"The Sisters of Versailles" - Sally Christie

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the three-day weekend and have a little time to relax and read. Today's review was the final book I finished as part of the Clean Slate Read-a-thon. And what a great book it was! I think I was most excited to find out that The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie is part of a trilogy, with books two and three coming out this year! Those have definitely been added to my TBR list. Who doesn't love a good French Court, 18th-century scandal :) Thanks Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

"A sumptuous and sensual tale of power, romance, family, and betrayal centered around four sisters and one King. Carefully researched and ornately detailed, The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in an exciting new historical fiction trilogy about King Louis XV, France's most "well-beloved" monarch, and the women who shared his heart and his bed.
 
Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear.
 
Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters: Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne, four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.
 
Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as various factions put their best foot - and women - forward. The King's scheming ministers push Louise, the eldest of the aristocratic Nesle sisters, into the arms of the King. Over the following decade, the four sisters: sweet, naive Louise; ambitious Pauline; complacent Diane, and cunning Marie Anne, will conspire, betray, suffer, and triumph in a desperate fight for both love and power.
 
In the tradition of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Sisters of Versailles is a clever, intelligent, and absorbing novel that historical fiction fans will devour. Based on meticulous research on a group of women never before written about in English, Sally Christie's stunning debut is a complex exploration of power and sisterhood; of the admiration, competition, and even hatred that can coexist within a family when the stakes are high enough."

Five sisters all connected in some way to King Louis XV, fighting for power and to be his mistress?! How scandalous! And how intriguing! This book was pure gold. Christie banters back and forth between all the sisters, including both narrative and letters they wrote back and forth to each other. I loved seeing the story and struggle from each of their points-of-view! The story was full of drama, intrigue, power, and romance, romance for both the king and for each other as sisters. Positively thrilling! There are a lot of other characters throughout the book that sometimes I confused, but not enough that it had an effect on the story itself. Even better, the entire premise of the story is wrote based on actual facts. Yes, the book is historical fiction but the idea came from actual accounts. As a debut author, Christie is someone I am definitely looking forward to reading more from. She uses GREAT vocabulary. I'm all about the use of the word "pious." Don't ask. I have weird quirks :) I can't wait for books two and three, The Rivals of Versailles and The Enemies of Versailles, both due to be released this year, to complete the Mistresses of Versailles trilogy. My only fault, I wish I would have read this book sooner! As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or recommendations.

Happy reading fools :)