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Hilary Benford

A feisty medieval English princess finds adventure in the Sicilian royal court and the Crusades in this epic historical series opener.

 Joanna is the strong-willed daughter of King Henry of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Close to her brother Richard Lionheart, she grew up at courts in France and England. From jousts to the infamous Courts of Love, from family quarrels to international intrigues, Joanna’s youth was spent in the thick of it all. 

 With her ambition to become a queen, like her much-admired mother, Joanna marries King William of Sicily and is swept away to a court that is a crossroads for Normans, Italians, Jews, Arabs and Byzantines. She is furious when she learns that her husband William possesses a harem—but she refuses to accept it in silence, acting like a true descendant of Vikings. 

 That is only the beginning of Joanna’s adventures. When Jerusalem falls to Saladin, her husband and The Lionheart make plans to go on Crusade. And Joanna persuades Richard to let her accompany him. 

 This historical epic introduces a strong and truly unforgettable heroine, Joanna Plantagenet, whose drive and persistence helped change the course of history. 

Praise for Sister of the Lionheart 
“Chock full of historical events and people about which much has already been written, what makes this particular Plantagenet novel so appealing and readable is Benford’s ability to create a believable, lovable and altogether dynamic character in Joanna. She is the glue that holds this marvelous, oft-told story together, this time from a new perspective. . . . I am waiting (impatiently) for the next Joanna book and highly recommend this installment.” —Historical Novel Society

WordFire Press

Joanna Plantagenet

Sister of the Lionheart: A Novel in the Time of the Crusades

An epic novel, the sequel to Sister of the Lionheart, revealing the widowed Queen of Sicily’s role in the Crusades and marriage to the Count of Toulouse.
 
 Joanna Plantagenet accompanies her brother Richard the Lionheart on the Third Crusade—the only woman to visit Saracen-held Jerusalem. When she returns to France, Joanna learns that her renowned brother has been captured and held hostage, and with Richard’s wife Berengaria, she must work for his release.
 
 And when Joanna marries for love—a rarity at the time—things go badly wrong when she finds that someone is trying to have her killed . . .
 
 This is the conclusion to the grand story of a remarkable heroine from history.

Joanna Crusader: An epic historical novel of the Crusades