cover unveiled for I Am The Chosen King by Helen Hollick

Here is another book I am dying to read in 2011....I Am The Chosen King is a re-issue of her previously published novel, Harold the King.  Sourcebooks has the publication date as March 1, 2011.  The cover has just been released and I just love it!  

SYNOPSIS:  The forgotten story of England’s last Saxon King.  

England 1044. Harold Godwineson, a young, respected Earl, falls in love with an ordinary but beautiful woman. He marries Edyth despite her lack of pedigree, pitting him against his turbulent family and his selfish king, Edward. In France, William, the bastard son of a duke, falls in love with power. Brutal and dangerously smart, William sets his sights on England, finding ambition a difficult lust to conquer. With Edward old and dying, England falls vulnerable to the winds of fate – and the stubborn will of these two powerful men. In this beautifully crafted tale, Helen Hollick sets aside the propaganda of the Norman Conquest and brings to life the English version of the story of the last Saxon King, revealing his tender love, determination and proud loyalty, all shattered by the unforgiving needs of a Kingdom. Forced to give up his wife and risk his life for England, the chosen king led his army into the great Battle of Hastings in October 1066 with all the honor and dignity that history remembers of its fallen heroes.

For more information visit Helen's WEBSITE.

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11 comments:

  1. I absolutely LOVED this book!! It was fantastic and you can't help but fall in love with Harold!

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  2. I bought this a couple of years ago from the UK and loved it! I hope you enjoy it as well.

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  3. Wow. This book sounds awesome. I look forward to seeing it on my shelf some day soon

    ::grins::

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  4. This is one of the Hollick's I haven't read yet! I am looking forward to it!

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  5. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! In fact, I love all of her books, she ranks right up there in my top 5 list of favorite authors!

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  6. Oh my goodness, I don't know what to say I'm somewhat overwhelmed!
    Thank you for the early advertising Amy - and doesn't the cover look fantastic in all its glory?
    This novel is a very special one to me because King Harold II is a particular hero of mine. I wrote the book to honour his memory - and judging by the lovely things said above, I think he would approve of my humble effort.

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  7. I can't wait to read this one - I don't have any idea who King Harold II is!

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  8. Ooh, after reading 1066 recently, I became completely fascinated with Harold and the Godwinson clan! Looking forward to this one.

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  9. Dolleygurl: King Harold II is one of those figures in history who is a hero beacuse he lost a battle. (another is Richard III) Usually it's the victors who are remembered. Harold died at the Battle of Hastings on October 14th 1066 defending his Kingdoem (England) from foreign invasion - from William Duke of Normandy, William the "Conqueror".
    History books (and the subsequent Norman propaganda) claimed William had every right to the throne - well he didn't. Harold was our legitimate and lawfully crowned King - chosen by the Council of England, in the Saxon way of doing things.
    I wrote Chosen King (UK title Harold the King) because I was fed up with English history starting at 1066 with William's Conquest. Harold was a brave, capable and honourable man and I wanted to do my bit to set the record straight. Add to that his "common law wife" Edyth came from near where I live. They were together for over 20 years & they had at least 6 children. On the day after the battle Edyth had to search among the dead to find the remains of her beloved lord, Harold, who had been decapitated, castrated and hacked to pieces.
    Can you imagine having to do that? :-/ I wanted to redress the balance for her and honour Harold.
    As you can see I have quite a lot of passion and respect for Harold and Edyth wrapped up in this novel!

    (I did advise the publisher to put a health warning on the cover: "Warning. Kleenex may be required for this book" :-)

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  10. I am so glad to see this story. As you say, "real" English history starts in 1066 with William. As a student you don't worry about who he was fighting, if it isn't important enough to put in the history text, then it isn't important enough to worry about. The very first couple of historical romances I ever read take place immediately after the Norman conquest when Saxon lords are being rounded up, Norman knights given the lords holdings and marrying their daughters. Fighting is still going on, good people being killed and others taking what they can. They are poignant stories of survival and adjustment, of cruelty and compassion.

    We need more books like I AM THE CHOSEN KING to shed some light on England and its people that existed before the Norman invasion. I'll be looking for it.

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