The Heart of the Conqueror

The Chronicles of Matilda, Lady of Flanders, Book 1

By: G. Lawrence

Narrated by: Marnye Young

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

October 14, 1066. Two armies converge to decide the fate of England....  

The most famous date in English history, when the might of the English Saxons faced the wrath of the Norman invasion. The man who stormed the sands of Sussex was William, bastard duke of Normany, the man they eventually came to call the Conqueror.... 

But the heart of the conqueror was Matilda, lady of Flanders and duchess of Normandy. At the side of the most famous warlord of history, Matilda worked, not as a quiet, modest wife, but as a leader...as a ruler just as ruthless as her husband. Under her soft mask of beauty and modesty there lay the heart of a woman powered by ambition. A woman who was strong, courageous, and devious.... 

Through the eyes of one of the most extraordinary women of history unfold the events leading to the invasion of England and the battle that would decide its fate....  

This is the story of Matilda, lady of Flanders, duchess of Normandy, and queen of England.  

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Gemma Lawrence (P)2018 Tantor

Obnoxious

This book was a ridiculous bodice-ripper. If you’d like to listen to constant descriptions of William and Matilda having rough sex, and hear Matilda refer to William as “my husband” in a smug tone over and over, than this book is for you. Matilda was written (and narrated) in such a conceited, haughty manner that I grew to wish the Saxons won in 1066. Garbage historical fiction.

Romance novel/Penthouse forum w/ historical drama

I love, LOVE, historical dramas. Poldark, Wolf Hall, etc. I’m half way through this book and i’m really starting to get annoyed. I get it. Matilda was BEAUTIFUL. She craved POWER. Got it. I bet there’s been at least 1 1/2 hours of the same narration over and over again. Matilda KNOWS she beautiful. Matilda likes rough sex with her husband. Over and over again. Matilda does not have an insecure bone in her body. She manipulates William through sex which is no surprise. I understand that in those times, the ruling elite were self important and arrogant. They believed they were superior to the little people because God “favored” them through birth. The story is getting monotonous. The sex scenes are becoming more and more as it seems the author is not creative enough to find a different storyline. I will finish the novel. If my opinion changes I’ll edit this review. But I’m becoming more disappointed with this novel as it progresses. It’s more romance novel and penthouse forum than historical drama.

Porn

I was expecting a historical novel and what I got was basically porn. Even the reader sounds like she belongs in an X rated movie. Worst book I’ve ever gotten from audible.

Courageous Heart

LOVED how the author has uniquely shown how Matilda chose to marry William despite circumstances a bride todsy would find appalling! A new and fresh look at the first Queen of England and all her struggles and human qualities as well as the great liove she had for husband and her children. Look forward to a sequal.

loved it

what a wonderful story looking forward to the second book in the series . you should definitely read this

listen at 1.25 speed

The story is great, the book needed some serious editing. It is soooooo exhaustingly repetitive and the person reading the book overprounces everything. I found that listening at 1.25 speed helped a lot. If you can get through some of the annoying parts, the story is not bad, but I was rolling my eyes a lot when the sex scenes kept coming.

Probably a good story but.....

The narrator of this book has or has effected the most annoying “upper class” accent I’ve ever heard. I managed to limp through the first hour or so in the hope the story would overtake the narration. But eventually another 16 hours of her was just too much & I dumped it.

Well researched, lacks heart

I admire Matilda and have enjoyed reading about her for years. The author has done a wonderful job weaving an imagined tale containing authentic details of medieval life.

I loved the narrator’s voice. The tone and inflection was so arrogantly irritating I couldn’t complete the recorded version.

Good Lordy ....Royalty most bawdy

STORY: If I wasn’t such a medieval bookworm I would have stopped listening early on as the embellished coupling scenarios isn’t why I wanted to hear this book. I compare it to the comedian that tells potty jokes because they lack true comedic talent. The dates and players matched with my impression of who did what and when; yes, but ... that is all I gleaned from this book. PERFORMANCE: Narrator was overly haughty and spoke like a middle aged prude, so the intimate encounters where really quite funny. OVERALL: A shallow story that benefited from true historical facts.

Interesting story but a bit obnoxious

Fascinating historical fiction and excellent narrative performance. However, the focus on Matilda’s sex life was excessive and not what I look for in a historical fiction (also very embarrassing when my family overheard a graphic sex scene while I was cooking and listening to the story). I was surprised to learn that the author is a woman, since the numerous sex scenes and pervy descriptions of her body made me almost 100% certain that a man wrote this novel. Matilda’s constant, repetitive praise of her own beauty was honestly absurd— to the point that laughed out loud several times because it seemed like a parody of a shallow actress/model/“socialite.” I can’t imagine anyone describing themselves in the way Matilda’s character does in real life. However, this didn’t necessarily make me dislike the character and I learned to zone out during these long moments of self praise (she’s just being Matilda, ya’ll!). Overall, I recommend the novel because Matilda’s story is definitely a fascinating one!

Good but for the terrible English accent

The book was well written and interesting story. However the narrator is clearly NOT English and the accent is bad and makes cringing mistakes (posh Southerners don't shorten their As). I have heard worse but I suspect this is an American who has listened to a few films of Elizabeth 1st in her very early OTT days. Sounds like Beatrice and Eugene's parody on The Windsors - ugh! Why not employ an English actress as this detracts from the story? I actually couldn't finish the book because the narrator's accent was so grating. I won't listen to any more if it is the same narrator.

A good read

A good read , fascinating account of matilda.
Would have given five stars but found too many chapters portrayed the bedroom antics, got a bit monotonous.
Otherwise very well written.
The narrator was marvellous.

Never wanted it to finish

The very best book I have purchased for a long time. love Gemma Lawrence but this book held me from the start. can't wait to read the next book in this series. have already bought it. thanks Gemma.