A Queen's Ambition Sets Portugal Ablaze - an Editorial Review of "Leonor"

Book Blurb:

A queen’s ambition. A kingdom on the edge. One woman’s hunger for power will set Portugal ablaze—unless she’s devoured first.

A queen’s ambition. A kingdom on the edge. One woman’s hunger for power will set Portugal ablaze—unless she’s devoured first.

Portugal, 1367. The court is a powder keg, and Leonor Teles de Meneses is the spark. Born noble, married off for duty, Leonor aches for more—freedom, passion, a place at the heart of power. Her wit is sharp, her enemies sharper. Her king? He’s both lover and battleground.

As the crown changes heads and alliances shift like sand, Leonor fights for a voice in a world that wants her silent. She’s hemmed in by jealous sisters, a mother-in-law from hell, and a husband who’d rather write poetry than rule. But when the king’s eye lands on her, the stakes soar. Now, every whispered rumor, every stolen glance, every calculated risk could mean everything—or nothing.

Palace intrigue, forbidden love, and betrayal pulse through every corridor. In this world, trust is a luxury, and secrets are currency. Leonor’s choices will tip the scales of dynastic conflict and decide the fate of a kingdom hungry for an heir.

If you crave the courtly drama and rich detail, get ready to lose yourself in a tale of ambition, desire, and survival—where every move could be your last.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/ZeZZ5t3

Author Bio:

Catherine Mathis writes stories set in medieval Portugal bringing legends to life. Immerse yourself in court life and intrigue. If you enjoyed Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series, books by Sharon Kay Penman, or the writings of Elizabeth Chadwick, then Mathis’ exploration of royalty in Portugal is your next read. Pedro and Ines are Portugal’s Romeo and Juliet. Queen Leonor is likened to Lucrezia Borgia, though that may be a diss on a fine Italian lady. Mathis grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, attended Sewanee where she majored in history with a medieval focus, and had a career in finance. Travel brought her the opportunity to return to an earlier love of all things Middle Ages, both as a writer and a reader.

Editorial Review:

Title: Leonor (Queens of Portugal)

Author: Catherine Mathis

Rating: 4.4

"Leonor (Queens of Portugal)" by Catherine Mathis tells the story of Leonor Teles de Meneses, a woman born in one of the kingdom’s highest-ranking families and who later becomes Queen of Portugal through her marriage to King Ferdinand I. At the start of the novel, she is physically and emotionally confined. The reader feels the tension between her inner world and her external circumstances, the latter of which includes her mother-in-law, a woman who disapproves of everything she does.

"After eighteen months of marriage spent in the home of her frowning mother-in-law, Leonor’s pent-up desire to dance and laugh is bursting to escape... She misses home, where her mother treated rambunctious behavior with amused tolerance. Daily, Leonor sits in the solar, stitching away as her husband reads out phrases, seeking the right word. She would prefer to ride, feeling the freedom to move across the land..."

The reader senses that in the coming chapters, Leonor will not accept her confinement quietly but will instead push herself towards action. There is a hint that her current husband's failure- Lord Pombeiro- to defend her against her mother-in-law could soon shape her view of men and their capability to offer protection and support in times of need. The reader also waits to see how the fruits of her ambition will unfold, knowing that such desires, born out of suffocation and frustration, often come at a huge cost.

"“My Lord,” says João, who addresses the king this way when he is speaking formally on a matter he considers of import. She can feel the room go silent. “Can you enlighten us as to the reason the Lady Leonor is now in regular attendance when we gather? I speak for many when I say we find it unnatural for her to be present. We admire the lady for her beauty and wit. Though she may grace your bed these nights, is it not more appropriate for her to spend her days with Lady Beatriz or her sisters?”"

Through this passage, the reader realizes that Leonor's ambition has begun to manifest. She has secretly married King Ferdinand, who, after being captivated by her beauty and wit, arranged for her marriage to be annulled on grounds of consanguinity and non-consummation. By this time, she has undergone a huge transformation and is now asserting her presence in spaces where her presence is not welcome. But the reader, knowing she has won the king but not the court, fears for the fragility of her position, especially as they recall that her survival depends entirely on the king's favor.

"“There is something to be said for having you locked in a chamber,” Leonor says. “’Tis not locked though he always knocks twice afore opening the door.” He laughs again as they trace each other’s bodies as God made them. This time, the lovemaking is slow and deeply satisfying. He cares that she has pleasure. The bed is too narrow; they sit with legs wrapped around each other, playing and touching."

This scene reminds the reader that Leonor, a woman who has been consumed by ambition, is also capable of tenderness and vulnerability. She is in an affair that could make her lose everything in a flash, including her regent position, an affair that the reader senses will end in tragedy because they know that secrets have a way of being revealed. The passage is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Mathis is an author who knows how to land an emotional punch through a character who is downright ruthless and cunning, yet desperate and trapped internally and externally. Creating such a character is one of the most difficult things to do in fiction because it requires a willingness to sit with moral ambiguity and allow the reader to sympathize and criticize at the same time. Mathis rises to this challenge with skill, and ensures the reader sees the character's intelligence, roots for her longing for love and connection, and understands that she is a survivor. In the long run, the reader appreciates her choices even as they weigh what she could have done differently.

"Leonor (Queens of Portugal)" will resonate with the reader's own longings, and will echo to everyone who has ever been held to a different standard or fought to be seen or heard in a space they weren't built for. Readers interested in the 14th-century Portuguese politics will enjoy its cutthroat maneuvering of the royal council and the whispered betrayals in candlelit chambers, which the author brings to life with the tension of a thriller.

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