sympathetic enough, but during the course of the novel becomes embittered – not completely without cause obviously – and once we come to the end of the novel I found it hard to like her or be understanding of some of the choices she makes, trading a negligent husband for a domineering and callous lover she doesn't even seem to actually like. I also found the way that Isabella's internal dialogue isn't rendered in a clearly defined way problematic, as on several occasions it served more to confuse than to add to the story.

The novel covers Isabella's life from the moment she learns she's to marry Edward until the moment she's finally and irrevocably free from the marriage. Falconer manages to portray Isabella and Edward in a way that makes exceedingly clear how tragic their situation actually was. Isabella is traded away in marriage to ensure peace between England and France, only to find her husband is more interested in the stable boys than in her and she is quickly entrenched in a fierce rivalry with Edward's lover Piers Gaveston. It's this disappointment in her marriage, that fact that she was never first in her husband's affections that causes her slow embitterment and the ultimate breakdown of their partnership. Falconer spends quite some time building up Isabella's considerable political acumen and Edward's dislike of kingship, both due to the restrictions it places upon him and due to the fact that he can never measure up to the legend of his father, Edward I.

At one point in their marriage, after Gaveston is murdered by Edward's barons, they create a smoothly working partnership with Isabella masterminding a kingdom and power for Edward that allows him to avenge his beloved Piers' death. Despite knowing how the story ends, I still found myself hoping they'd work it out and have if not a happy marriage at least a solid one. Falconer seems to be hesitant to portray either of them as the villain in the marriage, instead squarely placing the blame on the Despenser, who becomes Edward's confidant after he loses Piers. Despenser is a venal, cruel, and greedy man who seemingly without conscience destroys people and families for his own gain. It's this that prompts the barons to take action against Edward, but it's not the sole reason Isabella decides to lead them. She is the proverbial woman scorned and she decides to take her fate in her own hands.

She's also driven by her affair with one of Edward's baron Lord Roger Mortimer. A man who has seemingly coveted Isabella from the first time he sees her. While the affair is historically accurate, Falconer never managed to make me believe it. It just seemed so abrupt and, while passionate, just as devoid of true love and companionship as Isabella's marriage to Edward. I think that was the point that the novel truly started to lose me, because I just couldn't wrap my head around this burgeoning affair. Add to this the fact that at this point I'd also lost any overview of which lord was which and whether they were the elder or the younger or newly created and the last third of the novel became a bit of a slog.

Isabella: Braveheart of France is an interesting account of a fascinating queen, but it suffered from its fragmentary pacing, dispassionate tone, and the seeming lack of loving connection between Isabella and Mortimer. If you're looking for a novel to familiarise yourself with Isabella's story, Isabella: Braveheart of France is a good choice, though it doesn't tell her entire story, since it stops after she and the barons dethrone Edward II. If you're looking for a satisfying love story or drama, however, you might be left a little underwhelmed by Isabella and Mortimer.

This book was provided for review by the author.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I'd written a review of this one years ago, and have just realised I didn't. In the interests of full disclosure, Colin Falconer emailed me before it came out to tell me that my research on Edward II and Isabella had been really useful to him, and told me his publishers would send me a free copy if I liked. In point of fact, they never did, but I would have bought it anyway, and did so. For the most part, I really enjoyed the novel, despite the rather daft title. It's quite dispassionate, but Falconer does, to me, succeed in making both Edward and Isabella sympathetic characters. Thankfully, he doesn't repeat the endless stupid myths about the couple that were invented centuries later, such as Edward giving Isabella's wedding gifts to Gaveston (invented by Agnes Strickland) or removing her children from her in 1324 (a nasty little tale invented in the 1970s and sourced by a reference to 'membranes 14-15' of a document which I have held in my own hands and which only has eight membranes, and which, to boot, dates to 1322, not 1324 as claimed). I found Falconer's take on Isabella's relationship with Roger Mortimer refreshing and novel; it's not the Great Love Affair here that so many other writers of both fiction and non-fiction claim it was, without any real evidence. I also really liked that Isabella is in love with Edward, who's portrayed as strong and beautiful, and distressed that she never manages to win his heart. Falconer captures Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser pretty well; Gaveston, irritating to many people yet basically sweet-natured, and Despenser, a far more sinister figure and a genuine threat to the queen.

