Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy

"Yolanda: Maid of Burgundy" by Charles Major is a historical story that takes place in 15th-century Europe. The story follows Count Maximilian of Hapsburg and his strong feelings for Princess Mary of Burgundy, while focusing on him finding himself and discovering love. The story is set during a time of tricky politics, where marriages were used to gain power. The novel starts with Sir Karl de Pitti, a knight who teaches Maximilian, thinking about what it means to be a true hero and how hard life was for women back then. Sir Karl worries that young Max is living a too-protected life in Styria, which is stopping him from growing as a person. As the story goes on, Max wants more than anything to go on adventures and be his own person, leading him to chase after both wealth and love in Burgundy. The story creates a vivid historical setting and hints at the problems and love stories that Max will go through, including the dangers of politics and his growing feelings for a regular girl named Yolanda, who makes his journey even more complicated.