INÊS
(Queens of Portugal Trilogy, Book 1)
By Catherine Mathis
Publisher: Histria Books
Page Length: 398
Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance
An heir to the throne, a gorgeous blonde lady-in-waiting, the king's trusted advisor. When a father and son don't understand each other, the son pays an outrageous price.
Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th century Portugal.
In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro's father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile's royal convulsions though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians.
The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king's powerful, unquestioned counselor who is mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês.
There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês?
Inês is based on real people and events, exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history.
Praise for Inês:
“Mathis masterfully weaves emotional depth into the narrative, creating a deeply engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression and invites readers on an unforgettable journey through the grandeur and intrigue of Portugal’s past.”
~ Mary Anne Yarde, The Coffee Pot Book Club 5* Review
“This exciting start to the Queens of Portugal trilogy describes the legendary love story of Pedro and Inês, and I was amazed at the excellent storytelling and how the author brings the courts to life. There is a lot of drama and intrigue, and the characters' emotions are beautifully captured in this engrossing tale.”
~ Readers Favorite 5* Review
Hands up, confession time, I know absolutely nothing about Portuguese history. Nothing. Zilch. Nada! So, I was really excited to be offered a copy of Catherine Mathis' novel about the ill-fated love affair between Pedro and Inês. And blow my socks off, what a story this turned out to be. There is romance, passion, jealousy, and decapitation. And here I was thinking the English monarchy was bad enough!
The story is really, really good, like, can't put it down good. The characters enter your life through the pages of this book, and I have to be honest, they haven't left yet, so moved was I by their story. For those who don't know, these historical star-crossed lovers meet a worse fate than Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although Pedro survives, he does come over quite mad in the end, but then I am not surprised; I would have been mad too.
The plots, and the schemes and dangers of court life have been wonderfully drawn, and I really felt like I was there witnessing the events, an active participant if you will, who cannot interact. It is an odd sensation when a book really grabs you and pulls you in, but only the good books do such things. And this is a good book.
If, like me, you are a Portuguese history virgin and know nothing about this era, then don't panic, because the storytelling is sublime and utterly enthralling from beginning to end. I can't wait to get my hands on book 2.
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I highly recommend you grab a copy of this book. You can find it at your favourite online bookstore: Universal Buy Link
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Catherine Mathis
Catherine Mathis was born in Berlin, the daughter of an American spy. As she grew up in Washington, D.C., her spy father turned into a drug enforcement agent. His career change wrecked any chance at high school popularity.
She graduated from Sewanee | The University of the South with a degree in history focused on the medieval period. After a career in finance, she returned to her first love of medieval history to ‘Share Iberian Tales.’
Outside of writing, spare time joys are family, friends, reading, collecting folk / outsider art, and travel.
Library Journal included Inês on its list of coming historical fiction for July 2025 - June 2026 in June 2025 during the annual meeting of the American Library Association. The book is in the Turbulent Relationship category, a great category name.
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Great review, Maddie.
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