The Lion and the Rose: A Novel of the Borgias

So good, so damn good. That was the first thing I thought when I finished it.The Serpent and the Pearl introduced the characters, took us within the walls of the Vatican to witness the Pope's illegitimate children's political weddings, and then left us to ponder about the deaths of those women. It ended with Giulia Farnese, Leonello, and Carmelina being captured by the French. Giulia was about to whore herself out to the French in order to get Leonello, who's suffering from multiple bone fractures, the medical care that he needed. Carmelina huddled up against her apprentice, exhausted by fear and guilt."Is your conscience bothering you?" Rodrigo made the sign of the cross over my forehead with his thumb. "There, you are washed clean of all your sins. Come kiss me."The Lion and the Rose picked up where we left off. And then it took us deeper into the lies, deceit, and murders that adorned the Holy City. It was revolting, how the Pope abuses his power; instilling values in his children that the Borgias is above the law. No, he made them believe that the Borgias is the law. It was dark, twisted, and absolutely riveting.There was one particular scene, the Pope made his concubine stripped naked in front of his papal secretaries and pages, to get her portrait sketched by a reluctant painter, within the walls of the Vatican. The entire situation is blasphemous!There were so much darkness and despair. At one point, I was already missing S&P. I wanted Carmelina to be in the kitchen, cooking up some sweet treats. I wanted Giulia to be out in the garden, sunning her floor-length hair; her pet goat 'baaahing' beside her. I wanted Leonello, at the corner of a room where he can get a good view, a book in his hand, muttering rudely at his mistress. It didn't come. But something better came, and it took my breath away.Conclusion: A page-turner that left me breathless. Words are powerless to express my deepest love for Kate Quinn's masterpiece. I was glad I took Amazon's Recommendations seriously, cos it led me to her Rome series, and now to The Borgias series.

I loved this sequel to "The Serpent and the Pearl". I gave the first in the series four stars, mostly because Giulia's character was portrayed a little too soft and dull for my liking. However I felt as though she came into her own at the end of the first book and so I had high hopes for her character in this novel. I was not disappointed! Giulia emerged into a passionate and fiery woman who knew what she wanted and pursued it. Ms. Quinn did a wonderful job of showing her progressive character development and the reasons behind her split with the Borgia family. She entwines historical fact into the fictional storyline of her novel and it makes for a very enjoyable read. This is a novel full of mystery, intrigue and suspense.Just as in the first novel my favorite characters were the fictional ones; Giulia's bodyguard Leonello and her cook Carmelina. These two characters were the main reason the novels were as enjoyable as they were. I formed a strong emotional attachment to both characters and therefore took great interest in their stories. They were both caught up in the tide of the Borgia family's hidden agendas and therefore found themselves in great danger for most of the novel. The Borgia family is well known to have been scrupulous in pursuing their personal interests to the detriment of those around them and Ms. Quinn has utilized this to place her fictional characters in their dangerous hands. Through Giulia's eyes we see how the Borgia clan drops in esteem and we are supportive of Giulia in pulling away from them, although we fear for her too.Overall, I found this novel to be a gripping page turner that held me in suspense throughout. A really great read!

Wow. Really, there is nothing more one needs to say. Three letters, one word. As Amazon doesn't accept such short reviews, I shall expand:First of all, Ms Quinn does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing to life the historical setting. Women unlace their sleeves, use clogs to avoid muddying their shoes, tapers light rooms, quills scrape against paper, velvet rustles and gleams, bells ring out the hours... Not once does ms Quinn set her elegant little toes wrong, thereby immersing me entirely in this vibrant world of the late 15th century, in a Rome dominated by the pope, Rodrigo Borgia, and his somewhat amoral offspring.Secondly, Ms Quinn gives us people of life and blood: Giulia Farnese is no longer a silly girl, she is an intelligent woman who gives us a delightful, dry and humorous insight into her life. She also has the endearing habit of eating whenever she is in a stressful situation, Carmelina has the urge to cook her way out of life's problems (and boy, does my mouth water), Lionello retreats into self-loathing and cynisism, the pope is a marvel of complexity, alternating between primitive possessiveness and elegant manipulation, and as to Cesare Borgia, well here Ms Quinn presents a man so full of talent he could have laid the world at his feet, had he not been so twisted up inside.Thirdly, the plot is a complex, sinuous thing that has the reader alternating between gasps and serious nail-chewing. Fear, anguish, joy, hope - emotions lift from the pages to ensnare and bind, making it more or less impossible to put the book down.Finally, Ms Quinn sure knows how to write.So yes, all in all, one word suffices. WOW. Major, major WOW

I really love this book. Following on from the Serpent and the Pearl (which is equally good) it tells the story of the Borgias as seen through the eyes of three characters - Giulia Farnese, Rodrigo Borgia's mistress, Carmelina the cook, and Leonello, a bad-tempered, sarcastic dwarf who is Giulia's bodyguard. Wonderful characters you can't help feeling for and caring about! There's mystery, murder and passion, beautifully written. Highly recommended.

As always, Kate Quinn's personalities and story line in her novels make great reading

Read both books and throughly enjoyed them.Some truth with a good dollop of intrigue for good measure .Would recommend to people who enjoy ?historical fiction

Very popular I know but I couldn't get into it. Lots of pages about toga styles etc. Girly talk is good of course when writing about women but just lost my attention I'm afraid.

Really enjoyed both books and would highly recommend once I started I couldn't put them down - I loved the characters the setting brilliant very sad there's not a follow on👌