Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Borgia Betrayal by Sara Poole

It's summer of 1493 and Francesca is the Pope's food taster and court poisoner...


St. Martin's Griffin sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It was published in June and is available at your local bookstore now.


Since Francesca lives in the court, she lives in the luxurious style of the Pope with servants to help check the food and maintain the security of the Pope and his children.  That's enough to keep Francesca busy.  However, she finds out that the madman who killed her father is back in the city, and she is bound and determined to avenge her father's death.


The author does a nice job of bringing the time period alive in her story.  Slaves and servants have no value to the rich; they're expendable.  The poor have no way to raise themselves from their squalor due to an established "class" system.  And evil happens on the streets just like now.


Ms. Poole draws you into the characters lives and makes you care about what happens to them.  It's hard to know who is right, who is wrong, and what the right course of action is, but Francesca does her best.  And you're right there with her, hoping she lives through it.


I thought this book might be a bit dry and boring, but it sure wasn't.  It was a very enjoyable read.  Why not get yourself a copy and "taste" it yourself?


Happy reading.

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