Monday, February 14, 2011

Mailbox Monday



Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the exciting books that came into their house last week via post. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!


Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, and is currently being hosted by Laura Library of Clean Reads for the month of February. 



This week I received two tantalizing novels for review!


Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

Synopsis (From the Publisher):
"From the award-winning author of The King's Daughter comes a story of love and defiance during the War of the Roses.

It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has set royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocked the fledgling Tudor dynasty. With the support of Scotland's King James IV, Richard-known to most of England as Perkin Warbeck-has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Stepping finally onto English soil, Lady Catherine Gordon has no doubt that her husband will succeed in his quest.

But rather than assuming the throne, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would be stamped as an imposter. With Richard facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, must find the courage to spurn a cruel monarch, shape her own destiny, and win the admiration of a nation."


Elizabeth I: A Novel by Margaret George

Synopsis (From the Publisher):
"One of today's premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma-the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel- bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England's greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. But what was she really like?

In this novel, her flame-haired, lookalike cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows all too well. Elizabeth's rival for the love of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth's throne, Lettice had been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire, one trying to protect her country, and throne, the other trying to regain power and position for her family and each vying to convince the reader of her own private vision of the truth about Elizabeth's character. Their gripping drama is acted out at the height of the flowering of the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh, Drake-all of them swirl through these pages as they swirled through the court and on the high seas. "
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And I purchased one novel from the bookstore.



Synopsis (From the Publisher):
"To be young, in France, and in love: fourteen year old Desiree can’t believe her good fortune. Her fiance, a dashing and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte, is poised for battlefield success, and no longer will she be just a French merchant’s daughter. She could not have known the twisting path her role in history would take, nearly breaking her vibrant heart but sweeping her to a life rich in passion and desire.
A love story, but so much more, Désirée explores the landscape of a young heart torn in two, giving readers a compelling true story of an ordinary girl whose unlikely brush with history leads to a throne no one would have expected. 
An epic bestseller that has earned both critical acclaim and mass adoration, Désirée is at once a novel of the rise and fall of empires, the blush and fade of love, and the heart and soul of a woman."

What exciting books arrived at your door?


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11 comments:

Mystica said...

What gorgeous books. I am eyeing the Sandra Worth one specially.

Jenny Q said...

I want to read all of those, especially Desiree!! Here's my Mailbox. Happy reading :)

bermudaonion said...

Those all look good! I've read several great reviews of Desiree. Happy reading!

Passages to the Past said...

FAB-U-LOUS mailbox Svea! I cannot praise Pale Rose of England enough - it was one of the most beautiful reads and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I also have George's Elizabeth I and am dying to read it! I also loved Desiree!

Happy Reading and Happy Valentine's Day love!

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I'm a fan of historical fiction. These all look good!

Elysium said...

I'd love to read Elizabeth I! Can't wait to hear what you think of it!

Anonymous said...

here's mine http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/02/mailbox-monday-human-bobby.html

Cat said...

I thought Desiree was really good - hope you'll like it too. I do like Margaret George's but haven't read this one yet.

Happy reading!

Cat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michelle Stockard Miller said...

You received some great historicals...I want to read both of them. I've been wanting to get Desiree. The classic film (starring Jean Simmons) still remains one of my favorite historical movies. I never knew it was based on a book until this year via other book blogs.

I just love your header, by the way!

Darlene said...

I received Elizabeth I as well. Wow, that's one big book! I can't wait to get started on it. I have Desiree on my next to read list. It sounds fantastic. Happy Reading!