Poison In The Blood: The Memoirs of Lucrezia Borgia [Kindle Edition]

M. G. Scarsbrook (Author)

Book Description

Lucrezia Borgia fights to save her husband from assasination by her powerful family...

1497, Renaissance Rome: As the teenage daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia Borgia is a young noblewoman immersed in all the glamor of the Vatican Palace. Yet after a brutal killing shocks the city, Lucrezia learns that a dark truth lies beneath the surface of the Papal Court: in their ruthless quest for power, her father and brother are willing to poison their enemies.

Her family are murderers.

After discovering that her new husband is next to die, Lucrezia struggles to help him escape from Rome before the assassins strike. Against a barrage of political intrigues, papal spies, and diabolical tricks, Lucrezia uses all her wits to defy her family and save her husband from assassination.

But as tragedy looms ever closer, and her plans gradually fail, she finds herself confronting an enemy far more sinister than she ever imagined…

INCLUDED INSIDE:
- An exclusive excerpt of M. G. Scarsbrook's novel THE MARLOWE CONSPIRACY, an historical thriller set in Elizabethan England, featuring Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare teaming-up to expose a high-level government conspiracy!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone who enjoys Medieval Italy, love, betrayal and a strong, resourceful heroine on a knife edge, will enjoy this well researched and well written book." -- Historical Novel Review

About the Author

Matthew Graham Scarsbrook is a prize-winning screenwriter and novelist. He is the author of two historical suspense novels, THE MARLOWE CONSPIRACY and POISON IN THE BLOOD. He recently adapted THE MARLOWE CONSPIRACY into a screenplay and won the nationwide Writers On The Storm Screenwriting Contest, placing first out of 1000 entries. Matthew currently lives in South Gloucestershire, UK and is now at work on a new detective series.

Product Details

• File Size: 812 KB
• Print Length: 306 pages
• Publisher: Red Herring (November 8, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004BA5FLO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,298 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Renaissance
  • #11 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Renaissance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Poison in the Blood, The Memoirs of Lucrezia Borgia May 15, 2011

By Lucy's Reviews- Enchanted By Josephine

Format:Paperback

I didn't know quite what to expect when I began reading Scarsbrook's new novel: Poison in The Blood. How was this historical novel going to be any different from the one (by a different author) I just recently read on Lucrezia? Honestly, I often find it difficult to read same subject- character books, one right after the other. So, needless to say, my excitement was not that great- but, I was on for the ride.

Well, I couldn't have been more surprised! Not only did I get a novel filled with more than the basic history as I know it (perfect timeframe, setting and figures) but this one is also a memoir. Written in the first person, Poison in the Blood brilliantly portrays Lucrezia's smarts, her compassion, love, strength of character and wit; something that is not always easily achieved when writing in this perspective.

But really, the thing that I found most interesting in this novel was the poison twist. Historically, the Borgias have always been suspected of dabbling in this area- so why not a novel exposing this? Scarsbrook is brilliant in weaving a plot that ties fiction and history together. Granted, the ending (which I will not give away!) is different from the real history; nevertheless, it could have been quite plausible, with the outcome of Lucrezia definitely being a less-maligned historical heroine.

I particularly enjoyed scenes involving Lucrezia's estranged mother, as well as the famous Machiavelli himself. These touches within the book brought Lucrezia to life for me. Her thoughts, emotions and actions made her so real that I began to empathize with her. Her father, the grand schemer of things was as brutal and conniving as we know. But, Cesare shows another side of his, as well (Though don't get fooled he's still bad!).... Living such a twisted life, Lucrezia, who is usually portrayed as a pawn, was clever and strong in reversing her fate. And, that's what I loved most.

