The Rebel Princess - Judith Koll Healey (2009)
It is a long time since I read Judith Koll Healeys debut novel, The Canterbury Papers but I remember enjoying it immensely. Princess Alais it he younger sister of the King of France, but is pledged to be the bride of Richard the Lionheart of England, however plans change when King Henry takes a fancy to his ward. Seven years after the action of the first book, we encounter the Princess again. This time she is living at the court of her brother, and awaiting the arrival of her fiance, William and his ward Francis.
There is trouble brewing however in Southern France, with the rise of the Cathars who the Pope wants crushed. After an abduction and disruption at court, the Princess and some trusted men travel south to try and discover what is going on.
As with many sequels, the first book is always the better of the two, and as it has been soo long maybe I am a bit jaded. Although a lovely writer, I did find myself a bit bored in the middle and wanted to skip pages to forge ahead. The history of the Cathars was nicely explained and I learnt some facts that made it more understandable to me. The book also manages to leave the story open to a third novel about the same characters, which I would still be interested in reading, just hoping that it doesn't take too long to write. 3/5
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