Review & Giveaway: Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland

Little Louise de la Valliere, known as "Petite" by her family, was crazy about horses from the time she could walk. When she was six years old she found an untameable white stallion at a gypsy horse fair and convinced her father to buy it. The white horse, named Diablo, was aggressive and would not let anyone near him. Petite had heard of a dark magic spell that was said to tame horses. She tried it while her family was away, committing her soul to the devil (she believed) to work the magic. She was successful, the horse was tamed and allowed her on its back.

The trouble began as soon as her parents returned. The sight of Petite on Diablo caused her beloved father to collapse. He recovered but did not live long. On the day he died, Diablo disappeared. Soon Petite's mother sends her son to school and Petite to a convent so she can find a rich husband.

Louise-Franciose La Baume Le Blanc de la Valliere

It takes a few years, but eventually Petite's mother marries a Marquis and gets Petite a place at court as a lady-in-waiting. There she captures the eye, and heart, of young King Louis. Their affair catapults Petite from the heights of happiness to the deepest of grief. The years they spend together are the formative years of Louis as King, he repairs the damage done to the country by corrupt officials and France becomes prosperous and wealthy once more. The couple have four children together. Through it all, Petite is haunted by the memory of the white horse, guilt over the death of her father and her belief that she was cursed by her long-ago spell.

King Louis XIV

I must admit, Petite won my heart on the very first page. Her feisty personality leaps off of the pages and I was rooting for her the whole time. The book is packed with Sandra Gulland's excellent detail of France in the seventeenth century. I was already a fan of Ms. Gulland, I read and loved all of her previous books, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales Of Passion Tales Of Woe and The Last Great Dance on Earth (The Josephine B. Trilogy). This was an exciting, rich historical novel and I was sorry to see it end!

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing my review and giveaway copies!

Mistress of the Sun is published by Touchstone. ISBN 978-0-7432-9892-6

I have one copy of Mistress of the Sun to give away! This contest is open WORLDWIDE. To enter, please leave a comment here telling me who your favorite historical figure is. Three extra entries for anyone who becomes a follower (or follows already), blogs about the contest, or tweets on twitter. (Please leave me a separate comment if you do any of these). Enter until midnight eastern time on May 18. Winner will be drawn at random and notified via email, please make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! Good luck!