This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Queen Berengaria is sadly very rarely written about so I was looking forward to reading about her and finding out about her life and her marriage to King Richard but I felt that the book was more about the journey she had to make in order to meet Richard to marry him and whilst this was interesting I would have preferred to read more about her life and her meeting with Richard and marrying him. I know there is a second book which is due to be published and I hope it focuses more on their marriage

An interesting read about medieval royalty. Wasn't quite my cup of tea but was quite realistic and a good adventure.

This short historical fiction novel follows Berengaria of Navarre’s journey to meet her betrothed, King Richard I of England, who is on crusade. Following her journey from Navarre across France, the papal states and duchies of Italy, and the island kingdoms of Sicily and Cyprus, readers follow Berengaria’s journey with her imposing future mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Dowager Queen of England. Along the journey, Berengaria watches relationships build and international politics play out, all while she prepares herself to be a queen of England and the wife of a crusader. Of course, things are not as simple as she hoped, and the actual journey, as well as her personal journey, are going to be more challenging than they appeared. While this novel is fairly short, Hernon does a masterful job of introducing the key historical figures and events, as well as their relationship to Berengaria, over the course of the novel. Hernon’s characters are dynamic and personable, and he brings the multifaceted aspects of complicated characters like Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard I to the front of the characters’ personality. The Lionheart’s Bride is a strong start to a historical fiction series about Berengaria of Navarre, a forgotten queen consort of England and a powerful, fascinating historical woman in her own right.

I love books set during the Medieval Era, and the synopsis of this book immediately grabbed my attention!

This book centers around Berengaria, Princess of Navarre, Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and many more historical figures. Princess Berengaria is meant to marry Richard the Lionheart, however, he has gone on crusade, and Berengaria must travel to find him.

This book is full of historical detail, scheming, twists and turns, battles, storms, and more.

I look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy!

If you enjoy Historical Fiction novels, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sapere Books for the ARC of this novel, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Lionheart's Bride by Austin Hernon, the first book in The Berengaria of Navarre Medieval Trilogy, explores the journey of Berengaria of Navarre to meet her prospective husband, Richard the Lionheart, during the Third Crusade. While the book offers historical accuracy and the promise of an engaging story centered on a lesser-known historical figure, it falls short in execution. The narrative focuses extensively on Berengaria's long and tedious journey, lacking the excitement and depth expected in historical fiction. The writing style is overly conversational, making the characters and their world feel one-dimensional, and the potential of the story remains unfulfilled. Despite its historical context, The Lionheart's Bride disappointingly misses the opportunity for a captivating historical adventure, leaving the hope that subsequent books in the series may deliver a more compelling narrative.

Set in 1191, Princess Berengaria embarks on a journey across the world to meet and wed Richard the Lionheart. The only problem is, Richard has already embarked on his crusade and she has to catch up. 

Having read the book over just three days, safe to say I quite enjoyed this one. It’s a lighter read than I initially expected, but it is an entertaining piece of historical fiction set in one of my favourite eras.  

Despite having a difficult name to pronounce (blame history, not the author), Berengaria is immediately established as a strong, sarcastic and humorous woman who takes everything in her stride. She’s likeable and identifiable and I enjoyed reading her story told through her eyes. She’s supported with a wide range of characters, from the fearsome Eleanor of Acquitaine, Princess Joan (Eleanor’s daughter), her maids and various priests, lords and earls. 

The plot is fast-paced from the start, with every chapter introducing a new place like the island of Cyprus, Pisa, or the towering walls of Carcassone. The plot helps set the novel as a journey and shows the reality of travelling across the world in Medieval times, without planes, trains or cars. There are battles of wit and steel, ship storms and strong women clashing. There are also calmer moments throughout; such as relaxation in the baths, travelling and waiting for the next leg of the journey. 

The Lionheart’s Bride is definitely driven by action and pace rather than description. The author tends to use generic terms such as “food” and “gowns” rather than go into a lot of detail. This would have brought the period into focus more strongly, akin to other historical fiction works. However, the author still managed to immerse the reader into the past. 

Whilst this wasn’t a stand-out novel for me, it was very enjoyable and palatable. There were great characters, a wealth of settings, and an interesting plot. 

The Abandoned Bride, which continues Berengaria’s story, is out in February 2024 and I’m keeping an eye out. 

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was very excited to read this book because Queen Berengaria is not a person who is written about very often. Unfortunately this book just missed the mark. It primarily focused on her long and very tedious journey to meet up with Richard for her marriage. The problem is that it just wasn't all that eventful and thus makes for lackluster reading. There is a second book to be published in February and perhaps this book should have been shorter and combined with the next one which hopefully will be better. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was excited to read The Lionheart's Bride as I enjoy reading about lesser known historical figures, especially women like Berengaria of Navarre, the wife of Richard the Lionheart of England. But I couldn't get past the writing. It was very conversational and more like a travel diary than an historical adventure or romance. Some historic facts were there but there was no depth to the story, you could have substituted any names for Berengaria and Eleanor of Aquitaine and it wouldn't have changed the plot that much.