Sunday, February 20, 2011

Guest Post by Christopher Gortner " Elizabeth and Robert: A Dangerous Liaison"

Please give a warm welcome to the marvelous author C.W. Gortner! I am so excited for this because not only is there an extra special giveaway going for his latest release: The Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles) here on Historically Obsessed. But there is much more to go along with it. Now if you absolutely cannot wait to see if you might snag the giveaway copy then you can go to your local bookstore and pick this one up because it hit bookstores on February 1st 2011. Follow this link to check out the giveaway for a signed copy of "The Tudor Secret" and a necklace I designed with the novel as my inspiration. Without further adieu please welcome author C.W. Gortner to Historically Obsessed.


Elizabeth and Robert: A Dangerous Liaison

Elizabeth Tudor, better known to history as Queen Elizabeth I, was unexpected. Her parents, the glamorous Anne Boleyn and formidable Henry VIII, were convinced that the child Anne carried was a long-awaited son. Yet the boy Henry had so yearned for and torn his realm apart to obtain turned out to be a girl, born with what seemed to be a curse writ into her fate. Within three years, Henry would behead her mother and re-marry four times; she’d gain a younger brother, Edward, in addition to her older sister Mary; face a daunting fight for her life that would test her to her core; and would, if the legend is true, fall impossibly in love with one man— Robert Dudley.
In one of the few portraits we have of Elizabeth in her youth, we see a brittle red-haired princess with spidery fingers—so reminiscent of her mother’s—clad in an ornamental red dress against a curtained backdrop. She stares enigmatically at us, secrets lurking in her dark eyes. Keenly intelligent, arguably as alluring as Anne ever was, this portrait was painted shortly before troubled adolescence catapulted Elizabeth into an ultimately lethal flirtation with Thomas Seymour. It must have been an unforgettable lesson for the impressionable princess of the dangers inherent in her nascent sexuality. Certainly, if she’d harbored any doubts before, nurtured on whispered stories of her mother’s horrifying end, the execution of Seymour proved to Elizabeth that in her world, sex certainly could equal death.

Many believe, however, that when it came to Robert Dudley, this trauma was superseded by inescapable desire. Elizabeth and Robert are inextricably linked, two halves of a fractured whole. They cut their teeth in one of the most treacherous courts in history, witnessing early on the consequences of unbridled ambition or passion. If ever there were two people who should have known better, it was they. Yet their own dangerous liaison lasted a lifetime, epic in its unattainable promise and darkened by rumors of murder and betrayal. Elizabeth knew the price those who courted her could pay; and Robert was the favored son of a family stained by treason. Still, they gravitated to each other like stars on an unstoppable collision course. What drew these two powerful personalities together?

In The Tudor Secret, we meet Elizabeth in her nineteenth year. Four years have passed since the execution of Seymour and she’s a seasoned veteran of the court, wary and fully aware of the perils lurking behind every tapestry. Propelled by concern for her brother King Edward, she’s come unannounced to London to discover why he’s disappeared from the public eye. Robert Dudley’s father, Northumberland, holds sway over the realm and plots to further his iron grip. And Robert, though already wed, burns to achieve what he believes is his right: the heart of a princess. It is a quest that will pit Elizabeth against a tenacious foe and give smoldering birth to a catastrophic love affair that will define her life and haunt the man who yearns to possess her— proving that Elizabeth and Robert remain as fascinating today as they must have been all those hundreds of years ago.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. To learn more about me and my books, as well as access special features, please visit me at: http://www.cwgortner.com. Happy reading!
Thank you whole heartily C.W. for the wonderful guest post on Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. As everyone who reads this blog knows: I love me some Robert Dudley. I love their story and it is by far one of my top picks for best love stories of all time.
Amazon 
The Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles)The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A NovelThe Last Queen: A Novel
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11 comments:

  1. Lizzy, the necklace is gorgeous (and I entered to win), but C.W.'s signed copy of "The Tudor Secret" would be awesome! I really enjoy this period in history and have "The Last Queen" on my TBR mountain already.

    Thanks not only for the great giveaway, but for the wonderful guest post today and all the other info I consistently get from you ;-)

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  2. Great guest post Lizzy ;) I'm always fascinated by Elizabeth and Lord Robert and never get tired of reading about them...I think I just WANT to believe that they were meant to be together...regardless of the court...lol Wishful thinking I know. Have a great day. Fondly, Roberta

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  3. Great post! I just finished The Tudor Secret & enjoyed this different look at the intrigues of royal courts. I was especially enjoying how Prescott viewed Elizabeth.. as she was portrayed as a mysterious yet noble lady. Can't wait for book 2!

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  4. Great guest post. These two are a couple for the ages.

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  5. I have not got to the Tudor Secret and cannot even see when I will when this gorgeous book falls upon us! This sounds wonderful.

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  6. Linda, thank you thank you, OMG you HAVE to bump "The Last Queen" up. It is to die for good. Hehe I am so happy you love the stuff!

    Roberta, that makes two of us. I love Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, I kind of have to believe it was true love between them. I never tire of them either. You have good one too Roberta.

    Pricilla, no kidding they ruled the golden age.

    Mystica, I hope you get your hands on it soon, it is a lovely read.

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  7. Interesting post. I guess we'll never really know the particulars of Robert and Elizabeth's relationship, will we?

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  8. You know....that potrait of Robert Dudley makes him look a little like the guy who plays Dr. Cox in the show Scrubs. Odd. Maybe someday they'll come across Elizabeth's personal diary and then we'll know. =)Wouldn't that be amazing??

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  9. Susied, I wish we could but then it would not be as interesting to speculated on. I guess that is part of the appeal factor on their relationship.

    Carole, LOL that is too funny on scrubs. YES of course that would be amazing!!! If you ever want to check out a good read that covers them in more of a romantic aspect you have to check out "His Last Letter" by Jeanie Westin. OMG that was a good Robert and Elizabeth read. By far one of my favorites.

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  10. hahahaha. I'm glad I amused you. =D He does though...maybe they're related. Maybe Robert is like a great-great and etc uncle/grandfather.

    Ooh. I'll have to check that out. ^.^ Sounds good. Let me put that down on my to-read list. I am now waiting for my library to send me 'The Greatest Knight' novel you told me about.

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  11. Carole, LOL, ROTFL, that is GREAT thinking. You will love it so much I promise you will become addicted to William Marshal after you read it. He is about as SEXY as they come.

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