The Lion and the Rose: 2 (A Novel of the Borgias)

The completion of the Borgia Chronicle winds up the Giulia Farnese story. Yet another of Kate Quinn's page-turners.

I loved this sequel to "The Serpent and the Pearl". I gave the first in the series four stars, mostly because Giulia's character was portrayed a little too soft and dull for my liking. However I felt as though she came into her own at the end of the first book and so I had high hopes for her character in this novel. I was not disappointed! Giulia emerged into a passionate and fiery woman who knew what she wanted and pursued it. Ms. Quinn did a wonderful job of showing her progressive character development and the reasons behind her split with the Borgia family. She entwines historical fact into the fictional storyline of her novel and it makes for a very enjoyable read. This is a novel full of mystery, intrigue and suspense.Just as in the first novel my favorite characters were the fictional ones; Giulia's bodyguard Leonello and her cook Carmelina. These two characters were the main reason the novels were as enjoyable as they were. I formed a strong emotional attachment to both characters and therefore took great interest in their stories. They were both caught up in the tide of the Borgia family's hidden agendas and therefore found themselves in great danger for most of the novel. The Borgia family is well known to have been scrupulous in pursuing their personal interests to the detriment of those around them and Ms. Quinn has utilized this to place her fictional characters in their dangerous hands. Through Giulia's eyes we see how the Borgia clan drops in esteem and we are supportive of Giulia in pulling away from them, although we fear for her too.Overall, I found this novel to be a gripping page turner that held me in suspense throughout. A really great read!

When I first reviewed a Kate Quinn book, I had some doubts. Her writing style emulated other authors I had read, but I felt relied a little too much on their work, which detracted from her own (maybe a coincidence, but I felt not). However, I did think she had a promising writing style which made me stick with it. I've now read all of her current books, ending with this one, and I have to say that I feel Kate Quinn has finally arrived as a polished and talented writer on her own account. The two Borgia books were humorous, dark in places, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. I loved the way the various characters' tales interwove, and her take on the Borgias was a delight - the archetypal amoral family. Really looking forward to her next offering

Entertaining, full of colors and quite interesting. Has a nice depth and at the same time it's an easy read. Liked it!

A very good read. I enjoyed the characters and the weave of history into fiction. Another book and a trilogy will be born.