There aren't many gross historical inaccuracies that I spotted, though the novel could have done with some better editing, and the name of Isabella's sister-in-law who's imprisoned for adultery changes from Blanche (correct) to Beatrice at one point. As other reviewers have pointed out, the epilogue - though I really enjoyed it - is all about Edward II, not Isabella, and I think an afterword explaining what happened to Isabella and Mortimer would have been really helpful for readers who don't know the story. It's also a bit disappointing that the novel ends with Edward II's reported death in 1327 and we don't get to see Isabella ruling England for her underage son; it ends rather abruptly, in fact. But overall, I really liked this novel and would recommend it to anyone interested in Edward II and Isabella of France's story. I am so beyond bored with novels and so-called works 0f non-fiction that depict Edward II based on little more than prejudices and stereotypes about gay and bi men, and genuinely appreciate a novel that makes a real effort to show him as he really was, deeply flawed and a disastrous king for sure, but a million miles from the camp fop of Braveheart and other grotesque portrayals. Isabella, too, is neither the She-Wolf she's so often and so unfairly been written as, nor the tragic neglected victim a few modern writers have tried to turn her into.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not having known a lot about Isabella of France, I was rather excited to read this book and learn more about her.

I am a big fan of European history, but it was at times a drag to read this book. It reads like a pile of facts put together in paragraph/chapter form with a bit of dialogue thrown in to compensate. The book is more shallow than I had anticipated or hoped, and by the end I was slightly confused as to what kind of woman Isabella really was.

The only reason I found any enjoyment to the story it at all, was because I did get some information out of it that posed interest to me and made me want to further pursue the topic.

Elsewhere.

[Natasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this book. The narration was dry and not a lot of detail that would have brought the daily world and life of Isabella to life. I have read other historical fiction that was rich and transported you to that time and place.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book quickly. The way the author writes flows very well, and while reading, it made me think like someone during that time period because of his choice in wording and use of phrases. I found the writing brilliant because I was emotionally engaged as a reader and identified with many of the characters. This was a true escape for me. It also made me think about the politics of the time, the complexity of relationships, and the circumstances in life that can make survival critical and our choices burdensome. People will get always hurt in the midst of tough decisions. In the end, everyone is looking out for their own interests, just like politics often reveal about true intentions, even today. There is nothing new under the sun.

[Ruth Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have read a historical book about European kings and queens, and I am quite happy to report that this book was not a disappointment. Before reading this book, I only had heard about Edward and Isabella, and probably only in passing. When it comes to European monarchies, I know very little. Author Colin Falconer has brought a very easy-to-read historical novel about Queen Isabella of France/England, and I would venture to say that this book would be enjoyable reading for most historical fiction aficionados. I was able to sit down and read it in the span of a few hours, and I feel as though I have learned an incredible amount about this time period in history.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. There is some profanity in this book, and although it is minimal, the words that are used are what I term hard-core. There is implied sex, but very few details are given. For that, I am eternally grateful. Some may be surprised when I state that the homosexuality in the book did not necessarily bother me. My reasoning is that it historically accurate, and it is not detailed within the book. Generally a book that is told in the present tense does irritate me, but I only noticed this once in a while with this particular book. There were a few times I did find my interest somewhat waning as I read the narrative, but I can excuse that as it may have just been me.

Thankfully, the positives far outweigh any of the negatives I have detailed above. The historical accuracy of this genre is always paramount for me, and it is evident that the author has done his homework. There might be a few liberties taken here and there, but even the unusual ending espouses a viewpoint that is held by many. For sure, the author may have some bias regarding Isabella, but even so, I am convinced that he reports the fact with no more spin than O'Reilly (Fox News Commentator) or any other historian. The vast majority of the characters were believable, and it was refreshing to be able to connect with historical characters. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future, and I can recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to not knowing much about Isabella prior to reading this new novel by one of my favorite authors. I must further admit that she really got a loser of a husband even if he was King of England. Isabella was only 12 when she was sent off to marry Edward II. Her father, Philip IV taught her well, though - she knew her duty and she had a political intelligence far beyond her years. What she wasn't prepared for was her husband's relationship with his best friend, Piers Gaveston. Nor were his nobles happy about it either. They also weren't happy with his lack of a certain nobility and his seeming inability to reign. All he wanted to do was play, bestow gifts upon his favorite and "be king." But as we all know it is never that simple.

