The fictional account of the very short life of Louis, Count of Vermandois, son of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Louise de Valliere.

The synopsis covers it all really - Louis' short life from his birth to his ultimate sexual corruption by the Chevalier de Lorraine in revenge of some slight done unto him by the King, to his exile and death (1683).

At times, the narrative feels overly long and rambling, however, this is a fair reconstruction of Louis' young life. Those with an interest in French history and the court of the Sun King will find this enjoyable.

What surprised me most about this read was that it is based on fact. I was unaware of the existence of the bastard son of the Sun King. I was more surprised still that there was a gay demimonde at this intolerant, aggressively cishet jerk's court. The last jaw-dropper for me was the way the author treated the subject of "gayness" in a time when that identity had not been invented. While being honest and true to the historical record, Author Bashor allows us twenty-first century snowflakes to feel connected to, and hopeful for, the sodomitical young bastard prince.

History buffs, as much as historical-fiction fans, will find much to enjoy in this evocation of a brutal, glamourous past. The gay themes should be a draw, not a bar, as the light the author sheds on the subject is welcome indeed...even if the life it illuminates is very, very saddening to modern eyes.

In theory, this should have been a novel hitting A LOT of buttons for me: historical fiction, Versailles, ultimately doomed Bourbon dynasty, LGBTQ, hidden/forgotten history, etc. However, the tone just never felt right, somehow, and the book was downright creepy, but not in a way that made sense. I mention that because, of course, a young boy and man corrupted and seduced by court and vengeful family SHOULD be creepy, and I fully expected that I would feel that, given the story's synopsis. But at the end of the day, I wasn't seduced by the story, I wasn't quite drawn in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. 54tr

DNF. Unfortunately this wasn’t my thing. I found it difficult to read and couldn’t keep the characters straight, and honestly it was just depressing. Not sad. Just depressing. Maybe I didn’t get far enough and it gets more compelling, but I wasn’t enjoying it enough to justify continuing spending time on it.

It was unfortunately very boring and it didn't manage to capture my full attention right from the beginning....All the historical ingredients were present except.....Versailles....No matter how you look at this novel you will never be able to feel the historical anchor that should have been holding it together because...."malheureusement"Versailles was simply missing from the big picture....

Special thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical books and this one was interesting. I liked that characters, I just wish that there had been more of a plot/storyline.

I don’t usually read historical fiction, but when I do, I do have some favourites authors, I have read quite some books from Phillipa Gregory that I really enjoyed and you know what? I didn’t know Will Bashor before of this book, but after reading this one, I know I can read his books as well, he writes in a very accessible way and even thou I didn’t know Louis I did enjoy his story, and to tell you the truth my heart aches for the little boy he was… but never mind that, please read this book is worth our time, and fans of historical fiction, based in people that was real, grab this book and read for yourself, this book stands for itself, gives us a real look into the court intrigue, into Versailles, and even in a week king… yeah you need to see that for yourself.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had everything that I wanted from a historical fiction novel. It does everything that I wanted and enjoyed about the time-period. Will Bashor does a great job in writing this and enjoyed how the characters were written. It was a great read and I enjoyed getting to go on this journey.

Rating 3 / 5

A decent historical fiction book that is based on a bastard prince that...of course, hardly anyone has ever heard about. (Sorry Jon Snow, it appears that bastards really don't get any glory.)

If ever there is a need to read a biography about someone whom you didn't know existed, but who had an interesting (albeit short) history nonetheless, I think this is a pretty good place to go. While the historian in me wants verification of the facts and the fictional-loving reader in me wants more of an interesting story, I have to admit that it's hard to have both in "a novel inspired by true events".

Still, it's an interesting undertaking that this author took, and although the story itself isn't quite original, I understand that it doesn't have to be since there's still respect for history to be considered in everything. Just a so-so read for me overall, however.

Absolutely magnificient historical retelling of a captivating story. I loved the way the author writes and makes us immerse into the story. A wonderful read.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I was so intrigued by this story! I had no idea any of this had happened. I could not decide if i wanted to believe the stories of what may have happened to junger Louis or to assume he died. I just wanted to give the poor boy a hug! Very well written!

Absolutely splendid, drenched in history and steeped in intrigue. As an avid history buff and lover of all things Louis XIV, this beautifully dramatic novel ticked all the boxes! An absolutely un-put-downable, thrilling read.

Absolutely phenomenal! Terrific from start to finish. I just love reading about unknown historical people and the author does a great job of bringing Count Louis to life. What a tale that you have to read about. This book comes with pictures - it just doesn't get any better than this. I will definitely be keeping this author on my radar! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this novel based on historical events, Louis de Bourbon, illegitimate son of Louis XIV, faces a precarious future when his mother abandons him to enter a convent. Joining the household of the Duke d'Orléans, Louis attracts the attention of the duke's lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine. His royal father denounces adolescent Louis for his role in a secret society spurning the love of women. Can he find redemption through selfless heroism in the king's army?

This is an interesting and enjoyable novel that offers some insight into the court of Versailles. While there are suggestions of same-sex dalliances, nothing much is dramatized, to the point that it's unclear whether anything actually happened. It's confusing and frustrating that the author is so coy. I understand the challenges, but you can leave things up to the reader's imagination without leaving them in the dark. It's a serious topic, given the nature of the secret society, and the author glosses over it. (If you're going to write a book about adult men seducing teenage boys, then have the courage to own it.) Apart from this omission, the book is a fascinating coming-of-age story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This story was absolutely captivating. As someone fascinated by the Versailles era of France this book was everything and brilliantly executed. Very historically accurate as much as possible with excellent timelines. This story gives the reader a real “in-person” feel of life in and around Versailles during the reign of King Louis XIV. You’ll walk down the halls with Count Louis and see the life for the brilliance and evil that it was. An absolute gripping must read!