The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile

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The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile

by C.W. Gortner (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 1,474 ratings · 250 reviews

No one believed I was destined for greatness.

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gor...more No one believed I was destined for greatness.

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age 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 the 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.

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.(less)

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published (first published June 1st 2012)

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Jul 27, 2012 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people interested in medieval spain

Shelves: formidable-women, historical, kings-queens-n-fools, la-españa, war-and-conflict

After my semi rant about there not being enough fiction about Isabella, I was ecstatic when I saw this book.

A story from a notable historical fiction author about a woman and her husband who, in a highly patriarchical age, made Spain from

to ->

?

Yes, please!

As this is my first time reading fiction on Isabella, I have to say I'm impressed at the author's grasp of the time period. He certainly isn't shy about weaving abundant historical commentary into the narrative, and his treatment of the...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Where I got the book: ARC from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

This is a worthy novel by a popular writer, and yet somehow it leaves me flat. I suspect I'm not the right reader for this book; for one thing, I am rather tired of histfic about the crowned heads of Europe, even if--primed by The Tudors and Wolf Hall--I was receptive to learning some more about the mother of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first of many. I'd much rather read about an ordinary guy or gal for a change.

First,...more Where I got the book: ARC from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

This is a worthy novel by a popular writer, and yet somehow it leaves me flat. I suspect I'm not the right reader for this book; for one thing, I am rather tired of histfic about the crowned heads of Europe, even if--primed by The Tudors and Wolf Hall--I was receptive to learning some more about the mother of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first of many. I'd much rather read about an ordinary guy or gal for a change.

First, what was good. Gortner's prose is polished; he kept the huge cast of characters straight in my mind without throwing in obvious identifiers as a less skilled writer would. I felt I learned something about 15th century Spain, and it was clear that the subject had been well researched. The story spanned several years without jarring jumps forward (or backward), and I have no quibbles with the writing or the editing in general.

So why aren't I more excited? I would say reason #1 is that I simply never grew to like any of the characters, even Isabella for whom Gortner obviously has a great deal of sympathy. There was a tiny moment, when Isabella and Fernando first met, that I liked them both, but it didn't last. I felt flat, as if I knew who were the goodies and who were the baddies because Gortner told me so, but I never really felt either their goodness or their badness.

And nobody really seemed to grow. All those years, and they seemed the same at the end of the novel as at the beginning, with a few more lines, sags and gray hairs in their descriptions. Perhaps this was due to Isabella's voice, which was fluid and unvarying, so very rational and blameless and ironed out. Very like Philippa Gregory with the quirks of writing and the magical bits removed, and guess what? I found I missed the very things that irritate me about PG.

It strikes me that all these novels about royal women suffer from the same problem, which is that said women were very often far from where the action was taking place. Isabella was constantly waiting for Fernando to return from war, writing letters and doing administrative stuff it's true, but all the REALLY interesting events were happening offstage while Isabella popped out babies and worried about money. Perhaps it's time we started writing about the royal men rather than the women, but I think there's a prevailing fear that women readers (most histfic readers I suspect) won't identify with a male protagonist.

I thought the ending was a little odd, too. The story just seems to grind to a halt, with an attempt at reconciling past and present (view spoiler) It didn't work for me.

So my rating reflects the fact that, while I liked learning about this unexplored slice of history, I wasn't thrilled by the novel as a novel. If it'd been nonfiction, I think I'd have rather enjoyed it as an Alison Weir kind of read.(less)

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Jun 19, 2012 Rio (Lynne) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I've not been looking forward to rating this one. I am a big fan of Gortner. I have pre-ordered his last 3 books and The Last Queen is one of my hands down favorites. The only way I can peg what went wrong with this one, was simply too much detail. Gortner's other books have always moved and been page turners. This one was lacking that. It just felt flat. I felt I could skim 5 pages and didn't miss much. In his other reads we felt for the characters and cheered them on. Even the evil Catherine d...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, signed-by-author, spain, historical-fiction, read-in-2012, 15th-century, favorites

Another magnificent release by C.W. Gortner! He excels at bringing the indomitable Queen Isabella of Castile to life in this gripping and unputdownable novel! Highly recommended!

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May 19, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, hf-spain, arc, edelweiss-arc, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, reviewed

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

4.5 out of 5

The Queen's Vow is a great first introduction to a well-known and well-recommended historical fiction author. I've heard and seen C.W. Gortner's name bandied about frequently as one of the best for compelling, researched and still original novels and every claim is only reinforced by my reading experience with this novel about Castile's complicated and dramatic queen. Without condescension or annoying repetition, this mostly-factual stor...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

4.5 out of 5

The Queen's Vow is a great first introduction to a well-known and well-recommended historical fiction author. I've heard and seen C.W. Gortner's name bandied about frequently as one of the best for compelling, researched and still original novels and every claim is only reinforced by my reading experience with this novel about Castile's complicated and dramatic queen. Without condescension or annoying repetition, this mostly-factual story of 15th-century hotbed of war, religious strife and rebellion in what is now known as simply Spain, is riveting from start to finish - once The Queen's Vow, and the formidable Isabella, hit their stride, it is nearly impossible to put down. Told with an even pace and a clear voice, this four-hundred page, multi-part novel pretty much guaranteed that I will be reading more by this author, and soon. In a genre that can often seem quite overbloated with English and French-situated books, this exploration into the fertile and sunbaked lands of Spain is a welcome and exciting change.

