This was an excellent historical fiction look into the first coronated queen of England, Elfrida. The First Queen of England creates a vivid picture of life in 10th century England.

Knowing already the story of Elfrida, I was in two minds when I decided to read this one. The subtitle - the Tenth Century Anne Boleyn - whilst raised eyebrows, should have sounded alarm bells; and the fact the this was the first in a trilogy worried me whether things would be too slow in kicking off and maintaining my attention.

Nevertheless, I was intrigued> Having a copy of Elfrida by Elizabeth Norton on my shelves, I was curious as to how this author would be their spin on this Anglo-Saxon noblewoman.

Told in the first person narrative, this comes across as a more romaticised version of Elfrida's life. This should come under the banner of historical romance as this is how it plays out (rather clumsily) in the first few chapters.

Unfortunately, for me, that is where I left Elfrida. Sorry to say - personally, not a fan.

A interesting historical fiction about a little known period in English royal history. Though it started slow the book is well worth a read to any historical fiction lover

I so love English history and this book so well written of history! You don't know who to trust who not to trust! This woman goes through so many changes,emotions and still knows what has to be done! Living the life that they all do who is to say how long you will live. Funny,sad,you go through all this on her travels to become Queen and you do what the King says! Wonderfully written where you feel you are right there with them. It's a sure reader especially if your into English history you learn so much!! Read this you will be so glad you did and now I'm off to read the second and third books.

I love Anne Boleyn, I love to read all books I can about her and when I saw that this was a similar story about a lady who lived .long before Anne, I want to try and see if I liked it.

Alas, I did not.

I am not a reviewer that bashes a book, I do not feel that itis fair to do so, but I will just end with the fact that, this book fell flat for me and I ended up skim reading it, just to finish it.

I thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to do so.

I went into this book with a lot of hope. I had heard some great things about it, so I was hoping for a well-rounded story. If you like romance, then this is a book you might enjoy. If you are looking for historical fiction, keep going.

Elfrida lost her husband at a young age. When he tells her on his deathbed to go to the King, she is not sure what he means. But, she follows his instructions and with her father soon sets off for court, where she will meet King Edgar.
As the story progresses, they begin to figure out a way to put aside his second wife and make Elfrida his new wife, and queen. But it is not going to be easy.

Elfrida becomes the first woman crowned as queen of England, alongside her husband.

As I stated at first, I was rather disappointed with this story. I felt as though the "passion" that they had could have been minimized, and the real story of these two brought forward. She was a powerful woman and one that would be influential for years to come, even after the death of Edgar. To put her in this light, well, it was as though nothing else mattered. Not one that I will recommend at all.

Wonderful historical read. King Edgar has sent his wife and children away. Soon he is pursued by the women , Lady Elfrida who believed she was meant to be married to the King and was deceived by her late husband who knew of her ambitions. She is now a young widow and beautiful . She believes she is meant to rule the country. and sets out to use sex to convince the King she is meant to be Queen.

Now she discovers that the kings wife and small daughter are to go live in a nunnery her same attraction to the King has never waned and she is determined to win him over with passion . Soon the King is completely entranced with her but her ambition is still to be Queen and rule not to be his amusement. She enlists the help of some manipulative women from the court on how to become his wife and sets on a course to change history.
This is a powerful novel of political ambitions and subterfuge of a court. I enjoyed reading this story. Thank you for the ARC that does not influence my review.

This book was good, but not great. (sorry)
I found myself skipping forward a bit which I never do.
I found the story dragged and the characters could have been a bit more developed.
It was interesting to learn more about a historical figure that I was unaware of.

This is more historically based than a Philippa Gregory novel, but it stills leans heavy on being more of a historical reimagining. That being said, I quite enjoyed it.

I was disappointed in this book as I had thought it to be historical fiction...unfortunately, there was a lack of history. I feel King Edgar of England and Elfrida both hved stories of their own, but this book only centers on their passion, even that not very well. The writing felt uninspired, also. Only my opinion.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this book. Loved everything about it. Cant wait for part 2. I did get confused here and there because the character names are so similar but once I got that down, it was easy to follow. I love to read about history and a story where a woman is still valuable even after being married once before is even better. I will say I knew nothing about this King or Queen of England but i am glad to know them now.

This is the first time I have heard about Elfrida’s story so this as a pleasant surprise. This novel had romance, drama, and political intrigue! I’m definitely looking forward to purchasing the sequel!

Lady Elfrida has laid her husband to rest. He has died at a very young age. She also is widowed at a young age. Though they had been married for several years there are no living children. She is sent back to her fathers home. Just before her husband passed he had mentioned the King. She discovers that she was supposed to have married the king, but her husband was besotted with her and kept her for himself. It was a happy union. Now she discovers that the kings wife and small daughter are to go live in a nunnery. He will be without a wife. When she meets the king she is instantly beside herself with the strong attraction they feel for each other. She knows that to be Queen she will have to become his wife and not a concubine. With the help of strong ladies from the court, who will advise her on what needs to be done, she will do everything in her power to become the first Queen of England.
Well written. Has actual persons in the storyline.
Interesting!

Extremely interesting and factual. Great insight to the culture that spawned the Tudor dynasty.. Will look forward to reading more by this author and will recommend.

A wonderful and very interesting story about King Edgar of England and his third wife, Elfrida. Highly enjoyable! I read it in one night. A must for Historical Fiction Fans! Will definitely be reading book two in this series.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.