In this medieval romance novel, we jump to the early 13th century to visit King John, son of Eleanor of Aquitaine. While there's no Robin Hood in this novel, there's still plenty of intrigue and romance as we lead up to one of the most important documents being created in the western world: the Magna Carta. That said, for all that this novel promised to be, it didn't wow me. Conflict is resolved quickly, and the new obstacles that crop up feel almost haphazard. The premise is very lofty, but it doesn't quite measure up, for me. Overall, it was mildly entertaining.

The thing that bothered me the most was that the heroine Constance had almost no personality. We know she's an orphan who was married off to the hero Matthew Wintour at 14, but she lived with her aunt and uncle for five years while Matthew went to France to fight for King John, before coming back to England completely disillusioned and ready to start a rebellion. The start of their relationship is Matthew is taciturn and terrifying while Constance feels out of place in the world and in her own body.

Aside from being wrenched from her home at a tender age while still grieving for her parents, Constance doesn't really do anything except harp on Matthew to tell her the truth at all times. Her early feisty-ness is quickly dissipated because Matthew is incredibly reasonable. He agrees with everything she says and quickly makes amends. This ends up making her look petulant because she never rises to his emotional maturity. Even when her demands are reasonable, she never becomes an agent in her own story, which is why I have such a hard time liking her. Any attempts on her end to seize agency are almost laughably squashed due to her naïveté and the genre's restrictions on what a "good romance heroine" must be (i.e. bleeding heart of gold).

For his part, Matthew is brooding, complex, and far more layered and interesting to read about. The reader is taken on a roller coaster of a mystery as we (and Constance) try to piece together what happened to Matthew's fourth step-mother. Despite the political landscape, this was the most gripping part of the story, reinforced by the fact that Matthew must choose between dealing with political drama or family drama at the climax of the novel.

The relationships between Sir Ralph and his two sons is fascinating, from a psychological standpoint. It would've been really interesting to see their dynamic play out, but Matthew's emotional maturity sort of took the fun out of it, as he very eloquently diagnoses his father's motivations because the bland Constance has suddenly made him in touch with his feelings. Clearly, she's the best therapist ever. Constance would ask "what's going on", and Matthew would explain everything, and then readers and Constance collectively go "Oh, okay" rather than seeing the family dynamics play out and witnessing the dysfunction for ourselves. There's still plenty of dysfunction to read about, which I appreciate in a genre that tends to not only romanticize romance but family, as well.

The book is mildly entertaining because there really isn't enough angst to drive the plot nor is Constance as layered as Matthew, making their partnership and the writing feel unbalanced. There's still plenty to recommend it: an actual historical setting that is incorporated into the story, an emotionally mature hero, a fun mini mystery to solve, and there are some genuine moments between Constance and Matthew. If you have a rainy day, this is a good book to pick up and distract you. ( )