LCW
08-26-2008, 05:22 PM
As the daughter of the Duke of Calbria and granddaughter of the King of Naples, Sancha of Aragon is expected to make a marriage that will advance her family and the Kingdom of Naples. The House of Aragon desperately wants to make a match with the powerful Borgia family of Rome headed by Pope Alexander. They finally get their chance by marrying Sancha off to Jofre, the Pope's youngest son.
Sancha knows the horrible reputation of the Borgia's and she does all she can to avoid having to live in Rome with her new husband's terrifying family. Inevitabley though, she can resist no longer and she and Joffre are summoned by the Pope back to Rome. In Rome she is swept off her feet by Jofre's brother, Ceasar Borgia, the Cardinal of Valencia. Theirs is a passionate affair but one she must keep secret if she is to survive in the perilous world of the Borgia's. As her affair with Ceasar continues, she learns more and more about just how depraved and dangerous the Borgia's really are. Sancha is eventually faced with the choice of becoming like them to survive or she can choose to rebel and put herself and her family in grave danger.
This novel was exciting, fast paced, and extremely decadent. The author did a great job creating complex characters and some of them were truly frightening. I particularly loved how the author depicted Sancha's friendship with Lucrezia. At first I couldn't tell if the author was "pro" Lucrezia or not...then I realized the author is actually allowing the reader to make up their own minds! Imagine that!!
I highly recommend this fascinating story. It has it all, love, betrayal, secrets, it can be heartwrenchingly touching and then shift to downright nasty at times. This one is a keeper for sure! 4.5/5 stars
Sancha knows the horrible reputation of the Borgia's and she does all she can to avoid having to live in Rome with her new husband's terrifying family. Inevitabley though, she can resist no longer and she and Joffre are summoned by the Pope back to Rome. In Rome she is swept off her feet by Jofre's brother, Ceasar Borgia, the Cardinal of Valencia. Theirs is a passionate affair but one she must keep secret if she is to survive in the perilous world of the Borgia's. As her affair with Ceasar continues, she learns more and more about just how depraved and dangerous the Borgia's really are. Sancha is eventually faced with the choice of becoming like them to survive or she can choose to rebel and put herself and her family in grave danger.
This novel was exciting, fast paced, and extremely decadent. The author did a great job creating complex characters and some of them were truly frightening. I particularly loved how the author depicted Sancha's friendship with Lucrezia. At first I couldn't tell if the author was "pro" Lucrezia or not...then I realized the author is actually allowing the reader to make up their own minds! Imagine that!!
I highly recommend this fascinating story. It has it all, love, betrayal, secrets, it can be heartwrenchingly touching and then shift to downright nasty at times. This one is a keeper for sure! 4.5/5 stars