{"title":"C. W. Gortner","description":"C. W. Gortner holds an MFA in writing, with an emphasis on historical studies, from the New College of California. He is the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of Mademoiselle Chanel, The Queen's Vow, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici,  The Last Queen,  The Vatican Princess, and Marlene, among other books. He divides his time between Northern California and Antigua, Guatemala. To learn more about his work and to schedule a book group chat with him, please visit his website.","products":[{"product_id":"the-romanov-empress-a-novel-of-tsarina-maria-feodorovna-paperback","title":"The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir comes a dramatic novel of the beloved Empress Maria, the Danish princess who became the mother of the last Russian tsar.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This epic tale is captivating and beautifully told.\"--Lisa Wingate, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBefore We Were Yours\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage--as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria's eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir, Alexander, and once he ascends the throne, becomes empress. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie--now called Maria--must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Her husband's death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas's strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has led her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Romanov Empress\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Timely . . . [Gortner's] ability to weave what reads as a simple tale from such complex historical and familial storylines is impressive. . . . Maria's life as a royal reads like a historical soap opera.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Gortner, an experienced hand at recreating the unique aura of a particular time and place, will deftly sweep historical-fictions fans into this glamorous, turbulent, and ultimately tragic chapter in history.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Mesmerizing . . . This insightful first-person account of the downfall of the Romanov rule . . . is the powerful story of a mother trying to save her family and an aristocrat fighting to maintain rule in a country of rebellion.\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A twist on the tragic story you've heard many times before.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102590931167,"sku":"9780425286180","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/2XFR8XRJSs9780425286180.webp?v=1781083547"},{"product_id":"the-saint-laurent-muse-paperback","title":"The Saint Laurent Muse - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Paris runways of the 70s come to wild and splashy life in this novel of fashion's \"It Girl\" Loulou de la Falaise and her life partying and designing with Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, and Halston. Nightlife! Gowns! Cocaine! Glamour!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's the 1970s, and from hippie London to Warhol's Factory in New York, reluctant aristocrat Loulou de la Falaise is desperately seeking adventure. Having escaped an early, unhappy marriage, she arrives on a whim in Paris--the champagne-soaked heart of the fashion world, where the rigid old world of haute couture and the ffast-paced new world of ready-to-wear are vying for supremacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlamour, sex, and cocaine nights fuel the Paris fashion scene. Its crown prince is the soulful and intensely gifted Yves Saint Laurent, whose sexy tuxedos for women and chic Rive Gauche boutiques reflect women's desire for seductive independence, a desire Loulou knows all too well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLoulou's bohemian flair immediately captures Saint Laurent's attention, and they embark on a glorious intimate friendship as artist and muse. Together they revel in the excesses of high society, decadent parties, and the hedonistic underworld of gay nightclubs, where the young and beautiful become prey, and dangerous rivalries start to emerge. Their course collides with eccentric designer Karl Lagerfeld, intent on his own conquest. Lagerfeld's bitter professional rivalry with Yves divides Paris even in an era when anything goes. As Yves plunges into a dangerous, secret affair with Karl's enigmatic young companion, and Loulou finds herself falling in love with a colleague's handsome boyfriend, evanescent illusion and savage deception will bring them to the brink of ruin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntoxicating and unforgettable, \u003cem\u003eThe Saint Laurent Muse\u003c\/em\u003e is the dramatic imagining of a lifelong friendship between two kindred spirits, and of a tumultuous time and place in fashion history that will never be seen again.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103193174239,"sku":"9780063319837","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/zoNVQDJHKc9780063319837.webp?v=1781090465"},{"product_id":"the-confessions-of-catherine-de-medici-paperback","title":"The Confessions of Catherine de Medici - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe truth is, not one of us is innocent. We all have sins to confess.\u003c\/i\u003e So reveals Catherine de Medici, the last legitimate descendant of her family's illustrious line. Expelled from her native Florence, Catherine is betrothed to Henri, son of Fran ois I of France. In an unfamiliar realm, Catherine strives to create a role for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer. But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children in a kingdom torn apart by the ambitions of a treacherous nobility. Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons, unaware that if she is to save France, she may have to sacrifice her ideals, her reputation, and the secret of her embattled heart.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103738597599,"sku":"9780345501875","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/ieeeee5zEn9780345501875.webp?v=1781097537"},{"product_id":"the-last-queen-paperback","title":"The Last Queen - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this stunning novel, C. W. Gortner brings to life Juana of Castile, the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne. Along the way, Gortner takes the reader from the somber majesty of Spain to the glittering and lethal courts of Flanders, France, and Tudor England. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born amid her parents' ruthless struggle to unify and strengthen their kingdom, Juana, at the age of sixteen, is sent to wed Philip, heir to the Habsburg Empire. Juana finds unexpected love and passion with her dashing young husband, and at first she is content with her children and her married life. But when tragedy strikes and she becomes heir to the Spanish throne, Juana finds herself plunged into a battle for power against her husband that grows to involve the major monarchs of Europe. Besieged by foes on all sides, Juana vows to secure her crown and save Spain from ruin, even if it costs her everything. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Last Queen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This moving tale of Juana la Loca (the Mad) vividly re-creates the passion, politics, and betrayals that drove a smart and spirited queen to the brink of insanity . . . or perhaps, as C. W. Gortner suggests, to the pretense of insanity-a pretense that baffled Juana' s enemies and led to triumph for her children and her country. The Last Queen is an absorbing account of one of history's most fascinating women, from her never-before-told point of view.\"\u003cb\u003e--Donna Woolfolk Cross, author of \u003ci\u003ePope Joan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"I ached for this intelligent, one-of-a-kind queen. Her struggle and passion kept me up until the early hours of the morning. A page-turner, a nail-biter, an eye-opener: I loved being possessed by The Last Queen \"\u003cb\u003e--Ki Longfellow, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Magdalene\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A vibrant tapestry of love and hate . . . brings to life an extraordinary queen at an unforgettable time in history.\"\u003cb\u003e--Sandra Worth, author of \u003ci\u003eLady of the Roses \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An exquisite evocation of a dangerous era and of a forgotten queen.\"\u003cb\u003e--Holly Payne, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Virgin' s Knot \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Gripping and unforgettable . . . captures Juana of Castile's electrifying drama.\"\u003cb\u003e--Judith Merkle Riley, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Water Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50104389730527,"sku":"9780345501851","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/vKSquIE3yR9780345501851.webp?v=1781108201"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/c-w-gortner.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}