Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

The Scarlet Contessa by Jeanne Kalogridis.  US and UK release July 6, 2010 (color version of cover previously posted in black and white).  Daughter of the Duke of Milan and wife of the conniving Count Girolamo Riario, Caterina Sforza was the bravest warrior Renaissance Italy ever knew. She ruled her own lands, fought her own battles, and openly took lovers whenever she pleased. Her remarkable tale is told by her lady-in-waiting, Dea, a woman knowledgeable in reading the “triumph cards,” the predecessor of modern-day Tarot. As Dea tries to unravel the truth about her husband’s murder, Caterina single-handedly holds off invaders who would steal her title and lands. However, Dea’s reading of the cards reveals that Caterina cannot withstand a third and final invader—none other than Cesare Borgia, son of the corrupt Pope Alexander VI, who has an old score to settle with Caterina. Trapped inside the Fortress at Ravaldino as Borgia’s cannons pound the walls, Dea reviews Caterina’s scandalous past and struggles to understand their joint destiny, while Caterina valiantly tries to fight off Borgia’s unconquerable army.  

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm.  UK release August 5, 2010. When 16-year-old Lucrezia de Medici marries the fifth Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d'Este, she imagines married life with her handsome husband will be idyllic. But little does she know that he is a very complicated man. The marriage is fraught with difficulties from the start and eventually Lucrezia decides to seek solace elsewhere. For Alfonso, the pressure mounts, for the Vatican is threatening to reclaim his title, should he and Lucrezia remain unable to produce an heir. He grows to resent his duchess and begins to plot an unthinkable way to escape his problems. Originally inspired by a Robert Browning poem, Gabrielle Kimm has meticulously researched real events. Lucrezia and Alfonso were married in 1559. Three years later, she disappeared from the records ...What really happened to her is still a mystery. This shimmering debut gorgeously brings to life the passions and people of 16th century Tuscany and Ferrara. It is a story you are unlikely to forget for a long time.   You can see the previous cover here.