FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ACCLAIMED ITALIAN RENAISSANCE NOVELS''Blood & Beauty is a high-class, colourful Renaissance soap opera, and one that will leave readers itching for the next instalment'' S. J. PARRIS, OBSERVER''Gripping . . . A must read'' DAILY MAIL''Hugely enjoyable . . . Dunant triumphs'' CHRISTOBEL KENT, GUARDIAN''Wonderful . . . from a master of historical fiction'' THE TIMESBy the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched only by its brutality and corruption, nowhere more than in Rome and its Church. When Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia buys his way into the papacy, he is defined not just by his wealth, charisma and power, but by his blood: a Spanish Pope in a city run by Italians. If he is to succeed, he must use his Machiavellian son and innocent daughter.Stripping away the myths around the Borgias, Blood & Beauty breathes life into the astonishing family of Alexander VI and celebrates the raw power of history itself: compelling, complex, and relentless.''A wonderful novel - taking you deep into the world of Renaissance passion and the Renaissance papacy'' MARY BEARD''A fascinating read full of vivid detail and human pathos'' AMANDA FOREMAN''Absolutely convincing on every page. I was enthralled'' PAULA MCLAIN''Brimming with life and lust'' NEW YORK TIMES''Vividly alive . . . an intelligent and passionate book'' LUCY ATKINS, SUNDAY TIMES