Recently orphaned Duchess Anne is not yet 12, yet her situation could not be more perilous. She has just inherited Brittany, one of the richest duchies in Europe—and enemies surround her.

It is 1488. The French want to seize her duchy.  Anne’s guardians want to rule Brittany in her place. And almost no one believes that women, and certainly not girls, can rule. Her enemies plot ways to take control of her rights and riches, either by forced marriage or by conquest.  Both are traditional fates for orphaned heiresses.

But Anne is strong-minded and has grown up expecting to rule. When she refuses to conform, her guardians betray her and lead a civil war.  She fights back, supported by only a few loyalists. Then France invades. As the situation worsens, even her most trusted allies advise her to marry to secure an ally. She resists the notion of surrendering her rule to a husband. Besides, can a husband save Brittany’s independence from the invading French?  Can a girl so young defend her duchy against two adversaries? Or will she find another way to guard her inheritance?

Once I started reading The Importance of Wives by Keira Morgan, I could not put it down…. what better accolade can I give than I immediately downloaded the follow-on book in the series. Highly recommended. One of the best historical novels I have read.

Lucinda E Clarke, reviewed for Readers’ Favourite