What does Camilla see in Charles? Did the Duchess of Windsor REALLY think she was going to get the crown of England? Learn the scandalous truth about the illicit relationships of some of history's most powerful men-and the women who slept with them to get to the top. SEX WITH KINGS is the perfect book for anyone who revels in the scandalous goings-on of royals through the ages. Fascinating, and endlessly entertaining, SEX WITH KINGS explores sex, power, money, rivalry and revenge. This non-fiction journey through 500 years takes the reader into the throne rooms and bedrooms of Europe's most powerful kings. From the dawn of time, power has been a mighty aphrodisiac. The royal mistress, having conquered a king, often ran his kingdom, wielding her sexuality as sceptre. SEX WITH KINGS is trailblazing in its exploration of this intriguing phenomenon-the position of royal mistress at European Courts, the fascinating women who filled it, and how their responsibilities and rewards changed over the centuries. This is a chapter of women's history which has remained unwritten-until now.

About the Author

Author Eleanor Herman is related to most of the royal houses of Europe. With the blood of kings flowing in her veins, she has spent most of her free time since childhood studying their lives and travelling to their palaces. Herman graduated with a degree in Journalism from Towson State University in Baltimore in 1981. After studying languages in Europe and writing for numerous publications, she worked for German-based Monch Publishing as Associate Publisher of Nato's Nations and Partners for Peace from 1989-2002. She has interviewed numerous foreign leaders and spoken at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. A member of the National Press Club's Book and Author Committee, currently her full-time job is researching and writing women's history.

Reviews

When kings marry foreign strangers for dynastic or financial reasons and queens are trained in piety over sensuality, royal mistresses seem an inevitability. Kings had flings and extramarital relationships through much of European history, and in her first book, Herman offers, with relish and dry wit, a delightful overview of their sexual escapades. Her subjects are international, though France dominates and England gets a strong showing. It's a lively account, organized by topic e.g., "The Fruits of Sin-Royal Bastards." Herman weaves into a larger pattern the tales of recurrent figures, such as Louis XIV's mistress Ath?na?s de Montespan and Madame de Pompadour, who is perhaps more famous than her royal lover, Louis XV. Fashions, love potions and cheerful conversation kept kings enthralled while mistresses made themselves wealthy, husbands acquiesced or simmered, courtiers wooed the mistresses and the public admired or ridiculed. A striking number of these relationships continued despite arguments and even the lack of sex. George II even felt it necessary to keep a mistress for his reputation despite actually loving his wife. Herman ends on a modern note, recounting how Camilla Parker-Bowles famously introduced herself to Prince Charles by noting that her great-grandmother had been his great-great-grandfather's mistress. Herman ends on a serious note, but her wit and perceptiveness will carry readers through this royally pleasurable romp. Agent, Barbara Perlmutter. (July) Forecast: As Janet Maslin has already indicated in the New York Times, this could be the high-brow sexy beach read of the summer. And though a commoner and American-born, Herman dresses regally in her author photo. BOMC main selection. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"An irreproachably researched and amusingly written history of European monarchs' jezebels."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)