Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

Decidedly a horse of a different color was the artist George Romney (1734-1802). In the parlance of the 18th century, he would be termed an Original, a description used for people who were truly different, as unique as that horse described by Frank Baum in The Wizard of Oz. Whilst there were, for sure, commonalities with Romney’s fellow painters Reynolds and Gainsborough in the area of their very great artistic talent, there were singular differences as well in personality and temperament that made Romney different from the usual run of talented artists. One such example would be the strange story of his 30-year estrangement from his wife; another would be his life-long obsession with another man’s mistress. Indeed, if a film were ever to be made of the artist George Romney’s unusual life, an apt title might be Obsession, for he was a man too obsessed with beauty. Not abstract beauty, but beauty made flesh. His obsession with a beautiful woman who was no better than she should be --...

I have been a fan of Bram Stoker's DRACULA, ever since I first read the book in high school. And I've seen pretty much every adaptation known to man including the last BBC miniseries that had Dracula as a cure for syphilis (don't ask, it didn't make sense to me either. Something about him draining the nasty syphilitic blood and replacing it with his blood). My favorite will always be Frank Langella in DRACULA based on the Balderston and Deane play. So I'm pretty particular about other adaptations of the book. As an old friend once said, "if it ain't broke," but I jumped at the chance to review Karen Essex's DRACULA IN LOVE because I'm a huge fan of her previous books. I'm happy to say that she didn't disappoint me, and in fact exceeded my expectations.  The book is being touted on the back cover as TWILIGHT for grown-ups, which is almost an insult, because it is so much better than that and better written (I'm not a huge Twilight fa...

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The winner of Jeanne Kalogridis' THE SCARLET CONTESSA is Pricilla Pricilla, I will email you to get your address. I want to thank everyone who entered, and I hope that you will enter the FOR THE KING giveaway. And stay tuned for more giveaways and some fascinating women coming your way.

Happy Bastille Day! I'm so pleased to have gotten the chance to interview Catherine Delors about her wonderful new novel FOR THE KING (Dutton, July 2010). I had the pleasure of meeting Catherine this past winter, and found her delightful. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of FOR THE KING! From the inside cover:  The Reign of Terror has ended, and Napoléon Bonaparte has seized power, but shifting political loyalties still tear apart families and lovers. On Christmas Eve 1800, a bomb explodes along Bonaparte's route, narrowly missing him but striking dozens of bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel, a young policeman with a bright future and a beautiful mistress, must arrest the assassins before they attack again. Complicating Miquel's investigation are the maneuverings of his superior, the redoubtable Fouché, the indiscretions of his own father, a former Jacobin, and two intriguing women. Based on real events and characters and rich with historical detail, Fo...

This month, Scandalous Women is giving away a copy of Jeanne Kalogridis new novel, THE SCARLET CONTESSA.  Daughter of the Duke of Milan and wife of the conniving Count Girolamo Riario, Caterina Sforza was the bravest warrior Renaissance Italy ever knew. She ruled her own lands, fought her own battles, and openly took lovers whenever she pleased. From the inside cover: Her remarkable tale is told by her lady-in-waiting, Dea, a woman knowledgeable in reading the “triumph cards,” the predecessor of modern-day Tarot. As Dea tries to unravel the truth about her husband’s murder, Caterina single-handedly holds off invaders who would steal her title and lands. However, Dea’s reading of the cards reveals that Caterina cannot withstand a third and final invader—none other than Cesare Borgia, son of the corrupt Pope Alexander VI, who has an old score to settle with Caterina. Trapped inside the Fortress at Ravaldino as Borgia’s cannons pound the walls, Dea reviews Caterina’s scandalous p...

The Brontes are catching up to Jane Austen (no one seems to want to write about George Eliot!) in terms of number of books being published about the sisters. No less than 3 historical fiction novels have been published this year alone, following on the heels of The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James (which I read and liked) and Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler (which I haven't yet read). Here are brief previews of the current Bronte books. First up: CHARLOTTE AND EMILY by Jude Morgan St. Martin's Griffin From the back cover:  From an obscure country parsonage came three extraordinary sisters, who defied the outward bleakness of their lives to create the most brilliant literary work of their time. Now, in an astonishingly daring novel by the acclaimed Jude Morgan, the genius of the haunted Brontës is revealed and the sisters are brought to full, resplendent life: Emily, who turned from the world to the greater temptations of the imagination; gentle Anne,...