The most remarkable aspect of the entire endeavor is the main character of Isabella herself. With the advantage of perspective and history on our side, it's clear that the infanta of Castile is a woman of complicated nature; someone that is sadly often naive in her religious judgments, but one who is conversely amazingly progressive in terms of women's education and rights (see her intransigence on the rights of her daughters/Castile's and her own sovereignty from Aragon/Ferdinand until an heir is born). C.W. Gortner is a skilled writer that somehow manages to paint a fully-realized and wholly fallible version of the renowned and reviled monarch while still rendering the final character likeable and authentic in her determined role and behaviors. Accepting both good and bad facets of her personality and her reign, The Queen's Vow offers up possible reasons for the cruel decisions Isabella made for her realm without diverging too far from the roadmap of history. It's easy to both root for Isabella in her desperate times and to curse at her when she is so easily manipulated (Carrillo, Enrique, Torquemada, even Ferdinand.) Throughout all her trials and even her mishaps, it cannot be denied that this Isabella has life and is never boring to read.

It's a credit to both the author and the novel itself that because Isabella is a historical figure largely ignored on her own noteworthy merits (maaaybe vaguely known to the general populace because of the connection Christopher Columbus) her story here is completely fresh and engaging. Unlike the Tudors/Borgias, who have been done over and over (with varying degrees of success), this view into the overlooked Trastamara royal family is happily unreminiscent of any other historical fiction I've read. The tertiary characters are a bit hard to keep track of initially due to my lack of experience with this setting, but the author eases the reader comfortably into the Castile he has reimagined. The endless wars and battles, the required Court intrigue, the drama - all were evenly and uniformly handled in The Queen's Vow. Despite the fact that war was pretty much the normal state of being for Isabella and her husband, the novel is careful to mix the battles between many other historical events so as not to sacrifice the principles' characterization or plot advancement. Time easily speeds by while turning the pages - for the real world as well as the pacing of the book. The novel can breeze over years at a time with a sentence, which didn't bother me so much as streamline the narrative of a real person.

The Queen's Vow is a going to a hit with historical fiction lovers. There's a lot to love - the sweet but imperfect marriage between the "Catholic Monarchs", the tried and true lure of Court intrigue and betrayal. The novel terminates before the end of Isabella's life, leaving it somewhat open-ended in regards to the main character, if not the final conflict. If you're looking for a well-written and engaging novel with a strong, fallible character, look no further. (less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Orsolya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, queens, library

There are few who don’t know who Isabella of Castile is (shame on them!). Whether you view her as a warrior Queen or as someone who mistreated Jews; there is undeniably an enigma attached to her person. C.W. Gortner explores this queen in “A Queen’s Vow” following her childhood to her well-documented adult years.

Gortner immediately plunges the reader into intrigue with “The Queen’s Vow” without a “formal” introduction to Isabella (but it works to the novel’s benefit). Gortner’s scenery descripti...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Jenny Q rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, blog-tour, historical-fiction-faves, best-of-2012

4.5 Stars! I'll tell you right off the bat that I did not know much about Isabella of Castille before reading The Queen's Vow, though she had been a minor character in one or two novels I'd read and had not been portrayed very favorably. I knew she was responsible for religious persecution and the discovery of the New World, and that she's a controversial historical figure who has her share of lovers and haters. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not qualified to judge if this is an accurate por...more 4.5 Stars! I'll tell you right off the bat that I did not know much about Isabella of Castille before reading The Queen's Vow, though she had been a minor character in one or two novels I'd read and had not been portrayed very favorably. I knew she was responsible for religious persecution and the discovery of the New World, and that she's a controversial historical figure who has her share of lovers and haters. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not qualified to judge if this is an accurate portrayal of her, and I do suspect that her relationship with Fernando has been romanticized a bit in this story . . . but I don't care! This was a fantastic read and one of the best historical fiction novels I've read this year!

I'm not going to recap the plot for fear of spoiling anything, in case, like me, much of this history is new to you. Every time a plot twist surprised me I had to force myself not to run to the internet to find out how it all turned out! From page one this book did not want to let go of me, and Isabella was a young woman I had to get to know. Facing trial after trial in every aspect of her life with grace, wisdom, and passion, she drew me in and I became so attached to her that I found myself living through her: sad when she was sad, happy when she was happy, angry when she was angry, and outraged when she was betrayed. She was a woman constantly on guard, steeling herself in childhood against her mother's mental illness and disregard, and as an adult from nearly every person she came in contact with. She had to fight for her right to the throne in a country full of corruption and discord, where advisers became accusers and allegiances could shift in a heartbeat, all the while struggling with the decisions she had to make and the self-doubt that assailed her. Her life was often in physical danger from multiple enemies from the time she was a child; there were many who did not want to see her on the throne of Castille, and once she was there, many who wanted to overthrow her. You may question how any woman could maintain sanity and self under such stressful conditions, and for Isabella the answer was Fernando.

What a love story! And what a partnership. I had no idea just how much these two people managed to accomplish for their country, overcoming seemingly impossible odds to do so. From bringing the Renaissance to Spain, to completely revamping their legal codes and stamping out corruption and rebellion across the country, fighting invasions by the Portuguese and reclaiming their lands from the Moors, forging global alliances . . . the list goes on and on. And through it all Fernando and Isabella remained true partners in leadership. It may be hard to reconcile the sage and progressive Isabella portrayed in this story with the Isabella who condoned the persecution of Jews and the reinstatement of the Inquisition, depicted in this story as a decision reluctantly made after a series of circumstances made no other alternative viable in her mind, and in the minds of her counselors. But that's part of what I love about historical fiction, particularly with a figure like Isabella: getting the chance to see all the facets of one's personality and seeing the significance of outside influences, cultural differences, and the simple truth of human nature that nothing is as simple as black and white.