Isabella did what she could to mediate but soon Gaveston was gone. He was soon replaced with a new favorite and this one, Despenser was far, far worse and even Isabella could not save herself. She ended up back in France plotting to return with an army at her back. The people of England were so disgusted with Edward and Despenser that she was soon ruling as regent for her son.

The book was an informative and enjoyable read. I did miss having an author's note - I've come to like one at the end of a historical novel to help sort the truth from the fiction. Mr. Falconer's prose is spare yet one does feel Isabella come to life over the course of the book. She certainly changed from a very young bride hoping for love to a hardened woman dethroning a King and that change was very believable over the course of this tale.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabella was the daughter of the King of France. When she was four years old she was promised to the King of England as his wife. The King came for her when she was 12 years old and they were married. All her life she had been raised to be a Queen so she was very clued in as to her status in life. I cannot imagine a 12 year old with the ability to endure what she did. King Edward ignored her most of her life as he was more in tune with his male friends, especially his cousin ,who he loved and was very much influenced by him. However the cousin was not trusted by the court and was soon killed. This did not stop Edward from having other male lovers. Queen Isabella was loved by her constituents and King Edward was very disliked. His reign was tumultuos and Isabella tried to guide him to be a good King but to no avail. This time period is so fascinating to me and I found this book very interesting. It was a violent time and that bothered me. Queen Isabella loved her king to the very end but when things got too difficult for her she escaped back to France where her brother was king. I did not want the book to end and I hope to find another book that continues with her life where this book ended. Very interesting reading.

[Girl with her Head in a Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another day, another piece of historical fiction. Ho hum. Sometimes I think that the tagline for this site should be 'Reading bad historical fiction so that you don't have to.' I really need to stop doing that, it's not as if I don't have other things to read. This time, rather than various members of the Houses of York or Lancaster flouncing about, Colin Falconer chooses to focus on Isabella of France, wife to Edward II. Brief background: Isabella of France was posted off to England to marry Edward II when she was only twelve. At the wedding, everything was embroidered with the initials of the happy couple. The only problem was that the happy couple involved did not include Isabella.

Edward II and his 'really good friend' Piers Gaveston were the ones at the centre of the ceremony and while our own Diana may have complained about three people in her marriage, she really had nothing at all to complain about next to Isabella. Despite all this, Isabella bore Edward four children, the eldest of which later became Edward III. Then she finally got fed up of her husband's behaviour, took off to France, had an affair with a baron, deposed Edward and put her son on the throne. Most people who know very little about history are aware of Edward II's supposed fate, his death via red hot poker is one of those facts that stand out in popular history. In this novel, Falconer attempts to grant a voice to the infamous 'She-Wolf of France' who has lived so long in legend but unfortunately the result feels rather confused.



I felt that this might have worked better as a screenplay. If this material was handed to a decent actress, she could probably make something out of Falconer's rather blank prose. Isabella starts out as the young girl who is desperate to win her husband's affection and to obey her father's commandment to love her husband. Edward is handsome and kind but he is always happier digging a ditch or thatching a roof than thinking on kingly matters and he will always put the wishes of Gaveston over Isabella. I felt that Falconer was trying to write Isabella as a kind of Daenaerys Targaryen figure - she starts out so meek and mild but over time she becomes a true Warrior Queen as her husband's recklessness becomes too much. The problem was that Isabella seemed lifeless for too much of the time to ever become a truly engaging character.

Falconer does explore some interesting points; the young Isabella battle for her husband's affections but is unable to compete against the men in his life - yet when someone asks her if it would trouble her as much if her husband had a mistress, Isabella takes pause and concludes it would not. A mistress would only have her husband's attention in the bedroom but a male lover had the right to follow him everywhere, and so he was a threat to a wife in a way that a mistress would not be. What has always struck me about Edward II is how even by the standards of his time he was a terrible husband. Medieval men were not known for their uxoriousness or faithful behaviour but it was generally accepted that on public occasions, the wife was given the respect due to her. Edward just loved Piers Gaveston and made no secret of it, even on his wedding day to Isabella. It's just bad form. When Isabella finally fled from her husband's persecution to France, she donned widow's weeds to hammer home the point that she was not being treated like a wife.


