Elizabeth Chadwick's TO DEFY A KING has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the Historical Novel Prize. The winners will be announced later today (Monday 7 March) at a champagne reception at The Royal Horseguards, Whitehall Place, London.
These prestigious awards, organized by the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA), celebrates the very best of romantic fiction and each year more than one hundred novels are submitted by publishers. Previous winners include bestselling authors Rosie Thomas, Cathy Kelly and Freya North.
TO DEFY A KING, Chadwick's 18th novel, entered the Sunday Times hardback bestseller charts at no 28 less than a week after its publication by Little Brown in May 2010. Featuring Mahelt Marshal, the privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in medieval England William Marshal, TO DEFY A KING is a story of huge emotional power. It will be published in paperback in August this year.
This is Chadwick's 5th time on the list, with the four previous novels THE FALCONS OF MONTABARD (2004), THE WINTER MANTLE (2003), THE LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE (2002) and THE CHAMPION (1998).
Praise for TO DEFY A KING:
'Elizabeth Chadwick is
frequently referred to as the supreme master of medieval fiction - and
this latest offering does not disappoint, and further underlines her
very well deserved reputation in this field ... As always, Chadwick
simply dazzles the reader with her superb characterisation, her ability
to bring the period alive ... I cannot commend the work of Chadwick's
highly enough - if you enjoy historical fiction, she will surely become a
firm favourite, if she isn't already ranking highly in your 'favourite
authors' list!' -- The Bookbag (online)
'Elizabeth Chadwick is to Medieval England what Philippa Gregory is to the Tudors and the Stuarts, and Bernard Cromwell is the the Dark Ages. Elizabeth captures the reign of King John perfectly ... the atmosphere is staggeringly good, the characters brilliantly realised - this is more than an historical romance, it's a lesson in history, which for me is absolutely brilliant. Elizabeth's finest yet!' -- Books Monthly UK