A great read as Elizabeth Chadwick books are. The story of Jeannette ( Cousin to the King) & Thomas was a relationship worth fighting for. The fight and intrigue continues throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book as Elizabeth always thinks through the historical facts along with a little bit of literal license .

This is the first of a planned pair of novels telling the story of Joan of Kent, cousin of King Edward III. Chadwick refers to her throughout the book as Jeanette because that was the name given to her by the King’s son, Edward (known as the Black Prince), who had it engraved on a silver cup. I’ll do the same in this review to avoid confusion.

The Royal Rebel opens in 1338 with Jeanette preparing to leave her family behind and travel overseas with the royal court for the first time. Jeanette is only twelve years old, so in the absence of her mother she is chaperoned by Katerine, Countess of Salisbury. During the journey to Antwerp, Jeanette is drawn to one of the King’s household knights, Thomas Holland, and once they reach their destination they find opportunities to spend time together away from the watchful eye of the Countess. They continue their relationship for more than a year until Jeanette becomes pregnant and they decide to marry in secret, knowing that they would be unlikely to get the consent of her family or the King.

Soon after the wedding, Jeanette loses the child and then Thomas leaves to go to war. In his absence, Jeanette is forced into marriage with William Montagu, her younger brother’s friend whom she has always disliked. William is the son and heir of the Earl of Salisbury and both Jeanette’s mother and the Countess of Salisbury see it as a wonderful match. Although Jeanette confesses that she is already married and can provide evidence, the two women refuse to acknowledge it and the Montagu marriage goes ahead anyway. The rest of the novel follows Thomas and Jeanette in their long battle to prove the legitimacy of their marriage so that they can live together as husband and wife at last.

I love Elizabeth Chadwick’s books but wasn’t sure I was going to like this one at first. Most of the first half of the novel is devoted to the romance between Jeanette and Thomas and not much else – and with this being the first of two books on Jeanette’s life, Chadwick takes her time in developing this part of the story. Eventually, though, things do get much more compelling as our hero and heroine become embroiled in their mission to have their marriage ruled valid by the Pope. Jeanette’s mother, Margaret Wake, and the Countess of Salisbury are very much the villains here as they destroy evidence, play politics behind the scenes and even imprison Jeanette to ensure nothing interferes with their plans (in reality, it seems unclear whether they were aware of Jeanette’s marriage to Thomas Holland before pushing her into a bigamous marriage with William Montagu).

William is depicted as weak and immature, unwilling to defy his mother and make decisions of his own, but I – and I think Jeanette as well – began to feel sorry for him as the novel progressed, because he was under the control of the Countess just as much as she was and was wasting years of his life trapped in a false marriage to someone who would never love him. Jeanette, on the other hand, is the ‘rebel’ of the title and although, like William, she’s constrained by society and her noble status, she knows what she wants out of life and is determined to find a way to get it, however long it takes. Her brother, John, sums up the situation perfectly:

‘Women, when they gather together in their sewing groups to gossip, arrange marriages for their relatives like stitching secret patterns on their embroideries. I envy you because you have chosen to sew your own colours and to walk away from it all, even at a great cost to yourself and others.’

Jeanette’s age, being barely in her teens at the time of her marriage to the older Thomas, will obviously be problematic to a modern audience so Chadwick chooses not to focus on it too much. Although she does tell us at the beginning how old Jeanette is, she doesn’t make a big thing of it and it’s easy to forget about the age difference as you read. This first novel only covers the early part of Jeanette’s life, ending in 1350, so anyone who knows this period of history will know that there’s a lot more to come in the second novel. There’s no news on its publication yet, but I’ll be looking out for it.

The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick. I have read a couple of Lizzie’s books and I’m very much in the camp they are just alright. This is about Joan of Kent and the man she accidentally marries and the drama that causes. I think this is a very long book with a lot of build up for a very swift ending. Aside from the end it is a good book you can read easily but it’s just a bit soulless.

