I liked the connection between the Borgia family and how they helped and protected and promoted each other except for Juan. Sometimes it came from a place of jealousy but other times he was right especially about his brother Juan. Cesare did not always do right but I liked how he would say what he felt needed said to his father. Seeing how each one saw what was happening and how they interpreted it was fascinating. The thinking that goes into each action made by Rodrigo with Cesare's help or disappointment of the decisions is shown as is the softer side of Cesare when Maddalena becomes his mistress.I truly enjoyed this historical novel. From the time Cesare becomes a cardinal, his father continues plotting to keep his family on top and increase their influence as he is now Pope. Read moreĪ well-written novel from the point of view of Cesare Borgia and his sister's maid Maddalena who became his mistress.

And as jealousy and betrayal threaten to tear apart the Borgia family from within, Cesare is forced to reckon with his seemingly limitless ambition.Īlyssa Palombo's captivating new novel, The Borgia Confessions, is a story of passion, politics, and class, set against the rise and fall of one of Italy's most infamous families-the Borgias. Maddalena becomes a keeper of dangerous Borgia secrets, and must decide if she is willing to be a pawn in the power games of the man she loves. But now, employed as a servant in the Vatican Palace, she cannot help but be entranced by Cesare Borgia’s handsome face and manner and finds her faith and conviction crumbling in her want of him.Īs war rages and shifting alliances challenge the pope’s authority, Maddalena and Cesare's lives grow inexplicably entwined. Maddalena Moretti comes from the countryside, where she has seen how the whims of powerful men wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people.

Rodrigo’s eldest son Cesare, forced to follow his father into the church and newly made the Archbishop of Valencia, chafes at his ecclesiastical role and fumes with jealousy and resentment at the way that his foolish brother has been chosen for the military greatness he desired. 'Under Palombo’s skillful hand, the entangled world of the Borgias comes vividly to life, exposing the dark facets of class structure and the all-consuming greed that comes with ambition-and love.' - Heather Webb, internationally bestselling author of Last Christmas in Paris and Meet Me in Monacoĭuring the sweltering Roman summer of 1492, Rodrigo Borgia has risen to power as pope.

The borgia confessions