The Book Faery Reviews Discovering paths to new dimensions through books…

The Last Queen…5.26.09

In this stunning novel, C.W. Gortner brings to life Juana of Castile, the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne.  Along the way, Gortner takes the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England.

Born amid her parents' ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Philip, heir to the Habsburg Empire.  Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life.  But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe.  Besieged by foes on all sides, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it costs her everything.  - FROM THE BOOK BACK

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS...This is definitely a great historical fiction book I plan to keep on my shelf and perhaps even read again.  I was hooked from the start with Juana and quite impressed that C.W. Gortner did an excellent job in telling the story from her eyes.  Not only do I get a bit of a history lesson within the pages but I also get passion, betrayal, and can feel the power wars within.  Do I think Juana was as "mad" as history rumored her to be? I don't think so, she was faced with a lot from the perspective of family, marriage, politics, and it didn't help having rumors spread about her.

You can visit C.W. Gortner at http://www.cwgortner.com/ and http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/.

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About The Book Faery

Farrah is from the Raleigh, North Carolina area and married to her high school sweetheart. She's a 30-something mom to 3 crazy yet loveable kids who keep her constantly on her toes. Books can be found in every room in the house and bags as well. Reading is done every moment she gets the chance and a typical afternoon of fun would often find her and the 3 kiddos at a local bookstore or library hunting for the next book. She's currently working towards her goal to one day owning a cafe/bookstore in a historic downtown area where it's all about the reader's experience...community, atmosphere and the love of books.