The Scroll of Seduction: A Novel of Power, Madness, and Royalty Book

On an outing from her boarding school, young Lucía meets Manuelâ??art historian and exquisite storytellerâ??who shares with her the tale of one of history's most tumultuous loves: Queen Juana of Castile's legendary devotion to her husband, Prince Philippe the Handsome. Embracing a union thrust upon her by political necessity, Juana responds with all the passionate abandon inherent in her fiery natureâ??and is forced to pay a high price for her honest sensuality. For there are those at the Renaissance court who will not allow such unabashed independence in the heir to one of the world's most powerful empiresâ??and they declare Juana mad, denying her ascension to the throne. But is she truly insane, or is she merely a victim of her own impetuosity and unbridled desire? Or is Juana a pawn in a fierce power struggle for control of the throne? Lucía attends raptly to the tale Manuel relatesâ??and their own story begins to miraculously, dangerously mirror that of Juana the Mad and her beloved prince. Read More