Jeanette is niece of the King, even if her father was executed as a traitor, so she has value to society. Brought up under the restrictions of her mother, Jeanette joins the household of Queen Philippa just as war on France is declared and the court decamps to Flanders. There Jeanette mets a handsome young knight called Thomas Howard, she falls madly in love and they marry in secret. However her family is plotting a far grander marriage for Jeanette and this prior commitment is just an inconvenience.
I have long been fascinated by the story of Joan of Kent, wife of the Black Prince and mother of Richard II. Here Chadwick has started a new series by going back to the beginning of Joan's story and the scandal that ensued. As ever with Chadwick, it is romantic and rose-tinted tale but also incredibly well-grounded in research. Undemanding but interesting!

Really really enjoyed this book, I personally love historical romance and one of my fave tropes is forbidden romance which this has. The book flows well and has a lot of depth, I found myself connecting to characters quickly and was able to devour this book within a few sittings.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot. Instead I recommend that you read this for yourself.

I've read many books by Elizabeth Chadwick (particularly the William Marshal series) and always enjoyed them - so was delighted to be invited to read this novel - I was not disappointed.

This story is based on a real historical character - Jeanette of Kent - who was the cousin of King Edward III. As usual in Elizabeth Chadwick's writing, the background is impeccably researched, which is reflected in the rich descriptions of the characters, clothing, settings and general way of life in that period.

At that time, young noblewomen were generally considered to be "property", and were frequently used to make alliances through marriage for the advancement and benefit of their families - regardless of the hopes and feelings of the young ladies themselves! The novel details Jeanette's struggle to stay true to her heart and be herself, despite the many risks, threats, and obstacles in her path.

This was an enjoyable read, recommended for fans of well researched historical fiction. I didn't realise that this book is the first of two, so am eagerly looking forward to the next in the series!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The Royal Rebel is a historical romance based in 14th Century England, following the story of Joan (Jeanette) of Kent and her love affair and clandestine marriage to a Knight of the royal household, Thomas Holland.

As a cousin to King Edward III, Jeanette is set to make a strategic marriage to benefit the crown and her family, but her headstrong attitude and inability to be as demure and mindful as a courtly maiden cause consternation with her mother and the Queen.

Jeanette catches the eye of Thomas Holland, a knight bent on rehabilitating his family name and proving himself. What starts as a courtly flirtation soon escalates, and the two marry in secret.

What follows is a tale of love and honour against serious adversity, as Jeanette’s family refuse to accept the marriage and the couple dare not tell the king of the match in case Thomas is killed.

The story spans years - and Chadwick’s skill of making a situation that lasts almost a decade feel tense and page-turning is a real gift. I found myself rooting for the pair, appalled at the machinations of the interested families and the court as they seek to control the couple.

The historical detail and accuracy of the book was brilliant. I had heard so much about Chadwick’s historical fiction books and now I understand why!

Thanks to Little Brown Books and the author for an advanced reader copy. The Royal Rebel is out now!

With the fourteenth century very firmly in place we become part of the English royal household as they travel to Antwerp and there within the court of Edward III, his cousin, Jeanette of Kent becomes powerfully attracted to Thomas Holland, a household knight, with little to his name other than his skill at the joust and tourney. The young lovers marry in secret and therein starts a struggle which results in them having to live separate lives with Jeanette even forced to bigamously marry another man.

Recreating history is what this author does best and in The Royal Rebel it has been a real delight to be taken back in time to witness the struggles and dangers which were very much part of court life. I particularly enjoyed following in Jeanette’s footsteps, witnessing her joy at her marriage to Thomas only for it to start to unravel. The lengths that people around her went to in order keep the couple apart demonstrates just how dangerous it was to live in the shadow of the English throne.

During some of the most momentous years of Edward III’s reign we witness Jeanette’s complicated life at the royal court as she moves between Europe and England and the sheer terror of living with ruthless people who, without any conscience, would do you harm. War, pestilence and danger are never far away and all are described in vivid detail thus making the story such a lively and atmospheric read. Part of a duology of books about the complicated life of Jeanette of Kent, The Royal Rebel is historical fiction at its absolute best.

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her.

And so a wonderful and intriguing story begins and one I just couldn't put down. Forbidden love, families at war, based on true events and people, this book has it all. The writing and research do it such justice and I found it quite easy to read and found the story itself quite fascinating and very interesting.