Isabella and Mortimer
At this point though, Falconer's book turns into a weird kind of Fifty Shades of Grey. Isabella has peeked out of the corner of her eye at Roger Mortimer all the way through the story and when she meets up with him while both exiled ... well. The Pants Are Coming Off. To be fair, given that a running theme had been Isabella attempting to 'inspire' her husband Edward in the boudoir, I can see why Falconer wanted to make a thing about Isabella finally finding passion and also Isabella and Roger Mortimer really did have an affair. It's just so melodramatic - he sneaks into her room via the window, he slams her up against a wall, she is stunned and impressed by his erection (again, she has only ever slept with the gay Edward) and then the two of them are at it all over the room. I don't know, it's a bit much. I can see Falconer is going for the contrast between the courtly but distant Edward and the feral and passionate Mortimer but he never really seems to decide what Isabella and Mortimer's relationship is supposed to be. It is certainly not love.

The conclusion to the book was the strangest part of all - after Isabella's constant refrain to herself that one day she would have Edward's heart, when the time finally comes for Edward's death, Falconer does not refer back to the famous fact that Isabella was buried holding Edward's heart. He even mentions that as a child, Isabella heard a prophecy that she would die of boredom and loneliness but then does not explore the fact that she and Mortimer were eventually deposed by her own son. And then the epilogue is actually nothing to do with her but in fact refers back to Edward who has not been the focus of the book at all so it is hard to particularly care about his fate. It was just ... odd. And not well thought out. There was a lack of attention to detail - also evidenced by the fact that the cover to this book has a picture of a woman in Elizabethan dress on it - almost three hundred years too early but never mind.

Isabella did have its moments and it was a fairly quick and light read but this is not a book that I will treasure or look at again. I felt it did try to present another viewpoint to the traditional view of the she-wolf but again it did not give her the edge that she clearly had in real life. This is the woman who kept her daughter-in-law in penury and who had to be overthrown by her son before she would release power. She was no innocent and yet Falconer cannot bring himself to put true blame at her door. Ultimately, he is unable to truly do justice to a truly fascinating historical figure - despite promising moments, Isabella remains flat on the page.


I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For my full review: http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspo...

[Anna Plishak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Постаттю Ізабелли Французької я зацікавилась, ознайомившись із творчістю Моріса Дрюона (хоч прочитала наразі лише перші три книги циклу "Прокляті королі", де вона виступає другорядним, але сильним персонажем). Тож коли побачила цю книжульку навіть не вагалася стосовно її покупки.
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Дочка французького короля Філіпа Красивого, дружина англійського короля Едварда ІІ. Її з народження готували бути королевою, іншої долі вона не бачила і не бажала. Юною і закоханою дівчинкою приїхала Ізабелла до Англії, мріючи про щастя і владу. Але з кожним роком правління всі її мрії і сподівання розбивалися об черствість і байдужість Едварда, який надавав перевагу своїм фаворитам, а королева його цікавила лише заради продовження роду.
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Ізабелла - непересічна особистість. І мені було цікаво спостерігати, як вона намагалася конкурувати з коханцями Едварда. Вразив також перехід від вірної дружини, сповненої моральних принципів і чеснот, до зрадниці, що пішла супроти чоловіка і захопила владу в Англії.
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Стиль написання у автора легкий, а погляд на події доволі неординарний. Ні на мить не жалкую, що прочитала цю книгу.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a disappointing book! Isabella lived through so much and is full of great material. This book should have been more exciting. Instead we get flat characters, repetitive descriptions, and no emotional buy-in. The only good thing about this book was how short the chapters are making it a quick read.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great summer read

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I enjoy historical fiction. I gave it three stars because it was a fun read during hot summer days. I would have given four stars if there had been more depth.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabella of France is one of those intriguing historical figures I've come across who I'd love to know more about. I was thrilled to learn that Colin Falconer had written a novel about Isabella from her point of view, and the book did not disappoint! She was called the "she-wolf" of France because she raised an army against her husband (the King of England) and tossed him off his thrown. She then acted as regent for their young son, Edward III.