I'm deducting half a star from my rating of The Queen's Vow, though it pains me to do so, because ten years of warfare flew by in such a whirlwind over the last fifty pages that I felt a bit of a disconnect from the characters, and after such an emotional, dramatic story the ending seemed rather anti-climactic to me. Don't get me wrong, it's a good ending, I'd just been expecting a little more "oomph" from it. But those considerations aside, this book is just beautifully written, eloquently poised, burning with emotion, bursting with gorgeous descriptions of fifteenth-century Spain, and plotted and paced so intensely that I simply could not put it down. With this novel C.W. Gortner has earned a place for himself on my "Authors Who Know How To Do Historical Fiction Right" list!(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Tara Chevrestt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, women-that-really-existed-fiction, spain, 2012-release, vine, arc

I think C.W. Gortner is a man, so I was exceptionally surprised and pleased at the woman's POV being done so well. Her insecurities, her love for her husband, her strengths and weaknesses were so real to me. To be honest, I didn't expect to like this queen. She was behind the murder of so many...but the last part of the book, the Inquisition, showed me another side and reason to it all. Same history, different POV.

I preferred the beginning of the book. Young Isabella, her friend, Beatriz, her pa...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Michelle/ The True Book Addict rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, for-review, owned, book-tour-books, favorites, read-in-2012

I could not put this book down! As he did with Juana of Castile in The Last Queen, Gortner has once again taken a historical queen and made her as interesting and exciting as any modern day heroine. It's interesting to me how little I knew of Isabella of Spain; one who was so instrumental in allowing Columbus to open the way for the future settlement of what would become America. Of course, that is what we were taught when I was in elementary school so many years ago. The implications of what ca...more I could not put this book down! As he did with Juana of Castile in The Last Queen, Gortner has once again taken a historical queen and made her as interesting and exciting as any modern day heroine. It's interesting to me how little I knew of Isabella of Spain; one who was so instrumental in allowing Columbus to open the way for the future settlement of what would become America. Of course, that is what we were taught when I was in elementary school so many years ago. The implications of what came after Columbus's discovery is entirely another story. And yes, this is a fictional depiction of a historical figure, but there is no denying the historical accuracy here. Gortner does his research well.

Isabella rose to power in a tumultuous time in Spain. To say that she was a steadfast and determined woman is saying little. The conventions of the time did not allow a princess to choose their own husband and yet she did. Spurred by her own will and her strong Catholic faith, Isabella was a force to be reckoned with. Her marriage to a prince of Aragon was a love match, yes, but also a strategic move for the uniting of Spain. Together they brought about the change of many conventions in Spain.

However, her reign was not without its blemishes. The Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews are two events that have brought much negativity to history's portrayal of Isabella. However, Gortner has succeeded in depicting a possible reason for her decisions by giving us a multifaceted woman who believed in compassion and yet was driven by a faith that had no tolerance for other religions. To truly judge a person's actions, we would need to know more about the real person and yet we must rely on the history books. Gortner has done a good job of giving us a very human woman who truly felt her actions were for the good of her kingdom.

I have now been inspired to read more about the history of Spain and its ruling class. Once again, historical fiction has done its very important job; that of leading us to further learning about history. Something only a well written book can do. This is that book.

Note: There is an excellent author's note at the end of the book with further resources for reading about Isabella and her times. Also, a special note about a cause dear to my heart. The plight of Spanish greyhounds. Be sure to check it out.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Carole Rae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I've read by C.W Gortner and the first I've read about Queen Isabella.

I've always been pretty neutral to Queen Isabella and her husband due to the fact that I'm not a huge fan of their daughter Catalina (aka Queen Catherine of England) and how they helped find the Americas. However, my eye was drawn to this at the library in the 'New Book' section and I decided to learn some more of her journey to becoming legend. Now that her tale is done, I am in awe of her. I actually...more This is the first book I've read by C.W Gortner and the first I've read about Queen Isabella.

I've always been pretty neutral to Queen Isabella and her husband due to the fact that I'm not a huge fan of their daughter Catalina (aka Queen Catherine of England) and how they helped find the Americas. However, my eye was drawn to this at the library in the 'New Book' section and I decided to learn some more of her journey to becoming legend. Now that her tale is done, I am in awe of her. I actually like her even though she has some pretty bad things attached to her name. Yes, she had some pretty bad things happen in her country, but I personally believe if she hadn't "done" those things Spain wouldn't be what it is today. It would probably still be fragmented and torn and we'd have a dozen different countries to the list of countries.

Alright I shall usher the history nerd to go back to her corner and stop the rambling.

I found the author's writing very flowy and addicting! I felt like I was truly there and I wanted...no needed to now what was going to happen next (even though I knew). How odd. I forgot all the historical facts while reading. There is just something about his writing that I liked and I will be checking out some of his other books.

Even though I thought Isabella was a Catholic fanatic, I liked her! She certainly was a woman to reckon with and I adored that. She was strong-willed and smart. I was also surprised how she allowed her husband equal powers...she didn't have him just become her consort (which is what I would have done). I feel like she really felt that women and men should be equal of each other.

She was defiantly a woman a head of her times in a lot of aspects. I must applaud C.W Gortner for writing Isabella as one who had a hard ass time deciding what to do with the Jews of her country. She didn't hate them and it was hard for her to have them banished, because she realized that they were citizens and her subjects. She may have been a Catholic fanatic, but she had a heart and it seemed it really haunted her the whole Inquisition nonsense.

Sorry, somehow the history nerd keeps escaping!

There was nothing I could really nick-pick about this one! I loved this book! I found myself staying up late to just read this. Pretty sad, eh? C.W Gortner is wonderful writer and I hope his other books cause me to second look at historical figures I never really care for and see their side of the tale.

This book does have an element of romance in it, because Isabella and Ferando did love each other, but it's hard for me to recommend this to HR lovers, because the romance level is limited. I would recommend this to those who love Historical Fictions with a touch of romance intertwined.Out of five stars I grant this 5 stars. Woot woot!

