This book is overall a meticulously researched and well-written historical romance set in 15th century Italy. The author’s descriptive writing really kept me engrossed in the story and I enjoyed reading about the politics of that time. The plot itself is interesting enough to make the 400-page novel a fairly quick read. The author does a good job of interweaving facts with fiction.

It is a story combining elements of historical fiction with romance, bringing the ruthless Borgia family to life, with their many faults. They were the definition of power mongers, using any means possible to become the greatest family in all of Italy. The story is instantly gripping. You are immediately immersed in the Borgia family’s complex world.

The story is told through the voices of Cesare Borgia, chosen to follow in his father’s footsteps, and of a fictional character, Maddalena Moretti, a penniless widow employed at the Vatican to attend to Lucrezia Borgia.

Cesare is forced by his father to become a man of the cloth and carry on the Borgia legacy. His life was irrevocably changed once his father became the head of the Church. To consolidate his power, Rodrigo Borgia turned his children into political pawns. Cesare is a hard character to pin down. The portrayal is of a flawed yet endearing character. He is ruthless and cunning in his protection of his family’s interest.

Maddalena is a sweet and loyal character. She finds herself in the middle of the Borgias’ plotting. She is torn between religious correctness and the true love she feels for Cesare. She seems to possess all the necessary qualities for happiness and yet, she is just a pawn in an era of greed and corruption.

I really liked this book and highly recommend it to everyone who loves historical fiction.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book! In The Borgia Confessions, Alyssa Palombo travels back to Italy in the late 15th century as Pope Alexander VI becomes head of the Church in 1492. The events that follow are told from the perspective of an illegitimate son, Cesare, who becomes a Cardinal in the Church and Maddalena Morretti, a widowed country girl that becomes a servant in the House of Borgia. As the Pope arranges advantageous marriages for his other children- Lucretia, Juan, and Joffre, loyalties will be tested and betrayals are in every corner. Cesare broods with the anger of the life that he has been given and shows himself to be a very complicated man. As Maddalena will soon learn, the Borgias will stop at nothing to gain what they desire.

The Borgias were a truly fascinating family, but of course, I can say that with the luxury of not living in the same time period as them. I enjoyed both Cesare and Maddalena's perspectives in the story, even if their relationship was a very, very, slow burn. A truly memorable novel!

Goodreads review 15/02/20
Publication Date 11/02/20

It has been a long time since I dove into a true historical fiction... you know the ones that take actual events and characters from history and throw in a few fictional one and then take you on a behind the scenes ride through history. AHHHHHH—I forgot how much I loved this genre!!
I really enjoyed Alyssa Palombo's writing style. The book was easy to read despite the wealth of facts and information that created the backdrop to this family drama. Because when you boil it all down that is what this is. The story behind the Borgia family drama as told by the son Cesare and of course to make the book that much more interesting also from one of the servants in the Borgia household, Maddalena.
These were not glorified perfect people. Oh my, everyone in this book is so far from perfect! These were seriously flawed characters. But for me that is what made the book so captivating. All of these people acting out, manipulating, bending wills to their way... but even though you could see this ugly side of them and their ambitions we also got a peek into their hearts. And though ambition, greed and pride drive so many of their actions, so does love. And seeing that love added beauty to this tale.
The Borgia Confessions was everything that I didn't realize I was missing. It was chock full of history, drama, scandal, intrigue and passion.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard a ton about the Borgia’s. What information I knew had been picked up in other books. So, when I was approached to the blog tour for The Borgia Confessions, I was intrigued. The blog painted the book as a romance set in Renaissance Italy. Then I read the book and man; it is more than what I thought. And I mean that in the absolute best way!!

The Borgia Confessions is told from the viewpoint of Cesare (1st person) and Maddalena (1st person). I am not a fan of dual storylines, but in this case, it was needed.

