"INSATIABLE KINGS. LECHEROUS QUEENS. KISSING COUSINS. WANTON CONSRTS."WELCOME TO NEARLY A THOUSAND YEARS OF NAUGHTY BEHAVIOR.
"Royal unions have always been the stuff of scintillating gossip, from the passionate Plantagenets to Henry VIII's alarming head count of wives and mistresses, to the sapphic crushes of Mary and Anne Stuart, right up to the scandal-blighted coupling of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Shoved into loveless arranged marriages for political and economic gain, many royals were driven to seek their pleasures outside the marital bed, engaging in delicious flirtations, lurid love letters, and rampant sex with voluptuous and willing paramours.
"This nearly pathological lust made for some of the most titillating scandals in Great Britain's history. Hardly harmless, these affairs disrupted dynastic alliances, endangered lives, and most of all, fed the salacious curiosity of the public for centutries.
"PEEK BETWEEN THE COVERS...."
I read this book when it was really quiet as work. At first, it was just something to do, but it very quickly turned into something I really enjoyed. The writing was fantastic; written almost like a modern romance novel. It was so much fun to read (as I imagine most all juicy gossip is). Though, this was not just a compillation of facts and rumors, but it was made much more interesting by snippets of first-hand accounts of the people themselves. There are even some lines from actual surviving love notes between the lovers. Not only that, but the author incorporated fascinating information about the royals' reigns which serves to make the people on the pages really come to life. In fact, I read this book with a pictoral history of the British Monarchy, which made the people--at least the monarchs--look more like real people. The descriptions provided by Carroll were enriched by the actual paintings and drawings of them.
Overall, this was a very fun book to read. I had a difficult time putting the book down when I was forced to get back to work. Everyday, I would constantly glance at the clock until I would allow myself a few moments of peace to read this book. I really, truly enjoyed the writing. It is not often that a non-fiction book will capture me as well as this one did. I highly recommend it to those looking for a fun read.