History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The American Adventuress Author: C. W. Gortner  Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Release Date: 2022 Pages: 384 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The story of Jennie Jerome Churchill, mother of Winston, a New York born heiress who always lived life on her own terms.      Daughter of New York financier Leonard Jerome, Jennie was born into wealth—and scandal. Upon her parents’ separation, her mother took Jennie and her sisters to Paris, where Mrs. Jerome was determined to marry her daughters into the most elite families. The glamorous city became their tumultuous finishing school until it fell to revolt.       Fleeing to Queen Victoria’s England, Jennie soon caught the eye of aristocrat Randolph Spencer-Churchill, son of the Duke of Marlborough, one of Britain’s loftiest peers. It was love at first sight, their unconventional marriage driven by mutual ambition and the birth ...

The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner Publication Date: July 10, 2018 Ballantine Books Hardcover; 448 pages Genre: Historical Fiction Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.   Synopsis: Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.      Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women, who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.      Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the ...

The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia Author: C.W Gortner Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: February 9, 2016 Pages: 401 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: For fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, bestselling author C. W. Gortner effortlessly weaves history and drama in this captivating novel about one of the world’s most notorious families. Glamorous and predatory, the Borgias fascinated and terrorized fifteenth-century Renaissance Italy, and Lucrezia Borgia, beloved daughter of the pope, was at the center of the dynasty’s ambitions. Slandered as a heartless seductress who lured men to their doom, was she in fact the villainess of legend, or was she trapped in a familial web, forced to choose between loyalty and survival?      With the ascension of the Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, a new era has dawned in Rome. Benefitting from their father’s elevation are the n...

Please join author C.W. Gortner as his latest release, Mademoiselle Chanel is featured around the blogosphere from March 17-April 3rd and enter to win one of three fabulously chic, Chanel-style black and white beaded bracelets Mademoiselle Chanel Publication Date: March 17, 2015 William Morrow/HarperCollins Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audio Book Genre: Historical Fiction DRAMA, PASSION, TRAGEDY, AND BEAUTY : C.W.’s new novel stunningly imagines the life of Coco Chanel—the iconic fashion designer whose staggering creativity built an empire and made her one of the 20th century’s most influential, and controversial, figures. Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her sisters are sent to a convent orphanage after their mother’s death. Here, the nuns nurture Gabrielle’s exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel her into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood. Transforming herself into Coco—a seamstress and sometime t...

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing C.W, Gortner. He is author who first introduced me to historical fiction, and is one of my favorite authors in this genre. He is an international best-selling authors and is recognized as one of the hottest authors in historical fiction. This interview gives an insight to some of his works, namely The Last Queen, Confessions of Catherine de Medici, and The Queen’s Vow. Thank you, Mr. Gortner.     1. Your books have been about Catherine de Medici, Queen Isabella of Spain, and Juana of Castile.  What drew you to write about these women? Since childhood, history and women in history, especially those who are maligned or mired in controversy, have fascinated me. Perhaps because I was raised in Spain, where history can be seen everywhere, in a family of strong women, I absorbed early on that even those closest to us can hide secrets. Historical figures are no different; though we think we know everything abo...

The Last Queen: A Novel Author: C.W. Gortner Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: 2009 Pages: 400 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis:  In This Stunning Novel, C.W. Gortner Brings To Life Juana of Castile , the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne. Along the way, Gortner takes the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England.      Born amid her parents' ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Phillip, heir to the Habsburg Empire. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life. But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for ...