Mademoiselle Chanel Book Blast!

Please join author C.W. Gortner as his latest release, Mademoiselle Chanel, is featured around the blogosphere from March 17-April 3, and enter to win one of three fabulously chic, Chanel-style black and white beaded bracelets!


Publication Date: March 17, 2015
William Morrow/HarperCollins
Formats: Hardover, eBook, Audio Book

Genre: Historical Fiction



DRAMA, PASSION, TRAGEDY, AND BEAUTY: C.W.’s new novel stunningly imagines the life of Coco Chanel—the iconic fashion designer whose staggering creativity built an empire and made her one of the 20th century’s most influential, and controversial, figures.

Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her sisters are sent to a convent orphanage after their mother’s death. Here, the nuns nurture Gabrielle’s exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel her into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.

Transforming herself into Coco—a seamstress and sometime torch singer—the petite brunette burns with ambition, an incandescence that draws a wealthy gentleman who will become the love of her life. She immerses herself in his world of money and luxury, discovering a freedom that sparks her creativity. But it is only when her lover takes her to Paris that Coco discovers her destiny.

Rejecting the frilly, corseted silhouette of the past, her sleek minimalist styles reflect the youthful ease and confidence of the 1920s modern woman. As Coco’s reputation spreads, her couturier business explodes, taking her into rarefied society circles and bohemian salons. Her little black dress, her signature perfume No. 5; her dramatic friendships, affairs, and rivalries with luminaries of her era increase her wealth and fame. But as the years pass, success cannot save her from heartbreak. And when Paris falls to the Nazis during World War II, Coco finds herself at a dangerous crossroads, forced to make choices that will forever change her.

An enthralling portrayal of an extraordinary woman who created the life she desired, Mademoiselle Chanel is Coco’s intimate story.

Praise for Mademoiselle Chanel

“In this deliciously satisfying novel, C.W. Gortner tells the epic, rags-to-riches story of how this brilliant, mercurial, self-created woman became a legend.” (Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train)

“In a novel as brilliant and complicated as Coco Chanel herself, C. W. Gortner’s prose is so electric and luminous it could be a film, and not just any film, but one of the grandest biopics of our time. Divine!” (Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingway's Girl)

“A richly imagined, deftly researched novel, in which the ever fascinating Coco Chanel comes to life in all her woe and splendor, her story unfolding as elegantly as a Chanel gown.” (Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Painted Girls)

“From her heart-wrenching early years through her decades of struggle and glory, Gabrielle Chanel was fascinating—as is C.W. Gortner’s Mademoiselle Chanel. Coco lives again in this rich tale of brilliance, determination, and fierce self-creation.” (Ania Szado, author of Studio Saint-Ex)

“Gortner brings to life a woman who was as alluring and captivating as her signature scent. ” (Historical Novels Review)

“Gortner brings history to life in a fascinating study of one woman’s unstoppable ambition.” (Booklist)

“Well-written and historically accurate . . . An homage to a couture icon whose influence is still powerful today.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Buy Mademoiselle Chanel

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
iTunes
IndieBound

About the Author

C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco.

After an eleven year-long career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage retail buyer, freelance publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted the next twelve years to the public health sector. In 2012, he became a full-time writer following the international success of his novels.

In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard at Hampton Court, learned about organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a chilly night in a ruined Spanish castle. His books have garnered widespread acclaim and been translated into twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000 copies sold. A sought-after public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at writer conferences in the US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights, in particular companion animal rescue to reduce shelter overcrowding.

C.W. recently completed his fourth novel for Ballantine Books, about Lucrezia Borgia; the third novel in his Tudor Spymaster series for St Martin's Press; and a new novel about the dramatic, glamorous life of Coco Chanel, scheduled for lead title publication by William Morrow, Harper Collins, in the spring of 2015.

Half-Spanish by birth and raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California with his partner and two very spoiled rescue cats.

For more information visit C.W. Gortner's website and blog. You can also find him on Facebook, Twittter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and YouTube. Sign up for C.W. Gortner's Newsletter for updates.

