THE BORGIA BRIDE

Author: Jeanne Kalogridis ISBN: 0312341385 6/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN
Time Period: 1488 - 1503

A story of romance and courage, of danger and desire, set against the rich terrain of Renaissance Italy—for the readers of The Birth of Venus and The Other Boleyn Girl... Vivacious Sancha of Aragon arrives in Rome newly wed to a member of the notorious Borgia dynasty. Surrounded by opulence and corruption, she befriends her glamorous and seductive sister-in-law, Lucrezia Borgia, whose jealousy is as legendary as her beauty. Some say she has poisoned her rivals, particularly those to whom her handsome brother Cesare has given his heart. So when Sancha falls under Cesare's irresistible spell, she must hide her secret or lose her life. Caught in their sinister web, she must summon her courage and use her cunning to outwit them at their own game. The Borgia Bride is based on a true figure and weaves real history and fiction to create a tale seething with conspiracy, sexual intrigue, and drama.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Whenever I hear or see the name Borgia, I immediately think of first names Lucrezia or Cesare. After all, they're the two Borgias whose reputations for poisoning, political intrigue and murder seem most synonymous with diabolical plotting and wickedness still today. Maybe that's why this book seemed so refreshing, seeing them from a different angle through the eyes and voice of an in-law.

In THE BORGIA BRIDE Jeanne Kalogridis has created a dark and chilling portrait of a family beyond dysfunctional, a family steeped in deep political ambitions, rife with personal greed, yet cunning and clever enough to rise and become one of the most powerful families in history. Not one to tread lightly, it seems, the author spares us no quarter as we plunge into a world of courtly intrigue and simmering passions as seen through the eyes and voice of Sancha da Aragon—wife of Jofre, lover to his brother Cesare, and sister of Alphonso, the Prince of Navarre, eventual husband of Lucrezia.

Richly detailed and perfectly blended between historical fact and fiction, this gritty portrait of the world of the Borgias is a fascinating look at the rich tapestry of events that made up Renaissance Italy. The endless plot twists and richly-carved characters entrance and mesmerize the reader, while the passion between Sancha and Cesare is instantaneous and all-consuming. Yet theirs was not a love to last, as pitted against each other in a battle of wits, one strove to overpower while the other struggled simply to survive.

Ms. Kalogridis has done a fantastic job here, drawing her book from recorded events in history. Sometimes stark and difficult to read, she delves into the darker side of the Borgias and House of Aragon, taking the reader with her. THE BORGIA BRIDE is really Sancha's story, where the author leaves nothing untouched—from incest, infidelity, and adultery, to immorality and murder—her childhood and short-lived life comes alive through this brilliantly written first person narrative.

If you love historical fiction as much as I do, THE BORGIA BRIDE should be at the top of your must-have's list for summer.

Nancy Davis