Title: Secrets at Court Series: Royal Weddings #1
Author: Blythe Gifford
Published: February 18, 2014
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 288
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Anne of Stamford has long been the keeper of her mistress's secrets, but when Lady Joan marries the king's son, court life becomes ever more perilous. Sir Nicholas Lovayne has arrived to uncover the truth about Lady Joan's past, and Anne must do something—anything—to throw him off….
Longing to escape the intrigues at court, Nicholas hasn't counted on the way Anne distracts him—her refusal to accept pity for her clubfoot touches something deep inside him. Will he be able to follow his duty when every fiber of his being tells him to protect Anne?
Medieval romance! Surprisingly (or not-so-surprisingly?), Secrets at Court is my first foray into this sub-genre. And my thoughts at this point are: I want more…but not necessarily by this author.
This book focuses on a romance between a knight fighting in the infamous Hundred Years’ War and a maidservant of Lady Joan of Kent, the eventual wife of the Black Prince, Edward. I think what’s really interesting to me is that most of the characters in this book are actual historical figures—i.e. Joan and Prince Edward. Contrast this to Regency and Victorian romances, where the only real person who appears on the page is a vague reference to which monarch is sitting on the throne at Windsor. As someone who slid into reading romance after tearing through hundreds of straight-up historical fiction novels, this aspect of Secrets at Court was really cool! I have very little knowledge about the earlier Plantagenets, but I liked that Blythe Gifford was writing about real people here—it helped the story feel that much more grounded in a lesser-explored time period.
Yet, of course, the difference between a work of historical fiction and a historical romance is the intense focus on characterization. And while I was deeply impressed by the author’s historical world-building, I was less impressed by her portrayal of the protagonists—at least the male protagonist. Sir Nicholas is one of those unfortunate romance heroes who hates women (due to Mommy Issues, as always), but then finds himself attracted to the heroine “in spite of himself.” Outraged at his own traitorous feelings, Nicholas then proceeds to stomp around and treat Anne (the female protagonist) like absolute shit. When she finally gets over her bewilderment and asks him why he’s so angry all the time, he finally pauses to self-reflect and realizes he loves her.
Cue extensive “Do Not Want” faces from my end.
I’m really tired of the “boys are mean to you because they like you” cultural myth that seems to persist regardless of the fact that it makes no sense. And I’m also tired of female authors, writing for a majority female audience, perpetuating that terrible idea. Love is love; bullying is bullying. Stop conflating the two. I have no patience for emotionally constipated men with no self-awareness. Neither do I have patience for “love” disguised as cruelty. Those kinds of relationship dynamics are toxic and outdated.
Yet on the other hand, I did really like the female main character, Anne, and how Gifford portrayed her. It’s nice to see a disabled protagonist who isn’t a puddle of self-hate. Anne has a lame foot, but she proves to herself and to Nicholas that she’s strong and self-sufficient, and she doesn’t expect to live her life as an object of pity or scorn. This is especially remarkable considering the 14th century context, when disabled people—especially women—were viewed as a) a punishment from god, and b) entirely useless. But Secrets at Court works hard to show a different possibility, even as it acknowledges that most were not so lucky.
Really, my evaluation of this book is a balancing test. On one hand, I liked the author’s attention to historical accuracy and the positive portrayal of disability. On the other hand, I didn’t love the hero’s outlook on life, and also the book is a bit too short to fully develop a relationship between the protagonists (the downside of category romance). Overall, I enjoyed Secrets at Court. I would definitely like to read more medieval romance, and potentially more books by this author as well.
