Finished reading on 8/12/09:

THE DEVIL'S QUEEN by Jeanne Kalogridis, 2009.

Catherine de Medici's story is told from her childhood in Florence, Italy, to the aftermath of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day in Paris in 1572. The author expertly emphasises the effects of the violence and political unrest in Italy during Catherine's formative years, her belief in prophecies and the occult, and her strained family relations, and how these affect her decision making as a woman and as Queen of France. Her relationships/issues with such notables as Diane de Poitiers (her kinswoman and mistress of Catherine's husband), her bizarre astrologer Cosimo Ruggieri, the famed Nostradamus, the decadent, likeable King Francois I, and other characters are interesting and effectively done. Catherine, long maligned as evil personified, is believably portrayed here as an intelligent but superstitious and tormented woman who took desperate measures through great love for her husband, King Henri II, and for her children and in the hope of averting gruesome disasters. Kalogridis does a great job with creating atmosphere and showing the dark side of Catherine's life; she gives depth and balance to the characters of Margot, Henri of Navarre, Coligny (the Protestant leader), and the emotionally torn Jeanne of Navarre. Plenty of drama, royal intrigue, murder, sex, religious conflict, and violence flow through the novel as easily as the horrible visions of blood Catherine dreams of each night. Lots of period detail, a well paced narrative, and compelling story make this a worthwhile read.

Finished this today, 8/4/09:

ROYAL HARLOT by Susan Holloway Scott, 2007.
If you're into the Restoration period of English history, then this novel about Barbara Villiers and Charles II is a worthwhile read. Full of historical details, personalities of the age, and great events like the Great Plague and Great Fire of London, Scott knows how to hold a reader's interest. Smoothly written and moves at a good pace. Barbara, the main mistress of King Charles Stuart for a number of years, is the main focus of the story, from just before the Restoration until 1672, when the king makes his final break with her and she leaves for France. Scott manages to make a somewhat sympathetic character of a woman normally seen as vulgar, promiscuous, verbally abusive, arrogant, hugely ambitious and grasping. She was all those things, but much more.