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A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii told in six parts and featuring “The Heiress” by Sophie Perinot
A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii told in six parts and featuring “The Heiress” by Sophie Perinot
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Reviews
“The Heiress” by Sophie Perinot, which sees a privileged young woman torn between a gorgeous bad-boy type and the sensible older man her father wants her to marry, stands out for the thoughtfully realistic transformation of its heroine.” – Sarah Johnson, READING THE PAST
“This is very powerful writing – in my notes I’ve put ’10/10 – Excellent!'” –
“The six writers are all extremely accomplished, skilled and knowledgeable in both their writing and specialist knowledge. The concept of A Day of Fire is original and ingenious.” – HNS Reviews Magazine
“a rattling good tale of disaster, death, resolution and rebirth.” – Dodging Arrows
“Taking inspiration from the frescos that grace the Villa dei Misteri, Perinot delves into the wedding traditions of ancient Rome and presents a surprisingly nontraditional love story that cuts straight to the heart.” – Flashlight Commentary
“…from the opening words of this novel I was hooked! Despite being separate stories they flow together seamlessly to form a cohesive tale and it’s one I won’t soon forget.” – Peeking Between the Pages
Re-Released in August 2023
Available for the first time as an audio book
Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories:
A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii’s flourishing streets.
An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire.
An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished.
A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue.
A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls.
A priestess and a whore seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried.
Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each others’ path during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
Praise for A Day of Fire:
“The best fictional account of the disaster that I have read.”
Simon Scarrow
#1 bestselling author of the Eagle stories
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“Writing of THE HEIRESS by Sophie Perinot: “This is very powerful writing . . . 10/10 – Excellent!”
Steven A. McKay
Bestselling Author
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“Real-life historical suspense doesn’t get more dramatic.”
Sarah Johnson
of “Reading the Past”
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“This truly is the finest book i have read this year, an emotional roller-coaster that educates while it entertains.”
Parmenion Books
Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women
Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution’s Women
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Six bestselling and award-winning authors bring to life a breathtaking epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—six unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.
Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution—and change the world.
In late eighteenth-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise—upending a world order that has long oppressed them.
Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women, and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself–but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister Princess Élisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.
But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive–unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.
Médicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois
Médicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois
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Winter, 1564. Beautiful young Princess Margot is summoned to the court of France, where nothing is what it seems and a wrong word can lead to ruin. Known across Europe as Madame la Serpente, Margot’s intimidating mother, Queen Catherine de Médicis, is a powerful force in a country devastated by religious war. Among the crafty nobility of the royal court, Margot learns the intriguing and unspoken rules she must live by to please her poisonous family.
Eager to be an obedient daughter, Margot accepts her role as a marriage pawn, even as she is charmed by the powerful, charismatic Duc de Guise. Though Margot’s heart belongs to Guise, her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce. But the promised peace is a mirage: her mother’s schemes are endless, and her brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris. When Margot’s wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.
Médicis Daughter is historical fiction at its finest, weaving a unique coming-of-age story and a forbidden love with one of the most dramatic and violent events in French history.
Praise for Médicis Daughter:
“In Médicis Daughter, Sophie Perinot tells the riveting story of a 16th century French princess caught in the throes of royal intrigue and religious war. From the arms of the charismatic Duke of Guise to the blood-soaked streets of Paris, Princess Marguerite runs a dangerous gauntlet, taking the reader with her. An absolutely gripping read!”
Michelle Moran
Bestselling Author of REBEL QUEEN
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“This is Renaissance France meets Game of Thrones: dark, sumptuous historical fiction that coils religious strife, court intrigue, passionate love, family hatred, and betrayed innocence like a nest of poisonous snakes. Beautiful Princess Margot acts as our guide to the heart of her violent family, as she blossoms from naive court pawn to woman of conscience and renown. A highly recommended coming-of-age tale where the princess learns to slay her own dragons!”