Favorite Character(s): Isabella, Alfonso (her brother), Beatriz, and Carbra
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Older and Younger Villena (snakes), King Enrique (weak little man), and Joanna of Portugal (I wanted to smack her). (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Renae M. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-fiction, published-2012, spain, medieval

I was a bit iffy on picking up this book, mostly because I detest anything Tudor-related. The historically innacurate Phillipa Gregory has ruined that period in British history for me with her mega-hit The Other Boleyn Girl, etc and the resulting tide of Tudor romance novels. Obviously, Isabel of Castile is closely related to the Tudors, seeing as her daughter Catalina married King Henry. But that’s all irrelevant to this review except as a jumping-off point to say: I do not like the Tudors, and...more I was a bit iffy on picking up this book, mostly because I detest anything Tudor-related. The historically innacurate Phillipa Gregory has ruined that period in British history for me with her mega-hit The Other Boleyn Girl, etc and the resulting tide of Tudor romance novels. Obviously, Isabel of Castile is closely related to the Tudors, seeing as her daughter Catalina married King Henry. But that’s all irrelevant to this review except as a jumping-off point to say: I do not like the Tudors, and this was very close to being a Tudor novel. Therefore, I came into The Queen's Vow with my eyes closed and fingers crossed.

I give Gortner full marks for attention to detail. Isabel’s life and relationships were meticilously laid out for readers, and the various political facets of the time period were given close attention. By necessity, the novel’s pace was fairly quick, so some things were only give a very little exposure. I would have liked to have more information in some places, but that would have weighed down the book a little too much, probably.

One thing I wasn’t excepting that really disappointed me was Gortner’s prose. While yes, the writing of The Queen’s Vow gets the message across, it isn’t very good. I initially noticed this with Gortner's very stilted, unnatural dialogue, particularly from Isabel and her brother Alfonso as children—they talked like little professors and hardly seemed like children, no matter how royal they were.. From there, I noticed that Gortner employed an overly-showy vocabulary, almost as if he’d spent too much time digging in a thesaurus for the right word, or as if he wanted to impress upon the reader his intelligence with little-used words. That backfired, though, because in the end it just gave this the impression that it was trying too hard to be "literary." Overall, I honestly though that, stylisticly, The Queen’s Vow read like something a teenage girl would write when trying to prove herself.

And if Gortner’s writing was disappointing, his representation of Isabel of Castile was even more so. I think that the author’s intent was to portray Isabel as both a great monarch and as a realistic human being, but in the end he left readers with a weak female playing at being queen. The narrative follows Isabel from lovestruck girl to submissive wife to overwraught mother—in neither of those three incarnations did she strike me as anything other than a flat, ill-developed character who I couldn’t help but be annoyed with.

Now, I’m not saying that I wanted Isabel to be some macho Renaissance feminist. But for such a great queen, she had no strength, neither in her actions nor in my impression of her as a reader. She spent far too much time worrying about her husband and how to please him to be seen as independent or tough. Yes, there were some points in the book where she donned armor and did things that would have made her like more of a strong heroine, except they felt as if they’d been tacked on like an afterthought. Too little too late, as it were.

Something else that bothered me was Gortner’s method of making Isabel seem perfect and above reproach—an idyllic fairytale queen. It was like he was trying to remove any "controversiality" from her name by instead making her a perfectly moral and upstanding woman. She always did the right thing, never (as far as I could tell) made a mistake. From issues like bull-fighting to the Inquisition, Isabel was portrayed as some sort of saint, which I loathed. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a protagonist who has faults; it isn’t acceptable for your heroine to be perfect and therefore unrealistic.

Verdict: I was nervous about The Queen’s Vow from the start, and it seems with good reason. Weak characterization and juvenile prose made this less than a memorable read for me, and while I think the topic has promise, the overall effect of The Queen’s Vow was not a good one. I’m disappointed by this read, altogether, as I think the foundation was there and this could have made a good read.

Read more reviews at Respiring Thoughts.(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Tanzanite rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Nov 10, 2012 Gaeta1 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rainbow-book-challenge, dire-dialogue, dry-very-dry, historical-fiction, i-give-up-on-this-author, idiot-heroine-flagging, imposing-modern-views-on-historical, just-plain-clunky-writing, off-with-their-heads, overripe-writing, puppet-strings-show-too-much, read-2012

I normally don't review books that I just couldn't bring myself to finish without skimming, but in my opinion each book that Gortner has written has been poorer than the last, so I thought I should warn other readers. I was really looking forward to this novel--I'm fascinated by Isabella, and even went very far out of my way on rather bad roads to visit her birthplace while I was living in Spain (a dusty, obscure little town at the time, a rather sad place, with a tiny shrine to her memory in th...more I normally don't review books that I just couldn't bring myself to finish without skimming, but in my opinion each book that Gortner has written has been poorer than the last, so I thought I should warn other readers. I was really looking forward to this novel--I'm fascinated by Isabella, and even went very far out of my way on rather bad roads to visit her birthplace while I was living in Spain (a dusty, obscure little town at the time, a rather sad place, with a tiny shrine to her memory in the partially ruined castle where she was born). I really enjoyed The Last Queen, as I thought the depiction of the harsh landscape of central and southern Spain was evocative without being sentimental; I could just tell, without then knowing anything about the author, that he KNEW Spain, which of course he does as he is half-Spanish and spent years growing up there. I thought his portrait of Juana was excellent; Gortner does crazy quite well. He still is a good man to turn to when looking for a portrait of the unhinged: the depiction of Isabella's whacked-out mother is by far the most compelling part of this novel. The descriptions of the landscape are still good, too, but frankly, it's not enough any more.

This book is not very good at all. It's filled with the most absurd, info-dumping dialogue where people "remind" each other of complicated political machinations of decades past, and chockablock with the most terrible wooden writing, where people's blood run cold and eyebrows lift sardonically, and the villain's breath is always fetid. Gortner seems to have forgotten every lesson on writing that he ever knew, especially the one of SHOWING and not TELLING. Everything seems to be seen at a distance, which is quite a feat when you're dealing with first-person narration.

