Behold the Bird in Flight: A Novel of an Abducted Queen

(Paperback)

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For fans of Maggie OFarrell, a coming-of-age story and a royal love triangle marked by danger and longing, based on real events in medieval France and England.

Romantic and stubborn, eleven-year-old Isi plans to marry for love and be mistress of her own castle. But life in 1198 is full of threat and a series of tragic events teaches her growing up is hard.

When Isi falls for Hugh, a French nobleman, he consents to marry her, but only for her dowry. She longs for more. Hoping a jealous man will fall in love, she flirts with a king. The flirtation backfires: King John abducts and marries her. Now trapped in cold, warring England with a malicious husband, Isi must hide her yearning for Hugh and find her own power. If she fails, she wont live to return to her beloved.

Inspired by real historical figuresIsabelle dAngoulme, Hugh de Lusignan, and King John of Magna Carta fameBehold the Bird in Flight is set in a period that valued women only for their dowries and childbearing. Isabelles story has been mainly erased by men, but the medieval chronicles suggest a woman who developed her own power and wielded itin court and in bed. And as the woman behind the throne, whos to say she didnt influence history

Reviews

Readers will surely relish following along with and championing Isabelle, who gathers strength and wisdom ... a riveting piece of historical fiction.Kirkus Reviews

Behold the Bird in Flightpaints a compelling picture of Isabelle of Angoulme, a young woman torn between her own aspirations as a human being and the desires of the men that preoccupied her life. . . . The author does an outstanding job of exploring Isabelle's resilient and resourceful nature when faced with the troubling situations.Readers Favorite

With a vivid imagination and writing evocative of the era, Terri Lewis transports readers to the royal courts of medieval Europe. Amid a tapestry of political intrigue and forbidden passions, her characters defy the harsh realities of their day to find love against all odds.Jude Berman, author ofThe Vow, a 2024KirkusBest Indie Book

InBehold the Bird in Flight, Terri Lewis has plucked a woman from the footnotes of historyIsabelle of Angouleme, wife of King John of Magna Carta fameand created an alluring portrait of a young queen caught in a web of lust, power, and royal politics, all the while conflicted by her own desires and needs. Combining dazzlingly lyrical prose with a complex plot of love gone awry, Lewis immerses the reader in a medieval world sure to enthrall lovers of historical fiction.Peggy Joque Williams, author of the best-sellingCourting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles
Immersive and filled with drama,Behold the Bird in Flighttakes a forgotten queen and brings her to vivid life. This beautiful novel transports the reader back in time to a remote yet deeply human moment, when war echoes through the stone corridors of medieval castles and love still finds a way.Carrie Callaghan, author ofA Light of Her Own

Lewiss in-depth research makesus intimate witnesses to the public and private challenges, machinations, and flawed love of these royals. Perfect for fans of history from the womans point of view.Rebecca DHarlingue, author ofThe Lines Between UsandThe Map Colorist

A stunning recreation . . . . Terri Lewis gets to the heart of Isabella of Angouleme's life and story, turning the spotlight on the often maligned and misrepresented Queen of England. We see a girl turn into a young woman, thrown into the intrigue and paranoia of King John's court and discovering that she must learn to swim among the sharks before they devour her.Sharon Bennett Connolly, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, author ofLadies of Magna Carta

Author Bio

Terri Lewisfell in love with medieval history in college. Not the dates or wars, but the mysterious daily lives of the people. Building on this love, she read and traveled widely, marveling at Europes preserved towns and castles. Finally, two sentences in a book bought at Windsor Castle led her to writeBehold the Bird in Flight. Terris writing has been honed through workshops with Jill McCorkle, Laura van den Berg, and Rebecca Makkai, and she has published in literary magazines. She lives with her husband and two lively dogs in Denver, Colorado.