Mademoiselle Chanel Book Blast Schedule

Tuesday, March 17
Mina's Bookshelf
Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, March 18
Forever Ashley
History From a Woman's Perspective

Thursday, March 19
The Lit Bitch
100 Pages a Day

Friday, March 20
A Literary Vacation
Beth's Book Nook Blog
What Is That Book About

Saturday, March 21
Genre Queen

Sunday, March 22
A Bookish Girl

Monday, March 23
Let them Read Books

Tuesday, March 24
Unshelfish
The True Book Addict

Wednesday, March 25
Historical Fiction Connection
The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, March 26
Broken Teepee

Friday, March 27
The Maiden's Court

Saturday, March 28
Caroline Wilson Writes
Svetlana's Reads and Views

Sunday, March 29
Passages to the Past

Monday, March 30
Flashlight Commentary
To Read, Or Not to Read
I'd So Rather Be Reading

Tuesday, March 31
Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, April 1
Booktalk & More

Thursday, April 2
CelticLady's Reviews

Friday, April 3
Book Nerd
Luxury Reading

Giveaway!

Three Chanel-style black and white beaded bracelets will up for grabs during this blast, follow along for chances to win!



– Giveaway starts on March 17th at 12:01am and ends on April 3rd at 11:59pm EST.
– Must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
- Winners will be notified via email and have 48 hours to claim prize, or new winner is chosen.

Mademoiselle Chanel Book Blast Giveaway

2013

I'm a little late with sharing some favorites of 2013 this go-around, but I can't let the opportunity pass by to revisit some of my favorite things. :) This post is going to be limited to favorite books, though, since my movie and television blogging was fairly non-existent, particularly for the latter half of the year. Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite reads from 2013.

• A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr (The Staff & the Sword #1)
• The Passing Bells by Phillip Rock (The Greville Family Saga #1)
• Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews
• The Red Plague Affair by Lilith Saintcrow (Bannon & Clare #2)
• Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #1)
• Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell
• The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
• The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C.W. Gortner
• Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering (A Drew Farthering Mystery #1)
• A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway (The Baskerville Affair #2)

2013 held its share of challenges (losing my grandmother and my dad's surgery for prostate cancer), resulting in rather sporadic blogging (though I still managed to write a record 80 book reviews!), I want to thank all of you for sticking with me and sharing your prayers and good thoughts, whether in comments, e-mails, or Facebook messages! I've been terribly remiss about sharing updates here, mainly because I tend to view this corner of the blogosphere as my escape from "reality," but I didn't want to get too far into the new year without sharing my thanks. Dad continues to do REALLY well, praise God! :)

Looking forward, I'd REALLY like to reactivate the entertainment portion of my blogging endeavors, but I'm reluctant to make any promises (they are SO time consuming to write...probably because I go on and on and ON), as blogging challenges and I tend to implode spectacularly. *wink* The first test of that resolution is going to be the return of Downton Abbey THIS SUNDAY. I can't promise to have recap posts up by Monday...but if you're patient with me the following week, let's see how this goes, hmmm? 

Reading-wise, as I exceeded my 75-count Goodreads challenge for 2013 (so what if there were about twenty novellas and e-book shorts in that count...they COUNT right??? *wink*), I signed up for 90 this year -- and would love to finally hit that elusive triple-digit mark. We'll see how that goes, hmm? (And if you're on Goodreads and we haven't connected there yet, please send me a friend request!)

A very happy new year to one and all! And thanks again for reading Booktalk & More.

Review: The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile
By: C.W. Gortner
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 978-0-345-52397-6

Review:

Isabella of Castile was never meant to be queen. Today an image of this formidable Renaissance monarch has survived that is alternately admired for her contributions to art, literature, and education, or castigated for her role in bringing the notorious Inquisition to Spain and the forcible expulsion of those Jewish subjects who refused to renounce their faith and embrace Catholicism. Arguably -- and understandably -- much of the focus of history is on the darker aspects of Isabella's reign, a legacy shrouded in ominous tones, particularly since, in the ensuing centuries, society has by and large removed itself from the strictures of a life led by the demands of one's faith. As he did so superbly with his novel exploring the life of the controversial Catherine de Medici, within the pages of The Queen's Vow Gortner brings to life a vibrantly complex Isabella, a woman who is very much a product of her time while managing to defy the conventions of the same that would seek to proscribe the roles of women to the hearth and home alone.