Isabella comes off as a very modern woman, and kind of a stupid one at that. Where is the determined monarch of the early Renaissance, the fervent believer, the warrior driven by the conviction that she was doing God's work? You won't find her here. There's far too much talk of women's rights, and sentimental sighings over sending off her daughters to be wed. It's not that I don't believe she had a mother's feelings, but royal girls were raised up to be political pawns; for Isabella to describe herself over and over again as being distraught seems to be unrealistic. Her relationship with Fernando--the greatest political/matrimonial alliance in history--is reduced to a a bunch of squabbles that finish with cries and kisses and make-up sex in bed. Isabella doesn't hate anybody except the Portuguese--it's OK to describe them as vermin. Other groups that were sanctioned/expelled/murdered by her orders, such as the Moors, Jews, and Conversos--well, she was terribly sorry; someone else persuaded her to do it. I guess it is all right for Isabella's feelings towards the Portuguese to be accurate--it seems nobody cares about Spain's neighbor to the west--but let's tippy-toe around everyone else for the sake of political correctness. It bothered me that Gortner would rather depict her as weak, or easily persuaded, rather than examine carefully Isabella's attitudes on the social and political turmoil that occured during her reign, merely to spare the modern reader's feelings.

I started skimming the book when Isabella was present at the bedside of her brother when he was dying of plague (really? having the heir to the throne present?) but I was impatient before that, when Gortner had Isabella and Fernando meeting years before they met each other (they actually met the night before their marriage). It's just to make the story better, Gortner says reassuringly in his afterword. Yes, I get it, most readers aren't looking for complete historical accuracy in their novels, but give us something for our troubles. Exciting action. Excellent writing. Or the feeling that we can really understand the characters, who have vanished into the past, even though they are very different from ourselves. Something. Anything.

Queen Isabella was a complex and amazing woman, no matter what you think of her role in history. This novel does not do her justice. At all.(less)

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Jul 04, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads, historical-fiction

I won this from the Goodreads first reads program! I'm so exited to read it. I have heard good things about CW Gortner books, and have been wanting to read one for awhile! :)

I enjoyed this book, my first venture into 'spanish' historical fiction. I have always been intrigued by Isabella & Ferdinand, so I was thrilled to have won a copy of "Queen's Vow". We start her journey in the book when Isabella is but a mere 3year old child. From the beginning, her existence was precarious and fraught w...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Teresa Gibson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book should be subtitled: Isabella Tells You All About Her Reign, because that is what Gortner does--TELLS you what happened. The narrative is full of passive description: we did this, we did that, the reason for this was, the reason for that was... I could skip paragraphs and never really miss anything. The first rule a fiction writer learns is "show, don't tell." When Gortner did show action, as in the early part of the novel dealing with Isabella's brother Alfonso and her half-brother En...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16th-c, arc, ferdinand-and-isabella, historical-fiction, spain

I have been a fan of Gortner’s work since I picked up my first read of his, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He has a talent of taking maligned or misunderstood women and making them approachable characters whom readers can identify with and attempt to understand their choices. His novel of Isabella of Castile is no different. Isabella is remembered by history as the Spanish queen who re-incited the Inquisition, the mother of Catherine of Aragon and Juana la Loca, and the queen who financ...more I have been a fan of Gortner’s work since I picked up my first read of his, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He has a talent of taking maligned or misunderstood women and making them approachable characters whom readers can identify with and attempt to understand their choices. His novel of Isabella of Castile is no different. Isabella is remembered by history as the Spanish queen who re-incited the Inquisition, the mother of Catherine of Aragon and Juana la Loca, and the queen who financed Christopher Columbus’ American expedition. In The Queen’s Vow we are treated to an Isabella who does all of these things, but whom we also see grow up and who struggles with her decisions.

Right from the first pages we meet a young Isabella that we can identify with and grow up with. We feel what it is like to grow up maligned from the court that you belong to and see your livelihood stripped away. We can identify with the heat of a first love. As time goes on we get to know her husband, Fernando of Aragon, and even later her brood – Isabel, Juan, Juana, Maria, and Catalina. I most enjoyed getting to know her family who I didn’t know too much about. In all the novels I have read I have always found Fernando distasteful, however here I found myself enamored by him – despite his flaws. We get to really know her oldest two children the best, Isabel and Juan, whom you don’t read much about.

While we don’t know the thoughts that went through Isabella’s head while making some of her most important decisions as queen, I find Gortner’s take on it fully plausible. Most people have some qualms about major decisions they make and I can absolutely believe that Isabella might have had doubts about some of her most definitive decisions. If nothing else, his choices fit in well with the characters he created. You really feel that Isabella is a real person who has flaws.

While I enjoyed all the aspects of this story of Isabella’s life, I most enjoyed reading about the Reconquista and especially how she wanted to be out at the battlefield. She was truly a strong Queen, regardless of how we may feel about her decisions regarding the Inquisitions. I cannot wait to have the chance to read The Last Queen, about her daughter, Juana, as a continuation of this storyline.

Gorter is an author whose work I know I will always enjoy.

This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, own

http://www.burtonbookreview.com/2012/..., which shows original links that were inserted.

Gortner enjoys writing of female monarchs who may have been vilified or misunderstood, and his newest novel is no different. Queen Isabella is most remembered for her role in the Spanish Inquisition and for funding Cristobal Colon's voyage. Was she a money hungry, blood thirsty monarch, with ethnic cleansing views similar to Hitler? That would be open to interpretation, and Gortner uses his research to try an...more http://www.burtonbookreview.com/2012/..., which shows original links that were inserted.

