Unruly Princess

Book excerpt: In a vaulted chamber on the Danube, a radiant medieval princess bargains with God. How can she defy the conqueror Ottakar of Bohemia? He loves her. He's entranced by her heroic sanctity and he wants this glorious, headstrong girl for his queen. Willful Margit refuses him and scorns her regal duties. She wears her sumptuous gowns to rags, vowing to live as a penitent and the Hungarian kingdom's spiritual defender. Meanwhile the beguiling Princess Cunegonda, a widow of fifteen, covets the handsome warrior prince and makes a fervent bid for him. The two impetuous royal girls and the ambitious crusader hero are caught up in an unexpected triangle. One princess is consumed by divine ardor, the other is inflamed by songs of the silken dalliances of courtly love. The valiant Bohemian loves both enchanting girls in turn, and confronts his destiny. A riveting historical romance springing from fact and legend, Unruly Princess weaves a tale of passion and politics, spiked by warfare, wooing and wedding.