The fourth novel in Kate Emerson’s well-reviewed series set in Tudor England—based on a real life member of the royal court of Henry VIII. Following the acclaimed By Royal Decree, Pleasure Palace, and Between Two Queens, Kate Emerson again plucks a real figure from history in this lushly detailed tale featuring Lady Anne Stafford—who is torn between her husband and another man. History remembers Lady Anne Stafford as the woman who cheated on her husband with both King Henry VIII and his companion, Sir William Compton. Lady Anne was indeed in love with two men at the same time….but the king wasn’t one of them. Lady Anne’s complex and heart-wrenching romantic relationships are at the core of this riveting tale that masterfully blends romance, drama, and historical detail as only Kate Emerson can.
Norah Lofts’s tales of royal Britain have stood the test of time. This international bestseller powerfully tells of the life of Katharine of Aragon, from her childhood in Spain to her reign and downfall in England as the first wife of Henry VII. A princess by birth and a queen by marriage, Katharine always held the highest aspirations for her life, never doubting a vision both she and her mother, Isabella of Spain, had of her becoming one of the great rulers of Europe.
This landmark volume tells the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat from the intimate perspective of his family, intertwining his artistic endeavors with his personal life, influences, and the times in which he lived, and features for the first time work from the Estate’s largely unseen and significant collection of paintings, drawings, sketches, and ephemera. Organized by the family of Basquiat, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue feature over 200 never before and rarely seen paintings, drawings, ephemera, and artifacts. The artist’s contributions to the history of art and his exploration into our multi-faceted culture—incorporating music, the Black experience, pop culture, African American sports figures, literature, and other sources—are showcased alongside personal reminiscences and firsthand accounts providing unique insight into Basquiat’s creative life and his singular voice that propelled the social and cultural narrative that continues to this day. Structured around key periods in his life, from his childhood and formative years, his meteoric rise in the art world and beyond, to his untimely death, the book features in-depth interviews with his surviving family members.
Danielle D'Aville, the ward of Edward III, was sworn to obey the King's order to marry her enemy Adrien MacLachlan, the legendary Scot who masterminded the fall of Danielle's beloved home, Aville. Suddenly she was the arrogant knight's reluctant wife, pledged to a marriage neither desired. But swept off to his castle in the Scottish highlands, and into his strong embrace, Danielle was soon possessed by a raging passion for the husband she had vowed to despise.
The second installment in Mallory's All the King's Men series introduces a knight who is rising in the ranks of the king's army until he falls for the beautiful Lady Isobel. Original.
Starting with Bad Behavior in the 1980s, Mary Gaitskill has been writing about gender relations with searing, even prophetic honesty. In This Is Pleasure, she considers our present moment through the lens of a particular #MeToo incident. The effervescent, well-dressed Quin, a successful book editor and fixture on the New York arts scene, has been accused of repeated unforgivable transgressions toward women in his orbit. But are they unforgivable? And who has the right to forgive him? To Quin’s friend Margot, the wrongdoing is less clear. Alternating Quin’s and Margot’s voices and perspectives, Gaitskill creates a nuanced tragicomedy, one that reveals her characters as whole persons—hurtful and hurting, infuriating and touching, and always deeply recognizable. Gaitskill has said that fiction is the only way that she could approach this subject because it is too emotionally faceted to treat in the more rational essay form. Her compliment to her characters—and to her readers—is that they are unvarnished and real. Her belief in our ability to understand them, even when we don’t always admire them, is a gesture of humanity from one of our greatest contemporary writers.
In this steamy historical romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a jaded English nobleman and a disgraced Russian princess are forced into a whirlwind romance of secrets, passion, and mystery. Frustrated by his own failures at matrimony, King Henry VIII punishes an insolent nobleman by commanding him to marry the vagabond woman caught stealing his horse. Stephen de Lacey is a cold and bitter widower, long accustomed to the sovereign's capricious and malicious whims. He regards his new bride as utterly inconvenient…though undeniably fetching. But Juliana Romanov is no ordinary thief—she is a Russian princess forced into hiding by the traitorous cabal who slaughtered her family. One day she hopes to return to Muscovy to seek vengeance. What begins as a mockery of a marriage ultimately blossoms into deepest love. Books in the Tudor Rose Trilogy: At the King's Command The Maiden's Hand At the Queen's Summons Previously published.
George IV (1762-1830) was a gifted royal patron whose love of fine objects and taste for the theatrical and the romantic are well documented. In this pioneering study Hugh Roberts focuses on the King's last and greatest commission: the rebuilding and refurnishing of the Private Apartments at Windsor Castle. Drawing on much previously unpublished material, including royal correspondence, original accounts, and detailed inventories, he reconstructs George IV's ambitious program. Always over budget, and never delivered swiftly enough for his liking, the project was still unfurnished when the King died in 1830. Much of the surviving furniture is still in its original setting at Windsor, and it is published here for the first time. Virtually every identified item is illustrated, and there are high-quality reproductions of the richly colored room designs and original drawings requested by the King. The furniture and fittings now form part of the Royal Collection, and they can still be seen in their superb surroundings when the Apartments are opened to the public each year.
To the casual observer, Battista della Paglia is an avid art collector, or perhaps a nimble thief. In reality, the cunning Italian is an agent for François, the King of France, for whom he procures the greatest masterpieces of the day by any means necessary. Embroiled in a power struggle with Charles V, the King of Spain, François resolves to rule Europe's burgeoning cultural world. When he sets his sights on a mysterious sculpture, Battista's search for the elusive objet d'art leads him to a captivating woman on a mission of her own. . . Having spent her life under the controlling eye of her protector, the Marquess of Mantua, Aurelia longs for freedom. And she finds it in Battista. Together, they embark on a journey to find the clues that will lead him to the sculpture-- a venture so perilous it might have spilled from the pen of Dante himself. From the smoldering depths of Rome to a castle in the sky, the harrowing quest draws them inextricably together. But Aurelia guards a dark secret that could tear them apart--and change the course of history. . . Praise for the novels of Donna Russo Morin "Morin has created a wonderful heroine and painted a brilliant portrait of a neglected court, which will interest fans of the Tudor era."--Publishers Weekly on To Serve a King "History comes to life as Morin recreates the lush and dangerous world of the Murano glassmakers. . . Her story swirls together colors of political and religious intrigue, murder, and romance." --Romantic Times, (4 Stars) on The Secret of the Glass "As opulent and sparkling as Louis XIV's court and as filled with intrigue, passion and excitement as a novel by Dumas. . .a feast for the senses." --Romantic Times (4 stars) on The Courtier's Secret Reading Group Guide Inside
