Goodreads Summary: Cousins to the King of Navarre, the Cleves sisters, witness the glamour and danger of the French royal court firsthand. Middle sister, Catherine, is married to the Duc de Guise, the most rabid Catholic in France. Ambitious and well-connected, Guise is the main rival for the French throne, which is currently occupied by an unpopular Henri III.
Guise managed to win concessions from Henri, but concessions come with a steep price on his head. As his Duchesse, Catherine is in a dangerous position of her own. Determined to play her part in bringing about the downfall of the Valois and the rise of the Guise, Catherine will risk her own safety.
But is the risk worth the rewards? Will either of them escape with their lives? Catherine has to take a chance for herself, and the consequences will change French history.
Based on a true story
The Cleves sisters' story concludes with Catherine, who stands in the middle of court politics in France of the 1500s. Like most great noble families of the period, the web of intermarriages and alliances made enemies out of blood relatives. It also meant that the stories of the people who served the Valois monarchs were as intertwined and as complicated as their marriages.
Led by the ever-vigilant Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France and a force of nature, the members of the court shaped the political and religious future of France of the Sixteenth Century. In the trilogy, you'll meet the often- derided Charlotte, Madame de Sauve, and enough royal mistresses to satisfy your need for scandal.
Guise managed to win concessions from Henri, but concessions come with a steep price on his head. As his Duchesse, Catherine is in a dangerous position of her own. Determined to play her part in bringing about the downfall of the Valois and the rise of the Guise, Catherine will risk her own safety.
But is the risk worth the rewards? Will either of them escape with their lives? Catherine has to take a chance for herself, and the consequences will change French history.
Based on a true story
The Cleves sisters' story concludes with Catherine, who stands in the middle of court politics in France of the 1500s. Like most great noble families of the period, the web of intermarriages and alliances made enemies out of blood relatives. It also meant that the stories of the people who served the Valois monarchs were as intertwined and as complicated as their marriages.
Led by the ever-vigilant Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France and a force of nature, the members of the court shaped the political and religious future of France of the Sixteenth Century. In the trilogy, you'll meet the often- derided Charlotte, Madame de Sauve, and enough royal mistresses to satisfy your need for scandal.
˃˃˃ Don't miss out!
France will never be the same by the time Catherine's story ends. You'll instantly be front and center at the world of the Valois court and all of the danger and splendor of Renaissance France!
Goodreads Rating: 3.63 stars with under 100 ratings
Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, French Culture
Get the book: Amazon
Goodreads Challenge: 5/30
Reviews of the series: Almost a Queen by Laura Du Pre (Book1), Lady of the Court by Laura Du Pre (Book 2)
Review:
Fate's Mistress is the final book in the Three Grace's trilogy. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a category to put it in for the 2018 Book Challenge. The third book follows the oldest of the Cleves sisters, Catherine. Where the first two books overlap, I believe this one takes place right after the second in the trilogy.
At first, I really enjoyed reading Catherine's story. Like the other two books, Fate's Mistress is under 150 pages. I couldn't say where exactly, but towards the end of the book I started to lose interest in it. I felt like it needed a lot of editing work done. The entire series needed it, but this book especially needed it. I felt like a lot of minor details weren't consistent in the story. Things like how many children Catherine and Henri had as well as their names seemed to change quite a few times.
I think that Fate's Mistress covered quite a few more years than the other books did, which made it kind of keep track of. I found most of the details somewhat forgettable, and am struggling to get my thoughts out about it. The ending felt anti-climatic. It was more or less a bunch of battles for change, but nothing actually changed except for a few key players. Overall, I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, but Fate's Mistress fell short for me.
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