Hey everyone! I'm totally psyched to help spread the word about the upcoming novel, EMPIRE OF DUST, by hosting this exclusive spotlight and giveaway! Read on for more info on the book - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway at the bottom of the post!
Empire of Dust (Blood of Gods and Royals #2)
Author: Eleanor Herman
Genre: YA Historical/Fantasy
Release Date: June 28, 2016
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Description:
In Macedon, war rises
like smoke, forbidden romance blooms and ancient magic tempered with
rage threatens to turn an empire to dust
After winning his first
battle, Prince Alexander fights to become the ruler his kingdom
demands—but the line between leader and tyrant blurs with each new
threat.
Meanwhile, Hephaestion, cast aside by Alexander for
killing the wrong man, must conceal the devastating secret of a divine
prophecy from Katerina even as the two of them are thrust together on a
dangerous mission to Egypt.
The warrior, Jacob, determined to
forget his first love, vows to eradicate the ancient Blood Magics and
believes that royal prisoner Cynane holds the key to Macedon's undoing.
And
in chains, the Persian princess Zofia still longs to find the Spirit
Eaters, but first must grapple with the secrets of her handsome—and
deadly—captor.
New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman
entwines the real scandals of history with epic fantasy to reimagine the
world's most brilliant ruler, Alexander the Great, in the second book
of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.
Check out the first book in the series:
New York Times best-seller
Eleanor Herman offers a rare combination of skills for a historian – her
research is intensely scholarly, yet she writes the story in a
colorful, witty manner.
“History is so fascinating that it never
has to be presented in a boring way,” she explains. “These were flesh
and blood people, just like you and me, facing war and plague, falling
in love, living among splendid art and gut-wrenching poverty. Sometimes
people ask me if I plan to write novels. And I say, with all the things
that really happened, who needs to make stuff up?”
Reviewers
agree. The New York Times Book Review wrote that Eleanor writes
“enlightening social history that is great fun to read.”
The Boston Globe wrote, “Herman’s writing sparkles off the pages.”
The Washington Post called Eleanor Herman “A lot more fun than Danielle Steel or Dan Brown.”
Eleanor
calls herself a “Sherlock Holmes of history.” To research Mistress of
the Vatican, she traveled to Italy hot on the trail of documents related
to Olimpia Maidalchini and Pope Innocent X, and found a cache of their
letters. She visited Olimpia’s palace in the Piazza Navona in Rome (now
the Embassy of Brazil), her villa outside the city (now used by the
prime minister of Italy for entertainment), and the papal palace of the
Quirinale, (now the ceremonial palace of the President of Italy.) She
visited Olimpia’s birthplace in Viterbo, 50 miles north of Rome, her
tomb in San Martino, the town she built for dowerless girls, and her
country hunting lodge, gracefully falling to ruin.
Eleanor read
countless diplomatic dispatches, letters, and contemporary records on
life in seventeenth century Rome. Her fluency in French, German, and
Italian has been invaluable in researching sources that have never been
translated into English.
Mistress of the Vatican is Eleanor’s third
book. Sex with Kings – a history of royal mistresses – appeared in 2004,
and Sex with the Queen – a history of queens who took lovers – was
published in 2006. Eleanor is a frequent commentator in the media about
royal scandals, and has hosted episodes for The History Channel’s show,
Lost Worlds, to air in the 2007-8 season. Born in Baltimore, Maryland,
Eleanor graduated with a degree in journalism from Towson University,
studied languages in Europe, and for thirteen years worked for NATO’S
Nations & Partners for Peace magazine. She is married and lives in
McLean, VA. (Author biography & photo taken from Goodreads.)
Author Links:
(1) Winner will receive an ARC of Empire of Dust + a set of gold snake temporary tattoos inspired by Olympias - Open to US only! Ends 6/7!
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