I got some decent reading done in the past week and a half. First off, Demon Night, by Meljean Brook. Loved it. Ms. Brook writes great characters and dialogue, and always a hot romance. Read my review here.
I also read two great non-fiction books: Sex With the Queen and Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman. Very readable, totally absurd history. As you may have guessed, these books focus on royal adultery. Crazy shit. Those poor kings and queens, not only were they forced to marry complete strangers, they were also pretty sad cases themselves. All the inbreeding led to unattractive, weak-minded and stupid monarchs. I enjoyed Sex With the Queen a bit more. Queens definitely got the rawest deal. Very ruled in their own right. Most of them had to leave behind family, friends and country for a place with an unfamiliar culture and language, to be treated poorly by husband and in-laws. It was interesting to read how some of them grabbed happiness (and sometimes a bit of power for themselves) by taking a lover. Don't expect dry academic writing. Herman is very dramatic, almost purple-y. Take a passage like this, about Henry VII's ill-fated fifth wife, Katherine Howard:
Let us imagine the queen's duties in the royal four-poster. The king would likely have suffocated his petite bride if he had perched on top of her. He must have required her to ride astride him, careful not to disturb the stinking wound on his thigh....We can picture the happy king,perfectly sated, snoring, as his young wife lay silently beside him, her heart sinking (Sex With the Queen 79).
Hee. Fun. Read more about the books in Dirty Sexy History.
Now I just have to get something reviewed for this blog.
7 comments:
That is why Queen Elizabeth rules! Virgin my foot!! Never married and had her fun with Francis Drake, yo betcha. Guess what movie I got this weekend to watch. Clive Owen as Drake. Drool!!
Stinking wound on his thigh! Yucky! These historical books are so amazing and interesting. I'm going to go check out that review.
Actually, this author believes that Liz I was probably untouched except for any early affair, and that her later relationships were more flirtatious friendships. Who knows? I've read a lot of different things.
I heart Clive Owen. I think he would be a good Derek Craven.
Carolyn Jean--It's deliciously gross and titillating. Like a historical National Enquirer.
Paranormal (vampire) readers I'd like to invite you to read and the excerpt of my Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest semi-finalist, Cardinal Desires (which won the GRW Maggie a while back). Just go to Amazon.com, search on the title and the entry page link pops up. Wouldn't it be cool if a romance won? The finalists will be chosen by number and quality of reviews.
Thanks!
Yay! Oh, I may have to read this as an antidote to the poster for "The Other Boleyn Girl." Two sisters fighting for the love of a passionate, sexy king? Puh-lease.
He may have been magnetic, but he was totally obese!
Heh, right? How about Jonathan Rhys-Myers in "The Tudors" By all accounts, Henry VIII was a charismatic fellow, but a hottie he was not.
I absolutely LOVED these books. I agree, QUEENS, was better but I sincerly loved both and learned quite a bit about the history. Honestly, as dirty and unwashed as they were I can't imagine wanting to get frisky with any of them, royal or not. But, then if everyone smells and has lice, I suppose you wouldn't notice it as much. Blech.
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