What is Kate Quinn reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Kate Quinn, author of The Lion and the Rose.

Her entry begins:

Some of my favorite books of the year so far . . . and as a writer of historical fiction, it's no surprise that HF is a big part of this list.

The Red Lily Crown, by Elizabeth Loupas. I read an ARC of this to see about giving it a cover quote, and I was absolutely delighted to do so. I'm a fan of Loupas's anyway (her The Second Duchess and The Flower Reader are superb) and Red Lily Crown might be my favorite yet: a tough-as-nails street urchin in Renaissance Florence who ends up serving a mad-as-a-hatter Duke obsessed with alchemical experiments. She gets a lot more than she bargained for, and a front-row seat to the world of Medici madness, murder, and blood-lust. A subplot of poison and addiction gives everything the sheen of a dark fairy tale, the kind where the fair maiden might...[read on]

About The Lion and the Rose, from the publisher:

From the national bestselling author of The Serpent and the Pearl comes the continuing saga of the ruthless family that holds all of Rome in its grasp, and the three outsiders thrust into their twisted web of blood and deceit...

As the cherished concubine of the Borgia Pope Alexander VI, Giulia Farnese has Rome at her feet. But after narrowly escaping a sinister captor, she realizes that the danger she faces is far from over—and now, it threatens from within. The Holy City of Rome is still under Alexander’s thrall, but enemies of the Borgias are starting to circle. In need of trusted allies, Giulia turns to her sharp-tongued bodyguard, Leonello, and her fiery cook and confidante, Carmelina.

Caught in the deadly world of the Renaissance’s most notorious family, Giulia, Leonello, and Carmelina must decide if they will flee the dangerous dream of power. But as the shadows of murder and corruption rise through the Vatican, they must learn who to trust when every face wears a mask...

Learn more about the book and author at Kate Quinn's website and blog.

Read--Coffee with a Canine: Kate Quinn and Caesar.

My Book, The Movie: Empress of the Seven Hills.

The Page 69 Test: The Serpent and the Pearl.

The Page 69 Test: The Lion and the Rose.

Writers Read: Kate Quinn.

--Marshal Zeringue