The only daughter of Juan II of Castile, Isabella was preceded in the succession by her older half-brother, the dissolute Enrique, and her younger brother Alfonso. Following their father's death, their mother reviled at court, Isabella and her brother became wards of the king, but lived in veritable exile in a shabby shadow court in Arevalo. Her sheltered youth comes to an abrupt end with the birth of a niece -- a child Isabella and her brother, as the only other claimants to the Castilian throne, are required to swear fealty to -- an oath whose legitimacy is called into question by rumors of the infanta's dubious parentage, called further into doubt by Enrique's sexual preferences and his wife Juana's thinly-veiled regard for a certain courtier. Shocked by the profligate excesses she encounters at court, the devout Isabella finds herself thrust into a battle for her very life. When Alfonso becomes the unwitting pawn of nobles seeking to oust Enrique, Isabella becomes a virtual prisoner in a delicate dance for her life, one where she must respect Enrique as king while disdaining his policies and remain defiant of those who would seek to make her a pawn on the marriage market. When the unthinkable occurs, the girl never meant to rule becomes heiress to a crumbling empire, with the vultures circling, each side determined to claim her as a powerless pawn of their cause. But Isabella has a strength within her as yet untapped, and the princess who was only ever meant to make at best a strategic marriage becomes a ruler who will not be gainsaid, a queen whose force of will and dreams of empire refuse to be denied.

Love her or loathe her, the Isabella found within these pages is an extraordinarily compelling woman. In an age when queens -- if they came to the throne -- were expected to be controlled, she determined to chart her own course, going so far as to arrange her own marriage against the explicit wishes of her half-brother. While it is generally believed that Isabella did not meet her husband-to-be, her cousin Ferdinand of Aragon, until their wedding day, Gortner takes some license with the record to suggest an earlier meeting between the two, a moment in Enrique's court which plants the seeds of a relationship that would blossom into a love story for the ages. While there was an undeniably strategic political advantage to their union, benefiting both parties and their respective kingdoms, theirs is a life-long partnership that transformed the trajectory of their people -- for good or ill -- forever. Theirs is an electric partnership, fraught with tension, but in the end a "marriage of true minds" -- a ground-breaking union where each cherished and valued the contributions and strengths of the other.

Gortner not only succeeds in bringing the past to vibrant life, but in making me care about his characters -- at one moment left in awe of Isabella's strength, at another moment heartbroken as choices are made that will live in infamy. He excels at recapturing the humanity of women oft-times maligned by the historical record, never excusing or dismissing a controversial action, but rather restoring such to within its proper context. For a fifteenth-century Catholic monarch like Isabella, the dictates of the church were the literal alpha and omega, the beginning and the end by which all decisions are measured, and heresy and dissent in matters of faith are not to be tolerated. By understanding the fallibility of Isabella's now legendary, larger-than-life persona, and restoring her humanity -- her brilliance and her short-comings -- he delivers an unvarnished, compelling portrait of a woman who fought for the right to determine her future and strove to live out her faith in the best way she knew how, for good or ill. While the consequences of allowing the Inquisition into Spain or of the expulsion of the Jews aren't fully analyzed, the agony and fear that went into Isabella's decisions are fully explored, resulting in a perfectly-realized portrait of an imperfect, but compelling woman.

In The Queen's Vow Isabella emerges as a fully-realized, multi-faceted woman, a compelling and contradictory mix of tradition and ground-breaking, forward-thinking independence. With a meticulous attention to detail and a deft hand for period mannerisms and dialogue, Gortner excels at bringing Isabella and her world to life on the page. He is the rare author capable of balancing his audience's modern sensibilities with a soul-deep understanding of the the time in which Isabella lived, a gift of restoring the triumphs and short-comings of his leading lady, capable of elucidating her motivations and fears with a compassionate and clear-eyed touch. A Gortner novel is an experience to savor, and Isabella's story is no exception -- by turns exhilarating, maddening, and heart-breaking. I can't wait to see where Gortner takes readers next!

About the book:

Isabella is barely a teenager when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone her half brother, King Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at the age of seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her -- Fernando, prince of Aragon. As they unite their two realms under "one crown, one country, one faith," Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella's resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.

*Thanks to Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours for the review opportunity!

Review: The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C. W. Gortner

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
By: C. W. Gortner
Publisher: Ballantine
ISBN: 978-0-345-50187-5

About the book:

The truth is, not one of us is innocent. We all have sins to confess. 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 Francois 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.