Isabella was the daughter of King Phillip IV of France. At the age of 12, she married King Edward II of England in an effort to secure peace between the two countries. The author portrays Isabella as a dutiful wife and daughter, wise beyond her years, eager to make her father proud of her as Queen of England, and even more eager to make Edward love her. But alas, his heart belonged to another, a man named Piers Gaveston.

Isabella's years with Edward were filled with turmoil, both personal and political. His barons regarded him as a weak ruler, and they despised Piers and his relationship with the king. Isabella was in constant competition with Piers for attention, and when he was finally out of the picture, another man took his place as the king's favorite. Power hungry Hugh Despenser was even more loathed than Piers, and he did all he could to turn Edward against Isabella with success. With the threat of civil war looming and Hugh become more of a threat to her well-being, Isabella decides to act.

ISABELLA: BRAVEHEART OF FRANCE was an exciting and fast-paced story I enjoyed. I particularly liked how the author created Isabella and Edward to be sympathetic characters - at least to me. Edward was a poor ruler in part because he didn't truly want to be a king. He admired Isabella, but simply couldn't love her the way she wanted. All Isabella wanted was to be Edward's loving queen and to be loved in return. When she was cast aside and made a virtual prisoner in her own castle, something drastic had to happen.

I'd recommend this book to Historical Fiction fans who love strong female protagonists, or to those curious to learn more about this fascinating medieval woman.

Source: Received a review copy for participating in the author's book tour.

[Jen La Duca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t know very much in regards to Isabella's story so I was really looking forward to reading Isabella: Braveheart of France. The story begins on the night before twelve-year-old Isabella is to wed Edward II, this marriage has been arranged to mend relationships between England and France. Isabella has been raised to be a queen and considers herself a “true daughter of France”, she wants nothing more than to please her father and fall madly in love with her husband. She soon learns that although her husband seems nice, he doesn’t exactly share her sentiment in feelings. This is because Edward is in love with another man, a revelation that tortures Isabella because she absolutely adores him.

This could have been a fascinating novel, instead I found myself confused, often scratching my head & wondering if I was missing something. I understood that I was reading an ARC and therefore it hadn’t undergone its final editing but the sheer amount of errors just blew me away. Also, the sentence structure was so short and choppy, with a new chapter every few pages, that it left me completely unconnected to the characters and their story. The outline for the story was fantastic and so much could have been done with it. I would honestly love to talk to the author and ask him why he chose to write in such a style. At one point early on, I actually thought this book was intended for middle school aged children, that’s how simplistic the writing is. If that was the case, I was determined to look at and read this book in a new light and would have probably rated it slightly higher. I checked on Amazon to see if my suspicion was right, but no, this is not a children’s or a YA novel.

In order to give an accurate review I felt compelled to finish this book, I was also hoping at some point the storyline and writing style would pick up, but it did not. Unfortunately, this is not a book that I would recommend.

**I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the publisher, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabella: Braveheart of France by Colin Falconer portrays Isabella in a much more sympathetic light than earlier writers. They called her a She-Devil. But she did not seem cunning and cruel in this book.

Isabella was betrothed to Edward II of England when she was only twelve. Her father counseled her to make the King love her, it was her duty. Her marriage was to be an alliance between England and France. She was slender and smart but created an idealized idea of Edward when she met him. He was extremely handsome and popular before they married. He later let her know that he would prefer to be a farmer than a King. When it came time to marry Isabella’s father, Phillip IV of France counseled her to always as a Queen and she must make him love her. She must prevent a war between England and France. Later she learns that she must try and prevent a civil war in England.
Her husband is handsome but he finds he only has affection and love for his favorite Piers Gaveston. He gives him, furs, fine clothes, jewels and his heart. Isabella has to be very smart to survive in order that her first born son would be King.

Because Colin Falconer concentrated on her side of the story, it was very easy to follow and to get engaged in this story. Being new to her story, I feel that I now have a clear and unbiased view of her life and struggles. The only hope for her is to be Edward’s advisor for him to pay attention to her and value her opinions. She must make him want her in bed also in order to provide a royal heir but that turns out to be very difficult.

