Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland

Man, I am a sucker for historical fiction.

And I am super lucky that as I librarian I get to review books for Library Journal. My editor Wanda, sends me about 6 historical fiction books a year, and I get to read them. This was the latest.

While in the past I have mostly been enamored of Tudor history, I have read a few on the French Court. This particular book was one of the mistresses of Louis XIV, better known as the Sun King. This is the king who built Versailles, and made France the greatest kingdom in the world.

Louise de Vallieres was a young girl who came to court while Louis was still a young, vibrant man. Petite (As she is affectionately known) was a great horsewoman and she caught the king's attention with her skills on horseback. Their secret was an affair for many years, and she bore him 4 children, 2 of whom survived.

While the plot of this book was rather quiet for a story of the intrigues of court, I loved the inner world of Petite that was created by the author.

I hope someone writes novels about other famous mistresses, like Madame du Barry, or Madame Pompadour.

Bring it on.