Gortner enjoys writing of female monarchs who may have been vilified or misunderstood, and his newest novel is no different. Queen Isabella is most remembered for her role in the Spanish Inquisition and for funding Cristobal Colon's voyage. Was she a money hungry, blood thirsty monarch, with ethnic cleansing views similar to Hitler? That would be open to interpretation, and Gortner uses his research to try and portray Isabella in a more positive light. The story takes us through four parts, which were all discussed during the HF-Connection Read-along so I feel like I may be repeating myself here.

Using a first person perspective the author attempts to humanize Isabella as she deals with both political and marital conflict. I felt that with the many names coming and going, Carillo, Villena, Chacon, it may have been easier to get a full-figured view of the time period if we were able to see it through someone else's eyes and feel more of a sense of the political upheaval as well. Instead, using first person view of Isabella we are limited to her actions, thoughts and fears, which sometimes made me feel like I was trying peer through the haze to gather what was really happening elsewhere in the opposing factions/realms.

However, the author was not writing a historical novel regarding the period of Isabella, he was writing a novel on the character of Isabella. He does a great job of offering a glimpse of what could have been going through her head at various times, and we witness Isabella's transformation from young adult to wife and ruler. My favorite parts were the beginning, where Isabella is developing her relationships with her brother Alfonso, and half-brother Enrique. Those relationships helped humanize Isabella in my eyes, as I could see Isabella loved Alfonso very much and was willing to wait for Enrique's reign to be over before she reached for the throne of Castile. Another relationship (but ended up being a bit anti-climactic) was the fate of Juana la Beltraneja, the issue of Enrique's wife who was considered illegitimate. The political turmoil between the family and their advisers was well portrayed and I was eager to read how it would play out.

An underlying theme is Fernando and Isabella's marriage, going through the motions of the begetting of heirs for their realm in hopes of solidifying future political alliances. The other theme is the aspect of religion and how Isabella's beliefs helped shape her life and therefore how she governed. However, Gortner shows that Isabella did not make the important decisions on her own, as she had several people close to her that she listened to. He attempts to show Isabella as very reluctant to be the Inquisitor, and suggests that perhaps it is Fernando who had more religious zeal. The aspect of religion and the ultimate belief that all things are done for God and in His name is another important topic to consider when learning of Isabella's actions. The horrors inflicted on her people can be seen as a casualty of war, as she was on a mission to save her soul as well as her people. And to be fair, Isabella was one woman, and a product of her times. Her decisions were not her own.

This is a satisfying read for those who are interested in seeing a characterization of Isabella that possibly offers clues to why she made the epic decisions that she did, especially in regards to the persecution of her people. I am a reader who has to like a main character in order to fully enjoy a book, and I am predisposed to disliking Isabella. I wanted to be able to love this passionate Isabella, but I still wasn't able to in the end. There were many battles and struggles going on around Isabella which became a major thrust of the novel, and this helps portray the image of Isabella as a Warrior Queen, even though it was Fernando who was doing most of the battle organizing. The politics of the era are another major theme to the novel, and I found the Spanish maneuverings and battles for control of cities slightly confusing as there was a lot of this carried out throughout the novel.

However, Isabella exhibited tenacity, passion for her causes, and love for her family and Gortner does a thorough job of portraying these characteristics throughout the novel. My favorite scenes were those that focused around her children, and how she interacted with her children. I wish there were more towards the end of the book that focused on the marriage, but that too was overshadowed with the political upheaval and the conquests. I also loved Isabella's maid, Beatriz, who came in and out of the story.

One of the children that Tudor fans should recognize would be her daughter Catalina/Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII of England. Another daughter is Juana de Loca/Juana the Mad, who was a subject of Gortner's novel The Last Queen, which I enjoyed and recommend. I recently conducted an interview with the author regarding his research on Isabella and writing this book, which can be found here.

Along the same theme, I have to recommend Mitchell James Kaplan's novel By Fire, By Water, which was a favorite of mine. It features Luis de Santangel, a character who was also mentioned in The Queen's Vow as he becomes entrenched on both sides of the Spanish Inquisition. For those who have read The Queen's Vow and would like to comment on many of the topics related to the book, feel free to comment on any of the discussion posts of the read along. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Staci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

I know that I've been swept away into a wonderful story when my dreams are filled with the characters from the book that I'm currently reading and this was the case while I read The Queen's Vow. As soon as I would wake up in the morning I grabbed my book and raced through the pages anxious to find out if Isabella would succeed as Queen of Castile. Her story intrigued me and Gortner made her so real to me that it was hard to put the book down until I was finished. While not everything is historic...more

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May 29, 2012 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the very first page, this novel pulled me in.....I loathed to put the book down at all. A compelling piece of historical fiction detailing the life of Queen Isabella of Castile, the author begins with the relatively normal family life of a very young Isabella; a normalcy that ends when she and her brother Alfonso are summoned to court by their half-brother Enrique, the King. There Isabella meets a young Fernando, destined to be her husband, father of her children, and the love of her life....more

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Oct 09, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Isabella of Castile is perhaps most widely known as the woman who gave Christopher Columbus the money to explore the New World, but this historical novel shows her as a much more fascinating character primarily interested in uniting Spain. Although the author freely admits juggling a few moments in history, this is a well-written piece. Isabella is, from the start, an interesting girl, then young woman, then Queen. Her relationship with her husband, Fernando, is unusual for the time as it appear...more

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Jul 12, 2012 TinasBookReviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Queen's vow is about a woman that I've always known to be evil, in this book she receives an author who brings her to life in the way only fiction can. G.W Gortner takes us on a journey of exciting historical acoount, laced with lavish detail and romance that swept me off my feet.

While reading this I almost had to retrain my brain, as a reviewer I tend to rush through my novels, taking everything in at warp speed, with this novel I took it slow, savoring each chapter and choosing to devour G...more The Queen's vow is about a woman that I've always known to be evil, in this book she receives an author who brings her to life in the way only fiction can. G.W Gortner takes us on a journey of exciting historical acoount, laced with lavish detail and romance that swept me off my feet.

