Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked theBritish Monarchy (Paperback)

by Leslie Carroll (Author) "BORN IN ANJOU, FRANCE, HENRY II WAS THE FIRST KING of the Angevin dynasty, a strong ruler who corralled the fractious English barons into submission..." (more)
Key Phrases: royal progress, royal affair, royal lover, Prince of Wales, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty history of 1,000 years of bedroom-hopping secrets and scandals of Britain’s royals.

Insatiable kings, lecherous queens, kissing cousins, and wanton consorts—history has never been so much fun.

Royal unions have always been the stuff of scintillating gossip, from the passionate Plantagenets to Henry VIII’s alarming head count of wives and mistresses, to the Sapphic crushes of Mary and Anne Stuart right on up through the scandal-blighted coupling of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Thrown into loveless, arranged marriages for political and economic gain, many royals were driven to indulge their pleasures outside the marital bed, engaging in delicious flirtations, lurid love letters, and rampant sex with voluptuous and willing partners.

This nearly pathological lust made for some of the most titillating scandals in Great Britain’s history. Hardly harmless, these affairs have disrupted dynastic alliances, endangered lives, and most of all, fed the salacious curiosity of the public for centuries. Royal Affairs will satiate that curiosity by bringing this arousing history alive.

About the Author
Leslie Carroll has written contemporary fiction under her own name, and historical fiction under the pen name of Amanda Elyot.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451223985
• ISBN-13: 978-0451223982
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #337,698 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strictly a beach/summer read, September 9, 2008

By	Anne - See all my reviews

As one reviewer put it...this is definitely a piece of 'fluff'. Thankfully, I am familiar with the British Monarchy so was able to weed-out the historical gaffs and expressions by ambassadors taken out of context.

One glaring gaff is that Ms Carroll wrote that George and Anne Boleyn's father was dead before the sister and brother were executed. That is not true. He was very much alive, and continued to be so for a few years after their deaths.

A major mistake like that always puts me on-edge as to how much to believe in any sort of 'factual' book.

Still and all...it was fun, a definite page-turner, and a good introduction to the American public of the piccadillos of the various Kings and Queens which have graced Great Britain's throne throughout the ages.

Gospel truth? Not by a long shot. However, it is easy enough to pick up, and put down, as the beach waves call.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ROYAL FUN, June 5, 2008

By	Grammy L "New York Grandma" (Riverdale, NY) - See all my reviews

Publisher's Weekly called Amanda Elyot (a/k/a Leslie Carroll) the "Queen of historical fiction". Well, the Queen has now turned her attention to fact, in her non-fiction debut, "ROYAL AFFAIRS: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures that Rocked the British Monarchy".

For lovers of salacious tabloids, this book is a MUST READ! It's hard to believe the goings on among the Royals. Fans of Showtime's "The Tudors" and the popular novel and film "The Other Boleyn Girl", will love the fact that "Royal Affairs" spotlights the TRUE stories behind these beloved (or reviled -depending on how you view it) historical personalities. The old cliche, "truth is stranger than fiction" absolutely applies here. The actual shenanigans of these royal figures and their lovers, as Ms. Carroll recounts wittily, are frequently more exotic, exciting and passionate than those engaged in by their fictional counterparts. Just imagine our ancestors devouring every word of delicious gossip about the royals of their time as we've all digested every titillating word about Prince Charles, Princess Diana and royal mistress Camilla, who had the guts to hang on in until the Prince made an "honest woman" out of her.

The reason for most of these royal marriages was not love -but political and economic gain. So it's not surprising that many kings, queens, dukes and duchesses indulged their libidos without benefit of marriage. Ms. Carroll is a meticulous researcher and her efforts recall various forms of sexual encounters from flirtations and love letters to rampant sex with glamourous (and not so glamourous -or beautiful) men and woman who willingly shared their wares.

For sheer FUN, pick up a copy of ROYAL AFFAIRS... it will make a truly marvelous addition to your summer reading list. You might also pick up some royal tips to add sparkle to your own sex lives.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!, July 8, 2008

By	Alianore (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

Leslie Carroll's Royal Affairs is one of those rare books on history that manages to be both impeccably researched and historically accurate, and wildly entertaining. It's a juicy, brilliantly-written romp through the extra-marital affairs of the kings and queens of England, the kind of book you can either read cover to cover or dip in and out of. The whole book is of very high quality and beautifully presented - kudos to the publishers, as well as to the author for writing such a terrific work!