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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Catherine Mathis’s Leonor is set in 14th-century Portugal, where Leonor Teles de Meneses lives far from power under the control of her husband, Lord Pombeiro, after marriage takes away the freedom she once enjoyed in her mother’s household. Everything changes when she enters the court of King Ferdinand during royal celebrations at the Abbey of Santa Maria de Alcobaça. Leonor quickly realizes that proximity to the king offers an escape from the confined life awaiting her in the north. As Ferdinand is consumed by his desire to claim neighboring Castile, Leonor places herself beside him and steadily rises in a court already divided by ambition, suspicion, and fear over Portugal’s future. Her relationship with Ferdinand draws anger from nobles across the kingdom, while his half-brother João of Avis begins gathering support among those who believe Leonor’s influence threatens the stability of the crown and the independence of Portugal.
Catherine Mathis’s Leonor follows Queen Leonor as marriage alliances reshape the kingdom after King Ferdinand’s reign through competition for the throne. Mathis does a beautiful job with period details, breathing life into medieval Iberian rule. Leonor is a mixed bag when it comes to genuine likeability, but there's no question that she is fascinating. The author develops her into a fully fleshed-out queen, and her determination to preserve her authority is palpable. It's not an easy goal, especially when public trust has been steadily poisoned. Mathis shines in making 14th-century Portugal a character in its own right, from descriptions of the smoke-filled Cortes hall at Leiria to Lisboa after invasion, where burned homes stand beside streets scarred by mob executions. Intelligently written and immersive, readers interested in historical fiction will love this book, as I did. Very highly recommended.
