The Italian Woman A Catherine De Medici Novel (Paperback)

From the Publisher: From the grande dame of historical fiction, the second novel in the classic trilogy?back in print after more than twenty years?brilliantly depicts the life of the powerful Queen who was loved by few and feared by many. When Catherine de' Medici was forced to marry Henry of Orleans, her heart was not the only one that was broken. Jeanne of Navarre once dreamed of marrying this same prince, but like Catherine, she must comply with France's political needs. And so both Catherine and Jeanne's lives are set on unwanted paths, destined to cross in affairs of state, love, and faith, driving them to become deadly political rivals.      Years later Jeanne is happily married to the dashing but politically inept Antoine de Bourbon. But the widowed Catherine is now the ambitious mother of princes, who will do anything to see her beloved second son, Henry, rule France. As civil war ravages the country and Jeanne fights for the Huguenot cause, Catherine advances along her unholy road, making enemies at every turn.