I'm picky about giving 5 Stars but this is the best book I've read this year and one I absolutely recommend to anyone who loves Late Middle Ages Historical Fiction.

This debut novel's cast of characters are the author's very own 19th Great Grandparents which make it even more fascinating. King Edward II, Queen Isabella, Baron and Baroness Badlesmere and Hugh Despenser the Younger.

Due to elaborate trickery on the part of King Edward II, the Baron's Castle was taken by force and his wife and children imprisoned in the Tower of London. The Constable of the Tower of London during their time of imprisonment turns out also related directly to this author.

The amount of history about her ancestor's predicaments during the early 1300s is awesome and her writing is amazing. I loved every second of the story.

I really hope she writes more.

Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere (c. 1287–1333)
​Birth & Parentage
Born around April 1287 at Bunratty Castle, Ireland, Margaret was the youngest daughter of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, and Juliana FitzGerald. She was a member of the powerful de Clare family and a granddaughter of the Earl of Gloucester.

​Marriages & Children
​Gilbert de Umfraville: Married before 1303; he died childless that same year.
​Bartholomew de Badlesmere: Married c. 1305. A powerful courtier, he became Steward of King Edward II’s household. They had five children: Margery, Maud, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Giles.

​The Siege of Leeds Castle (1321)
Margaret’s most famous "accomplishment" was a defiant stand that triggered a civil war. In October 1321, while her husband was away, Queen Isabella arrived at Leeds Castle (then held by Bartholomew) seeking entry. Margaret, likely acting on political orders or personal disdain, refused the Queen. When Isabella’s party tried to force entry, Margaret ordered her archers to fire, killing six of the Queen’s escort.

​Imprisonment & Hardship
Enraged, King Edward II besieged the castle with a massive force. Margaret held out for five days before surrendering on October 31. She achieved a historical "first" by becoming the first female prisoner in the Tower of London, where she was held for a year. While she was imprisoned, her husband was captured during the rebellion and executed as a traitor in April 1322.

​Aftermath & Later Life
Released in November 1322, Margaret lived in poverty and seclusion at the Convent of the Minorite Sisters near Aldgate, surviving on a meagre 2 shillings a day. After Edward III took the throne, her persistence paid off; her lands were restored in 1327.

​Death
Margaret died between October 1333 and January 1334. She is remembered as one of the most formidable women of the 14th century, whose defiance reshaped English politics.

This was a wonderfully done historical fiction novel, it had that feel that I was looking for and loved the use of the ghost in this. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and worked in this story and enjoyed the historical element to this. Hilary Llewellyn has a strong writing style and was glad I read this.

This is a really excellent debut novel. Wonderfully written and chock full of history. Highly recommended.