Description

1492: Giulia Farnese is the mistress of the powerful Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. Educated, brave and ambitious, Giulia revels in the art and ideas of the Renaissance and in her newfound influence as the consort of one of the leaders of the humanist movement within the Vatican. The gifts of prophecy and magic that made her a weapon against Rodrigo but allowed her to save his life are gone with her virginity—or so she thinks.

Now the pope is dying, plunging Rome into lawless chaos until a new pope can be elected. The most likely candidates want to purge Rome of heresy, endangering both Giulia’s friends and the fragile Renaissance itself. A dark horse candidate who most people underestimate to their peril, Rodrigo is ruthless and clever; but to seize the ultimate prize of the papacy, he’ll need all the help he can get. He relies on Giulia to be his eyes and ears in the world of powerful women and to negotiate on his behalf when the voting cardinals are locked in seclusion.

Drawn into a high-stakes game of bribery and bargains, Giulia discovers all too soon that losing means paying a deadly price. Her only hope of protecting those she cares about from Rodrigo’s enemies lies in mastering the magical gifts she once thought lost. For Giulia to claim the divine power of a pagan priestess may be the ultimate heresy—or a way to win her lover the papal crown.

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Praise for The Borgia Dove:

I relished every word of Borgia Dove. Jo Graham paints these larger-than-life characters in a gloriously dynamic mural with grace and wit. —Sherwood Smith, creator of the Sartorias-deles universe, Nebula award finalist (please check the wonderful long review in GoodReads)

Passion, intrigue, politics, and a papal election, all portrayed with Graham’s trademark historical flair. I was planning to read this one slowly to savor every beautifully-chosen detail, but ended up finishing it in two days—I couldn’t put it down. —Melissa Scott, legendary pioneering SFF author and winner of multiple genre awards

An insightful meditation on the rare alignment of true love and pure ambition—no one writes the Borgias like Jo Graham. —E. K. Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author

The Borgia Dove is a very sensual and sensuous book // Not just sexual and carnal pleasures, mind you, but the entire world is brought alive with all the senses in mind. // Graham’s The Borgia Dove brings us into Giulia’s world, life, passions and desires in a fully immersive way. —Paul Weimer, SFF book reviewer and Hugo award finalist (full review)

The Borgia Dove is an intelligent, action-packed fantasy of vivid characters and well-researched history, filled with so much life I know I won’t be able to read about Rome in this era now without hearing Giulia’s voice and seeing it through her eyes. —K.V. Johansen, author of Gods of the Caravan Road

The second novel in the Sybil series only cements the fact that [Jo Graham] is going to be a powerhouse in the world of historical fiction – and that will be a well deserved title. I just adore how Graham weaves words and creates these beautiful tapestries. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next novel… —Samantha Morris, Borgia scholar (full review)

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The Borgia Dove
by Jo Graham
Published by Candlemark & Gleam, June 2024
290 pages
ISBN: 978-1-952456-24-4
eISBN: 978-1-952456-25-1
Cover artist: Alexael
Series: Memoirs of the Borgia Sibyl #2