Title: The Lion and the Rose Series: Borgia Chronicles #2
Author: Kate Quinn
Published: January 7, 2014
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Page Count: 438
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:As the cherished concubine of the Borgia Pope Alexander VI, Giulia Farnese has Rome at her feet. But after narrowly escaping a sinister captor, she realizes that the danger she faces is far from over—and now, it threatens from within. The Holy City of Rome is still under Alexander’s thrall, but enemies of the Borgias are starting to circle. In need of trusted allies, Giulia turns to her sharp-tongued bodyguard, Leonello, and her fiery cook and confidante, Carmelina.
Caught in the deadly world of the Renaissance’s most notorious family, Giulia, Leonello, and Carmelina must decide if they will flee the dangerous dream of power. But as the shadows of murder and corruption rise through the Vatican, they must learn who to trust when every face wears a mask...
And Kate Quinn does it again! I can always count on her to deliver an entertaining piece of historical fiction, and this conclusion to her Borgia duology is no exception. The Lion and the Rose is full of secrets and scandal and romance and all sorts of deliciousness. This book is plain old fun, but is also well-researched and interesting from a historical standpoint—probably my favorite kind of historical fiction.
As with the first book in the series, The Lion and the Rose deals with three first-person narrators: Giulia Farnese, mistress to the Pope; Leonello, her dwarf bodyguard; and Carmelina, her cook. The three compadres navigate the tricky life of Borgia Rome, and work to secure their own happiness as Borgia power begins to decay. In this book especially, I came to love these characters, and I was very tensely waiting for their success and happily ever after.
The time period was excellently illustrated in this book as well. The Borgias we knew are becoming (even more) corrupted, to an extreme that seems certain to lead to disaster. The Pope and his children have become power-hungry and greedy, and Giulia and her friends have become disenchanted with the whole lot. Quinn sets against her story a backdrop of lavish parties and family squabbles turned ugly, seeming to perfectly highlight the life of the era.
I think Kate Quinn’s strength as an author is in telling a good story. Her books are always completely engrossing, but The Lion and the Rose is an improvement on her usual standard in that she appears to have taken a little more care concerning historical accuracy—an element I found sadly lacking in her Ancient Roman series. These Borgia novels see marked improvement, and as I truly do place a high value on fact in historical fiction, that’s just an added bonus and excellent compliment to the author’s talents as a storyteller.
The Lion and the Rose is Quinn’s best novel to date. It couples a good story with a fascinating glimpse at the fascinating Borgia family, and it featured three narrators I was very invested in. All around, this is just a solid book and a great piece of historical fiction.
