Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

In the summer of 1493, Rodrigo Borgia, Alexander VI, has been pope for almost a year. Having played a crucial role in helping him ascend the throne of Saint Peter, Francesca, haunted by the shadows of her own past, is now charged with keeping him there. As court poisoner to the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy, this mistress of death faces a web of danger, intrigue, and deceit that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance.  From the hidden crypts of 15th century Rome to its teeming streets alive with sensuality, obsession, and treachery, Francesca must battle the demons of her own dark nature to unravel a plot to destroy the Borgias, seize control of Christendom, and plunge the world into eternal darkness.

Before Versailles by Karleen Koen.  US release June 28, 2011.  No actual summary, but this is from the author's website:  This fourth novel, Before Versailles, is one I've been trying to write for a long time. But the story was too large, and I gave up, breaking a piece of the tale away to use in Dark Angels. Then I realized I had to break the whole story into smaller pieces. Before Versailles is one of the pieces, the largest one.
So here it is, a young and handsome Louis XIV, who was the rock star/politician of the 17th century. But there was a before. In 1661, when he was 22, his prime minister and mentor died. Louis discovered that he might be king of France, but he wasn't the most powerful man in the kingdom. Someone else was. And an unexpected love affair brought him to the brink of a scandal that threatened the fragile peace within his court. All of the above is true and interesting to me.
So I threw in a boy in the iron mask and played with some secrets historians are still guessing about. The Tamworths aren't in this one, but a thread of this story––yet another piece–– will be in the next book, and so will Alice and Richard.



The Bones of Avalon  by Phil Rickman.  US release June 2011.

Long misunderstood, condemned as a sorcerer, Dr. John Dee is Elizabethan England’s forgotten hero. As the Queen’s astrologer and consultant in the hidden arts, the mild, bookish Dee finds himself summoned before William Cecil when dangerous questions of Elizabeth’s legitimacy arise. Cecil tasks Dee—along with Robert Dudley, his former student, but also possibly the Queen’s secret lover—with an important mission.  They must travel to the famously mystical town of Glastonbury to find the missing bones of King Arthur, relics which, once ensconced in London, will leave no doubt as to the Queen’s supremacy as the rightful Tudor heir. But the quest quickly turns deadly, and Dee finds himself caught in the tangled roots of English magic, unexpected violence, the breathless stirring of first love. . . and the cold heart of a complex plot against Elizabeth.

A King Condemned:  The Trial and Execution of Charles I by C.V. Wedgewood.  Nonfiction.  US release June 2011

The reign of Charles I, defined by religious conflict, a titanic power struggle with Parliament, and culminating in the English Civil Wars, the execution of the king, and the brief abolition of the monarchy, was one of the most turbulent in English history. Six years after the First Civil War began, and following Charles’ support for the failed Royalist uprising of the Second Civil War, an act of Parliament was passed that produced something unprecedented in the history of England: the trial of an English king on a capital charge. There followed ten extraordinary weeks that finally drew to a dark end on January 30, 1649, when Charles was beheaded in Whitehall. In this acclaimed account, C. V. Wedgwood recreates the dramatic events of the trial and Charles’s final days, to vividly bring to life the main actors in this tragic and compelling story.

Empire of the Moghul:  An Empire Divided by Alex Rutherford.  US release July 2011.

Already an international bestseller, A Kingdom Divided continues the epic story of one of the most magnificent and violent dynasties in history. The newly-crowned Emperor Humayun has inherited wealth, glory and an empire. But, unbeknownst to him, he is already in danger. His brothers are plotting against him. Soon he will be locked in a terrible battle for the existence of the very empire itself.  Packed with breath-taking bloodshed and treachery, A Kingdom Divided will enthrall fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Wilbur Smith.

The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato (I listed this one earlier this week but here is an actual summary).  US release May 24, 2011.