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Every week Tanzanite features upcoming historical fiction and history related non-fiction books that have come to her attention and may be of interest to others. Since she has an out of control TBR pile, so should everyone else!
I, Jane by Diane Haeger. US and UK release September 4, 2012.
From the author of The Queen’s Rival comes the story of Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII’s third wife and mother of his only male heir.
Jane Seymour of Wiltshire is not meant to go to Court—not a child like her, with her lack of beauty and no title. But family connections are enough to have her named to the bridal retinue of Mary Tudor. At the French Court, the plain and docile Jane meets the girl who will grow into her rival: the already charismatic and conniving Anne Boleyn. Years later, when Jane is called to serve Katherine of Aragon, who is fighting for her life as Queen in the face of Anne Boleyn’s open seduction of King Henry VIII, Jane will learn the value of loyalty and honesty, while holding fast to her convictions. And it is her unblemished soul that will slowly rise above the chaos—and turn a king’s head...
The Purple Shroud by Stella Duffy. US and UK release September 25, 2012 (reposted with cover and US release date).
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore, Stella Duffy’s chronicle of this amazing woman’s early years, delighted readers with its exquisite blend of historical detail and vivid storytelling. Now, The Purple Shroud chronicles Theodora at the height of her power, bringing the ancient world alive in another unforgettable, epic saga.
Justinian and Theodora are now emperor and empress, but ruling the Roman Empire is no easy task. The empire’s borders are subject to constant attack; unrest within cities erupts in riots, killing tens of thousands. In the aftermath, Theodora guides
Justinian to regain the people’s favor and realizes that being the
Augusta of Rome is just another theatrical role—but one she was born to play.
Royal Romances by Leslie Carroll. Non-fiction. US and UK release November 6, 2012.
The reigning queen of royal history returns with a scintillating look at love and passion among Europe’s nobility.
Elegant palaces, dazzling power plays, shimmering jewels, and the grandest of all-or-nothing gambles—nothing can top real-life love among the royalty. From Louis XIV’s defiance of Church law to acknowledge his mistress Madame de Maintenon as his wife, through to Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s newly wedded bliss, Royal Romances covers five scandalous, seductive centuries of all-for-love royal desire.
The Mirrored World by Debra Dean. US and UK release August 28, 2012.
The bestselling author of the critically acclaimed The Madonnas of Leningrad, returns with a breathtaking historical novel, set against the unparalleled extravagance and artifice of the royal court in eighteenth century St. Petersburg-a world of ice palaces, glittering opera, and lavish balls-that imaginatively reconstructs the life of one of Russia's most revered and mysterious holy figures, St. Xenia
Born to a Russian family of lower nobility, Xenia is a passionate and tender dreamer who cares little for social conventions. A free spirit, she unexpectedly falls in love with the dashing Andrei, a handsome soldier with the Imperial choir. Though husband and wife are devoted to each other, their perfect happiness is overshadowed by the petty demands of life at the royal court, and by Xenia’s growing obsession to have a child—a desperate need that is at last fulfilled with the birth of a daughter.Yet Xenia is far from content. Fearful for her family, she is certain that tragedy will strike—a terrible prediction that comes true. Shattered, the sensitive twenty-six-year-old woman withdraws into grief, undergoing a profound transformation that radically alters the course of her life. Turning away from family and friends, she begins giving away all of her money and possessions to the poor. Then, one day, she mysteriously vanishes.
Years later, dressed in the tatters of her husband’s military uniform and answering only to his name, Xenia is discovered tending the paupers of St. Petersburg’s slums. Revered as a soothsayer and blessed healer to the downtrodden, she is feared by the royal court and it’s new empress, Catherine, who see her deeds as a rebuke to their lavish excesses.
An evocative, elegantly written tale of love, madness, and devotion, The Mirrored World is a moving novel of a remarkable woman and her intriguing and inspiring legacy.
Oh, new Debra Dean! I didn't know that one was coming out!
March 3, 2012 2:55 AM