While reading this I almost had to retrain my brain, as a reviewer I tend to rush through my novels, taking everything in at warp speed, with this novel I took it slow, savoring each chapter and choosing to devour Gortner's words over the course of a few weeks. The novel came to life for me and despite everything that history and school has taught me of Queen Isabella, I found her to be a fascinating larger than life character. I loved that the book started in her childhood and wove together all the events in her young life, leading to her eventual title as queen, a position she never thought would be hers. As readers we see the nightmarish reign of her brother how he came to ruin and how her rise to power and scorching love affair with Fernando of Aragon led to marriage and ruling together with almost frightening power that of course to this day has romanticized them into an eerie, cruel and passionate couple. We also see the political warfare, the pressure Isabella faced trying to repair her torn apart kingdom, her desire to fight and her bravery which in the novel made her more the hero and not of the damsel class, which unfortunately history has the sneaking ability to do. While Isabella certainly had the love a man, she could take care of herself and do so boldly, which for me was what made this story special. I love reading about strong women who have intelligence, bravery and harbor exquisiteness that show multifaceted personality.

Gortner also takes much liberties to explain Isabella's devotion to her faith, which caused that famous inquisition we always hear about when dealing with this particular historical figure. Over the span of time kings, queens and nations have committed horrendous atrocities in Gods name, actions that faith never require, they do it out of pride or actually thinking they are doing Gods work. Of course there are those who do things in Gods name out of pure evil and I've always placed Isabella's actions against the Jews in that category, while this book gave me plausible insight into the workings of Isabella's mind and the political strategy that may have determined many of her decisions, I still see her actions hard to justify. Gortner's account and presentation almost make me want to ditch what I know and the lack of what I know about history and retell this one as truth....a mark of a great author.

Walk into a world bursting with seductive secrets, bold story telling and history done right.(less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Siobian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2012, review-copy

Isabella was never expected to be anything more than a profitable political match for her family, but her fates changed to where she became one of the most important, and controversial, women in history. Living a life of intrigue and danger growing up in her half-brother's home, Isabella is suspected of trying to overthrow the King until she becomes heiress of Castile and one of the best matches in the country. Isabella is determined to be with the man she loves and when she and Fernando, prince...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Colleen Turner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I reviewed this book for www.luxuryreading.com.

A woman of many contradictions, Isabella of Castile is one of the most formidable and powerful queens in history. Under her rule Spain became a united country and learning and exploration flourished. Her pious reign also brought about the Spanish Inquisition, which saw the Jews of Spain exiled or killed. So was she a saint or a villain? The Queen’s Vow lets Isabella tell her own story and what we find is a woman of faith, love and an endless devotio...more I reviewed this book for www.luxuryreading.com.

A woman of many contradictions, Isabella of Castile is one of the most formidable and powerful queens in history. Under her rule Spain became a united country and learning and exploration flourished. Her pious reign also brought about the Spanish Inquisition, which saw the Jews of Spain exiled or killed. So was she a saint or a villain? The Queen’s Vow lets Isabella tell her own story and what we find is a woman of faith, love and an endless devotion who wanted to ensure that her beloved Castile thrived in the ever expanding world around them.

This book is what all historical fiction should aspire to. Vivid in period details and full of action, adventure and romance it can be hard to remember that you are not actually experiencing the goings on but simply reading it. The depiction of Isabella as such an incredibly complicated woman is easy to understand when you realize what she had to go through just to secure what was rightfully hers and to do what she thought was necessary for her God, her husband and her people.

Isabella is not only a queen but a dutiful wife, a caring mother, a warrior, a defender of her faith and an advocate for her subjects. It would take an incredibly strong, brave woman to be able to do all that she did in the time period she lived in and she is shown as doing so with grace, courage, fairness and tenacity unlike anyone else surrounding her. It is hard not to love her even when her ultimate choices lead to devastating consequences for others as she is depicted as a woman who does not take her choices lightly and truly searches her soul for the right answer for all.

If you enjoy historical fiction you would be remiss not to read this book. Even if you usually do not read this genre there really is something for just about anyone to enjoy. I, for one, will be running out to read more about Isabella, Fernando and their family as well as more by Mr. Gortner, who might just be my new favorite author.
(less)

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Jul 23, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of historical fiction

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-fiction

I really enjoyed this book, it was fascinating and captivating. Going into this book I didn't know much about Isabella at all. At the end the author states that certain dates he moved around for the sake of the story. That didn't bother me much or detract from the story at all because of my lack of knowledge about Isabella to begin with. At times this book felt really long but it was still interesting nonetheless. I would recommend this book to fans of the historical fiction genre.

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Jun 13, 2012 Serena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner, published June 12, is another historical fiction powerhouse about a strong, young royal who cares for her family and her country more than herself. Isabella of Castile is the daughter of the ailing Juan II and his second wife Isabel of Portugal, and she has a younger brother Alfonso, on whom she dotes. Her relationship with her half-brother Enrique IV is tenuous at best, and when he is poised to takeover the crown when their father dies, her mother believes it is...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, reviewed-for-author-publisher

REVIEWED AS PART OF THE BLOG TOUR - SEE MY INTERVIEW WITH C W GORTNER HERE: http://kincavelkorner.wordpress.com/2...

Fans of historical fiction, get ready to jump up and down, shouting with glee, because Gortner has given us a fascinating account of one of history’s strongest women.