Review:

Thanks to the ravages of time, the primary image of Catherine de Medici that remains is that of a black-clad, power hungry widow who dabbled in the dark arts, authorized massacres, and murdered her enemies in order to ensure her family's power. But perhaps the truth, as it so often does, lies somewhere between the black and white lines of the historical record, in the gray areas of heartbreak and triumph, wisdom and error that make up a life. From Gortner's extensive research and his solid grasp of the manners and mores of the time in which she lived, Catherine springs from the dust of history to vibrant life - not to apologize or defend herself, but to tell her story. This first-person account of Catherine's tumultuous life is a veritable feast for historical fiction lovers. With deft assurance and an insightful eye, everything from the opulence of the French court to the devastation of the 16th-century religious wars that nearly destroyed the Valois monarchy is resurrected on the page with a startling immediacy and noteworthy attention to detail, immersing readers in Catherine's world. But more than atmosphere, Gortner's recreation of Catherine reveals her to be a woman both wholly of and ahead of her time, possessed of a keen intellect and an unswerving loyalty and will to survive, her greatest strengths also her greatest weaknesses, catapulting her into legend.

Catherine was the last legitimate heir of the Medicis and as such she was raised to be a political pawn, but never a queen. As an child she endured over two years as a hostage when Florence overthrew Medici rule; when she was freed her uncle Pope Clement IV sought to cement an Italian alliance with France via marriage. At the age of fourteen, Catherine wed Henry, the second son of France's Valois king, Francis I. Possessing commoner antecedents, prestige-wise the marriage was a coup for Catherine, who as an outsider had to fight for acceptance in the elitist French court. When the unthinkable happens and Henry becomes France's presumptive heir, Catherine's first fight for survival pits her against her husband's long-time mistress, as she must produce heirs if she hopes to protect her position at court. Gortner spins an engrossing yarn as he reveals how, in her formative years, the disappointment and trials Catherine overcame in her marriage set the stage for the iron-willed regent she would famously become. Gortner strips away the veneer of quiet, unquestioning subservience with which it is easy to carelessly characterize historical women and reveals how Catherine's trying youth served as a proving ground for her quick whits and her apparently fathomless capacity for survival agains all odds.

As fascinating and heartbreaking as I found the first third of the novel detailing Catherine's fight to establish herself as a worthy French queen, the last two-thirds of her Confessions took my breath away. Following her husband's death, Catherine was thrust into a fight to secure her sons' inheritance that would consume the remaining thirty years of her life. The "Protestant problem" that was an irritant to the Catholic French court when Catherine first arrived in France balloons into all-out religious wars. Gortner paints Catherine with a forward-thinking eye to religious tolerance (most controversial in the age of the Inquisition), but when negotiation would fail, the one point Catherine refused to compromise on was anything that would compromise her sons' legacies as France's legitmate rulers. Catherine possesses an admirable and fierce love for her offspring that blinds her to their faults and the resentments that foster thanks to her eagle-eyed focus on protecting the throne, their inheritance. Gornter delivers an unvarnished, honest and heart-rending portrayal of the personal toll Catherine's family and dynasty-centered focus took on the lives of her subjects as well as herself. This culminated in the tragedy of the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, a wave of violence against French Protestants the blame for which history has laid largely at Catherine's door.

Gortner has an extraordinary gift for bringing history to life and delivering page-turning, thoroughly engrossing reads. He brings Catherine to vibrant life, the intoxicating mix of her strengths and weaknesses, giving - perhaps restoring - credit due her for triumphs and advancements that has been lost to the passage of time. But more importantly, he doesn't shy away from his leading lady's errors and poor judgements that resulted in both personal and national tragedy and turmoil. In Confessions, Catherine emerges as a fully realized woman, both gloriously strong and tremendously flawed. Gortner's recreation of one of history's most infamous and controversial women is a page-turning triumph from start to finish, a powerful reminder of the fallible humanity behind the legend. Catherine's was a life fully lived, epic in every sense of the word.

Review: The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner

The Tudor Secret (Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles #1)

By: C. W. Gortner

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN: 978-0-312-65850-2

About the book:

The era of the Tudors was one of danger, intrigue, conspiracy, and, above all, spies.

