International Writers Inspiring Change presents: The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois

In a time of kingdoms and crusades, one man's heart is the battlefield.

Cerdic, a Saxon knight, serves Count Stephen-Henry of Blois with unwavering loyalty-yet his soul remains divided. Haunted by memories of England, the land of his childhood, and bound by duty to King William, the conqueror who once showed him mercy, Cerdic walks a dangerous line between past and present, longing and loyalty.

At the center of his turmoil stands Adela-daughter of a king, wife of a count, and the first to offer him friendship in a foreign land. But when a political marriage binds him to the spirited and determined Giselle, Cerdic's world turns again. Giselle, fiercely in love with her stoic husband, follows him across sea and sand to the holy land, hoping to win the heart that still lingers elsewhere.

As the clash of empires looms and a crusade threatens to tear everything apart, Cerdic must confront the deepest truth of all-where does his loyalty lie, and whom does his heart truly belong to?

A sweeping tale of passion, honor, and impossible choices-perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom and The Pillars of the Earth.

Our review of The Price of Loyalty

"'The Price of Loyalty' is very well-researched work of historical fiction. The author, Malve von Hassell, is fully in control of her medieval epoch; what people wore and ate (there are numerous contemporary recipes), and their general life-style are so well-depicted the story becomes immersive. I journeyed with her characters – real and fictional – to and from the Levant, and suffered along with them.

The story centres on the lesser-known historical figure of Adela of Blois, daughter of the infamous William ‘the Conqueror’, and her fictional servant, Cerdic of Wessex. Despite humble English origins (father is killed in the Battle of Hastings and mother lacks the wherewithal to raise him) Cerdic is taken into King William’s household in Normandy as a page and grows up alongside Adela and her brothers. This closeness and familiarity make Cerdic the first person to whom Adela turns for help and support throughout her life. It is a complex relationship, which Cerdic’s wife resents and distrusts.

Cerdic’s unswerving loyalty begins with Adela’s mother, whose actions lead him to serve Count Stephen-Henry of Blois, Adela’s husband. This in turn leads him to marry the only child of a Loire landowner, complicating yet further his relationship and attitude to Adela. As the story progresses, Cerdic has to negotiate personal feelings with his sense of obligation, constantly setting aside his longing to return to his place of birth.

Malve von Hassell has an insightful way of telling the reader about the marital sacrifices, life-choices and responsibilities of both Adela and Cerdic’s wife, Giselle. We see how they are left to manage their husband’s and father’s land respectively, which completely up-ends the usual stereotypes of women as the weaker sex and/or background characters in history. Adela has power, and she uses it. Giselle successfully runs a vineyard, feeds and houses her servants, gives birth and raises children almost entirely on her own from a very young age.

While Cerdic is very aware of Adela’s strengths and achievements, he is largely blind to his wife’s situation, to such an extent that when she follows him all the way to the Holy Land as part of a Crusader retinue, he simply does not see her. Von Hassell’s description of the crusaders’ journey and challenges is also very revealing, and far from the usual presentation of a religious golden opportunity.

Given that the story covers the life of Adela of Blois, who actively influenced numerous people and events in her Anglo-Norman epoch, there was a great deal to include. At times, this felt like a little too much and I did find some sections rather slow going. As a British English reader, I was jolted by the use of various modern idioms and anachronistic phrasing (‘par for the course’: golf), but throughout, I was invested in the main characters and fascinated by how sophisticated they were, despite the lack of medical knowledge and basic amenities. Later chapters include translated documents showing how Adela organised and controlled church matters. The prologue and end-notes include the author’s background reading and original texts.

In all, The Price of Loyalty, it is a very interesting read. Especially recommended for anyone wanting to know more about medieval daily life in France, the family of William the Conqueror and Pope Urban’s crusades." -

Review by JGH - International Writers Inspiring Change book reviewer

The Author Shout-Out Podcast with Malve von Hassell

About the author

Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994). She has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer. She has published two children’s picture books, Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2023), and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012). The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015 and KDP, 2025), was her first historical fiction novel for young adults, republished in 2024. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020, and KDP 2025), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945, as well as a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany, Tapestry of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences (Next Chapter Publishing, 2021). Her latest release is The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois (Historium Press, 2025), a historical fiction novel featuring Adela of Normandy.

Visit the author at Amazon