The Sins of The House of Borgia

Sins of the House of Borgia

ISBN: 9781402259630

By: Sarah Bower

Published: February 2011

A Notorious Duke
An Infamous Duchess
An Innocent Girl

 

Violante isn’t supposed to be here, in one of the grandest courts of Renaissance Italy. She isn’t supposed to be a lady-in-waiting to the beautiful Lucrezia Borgia. But the same secretive  politics that pushed Lucrezia’s father to the Vatican have landed Violante deep in a lavish landscape of passion and ambition.

Violante discovers a Lucrezia unknown to those who see only a scheming harlot, and all the whispers about her brother, Cesare Borgia, never revealed the soul of the man who dances close with Violante.

But those who enter the House of Borgia are never quite the same when they leave—if they leave at all. Violante’s place in history will test her heart and leave her the guardian of dangerous secrets she must carry to the grave.

My Thoughts: 
 Lucrezia Borgia, in this fictional account of the Borgias, a very real family in the history of Italy, is the illegitimate daughter to Pope Alexander VI. Along with her father and brothers, Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Jofre Borgia, Lucrezia is the political pawn as they arrange marriages for her with rich and influential men. 

Violante, previously Esther Sarfati, a  young jewish woman who is sent to the household of Donna Lucrezia by her father. Donna Lucrezia is to be married again into the household of Este, a very prominent family. Violante is baptized as a Catholic and is the lady-in-waiting to Lucrezia from 1492-1507. Violante is also a pawn in this family, as she finds herself hopelessly in love with Cesare but she is just another in a long line of mistress's.  There have been many different descriptions of Lucrezia in history but this story portrays her in a more human light than the rumors that surround her as a cruel murderous woman. Violante is very innocent and finds that things are not what they seem to the outside world. She finds that she can trust no one. This is a very well researched story of the Borgia family, who are more corrupt than the Tudor court could ever have been. I did find myself a bit irritated with Violante on how she clung to her feelings for Cesare and put up with the treatment that she received from him and his very powerful family. This was the first book I read about the Borgias, other than what I read in the history books. A very interesting family. Historical fiction at its best depicting the most notorious family in history. I recommend it to the historical fiction fan.

I received this book for review from Sourcebooks and was not monetarily compensated for my review.