Blood, Fire & Gold

**SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, "10 BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2022"**

**HISTORY TODAY, "BOOKS OF THE YEAR (2022)"**

**AMAZON, EDITORS' PICK FOR "BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF THE MONTH" (December 2022)**

**NEW YORK POST, "BEST NEW BOOKS TO READ" (December 2022)**

**TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGAZINE, "THE 30 MUST-READ BOOKS OF WINTER 2023"**

**BOOKSCROLLING, "THE BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2022"**

**TIMES, "BOOK OF THE WEEK"**

"Ms. Paranque... conveys the relationship between these two remarkable women with zest and insight and with sympathy... Just as historical novelists now engage in serious academic research, so some historians, Ms. Paranque among them, are ready to grant themselves the novelist's freedom--though not with facts, thank goodness. After all, outside universities, people read even carefully researched history for enjoyment. There is a lot to enjoy here."

"Historian Estelle Paranque looks at the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two of the most powerful women in Renaissance Europe. She draws on their private letters to craft portraits of these famous women... A must-read for history lovers."

“Paranque deftly shows how their experiences shaped the women rulers’ relationships with their subjects, advisers and each other.”

"A fascinating, detailed look at the personal and political relations between Elizabeth and Catherine as they sought to promote the interests of their respective countries and religions."

"Paranque’s vivid character sketches and lucid explanations of the political and religious stakes involved result in a certifiable historical page-turner."

“Drawing on new research and private correspondence, Paranque paints a vivid picture of two formidable women whose rivalry motivated their respective choices and accomplishments.”

"[A] solid diplomatic history.”

"An excellent choice for both history buffs and listeners who are interested in feminist history and the lives of women rulers."

"A story told with verve and passion... a marvelous story of a relationship between two powerful women in an age when females were believed to be unsuited to the exercise of government."
 

"An alternative and engaging biography of the great Tudor Queen"
 

"[This book] deliver[s] fascinating insights... a pacy narrative of two stormy lives."