Fate's Mistress

Travel back to the court of the French Renaissance

Fate's Mistress: Book Three of the Three Graces Trilogy

Fate can be a cruel mistress...

Cousins to the King of Navarre, the Cleves sisters witness the glamour and danger of the French royal court firsthand. Middle sister, Catherine, is married to the Duc de Guise, the most rabid Catholic in France. Ambitious and well-connected, Guise is the main rival for the French throne, which is currently occupied by an unpopular Henri III.

Guise managed to win concessions from Henri, but concessions come with a steep price on his head. As his Duchesse, Catherine is in a dangerous position of her own. Determined to play her part in bringing about the downfall of the Valois and the rise of the Guise, Catherine will risk her own safety.

But is the risk worth the rewards? Will either of them escape with their lives? Catherine has to take a chance for herself, and the consequences will change French history.

Based on a true story

The Cleves sisters' story concludes with Catherine, who stands in the middle of court politics in France of the 1500s. Like most great noble families of the period, the web of intermarriages and alliances made enemies out of blood relatives. It also meant that the stories of the people who served the Valois monarchs were as intertwined and as complicated as their marriages.

Led by the ever-vigilant Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France and a force of nature, the members of the court shaped the political and religious future of France of the Sixteenth Century. In the trilogy, you'll meet the often- derided Charlotte, Madame de Sauve, and enough royal mistresses to satisfy your need for scandal.

Laura du Pre is an emerging author of historical fiction. Almost a Queen is Laura's first book and the first in the Three Graces Trilogy. Laura holds a Master's Degree in History from Middle Tennessee State University. Before writing full time she worked as an archivist and a contributor for historical publications. She continues to live in the Deep South with her cranky elderly cat, Owen. You can learn more about Laura at her website. Stop by there for a FREE copy of Safe in My Arms: A Three Graces Story.