Pealing bells and sacred mystery incantations for Jo Graham’s historical fantasy A Blackened Mirror, which takes to the skies today like a flight of doves! It’s perfectly fitting that this riveting work takes wing during a breathtaking Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

A Blackened Mirror is the first in the series Memoirs of the Borgia Sibyl, which follows the rise of Giulia Farnese, known to historians as a formidably learned and intelligent advisor to two Renaissance popes. But in Graham’s vision Giulia is also a seer, despite the dangers of such a talent in her era. Transposing the myth of Persephone and Hades onto the opulent Rome of the Borgias, A Blackened Mirror is kin to Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel works and Guy Gavriel Kay’s imaginative transmutations. The mouth-watering synopsis:

1489—When Giulia Farnese came to Rome to make an arranged marriage with young noble Orsino Orsini, she dreamed of learning and power in the glittering city of the Renaissance popes. However, her mother-in-law seems frightened, and her husband refuses to consummate the marriage at the direction of the head of his family, Lord Bracciano. But Giulia herself has a secret: she sees visions in mirrors and hears the whispers of spirits, the gifts of an ancient sibyl in an age when magic is heresy punishable by death. Is this ability the reason Bracciano has trapped her in this sham of a marriage?

As she struggles to unearth answers, Giulia finds herself drawn to her mother-in-law’s cousin, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. Ruthless, sophisticated, and old enough to be Giulia’s father, Rodrigo is a humanist, a collector of pagan art and heretical writings, and a loving father to his illegitimate children. He is a bright spot in Giulia’s chilly life—but to Bracciano, he’s a political rival to be removed. Bracciano’s dark rites to summon demons may make Giulia the instrument of Rodrigo’s destruction.

Dealing with demons is a mortal sin. Refusing Bracciano would be a fatal mistake. And Giulia’s growing attraction to Rodrigo might be her downfall—or the key to her salvation. To defy the demon’s power and seize control of her life, Giulia will need to cross the line between innocence and dangerous knowledge. And once she’s descended into that underworld, she is not coming back unchanged.

Jo Graham is the author of twenty-five books and two online games. Best known for her historical fantasy novels Black Ships and Stealing Fire, and her tie-in novels for MGM’s popular Stargate series, she has been a Locus Award finalist, an Amazon Top Choice, a Spectrum Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick in historical fiction and a Lambda Literary Award and Rainbow Award nominee for bisexual fiction. With Melissa Scott, she is the author of five books in the Order of the Air series, a historical fantasy series set in the 1920s and 30s. She is also the author of two pagan spirituality books. She lives in North Carolina with her partner and is the mother of two daughters.

A Blackened Mirror boasts a stunning cover by Alexael, and received enthusiastic endorsements from, among others, Publishers Weekly and genre legends Carey, Burgis and Scott. Excerpts (more on the title’s shop page):

Graham (Black Ships) recalls the legacy of Taylor Caldwell and Mary Renault in this smart series launch, humanizing history from the perspective of deeply imagined, unironically presented characters. // … this slow-building introduction to complex intrigue will please readers looking for vivid historical fare with just a touch of magic. —Publishers Weekly

Ancient Greek and Roman rituals lie like a palimpsest beneath the streets of a Rome resplendent in full Catholic regalia in this tale of ambition, desire, intrigue and enchantment. La Bella Farnese is a compelling heroine, and author Jo Graham casts her Renaissance spell with a deft hand. —Jacqueline Carey, award-winning author of the Kushiel Universe series

An addictively rich, vivid and lushly written Renaissance fantasy // Jo Graham’s writing style is beautiful, as always, and her story-telling is utterly compulsive from beginning to end. —Stephanie Burgis, author of Masks and Shadows and Snowspelled

Once again, Graham proves herself a master of historical fantasy—this time, the Italian Renaissance, portrayed in all its glorious complexity. Giulia Farnese is the ideal protagonist, ardent, ambitious, sharp of wit and tongue, willing to risk everything. I devoured the book, and cannot wait for the rest of the series. —Melissa Scott, legendary pioneering SFF author and winner of multiple genre awards

A Blackened Mirror is available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo – and of course on our website, where buying the lovingly prepared trade paperback also brings along the full digital bundle (PDF, Epub and Mobi) . All C&G ebooks are DRM-free. The ongoing US Post Office upheaval has necessitated use of UPS for shipping, which in turn has unfortunately forced us to raise shipping fees.

Come unfold the resplendent tarocchi deck of A Blackened Mirror with us, and scry in clouded glass! And heartfelt thanks to my irreplaceable website wrangler Scottie Watts, who made today’s celebratory posts possible.