Guenevere: The Knight of the Secret Lake

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Guenevere: last in a line of proud queens elected to rule the fertile land of the West, true owner of the legendary Round Table, guardian of the Great Goddess herself, a woman whose story has never been told - until now. And Lancelot - the knight of the Sacred Lake, her champion and secret love.

As High King and Queen, Arthur and Guenevere reign supreme over the many kingdoms and islands of Great Britain. Reconciled with Arthur, Guenevere secretly mourns the loss of her beloved Lancelot, who has returned to the Sacred Lake of his boyhood, hoping to restore his faith in chivalry in the place where he became a knight. In a glittering ceremony at the annual Feast of Pentecost, new knights are being sworn in to the Round Table including Arthur's nephew, the cunning, Agravain. Camelot is reborn in all its glory and after many years of strife, peace is restored at last to Guenevere's realm.
But betrayal, jealousy and ancient blood feuds fester unseen. Morgan Le Fay, now the proud possessor of Arthur's only son Mordred, had become the focus of Merlin's age-old quest to ensure the survival of the House of Pendragon at all costs. And from the east comes the shattering news that Guenevere may have a rival for Lancelot's love. A bleak shadow falls again across Camelot - and across the sacred isle of Avalon where Roman priests threaten the sanctity of the Hallows and the life of the Lady herself. At the centre of the storm is Guenevere, a proud and powerful queen torn between her love for her husband, her people, and her knight, Sir Lancelot of the Lake.

With a rare and intuitive magic Rosalind Miles brings to life a legendary woman's bravery and passion, and all the pageantry, heartbreak, beauty and violence of an age gone by.

Reviews

'...offers a subtle feminist interpretation of the Arthurian legends as it continues the story of Guenevere, forced to choose between love and duty for the sake of her kingdom. Luminously evoking the sunny uplands of the Summer Country, the splendours of Camelot and the dark woods where the evil Morgan lurks, Miles celebrates a woman and a queen in her own right... the best kind of historical fiction, with characters who ignore the heavy hand of history and instead lead their own full and complex lives ' - Kirkus Reviews

'The popular and prolific Miles injects the tale with poesy... an engrossing if unorthodox read. No doubt Miles's fans will be pleased with this lush, feminist take on the English epic'
- Publishers' Weekly

'A wonderfully-written, alluring tale -
a terrific read' - Kirkus Reviews