In a world where women are largely marginalised and married off to advantage, while the politics are all left to the menfolk, Isabella bucked the trend by choosing her own husband and deciding to rule her country in he...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Phillippa Gregory is trained as a historian rather than a creative writer, and reading this book by C.W. Gortner, who is trained as a writer but not as a historian, makes me see both the pros and cons of that. Gregory takes a lot of care with detail, naming chapters with dates and placing her characters wherever they were documented to have been at the time, but she sometimes gets redundant with her writing. Gortner's writing is richer and more varied, which makes it more enjoyable to read. Howe...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com

Overall Review:
The Queen's Vow tells the tale of how one young princess rose above doubt, discouragement and defeat to become one of the greatest queens the world has ever known. Told exclusively from Isabella's point of view, the action rapidly enfolds and never stops in this almost 400-page drama. I couldn't help feeling like I too was in ancient Spain. The story's constant feelings of unrest and upheaval had me holding my breath over Isabella's fate.

Whi...more Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com

Overall Review:
The Queen's Vow tells the tale of how one young princess rose above doubt, discouragement and defeat to become one of the greatest queens the world has ever known. Told exclusively from Isabella's point of view, the action rapidly enfolds and never stops in this almost 400-page drama. I couldn't help feeling like I too was in ancient Spain. The story's constant feelings of unrest and upheaval had me holding my breath over Isabella's fate.

While Isabella's story is familiar to many, Gortner brings her history to life with his interesting detail, palpable energy and quick pacing. Though Isabella was an ancient monarch, she felt refreshingly relatable as she worried about her husband and children. Isabella's struggles were never sugarcoated, especially as she tackled heavy and emotional topics like religious persecution and dirty politics. The Queen's Vow is an excellent and informative read with a haunting message of the cost of change.

Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 7 religious exclamations, 2 mild obscenities, 21 derogatory names, 2 scatological words and 1 anatomical term

Violence/Gore: Verbal threats against enemies and Jews are issued; characters speak of war in lands far away; second-hand reports of violence include accounts of sieges, battles, beheadings, burnings at the stake and killing of innocent babes; a character is beaten; a fire destroys property without casualties; Jews are stoned to death and men are condemned to be disemboweled and hung on city gates in non-detailed scenes of violent death.

Sex/Nudity: A few incidents of kissing and a mention of breastfeeding. There are numerous sexual references including talk of consummation and producing an heir; whispers of infidelity and affairs; allusions to homosexual relations; talk of sexual desire, "bedding others" and an inclusion of lewd comments. An incident of caressing occurs. Numerous implied or reported accounts of sexual activity take place, including reference to three-way trysts, "boy-loving" relationships and being taken into bedrooms. Three incidents of explicit descriptions of sex between adults occur.

Mature Subject Matter:
Religious persecution, homosexual relations, greed and power, murder, war, death of family members, mental disorders, marriage infidelity.

Alcohol / Drug Use:
Characters often drink wine.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review: THE QUEEN'S VOW

THE QUEEN'S VOW

THE QUEEN'S VOW, based on the life and times of Isabel of Castille is a fascinating read. Destined to be queen, Isabel’s path towards this goal was never easy. When Isabel lost her father at a young age, she was left to care for her mentally ill mother as well as her younger brother. Her older step brother then automatically became king…and that’s basically when all the problems began. From his cruel and unfaithful wife who tried everything to get Isabel ba...more Review: THE QUEEN'S VOW

THE QUEEN'S VOW

THE QUEEN'S VOW, based on the life and times of Isabel of Castille is a fascinating read. Destined to be queen, Isabel’s path towards this goal was never easy. When Isabel lost her father at a young age, she was left to care for her mentally ill mother as well as her younger brother. Her older step brother then automatically became king…and that’s basically when all the problems began. From his cruel and unfaithful wife who tried everything to get Isabel banished; to the birthing of an illegitimate child that would, for the longest time, become a thorn in the path of Isabel’s becoming queen- let’s just say that her rise to ‘queendom’ was not handed to her graciously.

I loved reading about how she met her beau, the handsome Fernando,who would one day become her husband and king. I loved everything about this love story. Their rise to a duo reign was most fascinating. Even with Fernando by her side though, Isabel was a queen in her own right; a woman with a mind of her own and a heart of gold. Some would argue that at a certain point in the book Isabel became ruthless for the sake of Christendom, through the Crusades and eviction of non-Christians. But when one thinks of the times and the narrow-mindedness of the people back then, it seemed to me that Isabel showed signs of being most avant-garde in her relationships with non-Christians. Isabel loved her people and the good of her country always came first- but as history has proved itself, this was too often guided by the dictates of religion.

The Queen’s Vow contains all that is appealing to me in historical fiction, with the right blend of history, love, internal and external battles, spicy historical details within family relations- and most importantly a heroine to be admired for strength of character mixed with a beautiful caring soul. Queen Isabel, who we all learned about as the queen who allowed Christopher Columbus to set sail for America comes to life in this excellent book. She is real, she is strong and she is amazing!
Isabel of Castille; my ‘new’ favourite queen!
Next on my list, I am definitely reading the continuation of this story in Gortner’s previous book:
THE LAST QUEEN(less)

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Aug 21, 2012 Yellow Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was one of my impulse buys while in the book store. And then I realized it was a historical novel I began to read about the first 80 pages did not particularly interest me however I was keen on continuing the read then eventually the story became very interesting.This is also the first time that I read a novel of such genre which was indeed a refreshing adventurous read.

This is a semi historical novel most of the events are correct some are changed and some are made up like the first t...more

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About C.W. Gortner

C.W. Gortner holds an MFA in Writing, with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies. Raised in Spain and half Spanish by birth, he currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He welcomes readers and is always available for reader group chats. Please visit him at www.cwgortner.com for more information.

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Books by C.W. Gortner

The Tudor Secret (The Spymaster Chronicles, #1)

The Tudor Conspiracy (The Spymaster Chronicles, #2)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12796941-the-queen-s-vow?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321053644l/12796941.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12796941-the-queen-s-vow?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by C.W. Gortner[/url]

The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile

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