An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England

by Nan Hawthorne

The younger son of a Saxon king unexpectedly finds himself wearing the crown when his father and older brother are slain in an attempted usurping. His is a story of a young man striving to prove himself to others and to quench his own self-doubt. He is aided by his queen, the love of his life, and his loyal friends, but finds himself beset by monumental challenges. He must overcome threat in battle, from treachery, and from setbacks that shake him. The queen is relentlessly pursued by a darkly sensual mercenary who will do anything to win her away from her husband, even cold-blooded murder. While the king wages battle in his wife's homeland she is caught behind enemy lines and joins in the fight to restore the sovereignty of the kingdom. Hard choices must be made and more conflict faced before the king, queen and their children will be together again. This novel is the story of steadfast love amid brutal battles, devastating loss, heart breaking betrayal, yet with acts of remarkable devotion and even humor along the way.

Genres: Historical Fiction

648 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2008

Reviews

[Carla Nayland]

Set in a fictional kingdom in eighth-century England, An Involuntary King grew out of the letters and stories exchanged between the author and her pen-friend when both were teenagers. Young Lawrence unexpectedly, and rather reluctantly, finds himself King of Crislicland after the tragic deaths of his father and elder brother. As he struggles with his enemies and his own self-doubt to prove himself a worthy king, his most loyal supporter is his beautiful queen Josephine. But soon their kingdom is threatened by the treachery of an evil cousin, and their happiness by a darkly handsome Breton mercenary knight, who has fallen in love with Josephine and desires nothing more than to make her his wife.
Review: http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/a...

[E.J.]

I would not classify this as Historical Fiction, but rather Historical Fantasy. It's nowhere near the reality of the social and cultural reality of its time period, but, instead, a glow-eyed, romantic fabrication of what the author might have wanted that era to be. It's well-enough written, but just a very naive rendering of Anglo-Saxon England. I can't recommend it to anyone who is a serious reader of historical fiction of that era. The author means well...maybe too well.

[gj indieBRAG]

We are proud to announce that this book has been honored with a 2012 B.R.A.G.Medallion - telling you that this book is well worth your time and money!

[Nan Hawthorne]

Well, it was my life's goal to write it, so I'm delirious.