I highly recommend this book to all historical history fans of this period, especially those who have not read about Isabella of France previously.

I received this book as a win from FirstReads but my thoughts and opinions in this review are totally my own.

[Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as part of the blog tour.

Isabella: Braveheart of France is the story of Queen Isabella and her husband Richard II. I had thought I knew everything I needed to know about there ugh of Richard II after reading Shakespeare's play and studying it in college. Turns out there's quite a bit that isn't covered in the scope of Shakespeare's historical play, and much of it is very interesting.

Isabella is the daughter of France and very obedient to her father and then her husband, Edward. Thing is, Edward is...gay? Although he's married to her he's in love with another man. It tears their marriage apart and muddles the politics of England like nothing else. It's so interesting to think about this sort of thing and how it was dealt with back then. I wonder though, how many people actually think Richard II had male lovers that made him lose his throne? Or that he never really was killed and instead made a daring escape? I admit I'm curious enough to google it after reading this book.

I found this book had achieved the delicate balance between historical accuracy and interesting plot. I know this is a. Difficult balance to achieve in historical fiction; and oftentimes I become bored or overwhelmed with facts when reading and it's hard to remain engaged. That wasn't so with this novel. I found it'd as I hating and really wanted to know what happened. I admire Queen Isabella a lot; what a strong woman she was!

I recommend this book to those who like historical fiction and strong female leaders. It's a great story that fans of Philippa Gregory will certainly adore.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was half of the way through the book I realized that Falconer was trying to write a book in 300 pages that should have been at least 400, if not 500. The character development was lacking. I didn’t feel like I knew why anyone was behaving the way they did. The book was entertaining but could have been so much better. Read or don’t, you won’t miss a lot if it’s skipped.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabella: Braveheart of France by Colin Falconer

Princess Isabella of France was married at the age of 12 to Prince Edward II of England. Isabella was bound by duty to obey and love her king, to rule by his side and have him seek her council when affairs of state need her advice . However, Edward couldn't love Isabella wholeheartedly for he loved a man more. When she was older she had born him four children, Edward III, John, Elanor, and Joan.
Hugh Despenser was not only her husband's lover but also running the kingdom and slowly but surely taking away Isabella's estates. She in turn goes to France and seeks help from her brother King Charles of France. She also planned on a marriage contract for her son Edward III as well gaining an army of men for her return back to England. The King and his lover were removed to a dungeon and Isabella was named regent for her son Edward III until he was able to rule when he was of age.

This was a well written novel on the early history of England. I enjoyed it very much.

[Deyanira C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabella brave heart, tells the story of the she wolf of France one of the most powerful and polemical women during medieval england, daughter and sister of French kings she goes to England with more than 12 years to marry king Edward II so she becomes queen of England.I'm not a huge fan of the over descriptive stories but I think that time to time some is needed, here we have almost nothing of it many characters doesn't even have description, the same with the places or events indeed the novel is extremely fast, basically we have short chapters of two or three people talking few dialogues, so if you want to know some of Isabella's story in a short and easy way this is a good option specially because the story is well researched, apart from that in my opinion this doesn't deserve more than 2.5 stars and I don't think it worths pay for it.
First I'll start with the things that I liked.

*The relationship between Edward II and Isabella has an interesting arch, It begins as something political, a cold relationship but with kindness, eventually both connect although they are never on the same channel, she dreams of a love that only lives in poems and he well he is a good guy but in love with another man, despite this he fulfills his duty as husband and respects Isabella at least at the beginning eventually sees her as an enemy because from his perspective she is.

* Isabella's personality is completely plausible and human, she is a young woman with hopes and dreams, who suffers one setback after another and who is forced to betray her education and her role as a wife, here I applaud the author because he made me feel Isabella's despair, she was obedient, loving patient and did everything seriously EVERYTHING for Edward II, but at the end she never gets the love she wants or the interest and what is worse, Edward takes away her properties, any influence, her friends and allows his favorite to mistreat her, so I not only understood her but encouraged her to reveal herself.

* In the same way Edward's personality is brilliantly presented,is neither girly nor a monster, if Isabella is somehow his victim don't get confused it doesn't mean Edward is a bad person actually he is a good man in general but clinging to the idea that his will must be done and nothing else is important, which I understood he was after all a King chosen by God, this lack of vision makes him make huge mistakes, his love for gaveston is another great problem that however he defends with all the strength in the world which made me admire him, it is also clear that he does not even like being King.