The pacing of The Borgia Confessions was fast-paced. It needed to be, considering the author was writing about a time where wars ended politics and people being murdered was commonplace. There were no dropped storylines, no dropped characters, and I didn’t have any issues keeping up with the plotline. What I enjoyed is that even though the plotline was fast-paced, I didn’t have to go back and reread chapters. That was a massive plus for me.

I will admit that I did some research into Cesare Borgia after I read the book. The author did a great job of keeping to who Cesare was. He was not a nice man. He murdered, bribed, and man whored. There was a hint of the scandal between him and Lucretiza. But, the author only let it stay a hint. The majority of the book focused on Cesare, his issues, and of course, his romance with Maddalena.

I did like Maddalena, and I loved the insight that her character gave to what was happening behind the scenes. But I found her almost too pious. Her constant praying and thinking about sin got on my nerves. I also wasn’t a fan of how two-sided she was. She was quick to condemn Cesare when he was sleeping with his brother’s wife. But when she was sleeping with him and was condemned by the other servants, she was hurt. I kept thinking to myself, “Can’t have it both ways, buttercup.”

I did think Cesare was a manwhore. Him being a Cardinal didn’t slow him down. He went after anything in skirts. That included his own brother’s wife. I was expecting Maddalena and him to hook up, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as late in the book as it was. Honestly, I was glad. I liked that Cesare and Maddalena were able to form a relationship before they got involved. Did I believe that Cesare loved Maddalena? Yes, I do. I do think that in his way, he did.

The end of The Borgia Confessions was rather abrupt. I was left wondering what happened to Maddalena and Cesare. The author’s note, afterward, did clear up any questions that I had. The author, in her note, also explained why she didn’t touch upon the rumors that surrounded Cesare, Lucretiza, and Pope Alexander’s incestuous relationship. She also told why she changed Joffre and Juan’s names. In real life, they were Gioffre and Giovann

Review will be posted on 2/14/.2020
Everyone has heard of the infamous Borgia family who held a lot of power in Italy during the 15th century and Palombo dives even deeper into their tumultuous reign by telling us a story from Cesare's viewpoint as well as Maddalena, a servant to the Borgia family.  Cesare, the Pope's son, isn't interested in becoming an Archbishop, but he knows that he has no choice as his purpose in life is to serve the Borgia family and his father.  He wishes that he was given the task of controlling the military, like his brother Juan.  This definitely is problem as not only does Cesare and Juan not get along, they also compete against each other.  Then there's the Pope's daughter, Lucrezia, who is going to be married off to strengthen the Borgia's alliances with other powerful families.  Every move that the Pope makes is calculated and for a reason: to keep the Borgia family in power.  Readers also get to know Maddalena, who is from the Italian countryside; so, her world is turned upside down as a servant to the Borgias. This is especially true when she catches the eye of Cesare.  If you thought the Tudors had a lot of drama and court intrigue, they have nothing on the Borgias.  If you like historical fiction filled with a lot of lust, drama, and family politics, you won't want to miss The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo.

All of the Borgia family members are flawed, some more than others, but I found myself drawn to Cesare's story the most. How could I not? He had zero interest in becoming a powerful member of the Catholic church, but had to because of his power hungry father.  He finds himself in dangerous affairs and difficult situations all while dealing with his brother, Juan, who is just as bad as his father.  Readers can't help but root on Cesare as Juan is an all around horrible guy, but their competition becomes too much even for Cesare.  Cesare starts making some very bad decisions, but I have to say I enjoyed going along for the ride, because it got very entertaining.  He also begins an affair with Maddalena, which is also complicated.  Let's just say nothing is easy for Cesare and these bad decisions he is making have major consequences for all.

Maddalena is a character that you can't help but feel for in The Borgia Confessions.  She is a widow and is trying to start her life over by working for the Pope. She attracts a lot of unwanted attention from Juan, so Cesare, being a nice man, moves her to work for his sister, which is a much better spot.  But in turn, she has attracted the eye of Cesare  which pleases her as she has watched him admirably from afar and wondered what it would be like to be with him.   

