Cupid and the King : Five Royal Paramours

Re-issued Spring 2006

“Cupid and the King” is the story of five great royal mistresses, one from each century beginning with the Renaissance. As royal marriages were invariably the result of a political or territorial treaty, the heir to the throne would have no say in the choice of his bride.  It was understandable and even acceptable for him to make a choice of his heart. Some of these “paramours” became the king’s “official mistress”, his “maitresse en tître”, and wielded enormous power as well as enriching themselves and their families. Some were greedy, vicious and scandalous, others were rather admirable. This book gives an insight into their lives.

Click to read the full review from Romance Reviews Today

Work in progress

Summer Princess: Winter Queen
In 1613, Elizabeth Stuart, beautiful daughter of King James I of England, married Frederick V of the Palatine, leader of the Protestant Union of Princes.  Their blissful existence at their capital of Heidelberg came to an end when they accepted the throne of Bohemia and were crowned in Prague as king and queen.  When Bohemia ceded from the Catholic Holy Roman Empire, the emperor predicted that the new king and queen would last just “one winter”.  In 1620, the Protestant forces were indeed defeated at the Battle of the White Mountain and the Thirty Years War began.  In the summer of her youth, Elizabeth was called “The Queen of Hearts”.  Thereafter she would forever be known as “The Winter Queen”.

Crowned in a Far Country : Portraits of Eight Royal Brides

“Crowned in a Far Country” tells the story of eight princesses who made political marriages at the behest of the king and the success or failure they made of their role as First Lady of another country. As such they had the potential for tremendous influence in many areas, domestic, artistic and cultural. Fashion, gardening, child-rearing, food, interior design, even their chose of pets during their reigns are just some of the areas explored in this fascinating book. It was while the author researched their lives that it became clear there were times when the king’s official mistress held even more sway than the queen over the lives of the courtiers and the populace.