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Book Title and Author Name
Under The Sword
by Luv Lubker
Blurb:
From acclaimed Victorian historical author, Luv Lubker, the author of “Under His Spell” comes the continuing romance of the Princess Royal Victoria and Frederick III of Prussia.
Join Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter and her husband, future German Emperor Frederick III in this third installment of The Rival Courts family saga, as they climb the treacherous path to their dream of German unification in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.
In the calm after the storm, Vicky and Fritz have it all: a devoted marriage, a growing family, and the promise of a bright future. But Fritz’s Uncle Karl lies in wait behind the scenes, hatching his newest plot. A shocking outcome of Vicky’s Royal duties will bring fresh doubts to Fritz’s heart, and his fatherhood.
As personal tragedy strikes and shakes them to their core, Fritz is forced to lead the largest battle history has ever seen. One which could change the face of Europe forever.
Vicky’s best friend struggles to shield her daughters from the sinister force that seeks to control them. The youngest shares her grandfather’s uncanny ability to know the truth behind others’ motives. But can she see the truth in him? In such a dangerous world, what heroic role will this small child play?
Can they escape the danger and betrayal that lurks in every corner as they travel to the icy expanse of Russia, the peaceful Mediterranean shores, and the vast Eastern deserts?
Will Vicky and Fritz’s love and marriage survive a mysterious illness, or will Uncle Karl’s conspiracies tear them apart for good?
Fans of Clare McHugh’s A Most English Princess, Mary Hart Perry’s The Shadow Princess, and Daisy Goodwin’s Victoria will be swept away by this gripping tale of love, war, and intrigue. With rich historical detail and deeply human struggles, Under the Sword, the third installment of The Rival Courts saga, brings to life the triumphs and tragedies in a fight against a nefarious trade which flourished in the shadows of the Royal court. A must-read for lovers of Victorian-era royal fiction.
Excerpt 4:
“I have explored Constantinople on every side, on horseback, on foot, and more regularly in the twelve-oared gilded caique. My constant companion is a man from our embassy who is quite a master of both the Turkish language and the curiosities of the town.
“But for all the splendor displayed for the Sultan, one looks for corresponding wealth in the town, and there is as much difference as there is in Russia. All the magic is lost far too quickly when one enters the dirty streets of the city, which can only be compared to dried-up riverbeds.
“The Emperor of Austria has arrived, and the Hertha was the first ship to salute him – the first such greeting since the war.
“The Sultan has appointed him the state-rooms in the Dolmabagdsche, and has withdrawn himself into the Sereglio. Here, accordingly, I was received for my farewell. And so, I have been within the Harem, though without more of a glance of its usual residents than a shimmer of their silk and embroidery through an iron latticed window.
“I have found – from report – that most of the women are of the Near East – European – often Slavic or Circassian, not Turkish or Asiatic – and the eunuchs who guard them are from the Nile regions. This, they say, is a result of one occasion when a eunuch was not a eunuch, and the Sultan’s son was not the Sultan’s son. This would be far too obvious in the circumstances which exist now.
“Yesterday we visited the barracks at Scutari, and were served a kind of cherry soup, strong with sugar and onions, and a very pleasant rice pillaw, the second of which I required no time to grow accustomed to. At court, too, this has been served, thoroughly mixed with extremely sweet French cuisine. These are also joined by meat served on a spit, which they call a ‘kebab’, and Turkish coffee, which tastes similar to that which we had in Tunisia.
“One cannot pay a visit or enter a barracks without being invited to drink coffee and to smoke. The servants are always ready with the required paraphernalia for smoking, which, as you can imagine, is an annoyance to Louis and to myself. It is difficult to know what to do, as it is considered offensive to refuse.
“This and one other custom were displeasing, as you can imagine. This second is one which is considered part of the outfit of a visiting Prince’s sleeping apartments – the appearance of a young girl, her figure barely concealed by thin, lacy garments, far less opaque than your nightgowns. This choice gift one finds lying in one’s bed – or rather divan – on entering the apartment, and everyone thinks one extremely strange for wishing to abstain from such pleasures.”
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mqLqv6
Author Bio:
Luv Lubker began life in the Animal World, researching creatures great and small since before she can remember, and earning her degree in chicken psychology by age twelve. Not long after, she immigrated to the Victorian era, where she has lived half her life in close company with the Brontë sisters and made friends with Queen Victoria’s extended family, whom she now knows quite as well as her own kin.
Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian Mountains, Luv currently resides in Texas’ Great Plains when visiting the modern world. When she isn’t writing or reading, she delights in preparing and savoring gourmet raw food with her family and exploring nature on long bike rides. Her special abilities include researching in seven languages and riding a unicycle since age seven.
Luv’s research delves into the unwritten stories that history left behind. Through unpublished letters, altered manuscripts, and deeply buried secrets, she reveals emotional truths concealed beneath the era’s refined exterior. Her novels give voice to the silenced, reveal what Victorians were taught to suppress and what their biographers chose to omit, tracing invisible scars that shaped lives, choices, and history itself.
Author Links:
Website: https://TheRivalCourts.com
Twitter / X: https://x.com/LubkerLuv
Facebook Series Page: https://facebook.com/TheRivalCourts
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Luvy.Lubker
Instagram: https://instagram.com/luvlubker
Threads: https://threads.net/@LuvLubker
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/luvlubker/
Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/stores/Luv-Lubker/author/B0C5TRY327
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21511046.Luv_Lubker
Thanks so much for hosting Luv Lubker today, with an enticing excerpt from her riveting new novel, Under The Sword.
Take care,
Cathie xo
The Coffee Pot Book Club