Tuesday, November 6, 2012

RELEASED TODAY: Royal Romances, by Leslie Carroll- Book Review


By Leslie Carroll
 Leslie Carroll is well on her way to officially becoming THE “notorious Royal” historian when it comes to non-fiction on royal couples of past and present.  I quickly became hooked on her series and practically devoured both:  Notorious Royal Marriages (my review) and, Royal Pains (my review).  Today’s release of ROYAL ROMANCES, is no exception.  Upbeat, detailed and spot-on, Carroll delivers an excellent account of some of the royal romances that still intrigue us even  today.

Meticulously researched, in Royal Romances, Leslie Carroll gives us the scoop on what really happened back in the days. Nothing dry about this history!  Filled with quotes and almost upto the minute retelling of events, each story flows right into the juicy stuff that history buffs are dying to know. 

The couples chosen for this splendid history lesson are none other than the ones we are most curious about; some very well-known, but many new and fresh ones as well…some of these I personally knew very little about- yet they delighted me the most! The regulars, such as: Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen, Napoleon and Marie Walewka (yep-this time no Josephine), Louis XIV (my favourite king..)and Athenais and la Marquise de Maintenon, Louis XV and la Pompadour and la Du Barry, Sophia Dorothea and Count Konigsmark- too name a few-spilling with romance, secret encounters, despair, dangerous liaisons, and even tragedy.  And then to my surprise, I reveled in learning about some very new historical figures such as Caroline Mathilde, Queen of Denmark as well as Charles VII and Agnes Sorel.  Finally, the greatest treat of all, was the inclusion of Kate and William- what a finale!  No other royal publication (even royal magazines)I’ve ever read came close to the details I found here.

For anyone who wants the facts delivered in all of their original spice- Royal Romances (and I can vouch the same for the other ‘Royal’ books of this series), will have you hooked from the first page…and you won’t put it down until the last. 

Honestly, writing history as entertaining and engaging as this, is truly an art.  You need to add this one to your history book collection- it’s a must.

Excellent.

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