Summer 1553: a time of danger and deceit. Brendan Prescott, an orphan, is reared in the household of the powerful Dudley family. Brought to court, Prescott finds himself sent on an illicit mission to the king's brilliant but enigmatic sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Brendan is soon compelled to work as a double agent by Elizabeth's protector, William Cecil, who promises in exchange to help him unravel the secret of his own mysterious past.

A dark plot swirls around Elizabeth's quest to unravel the truth about the ominous disappearance of her seriously ill brother, King Edward VI. With only a bold stable boy and an audacious lady-in-waiting at his side, Brendan plunges into a ruthless gambit of half-truths, lies, and murder. Filled with the intrigue and pageantry of Tudor England, The Tudor Secret is the first book in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles.

Review:

Brendan Prescott is a foundling, discovered and subsequently raised on the Dudley family estate – a symbol of the family’s charity and an easy target for the Duke of Northumberland’s sons to mock and deride for his lack of antecedents. At the age of twenty he’s sent to court to serve as squire to the eldest son, the handsome and ambitious Robert. Once in London Brendan finds himself thrust in the middle of a life-and-death game of intrigue and deception, with a prize of unimaginable value as the goal – the very throne of England, precariously held by the ill and suspiciously absent Edward VI. Torn between the expectations of the powerful family that had provided the only home he’d ever known, and his desire to serve and protect the flame-haired princess Elizabeth whose strength and character he cannot resist, the naïve Squire Prescott is consumed by a brewing power struggle that promises to pit siblings against each other in a pitched battle for the future of England. While fighting for the survival of Elizabeth with overwhelming forces arrayed against her, Prescott discovers an aptitude for spy-craft and begins to uncover the tantalizing truth of his past and the dangerous secret that ties him to the Tudors – a secret that his enemies will stop at nothing to keep silenced forever.

The Tudor Secret is my first C.W. Gortner novel and it will most assuredly not be my last. I love it when an author takes established historical fact and then begins to ask “what if?” – and that simple question opens the floodgates to fascinating possibilities and brings a world long since passed to vibrant, brilliant life. The established historical basis for events within The Tudor Secret concern the succession drama surrounding Edward VI’s illness and death and the Duke of Northumberland’s move to establish his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, as Queen. Had he succeeded, through Jane’s husband and his son Guilford, the Dudley family would have been legitimized as rulers of England – instead of the not-so-secret power behind the throne Northumberland exercised during Edward’s short reign. Though historical record does not place Elizabeth at court during Edward’s last days, Gortner dares to imagine what might have happened had she done so. And from there, how a chance meeting with an intelligent and resourceful squire like Brendan, in service to Robert Dudley, the one man who could be Elizabeth’s undoing, could alter the course of history. Peopled with fascinating real-life characters seen through Brendan’s eyes, from the future Elizabeth I to Francis Walsingham, master spy destined to play a critical role in Elizabeth’s future reign, Gortner has crafted a heart-pounding tale of suspense that brings 16th-century England to electrifying life.

I love spy stories and unlikely heroes, and this novel delivers both in spades. The Tudor Secret is a page-turning thrill ride through the English court of 1553, rife with all the danger, suspense, intrigue, and secrets one could imagine existing in a world where fortunes were made or lost on a whim and alliances were constantly shifting like sands washed by the tide. Brendan Prescott is a thoroughly engaging hero – he may be new at court, but he proves adept at the balancing act required to survive, and his “learning curve” is a fantastic window through which I was completely absorbed into the Tudor-era world of passion and intrigue. For the last 200 pages of this book I could not put it down. I loved the fictional allies Gortner creates for Prescott, from the plucky stableboy Peregrine, determined to become Brendan’s manservant, to the vivacious and clever Kate Stafford, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth, and the keeper of her own secrets that Brendan determines to uncover. With an adept eye for historical detail and a gift for bringing history to life, C.W. Gortner’s The Tudor Secret is a fast-paced, engaging, suspenseful novel that will leave you hungering for more – Brendan Prescott’s further adventures cannot come soon enough to suit me.

***

I just wanted to add, that if you're like me and you *could* love The Tudors television series, but that delivers way too much explicit sex and violence, this novel is a great alternative for feeding one's passion for Tudor drama without the graphic content. This novel is action-packed and Gortner doesn't shy away from the realities of the era, but violence is not overly graphic and sex is limited. It's a compelling and more tasteful alternative, which I can happily recommend in that respect as well as being a rollicking good story.