It’s been a little while since I’ve done a tag but this one has such an interesting theme, I just had to do this one. Thank you to A Couple of B’s for tagging me, and to Jess from Jessticulates for coming up with the tag!

EMPRESS MATILDA (1102-1167)

After her father, Henry I, died naming her his heir, Matilda’s cousin, Stephen, subsequently took the throne for himself. Matilda never stopped fighting for what was rightfully hers. Though she would never be named Queen of England in her own right, she was able to convince Stephen to name her son, the future Henry II, his successor over his own children.

Choose a book with a protagonist who stands their ground.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – Harper is one of my favourite characters and I love how fierce and fearless she is, and how she always stands her ground.

ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE (1122-1204)

Before she married Henry II and became Queen of England in 1152, Eleanor was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII. She sought an annulment from her marriage to Louis, and he eventually agreed because 15 years of marriage had produced no sons, only for Eleanor to go on to have eight children with Henry—five of whom were sons. Ouch!

Choose a book or series in which the heroine has more than one romantic relationship.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – The heroine actually has a few relationships throughout this series! It’s not something I’ve seen that much, as most often books seem to follow the protagonist on one romantic journey.

ELEANOR OF CASTILE (1241-1290)

A keen patron of literature and a successful businesswoman in her own right, Eleanor was Edward I’s first wife. He was so heartbroken when she died that he erected the Eleanor Crosses, twelve stone crosses marking the places where her body rested overnight on its journey from Lincolnshire, where she died, to her burial place in London. Three of the crosses still survive today.

Choose a bittersweet book.

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu – No spoilers but this series had such a good, albeit bittersweet, ending! I was tearing up at the end.

ISABELLA OF FRANCE (1295-1358)

Often known as the ‘She-Wolf of France’, Isabella was Edward II’s wife. Unfortunately for Edward, he wasn’t particularly good at being king, and Isabella soon grew tired of his (possibly homosexual) relationship with his favorite, Hugh Despenser. After she began an affair with English nobleman Roger Mortimer while on a diplomatic mission to France, the pair returned to England with an army and she deposed Edward and acted as regent until their son, the future Edward III, came of age.

Choose a book where the romance overtook the plot.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – I know, I know. For a lot of people, this is their favourite ACOTAR book. I did really enjoy this book, but I preferred the first and third books. There was a lot of character development (which I did think was very good) and romance in this instalment, and the plot seemed to fall to the wayside at a lot of points.

PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT (1310/15-1369)

Queen of England as the wife of Edward III, Philippa was beloved by the English people for her compassion and kindness. The Queen’s College, Oxford, founded in 1341, is named in her honor.

Choose a book set at a university.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare – Not quite a university, but the closest I could get. I don’t seem to have read any books set in universities.

JOAN OF NAVARRE (1368-1437)

Joan was Henry IV’s second wife. Six years after his death, Joan was accused of attempting to poison her stepson, Henry V, through witchcraft and was imprisoned for four years until he ordered her release, just six weeks before he suddenly died.

Choose a book about witches

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – I realised I haven’t actually read many books with witches in, but I loved Serpent & Dove and really enjoyed the magic system in this series.

My tags:

Abby @ Beyond the Read

Jan @ The Doodlecrafter

Raji @ Worlds Unlike Our Own

Joanna @ The Geekish Brunette

Bex @ Bex the Bibliophile

No pressure to take part, but if you like the look of this tag, I look forward to seeing your answers!