Brilliantly crafted, Poison in the Blood is a quick and engaging read that does not feign its way through the history. Rather, it brings an element of `what if' that is splendidly interpreted into something more than just plain history. Scarsbrook has re-invented the past with this work of fiction by bringing in suspense with a twist to create a book that is well worth reading.
Category: YA
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! March 6, 2011

By Brooks Uhrig

Format:Paperback

Loved this book! I've just graduated and reading is the last thing that I would want to do! I usually don't have time nor do I want to make time but for some reason I couldn't put this one down. There was lot's of suspense and unraveling of the darkness of the family which keeps you gripped and wanting to know more the whole time. It's especially clever that this is all based on an actual historical figures so that made it much more interesting to read. Can't wait to read more from this author!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poison In The Blood: The Memoirs of Lucrezia Borgia March 8, 2011

By Jessejolily

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I greatly enjoyed M.G. Scarsbrook interpretation of the events that helped create the Borgia legacy. Scarsbrook's descriptive setting and his heroine,the vivacious Lucrezia, provided a real sense of what it was like to survive in the family of his "holiness" Pope Alexander VI. If you like this genre, you will find this to be an intriguing and adventurous story, served up with some plausible Borgia history that is skillfully topped off with a touch of Machiavelli and the prince (Cesare). I am glad that I had the chance to finish this entertaining read - just in time for the April start of The Borgias series on Showtime.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Massively inaccurate March 4, 2011

By krae81

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading 7 biographies on the Borgias and 3 fictional novels about them, I think I'm fairly familiar with the factual history. Unfortunately, one cannot say the same for this author. I was excited when I started reading as he opened in a way that really drew me in to the action. However, I only got 10% (reading on my Kindle, not sure how many pages), and couldn't force myself to continue. Everything from Alexander making his children swear to have no contact with their mother, Vannozza, to the events on the night of Juan's (Giovanni) murder, to Alfonso of Bisceglie being Lucrezia's first husband.....all completely false and that was only in the very beginning of the book. I can't even imagine how many more discrepancies there are in the book, but I certainly won't be finding out for myself. This is one of the worst examples of historical fiction I've ever come across. If you don't know, or care, about historical facts, you may enjoy this, but if you value accuracy in your historical fiction, take a pass on this one. There are too many high-quality novels on the time period to waste your time on this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Drama at its Finest December 18, 2011

By Kate Quinn

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

NOTE TO AUTHOR: I bought this book as a birthday present for my husband John Quinn, who just inhales historical novels. This is his review:

"Poison in the Blood, the Memoirs of Lucrezia Borgia," by M.G. Scarsbrook is a tale of ambition, lust, intrigue and murder that riveted my attention from beginning to end. The fictionalized autobiography of the infamous Italian Duchess, her ruthlessly ambitious father, who hid behind a mask of piety as Pope Alexander VI, and her brother Cesare, a valiant warrior who was his father's pride and joy, until he started making friends in the wrong places. Along the way we meet Nicollo Machiavelli, whose philosophies set the blueprint for our modern day political leaders.

To my knowledge, none of the Borgia clan ever committed their memoirs to print, but Mr. Scarsbrook presents a very convincing argument of what they might have said if they had. With a writing style that shows strong character development, and a smoothly flowing storyline that has many surprising twists and turns, he actually has carefully researched his subject matter, and is very knowledgeable of this period of history. The dialogue rings true and the character motivations are always clearly understood.

"Poison in the Blood" is reading entertainment of the first order, combining interesting speculation and good old fashioned storytelling. As an added bonus, an excerpt of Scarsbrook's "The Marlowe Conspiracy" is included, which I look forward to reading in its entirety.

--John Rudolph Quinn

More About the Author

MATTHEW GRAHAM SCARSBROOK is a prize-winning screenwriter and novelist.

He was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1981, but has lived and studied in three countries: Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. In particular, he has intimate knowledge of English history and culture: his family are all British and he has lived the majority of his life in England. This cultural experience is an important influence on his work.

Matthew has a BA in Philosophy from The University of British Columbia, and an MA in Screenwriting from CSU Northridge. As a student, his scripts were twice selected for performance at the cinema department's annual showcase -- an unprecedented achievement in the department's history.

He recently adapted THE MARLOWE CONSPIRACY into a screenplay and won the nationwide Writers On The Storm Screenwriting Contest, placing first out of 1000 entries. This script has also ranked within the top 30 at the Nicholl Fellowships, the most prestigious screenwriting contest in the world.

Matthew now lives in the UK and is currently at work on a new detective series.

To learn more, please visit www.mgscarsbrook.com