Description
“Loyalty should have been emblazoned on his crest.” Cerdic is trapped between two worlds. Will loyalty prove to be his downfall? Born in England, he came to Normandy as a child. He owes his allegiance to the Norman king who conquered his homeland. He is bound in service to the king’s daughter Adela, his first friend in a strange land, and her husband Count Stephen-Henry of Blois. He is torn between Adela whom he has loved for years and Giselle whom he weds in an arranged marriage. Giselle is in love with the tall knight with the odd name; she even goes so far as to join him on the crusade of 1101. Will Cerdic learn where his true feelings lie before it is too late?
The story is framed by several key events, the consecration of Bayeux Cathedral in 1077, the first crusade in 1096-1098, the crusade of 1101, and the White Ship disaster in 1120. Cerdic’s life journey is inextricably linked to that of Adela, Countess of Blois, who ruled her husband’s domains with a firm hand during his absence while he was on crusade and for another decade upon his death.
malvevonhassell
“With her latest book, ”The price of loyalty – serving Adela of Blois’, the established writer, Malve von Hassell, has crafted a minor masterpiece and a vivid and moving evocation of a long distant age; that of the late eleventh century and early twelfth century France. The writer is to be congratulated on this lengthy family saga covering the best part of six decades, an epic chronicle of successes and failures and moments of aching loss and heartbreak.” Historical Fiction Club
malvevonhassell
“Von Hassell’s stunning book opens in the early 12th century, where an elderly Adela is spending her remaining years in Marcigny Abbey. It’s a beautifully studied piece of writing, suspenseful and charged, and cleverly holds the essence of the novel within its four pages. Von Hassell’s prose is poised and elegant, wonderfully embroidered with medieval detail, diction, and insight, instantly carrying the reader into the Middle Ages.” The Book Review Directory
“The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois is a spellbinding work of historical fiction. Finely written, wondrously absorbing, its beautifully nuanced and crafted story captivates from the first page and proves impossible to put down.” The Book Review Directory