Kate Quinn
Bestselling author of LADY OF THE ETERNAL CIT
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“Rising above the chorus of historical drama is Perinot’s epic tale of the fascinating, lascivious, ruthless House of Valois, as told through the eyes of the complicated and intelligent Princess Marguerite. Burdened by her unscrupulous family and desperate for meaningful relationships, Margot is forced to navigate her own path in sixteenth century France. Amid wars of nation and heart, Médicis Daughter brilliantly demonstrates how one unique woman beats staggering odds to find the strength and power that is her birthright.”
Erika Robuck
Bestselling Author of HEMINGWAY’S GIRL
The Sister Queens
The Sister Queens
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Reviews
“Perinot makes you care about these characters. She nailed the bond that only sister’s can have. The love, the jealousy, and also the deep friendship. This book was a page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.”
– To Read or Not to Read
“If you are a reader of historical fiction or a fan of Medieval romance, I highly recommend THE SISTER QUEENS. If you are neither but enjoy stories about the many relationships that define a woman, you may find more to like here than you expect.”
– Romance Dish
“Historical fiction fans can’t afford to miss this dynamic debut novel by a strong new voice in the genre”
– Debbie’s Book Bag
“This was a wonderful read and one of my favorites so far this year. Move over Tudors, I think I have a new historical royal family obsession”
– Ageless Pages Reviews
“I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know who loves historical fiction and putting this author on my “buy immediately” list for her future releases”
– Bippity Boppity Book
“I was reminded of one of my favorite historical fiction authors, Sharon Kay Penman. (Although Ms. Perinot’s style is deliciously more sexy) There’s not a word out of place, and I must have marked a dozen beautiful passages of description and observation. Whether the emotion is grief, anger, or love, Perinot gives it life and evokes it from the reader.”
– Let Them Read Books
“THE SISTER QUEENS is historic fiction at its absolute finest. . . . In all of its colorful prose, deep and eccentric characters, and historical brilliance, this book can be summed up with one word: phenomenal. Brava!”
– The Tulsa Book Review
“Sophie Perinot has given us a well-dressed window into the past through which the view is sweeping, vivid, and poignant. Carefully researched and artfully written, this novel is a triumphant debut.”
– Idyll Conversation
“In short, an excellent work of historical fiction . . . . Certainly the best I’ve read this year set in the Middle Ages. Highly recommended.”
– Medieval Bookworm
“The Sister Queens was more than I could have ever asked for in a book and now reigns in my top three historical fiction novels with Michelle Moran’s Cleopatra’s Daughter and Sandra Byrd’s To Die For. For me that is some great company. I will be highly recommending The Sister Queens to all of my friends, even ones who don’t read historical fiction.”
– My Reading Room
“This is Sophie’s first novel and if it is any indication of what’s to come, well, move over Phillipa Gregory.”
– A Chick Who Reads
They were also queens.
Raised together at the 13th Century court of their father, Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, Marguerite and Eleanor are separated by royal marriages—but never truly parted.
Patient, perfect, reticent, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. Her husband, Louis IX, is considered the greatest monarch of his age. But he is also a religious zealot who denies himself all pleasure—including the love and companionship his wife so desperately craves. Can Marguerite find enough of her sister’s boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in the guise of forbidden love?
Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Her husband, Henry III, is neither as young nor as dashing as Marguerite’s. But she quickly discovers he is a very good man…and a very bad king. His failures are bitter disappointments for Eleanor, who has worked to best her elder sister since childhood. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away?
Praise for The Sister Queens:
“What Philippa Gregory did for Anne and Mary Boleyn, Perinot has done for Marguerite and Eleanor of Provence. This is, without a doubt, one of the best novels I’ve read all year!”
Michelle Moran
Author of MADAME TUSSAUD.
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“If you enjoy a tale of passion, intrigue and sisterly devotion that will keep you turning the pages, then The Sister Queens is a must for your reading list.”
Anne O’Brien
Author of QUEEN DEFIANT
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“Every page . . . was like a morsel to savor. . . .The Sister Queens is one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a very long time. Absolutely superb!”
Diane Haeger
Author of THE QUEEN’S RIVAL
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“With lyrical prose, The Sister Queens tells a riveting story of sisterly rivalry and love, of war and betrayal. Marguerite and Eleanor remain united by bonds of love that can not tarnish and that can not break. A beautiful novel.”
Christy English
Author of TO BE QUEEN: A NOVEL OF ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE