Eagerly Anticipating in 2010

Today, each of us here at Historical Tapestry gets to choose just one book that we are eagerly anticipating for the year! Decisions, decisions.

Marg's pick:

As soon as we decided we were going to do this post, there was a bit of a scramble (dignified and lady like, but a scramble nonetheless) to claim this book! Because I was fastest (sorry Alex and Ana), I won! The book that I am eagerly awaiting is To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick. Here is the synopsis from her website, where you can also view the book trailer:

The privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in England, Mahelt Marshal’s life changes dramatically when her father is suspected by King John. Her brothers become hostages and Mahelt is married to Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Norfolk. Adapting to her new life is hard, but Mahelt comes to love Hugh deeply; however, defying her father in law brings disgrace and heartbreak. When King John sets out to subdue the Bigods, Mahelt faces her worst fears alone, knowing neither she, nor her marriage are likely to survive the outcome. A story of huge emotional power set against the road to Magna Carta and the fight to bring a tyrant king to heel.

Ana's pick:

Fortunately there are many historical fiction books being published next year! It wasn't difficult to find books we're interested in, in fact the only problem was to list only 5 of them. Catherine Delors only published one book so far but she totally captivated me with her Mistress of The Revolution. Since then I've been eagerly awaiting news of her next release and now it is official - For The King will be published in July 2010. Here's some information about the plot from the author's website:

Roch Miquel, a young policeman with a brilliant future and a beautiful mistress, investigates the Rue Nicaise attack. His father, a former Jacobin, has risen from the lowest rungs of society to owning a tavern. Roch's investigation takes him through the dark alleys and glittering salons of post-revolutionary Paris, and the studio of the prominent painter David, himself a former Jacobin rallied to Bonaparte.

Old Miquel is soon arrested because of his political sympathies, and threatened with deportation or summary execution. To save his father, Roch must discover and arrest the assassins before it is too late. As he hunts them down and faces their chief, Joseph de Limoëlan - a historical character - he tests the limits of his loyalties and discovers the meaning of truth.

For The King is a historical thriller, a police procedural, a tale of love, betrayal and redemption.

Alex's pick:

When I start reading The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner a few weeks ago, I was captivated by the refreshing new perspective about Queen Joan the Mad. After finding out the author was going to write a book about Catherine of Medici, one of the most mysterious and denigrated queens of France, I was immediately excited for the release of The Confessions of Catherine of Medici.

The most infamous queen of the Renaissance reveals her secrets in an epic tale of persecution, intrigue, and betrayal.

At the age of fourteen, Catherine de Medici, last legitimate descendant of the Medici blood, finds herself betrothed to the King Francois I's son, Henri. Sent from her native Florence to France, humiliated and overshadowed by her husband's life-long devotion to his mistress, when tragedy strikes her family Catherine rises from obscurity to become one of 16th century Europe's most powerful women.

Patroness of Nostradamus and a seer in her own right, accused of witchcraft and murder by her foes, Catherine fights to save France and her children from savage religious conflict, unaware that her own fate looms before her -- a fate that will demand the sacrifice of her ideals, her reputation, and passion of her own embattled heart.

From the splendors of the Loire palaces to the blood-soaked battles of the Wars of Religion and haunted halls of the Louvre, this is the story of Catherine's dramatic life, told by the queen herself.

Teddy's pick:

Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
I scoured the web looking for a picture of the cover but to no avail. It isn't going to be out until July, so that is probably why. I have never read any Alison Weir but some of my buddies here at HT have recommended her to me in the past. I think reading about Eleanor of Aquitaine will be so interesting. I would love to get to know more about her.

Renowned for her highly acclaimed and bestselling British histories, Alison Weir has in recent years made a major impact on the fiction scene with her novels about Queen Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey.

In this latest offering, she imagines the world of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the beautiful twelfth-century woman who was Queen of France until she abandoned her royal husband for the younger man who would become King of England. In a relationship based on lust and a mutual desire for great power, Henry II and Eleanor took over the English throne in 1154, thus beginning one of the most influential reigns and tumultuous royal marriages in all of history. In this novel, Weir uses her extensive knowledge to paint a most vivid portrait of this fascinating woman.

Kailana's Pick:

One of my favourite historical fiction authors is Michelle Moran. In 2010 she is moving away from the ancient world to write a novel set during the French Revolution. I am really looking forward to it! Since it is not due to be released until later in the year, I only have a quote from her site about it.

For my fourth novel, I will be departing from the ancient world to write about the French Revolution. As my incredible agent Dan Lazar wrote in PM, this book will be "about the life of Madame Tussaud, in which young Marie Tussaud joins the gilded but troubled court of Marie Antoinette, and survived the French Revolution by creating death masks of the beheaded aristocracy."