I recently finished my NetGalley copy of Alison Weir's fabulous new novel JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN. Wow, what a fantastic story. I've always thought of Jane Seymour as a mousy, quiet woman. A woman who was the antithesis of Anne Boleyn. The calm after the storm. Well, this book throws all my preconceived ideas out the window. I have no doubt she was the calm after the storm that was Anne Boleyn, but she was no shrinking violet, either. The Jane Seymour portrayed by Alison Weir (one of THE BEST historical novelist I've ever read), is a calm, but highly intelligent young woman. One who happened to catch the eye of Henry. The only woman who was able to give him the son and heir he required and craved. She was full of life and joy, but the title tells it all. She was haunted. There is an element of the supernatural in this book. She is haunted by a dark figure; she feels partly responsible for the death of ...
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
NAL Trade
Formats: eBook, Paperback; 400p
Genre: History/Non-Fiction/Royalty
READ AN EXCERPT.
Why does it seem that the marriages of so many monarchs are often made in hell? And yet we canít stop reading about them! To satisfy your schadenfreude, INGLORIOUS ROYAL MARRIAGES offers a panoply of the most spectacular mismatches in five hundred years of royal historyÖ.some of which are mentioned below.
When her monkish husband, Englandís Lancastrian Henry VI, became completely catatonic, the unpopular French-born Margaret of Anjou led his army against the troops of their enemy, the Duke of York.
Margaret Tudor, her niece Mary I, and Catherine of Braganza were desperately in love with chronically unfaithful husbandsóbut at least they werenít murdered by them, as were two of the Medici princesses.
King Charles IIís beautiful, high-spirited sister ìMinetteî wed Louis XIVís younger brother, who wore more makeup and perfume than she did.
Compelled by her mother to wed her boring, jug-eared cousin Ferdinand, Marie of Roumaniaóa granddaughter of Queen Victoriaóemerged as a heroine of World War I by using her prodigious personal charm to regain massive amounts of land during the peace talks at Versailles. Marieís younger sister Victoria Melita wed two of her first-cousins: both marriages ultimately scandalized the courts of Europe.
Brimming with outrageous real-life stories of royal marriages gone wrong, this is an entertaining, unforgettable book of dubious matches doomed from the start.
Praise for Leslie Carroll's Royal Books
An irresistible combination of People magazine and the History Channel. Chicago Tribune (5 Stars)
Thoroughly enjoyable.îóBooklist
For those who tackled Hilary Mantelís Wolf Hall, and canít get enough of the scandal surrounding Henry VIII's wives, [Notorious Royal Marriages is] the perfect companion book.îóNewYorker.com
Buy the Book
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
About the Author
Leslie Carroll is the author of several works of historical nonfiction, womenís fiction, and, under the pen names Juliet Grey and Amanda Elyot, is a multipublished author of historical fiction. Her nonfiction titles include Royal Romances, Royal Pains, Royal Affairs, and Notorious Royal Marriages. She is also a classically trained professional actress with numerous portrayals of virgins, vixens, and villainesses to her credit, and is an award-winning audio book narrator.
A frequent commentator on royal romances and relationships, Leslie has been interviewed by numerous publications, including MSNBC.com, USA Today, the Australian Broadcasting Company, and NPR, and she was a featured royalty historian on CBS nightly news in London during the royal wedding coverage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. She also appears as an expert on the love lives of Queen Victoria, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon on the television series ìThe Secret Life of [fill in the name of famous figure]î for Canadaís History Channel. Leslie and her husband, Scott, divide their time between New York City and Washington, D.C.
For more information please visit Leslie's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Inglorious Royal Marriages Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, September 1
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, September 2
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Interview at Scandalous Women
Wednesday, September 3
Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry
Thursday, September 4
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Friday, September 5
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Monday, September 8
Review & Giveaway at Bibliophilia, Please
Tuesday, September 9
Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Spotlight at Princess of Eboli
Wednesday, September 10
Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Thursday, September 11
Review at The Lit Bitch
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, September 15
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Tuesday, September 16
Spotlight & Giveaway at Reading Lark
Wednesday, September 17
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Saturday, September 20
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Tuesday, September 23
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden's Court
Wednesday, September 24
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Review & Giveaway at To Read or Not to Read
Thursday, September 25
Review at Bookish
Review at Historical Fiction Obsession
Friday, September 26
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
my thoughts:
Interested in reading more than the history books tell us about some mismatched royal couples? This book, by author Leslie Carroll, is chocked full of short stories about dynastic marriages gone wrong. Royal couples so mismatched, their marriages were utter failures.
The focus is not just England and France, we learn about many other mismatched couples from other areas of Europe. Two Italian duchesses were actually murdered by their respective husbands!
Some of the stories in this quick read of a book will leave you hungering for more, while a few will just have you shaking your head and thinking yourself grateful for not being born into these crazy families.
Some of my favorites: Margaret of Anjou and her English King Henry VI, The Medici's, and Anne of Austria and her French King Louis XII.
Due to the nature of the many short stories, this is a quick, fun read. If you enjoy European history, you will enjoy this book.
Nhận xét
Đăng nhận xét