Review: Lethal Alliances Is “Educational, Riveting, and Hard to Put Down”

“Jeannette de Beauvoir’s background as a French student of medieval history lends nicely to Lethal Alliances, a story that takes place during the reign of King Phillipe le Bel in the 1300s.

Intrigue, murder, political passion, and social and political drama are the hallmarks of a read that requires no prior familiarity with the politics and history of the times in order to be satisfyingly accessible and dramatically absorbing.

Handsome princes and aristocracy hated because of unfair taxation, damsels who dream of romance at high levels but who confront palace intrigue instead, and blossoming romances between princesses and lords contribute to an evolving story of relationships both personal and political.

The three girls betrothed to Phillipe’s sons aren’t expecting these sub layers of palace politics to change their lives; but their worlds and romance are vastly changed by them. As Princess Isabelle faces the death of a royal family member and the subterfuge that threatens her own life and its tenants, readers are treated to a fine layering of historical fact and description and intrigue designed to keep them engaged and guessing.

The richness of detail and authenticity of the times may be attributed to de Beauvoir’s background, but it truly takes a literary hand to capture these historical nuances in such a manner that the fictional side of the story remains completely engrossing even to those with no prior knowledge of or interest in French history.

Lethal Alliances crafts an engaging account that is as much about French politics of the times as it is about romance and intrigue. Winding these into the historical facts surrounding the political forces that clash with one another creates a moving, absorbing account which is educational, riveting, and hard to put down.”

Source: Midwest Book Review