The Impaler's Wife by Autumn Bardot Book Tour and Giveaway!

The Impaler's Wife by Autumn Bardot

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Flores Publishing

eBook; 452 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Legend, history, and passion collide in this gritty, evocative, and sensual story about history's most notorious price and the woman who paid love's ultimate price. The year is 1464, and young King Matthias controls Hungary, his family, and the fate of the world’s most notorious political prisoner, Prince Vlad Dracula. Ilona Szilágy, the king’s cousin, is young and ambitious. Dracula is determined to marry into the Hunyadi family. It is love at first sight…but the king has other plans. The Impaler Prince, however, never takes no for an answer. This begins Ilona’s journey into the treacherous world of court intrigues, family betrayals, and her husband’s dark desires. Eager to become Vlad’s trusted confidant, Ilona soon discovers that marriage to a man tortured by his past comes with a price. Woven throughout is a peek into the life and times of one of the world’s most enigmatic and maligned rulers…the man before the legend. With Bardot’s decadent period detail and a cast of gritty evocative characters, The Impaler’s Wife offers a fierce yet sensuous glimpse into the violent 15th century.

Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Autumn Bardot writes historical fiction and erotica about sassy women and daring passions! Her erotic fiction includes Legends of Lust, Erotic Myths from around the World, published by Cleis Press. Confessions of a Sheba Queen (erotica) will be available Jan 2020. The Impaler's Wife is her debut historical fiction, releasing in April 2019. Autumn has a BA in English literature and a MaEd in curriculum and instruction. She’s been teaching literary analysis for fourteen years When Autumn’s not writing or working, you'll find her hanging out with her ever-growing family, spoiled husband, and pampered rescue pooch. Her favorite things include salty French fries, coffee, swimming, and a great book.

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My Review

 Vlad III Dracula, known as Vlad the Impaler was the second son of Vlad Dracul, who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436. Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. The relationship between Vlad and Radu deteriorated as Radu became Islam and a friend of Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Vlad's father and eldest brother, Mircea, were murdered after John Hunyadi, regent-governor of Hungary, invaded Wallachia in 1447. Vlad was held in captivity in Visegrád from 1463 to 1475. The stories of his cruelty began to spread from Germany during that time. Whether they were true or how bad he was is pure speculation. I guess you have to remember that it was in medieval times and cruelty was normal for the time. 

His second wife was Ilona Szilagy, the main character in the book was a cousin to  King Matthias Corvinus, king of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia. Vlad is determined to marry into the Szilagy family. Vlad and Ilona had a tumultuous relationship and marriage. They had two children, Vladut and Nicolae. Vlad seized Wallachia in late 1476 but was soon murdered, decapitated. This was the ending of the book, I would like to see a sequel because it appears that there is a lot more to tell of Ilona. 

The story had a lot of war, Vlad was definitely a warrior, sex, murders, and court intrigues. The book went back and forth from when Vlad was young to the present day and his marriage to Ilona. I knew the stories of Vlad Tepes, the Impaler, but had never read much about him. There are a lot of characters in the book, lots with names that I could not pronounce. That did not stop me from enjoying the story thoroughly. Of course, there are a lot of stories about Dracula related to vampirism, those were the stories I knew about, not Vlad the person. I loved Bardot's writing, even though there was a lot of war scenes, she mixed in the daily lives of Vlad and Ilona. She put a personal touch to Vlad and Ilona, the book did not read like a history book like some historical fiction books do.  I think that I would love to read more about Ilona. If you like historical fiction and want to read about the love between Vlad and Ilona then this book is for you. I highly recommend it! 

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, June 3
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Tuesday, June 4
Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit

Wednesday, June 5
Review at Amy’s Booket List

Friday, June 7
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Monday, June 10
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, June 11
Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Monday, June 17
Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Tuesday, June 18
Feature at Just One More Chapter

Friday, June 21
Interview at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, June 25
Review at Passages to the Past

Monday, July 1
Review at A Darn Good Read

Tuesday, July 2
Review at Coffee and Ink

Wednesday, July 3
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Review & Guest Post at Clarissa Reads it All

Thursday, July 4
Review & Excerpt at Maiden of the Pages

Friday, July 5
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we will be giving away one paperback copy of the Impaler's Wife! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on July 5th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen. 

  The Impaler's Wife