Now what I disliked:
*The timeline is wrong and I am not referring to historical licenses but to the fact that in one chapter a character dies (Pembrok) and two chapters later the same character appears as a crucial part of the story which I think was a big oversight.

* Typos everywhere.

* Many times you read adjectives or things that do not have a justification or reason to believe, for example Isabella is elegant and beautiful everyone knows it, yes well but the book never made me believe in it, Isabella's elegance or beauty is never described or explained and in general many other things are empty.

*The end is too hasty, I understand that the author wanted to conclude with Isabella's victory and put aside the failure of her government and her retirement, but the last 5 chapters that are the culmination are almost summarized that it is barely understood what happened.

*That the author uses "" for the dialogues is not to my liking but even if other people are fine with it, it is not achieved well in this book, many times I check again to verify who said what.

*In addition to being hasty, the end of the story was unpleasant in many ways, Isabella goes from being cunning to being clumsy as I said before, I understand that she rebeled better say I think that it took her a long time to do it, but when she reaches that point more than acting with her head everything is justified with "her sexual hunger" and her desire to be taken by Mortimer, Isabella ignores that her plans have no future because her son hates her and loves his father, but that does not seem to matter because she is obsessed with being a desired woman, so she forgets about her other children who are alone in England in the hands of vindictive people, she is manipulated very easy by Mortimer, and this does not correspond to the Isabella that the book sold me and it seemed like a cheap way to explain the facts.

*The weakest point of the book is the Isabella / Mortimer love story that to be one of the greatest love stories of the medieval age this is a really bad version, they have known each other for years but apart from only once that he tells her beautiful ( what she is told many times by many people ) there is nothing between them that predicts what would come, rather it seems that the two come together because they were a woman and a man with nothing more to do, in France out of nowhere he ended up in her bed, I understand that she finally felt what she was yearning for, but it is clear that he was a womanizer, he never showed emotional interest in her or concern, he is not even interesting so I couldn't understand how she sacrificed her children and her own life for Mortimer, it seemed ridiculous, there is nothing but passion between them, and it is never explored what will happen to Mortimer's wife who is a friend of Isabella or anything interesting, to be a forbidden relationship that overthrew a King I must say that it was quite boring to read , and actually for me the love story that takes the palms is that of Gaveston and Edward II, as Edward says well at the end he did everything for Gaveston, love him despite being wrong and he never forget him, Edward cried so much for him and fought so hard that I wish Isabella could see what truly love was and not her lustful relationship with Mortimer.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. Isabella was a princess of France, married to King Edward of England as part of a peace negotiation. It is hard to imagine a time when daughters were seen as assets to be used in order to gain advantages. Isabella was tasked with the duty of loving a king, regardless of anything that might occur, including the lack of returned favor from her husband. Obviously, these were real people and real situations. History comes alive in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this princess and later queen, of whom I knew very little. The novel is well written and has a very steady pace. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a bit of historical fiction or perhaps even just anyone who likes strong women characters. I found myself turning on the text to speak option so that I could continue with the story even when I was on the move. It really draws you in.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my Blog: http://myainbookblog.blogspot.com/201...

Isabella and Edward's story has been told in a variety of ways and from many viewpoints but this one is my favorite.Since Isabella was a very young girl when she was married to Edward, Colin Falconer's understanding of the complexities of their relationship was right on target. Isabella had such resilience and resourcefulness that she actually held the kingdom together much longer than seemed possible. Far from being a she-devil, Isabella did truly have a "brave heart" and a determination to survive an impossible situation.

[G Mcdaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, however, I have read books about Isabella that were more engrossing. This one did not build the characters as well, but did give insight into the relationships between Edward II and the notorious patronage he lavished on Piers Gaveston during their controversial relationship. After the death Of Gaveston, Hugh Despenser the Younger took the place of Gaveston in Edward's affections and helped further the isolation of Isabella. Isabella's later affair with Roger Mortimer and the overthrow of Edward II seemed hurried and brief. I would recommend reading for a light historical novel.