Madonna of the Seven Hills : A Novel of the Borgias

The most beautiful woman in Rome, Lucrezia Borgia, was born into a family'and a destiny'she could not hope to escape ... Fifteenth-century Rome: The Borgia family is on the rise. Lucrezia's father, Pope Alexander VI, places his illegitimate daughter and her only brothers, Cesare, Giovanni, and Goffredo, in the jeweled splendor'and scandal'of his court. From the Pope's affairs with adolescent girls to Cesare's dangerous jealousy of anyone who inspires Lucrezia's affections to the ominous birth of a child conceived in secret, no Borgia can elude infamy. Young Lucrezia gradually accepts her fate as she comes to terms with the delicate nature of her relationships with her father and brothers. The unbreakable bond she shares with them both exhilarates and terrifies her as her innocence begins to fade. Soon she will understand that her family's love pales next to their quest for power and that she herself is the greatest tool in their political arsenal. From the inimitable pen of Jean Plaidy, this family's epic legend is replete with passion, intrigue, and murder'and it's only the beginning. From the Trade Paperback edition In a castle in the mountains outside Rome, Lucrezia Borgia is born into history's most notorious family. Her father, who is to become Pope Alexander VI, receives his first daughter warmly, and her brothers, Cesare and Giovanni, are devoted to her. But on the corrupt and violent streets of the capital the Borgia family is feared, and Lucrezia's father causes scandal, living up to his reputation of 'most carnal man of his age'. As Lucrezia matures into a beautiful young woman, her brothers are ever more protective and become fierce rivals for her attention. Amid glorious celebrations their father becomes Pope, and shortly after Lucrezia is married - but as Borgias the lives of the Pope's children are destined to be marred by scandal and tragedy, and it's a fate that Lucrezia cannot hope to escape.