I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend it to any lover of historical books and history of the times.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Based on the historical figure, Joan (Jeanette of Kent), we get a study of forbidden love, the challenges women faced during the 14th century.
Chadwick does an excellent job of transporting us to the times.
The plot 3.5 (the pacing is 3)
Characterisation 4
Prose 4.5
Overall, 4 stars.

A fine novel based on a true-life historical character. In the medieval ages the young daughters of nobles were treated as pawns to be given marriage to the sons of families in which together would further their power and influence. The story starts as a love story between a young girl and a handsome knight with dire consequences as she is a cousin of the King and he lowly Knight. A fascinating story of the culture snd politics of the times.

Really well written historical fiction, forbidden romance about Joan of Kent. The writing was really well done and I enjoyed the plot and the romance. Recommend if you like historical romance.

The Royal Rebel by Elizabeth Chadwick

Elizabeth Chadwick is my favourite historical fiction author. I adore her books so much! Usually she can be found in the 12th and early 13th centuries, but now we leap to the mid 14th century with the first book of two on Jeanette of Kent, the Royal Rebel (better known as Joan of Kent), and it is every bit as wonderful and fabulous as Chadwick’s other novels. Jeanette is the cousin of Edward III and, as such, has value in the marriage stakes. We follow her to Antwerp, with the backdrop of war against France, as she does her duty but in forbidden love with Thomas Holland, a household knight. We also watch her growing friendship with the young Prince Edward. I adored this novel, so rich in historical detail. It all feels so real, the characters so natural, and there is sympathy to be had for even those Jeanette rebels against. I found it an emotional read. I cannot wait for the second in the series.

Love and loss in the age of chivalry. We follow Jeanette (Joan of Kent) as she falls in love but is forced into an arranged marriage in her early teens. An engrossing read based on little-known historical figures.

An enjoyable book - particularly as based on true historical characters and reflected the stories of the time. I’d not heard of Jeannette of Kent before - but obviously I had heard of Edward III and Edward the Black Prince.

This is a time period that I don’t know very well - we learnt about the Black Death at school but not much about the royalty other than a few footnotes about Plantagenets.

A little long winded at times, this book kept my interest and I enjoyed all the different characters. The long list was a bit off putting at the start, but actually wasn’t necessary as everyone was well-introduced and their scenes made sense.

Good descriptions and narrative evoked the settings and the events, battles and royal splendour. A good read for fans of historical and romantic fiction.

4.5* inspired me to research the historical period. I will read more from this author.

Another great book from this author. A bit of history I was totally unaware of and feel all the better for now learning so much. I can’t wait for the follow up book/s on Joan of Kent’s life and all the influences she had on historical events in her lifetime. Thoroughly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

As always an amazing historical fiction.
This book was very enjoyable to read and allowed me the reader to completely disappear in to the action and the intrigue of the story.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Oh I love Elizabeth Chadwick
I think I've read all her books and was so thrilled to be able to read this

Couldn't put this down
Gorgeous reading

Another brilliant book from Elizabeth Chadwick. She seems to have a way of weeding out the most fascinating love stories from history and this one was no different. The story of Jeanette and Thomas, fighting for their love and for their secret marriage, was heartbreaking at times. Their frustration and injustice at being kept apart was palpable. We see Jeanette grow from a rebellious child into a woman who is steadfast in her love. I thought Thomas was a perfect hero. I felt quite sorry for William too by the end of the book, because I kept remembering how young he and Jeanette had been and that their circumstances were forced upon them. I also loved Prince Edward in this. It was a fantastic historical read an a wonderful story of enduring love.

I am a big fan of historical fiction particularly that which is based in fact. However sometimes this is not done well with a lot of liberties taken by the author. This is very much not the case with The Royal Rebel, I devoured this book in one sitting! I enjoyed how Elizabeth Chadwick clearly well researched her subject matter, and whilst we clearly don’t know the full truth of Jeannette and Thomas’ relationship, she has written a realistic portrayal. I look forwarded to reading more of her work, and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to eead this.