What secrets survive when history forgets the truth?
In a land that has not yet become Scotland, old loyalties, buried histories, and dangerous ambitions are beginning to stir.
Euphemia has returned to her Pictish homeland after an absence of twenty years, no longer the mysterious young woman who vanished, but a mother carrying a complicated past of her own.
Freia, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future after leaving Bamburgh in scandal. Now a young mother, she guards the truth of her son Frey’s paternity from a world eager to speculate.
Connecting their stories is Bishop Boniface, a formidable churchman whose pursuit of family, influence, and Pictish history reaches far beyond the walls of the church.
When an obscure manuscript begins to illuminate a past nearly lost to history, questions of identity and inheritance draw these women into a web stretching across monasteries, royal courts, and the emerging kingdoms of an untamed medieval land.
The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride is historical fiction rich in character, wit, intrigue, and the texture of early medieval life, a story of motherhood and memory, faith and ambition, and women determined to find their own place in a world busy deciding it for them.
Uncover the secrets history was never meant to forget.
What did I think?
The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride completely exceeded my expectations; I'm so glad that I decided to read it when the Northumberland setting caught my eye.
It's very atmospheric with the rugged Northumberland coast being almost a character in its own right. I don't read a lot of books set in medieval times but I really enjoyed learning about medieval life when there were different religions in Britain and the Picts inhabited Scotland.
There are two women in the story who are single mothers but they are treated very differently. Euphemia is the niece of Bishop Boniface so her reputation is protected by the church whereas Freia should have been celebrating her marriage but finds herself pregnant and alone. The contrast is sobering and it feels very unfair that women can lose so much whilst men get to walk away from the consequences of their actions.
The characters are very well developed and I was really rooting for Freia; not that she needed it as she is a very strong woman who is determined to give her son the best life she possibly can. As serious as the subject is, there are some very amusing scenes that made me smile and chuckle; I will never forget the moment when Freia goes to meet her suitor and it's making me laugh just thinking of it now. No spoilers here though, you will have to read it for yourself.
The Sacred Virgin and the Spurned Bride is a surprisingly entertaining and evocative historical fiction novel that fully immersed me in the medieval period. It's a must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction and I would highly recommend it.
I received a digital ARC to read and review for the Love Books Tours Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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