The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile Virtual Book Tour

Please join author C.W.Gortner as he tours the blogosphere for the release of The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile from June 12th through July 13th.

SYNOPSIS
No one believed I was destined for greatness.
 
So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.
 
Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragon.
 
As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.
 
From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.


BOOK INFORMATION
Pub Date: June 12, 2012 | Ballantine Books | 400p
Link to book trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1cWBUZkj0M

AUTHOR BIO
C.W. Gortner is the author of The Last Queen, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici and The Tudor Secret.  He holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California.

In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard in a Tudor great hall and experienced life in a Spanish castle. His novels have garnered international praise and been translated into thirteen languages to date. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights and environmental issues.

He's currently at work on his fourth novel for Ballantine Books, about the early years of Lucrezia Borgia, as well as the third novel in his Tudor series,The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles (US) or Elizabeth's Spymaster (UK).

Half-Spanish by birth, C.W. lives in Northern California.


TOUR INFORMATION
Link to tour schedule:  http://hfvirtualbooktours.blogspot.com/2012/06/cw-gortner-on-tour-for-queens-vow-novel.html
Twitter Hashtag: #QueensVowVirtualTour


MY THOUGHTS:
The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner is a story of Isabella of Castille and her life from a young girl from 1484 to Queen of Spain in 1492. Isabella, her friend Beatriz and her brother Alfonso are children when they are taken from their home with their mother to live in the court of their half brother, King Enrique of Castile. Danger abounds at every turn with court intrique and jealousy because Alfonso is legally the heir to the throne after Enrique. Queen Juana has other ideas though and she intends for her daughter Joanna, whom is rumored to not be the child of Enrique, to be the heir. Isabella is soon accused of treason and kept a virtual prisoner. She is betrothed to Alfonso of Portugal but she refuses to marry because she wants to choose her own husband. She had secretly been in contact with Ferdinand of Aragon and with the help of King John II of Aragon, Ferdinand's father, they are betrothed. Because Isabella and Ferdinand were second cousins they could not marry without a dispensation from the pope. This was obtained with the help of Rodrigo Borgia. 


Isabella's reign as Queen of Castile started after the death of her brother Alfonso, he named Isabella heir to the throne on his deathbed. Isabella's reign was not an easy one, what with the threat of being usurped or assassinated by supporters of Infanta Joanna. She had to be very strong willed and became a powerful leader along with her husband Fernando. She proved to be a formidable ruler and was successful in quelling several rebellions. She was also known for her reforms and bringing peace to Spain and restoring the countries finances. She went along with Ferdinand during the wars with the Moors and unfortunately she is known for her part in the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Isabella and Ferdinand had five live children of which the youngest Catalina (Catherine) of Aragon was married first to King Arthur and then after his death to King Henry VIII. 


I found this story very interesting and informative. I had previously read Mr.Gortner's book The Last Queen, which was about Isabella and Ferdinand's daughter Queen Juana and I was excited to read his latest work. As with all of the author's previous books, The Queen's Vow is very well researched and told in a way that is so easy to read as historical books can be quite dull and boring at times. Mr. Gortner brought the character's to life and I felt that the descriptions of the times were so accurate that I felt myself seeing Spain in my mind as it was, the smells, and sounds. I love to be able to put myself in a story and CW. Gortner can certainly do that with his storytelling. I highly recommend this book for any historical fan out there, no matter what era you are interested in. I give it 5 stars!!  
I received a review copy of this book from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and was not monetarily compensated for my review.