Chiara Nerini is the young daughter of a dead bookseller,
and her family is starving. In attempt to save them, she
tries to sell her father's alchemy equipment to Grand Duke
Francesco, a man rumored to be obsessed with the magical
science. Instead of just buying the tools, Francesco forces
her to be part of his alchemy, and thus dragging her into
political plots and a world full of Medici drama. Fellow
alchemist Ruanno seems to be the only person Chiara can
trust, but even he has his own plans. Chiara has to walk a
careful line or it may mean her death.
1500s Italian history isn't something I'm extremely familiar
with, but Elizabeth Loupas crafts a stunning and deadly
portrayal of it with THE RED LILY CROWN. From the first
chapters, you will feel surrounded by a time and place where
loyalty is nearly nonexistent and alchemy is a dangerous
art. Loupas puts excellent details into the clothing,
political movements, and culture from the time that form the
setting perfectly.
The main character, Chiara, first wants to save her family
and as she journeys, she goes through incredible growth. She
gains strength as she is loaded down with new weights of
life and has to learn the best way to carry them. The other
important characters around her like Ruanno, the Grand Duke,
his wife, and his mistress are so wonderfully
psychologically complex and make the story incredibly
rounded and deep. It is dramatic, sometimes romantic,
sometimes tragic, and occasionally terrifying.
I completely loved THE RED LILY CROWN, and Elizabeth Loupas
gives it a phenomenal ending that feels so right to the
story and characters. It is a breathtaking novel, and I
highly recommend it for historical romance fans who want to
get (or continue their fascination with) swept up into
Medici Florence.
Elizabeth Loupas returns with her most ambitious historical
novel yet, a story of intrigue, passion, and murder in the
Medici Court...
April, 1574, Florence, Italy. Grand Duke Cosimo de’ Medici
lies dying. The city is paralyzed with dread, for the next
man to wear the red lily crown will be Prince Francesco:
despotic, dangerous, and obsessed with alchemy.
Chiara Nerini, the troubled daughter of an anti-Medici
bookseller, sets out to save her starving family by selling
her dead father’s rare alchemical equipment to the prince.
Instead she is trapped in his household—imprisoned and
forcibly initiated as a virgin acolyte in Francesco’s quest
for power and immortality. Undaunted, she seizes her chance
to pursue undreamed-of power of her own.
Witness to sensuous intrigues and brutal murder plots,
Chiara seeks a safe path through the labyrinth of Medici
tyranny and deception. Beside her walks the prince’s
mysterious English alchemist Ruanno, her friend and teacher,
driven by his own dark goals. Can Chiara trust him to keep
her secrets…even to love her…or will he prove to be her most
treacherous enemy of all?
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