All of these characters in The Borgia Confessions are merely pawns for the Pope.  Everyone is at his mercy and whatever he decides is what will happen.  Cesare, Juan, and the other Borgia children don't have a say; they are merely chess pieces moving around the board in order to win a larger game. It really highlights how corrupt the church was at this time and how greedy the Borgias, as well as many other families, were.  They were all fighting for power and working daily to maintain it at whatever the cost.

If you love the intrigue and the drama of the Tudor court, you must check out The Borgia Confessions. There is a reason the Borgias are Italy's most notorious family. Comment below and tell me what you think about the Borgia family. Have you read any other novels featuring them?

The publisher and Netgalley provided me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. 

Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia are the children of a man with limitless ambition. He is determined to ascend to the title of Pope, and become the most powerful man in the Western world. His children are tools to fuel his ruthless ambition, and his desire for an enduring legacy. They become pawns in his grand schemes, their own desires and needs sabotaged and drowned by his avarice. 

Cesare has no desire to become a man of the church. He wants to become a soldier, and is jealous of his indolent brother's fortune. Lucrezia wants to be recognized for her sharp wit - but in a world that values women for their jeweled appearance, her intellect is unwelcome. Maddalena is a young widow who becomes a servant in the Borgia household. She is irrevocably drawn to Cesare, despite the warnings clamoring in her conscience. Soon, their lives become inextricably entwined, and mired in secrets that could topple and empire.

I loved this dark exploration of the Borgia family and the forces that painted them as forever infamous.

Incredibly captivating story, very well written. Loved it! Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

This story was interesting enough to keep me reading; however, in contrast to Alyssa's other books, I found the characters to be quite dull. The story was well researched and it was fascinating seeing the political influences throughout the book. The characters were heavily motivated politically, and I enjoyed the world and the game of "chess" the Borgia family was playing with the world. The pacing and the bland characters ultimately detracted from the overall ambiance of the book.

I have been a fan of Alyssa Palombo since her very first book. I think she is absolutely a fresh voice in historical fiction and I am always down to read one of her new books.

Last year her book on Katrina Van Tassel was so fun and I was eager to see where her next story might take place. When I saw that it was in Italy featuring one of the most notorious families in history, I was so here for it!

Palombo always does a marvelous job researching her novels so that they please history fans but they also have enough character development and intrigue to satisfy fans of fiction too. This book is no exception.

Summary
During the sweltering Roman summer of 1492, Rodrigo Borgia has risen to power as pope. 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.

Maddalena Moretti comes from the countryside, where she has seen how the whims of powerful men wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people. 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.

As war rages and shifting alliances challenge the pope’s authority, Maddalena and Cesare’s lives grow inexplicably entwined. 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. And as jealousy and betrayal threaten to tear apart the Borgia family from within, Cesare is forced to reckon with his seemingly limitless ambition.

Alyssa 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. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
While I loved the Katrina Van Tassel book because I love Sleepy Hollow, no one does Italian history like Palombo. Her other books have all been set in Italy and though they have been set in different periods, she always manages to capture the romance and beauty of each period and setting so well!

In this book she really out does herself and provides a very detailed accounting of various historical figures and events throughout the story all while navigating fictional characters as well as real life figures in history. Her writing is detailed and elegant as always. I loved how she captured all the political intrigue and scheming, it was really interesting and well done!

Sometimes courtier dramas and political intrigue can get a little cliche and boring, but not in this book! I absolutely loved it! As a Catholic, it was fun to learn all the papal history and events. I haven’t studied a ton of religious history during that time, particularly Catholic history so it was fascinating for me to read about. And can I just say, wow I had forgotten how much sex there was in the papal history!

If you love historical fiction then this is an author you want on your radar. Normally Renaissance history isn’t a time period that I jump to read but I do when I know it’s been researched and written by this author! I loved this book and am excited to see what her next book is going to be about!

Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 432 pages
Expected publication: February 11th 2020 by St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN 1250191203 (ISBN13: 9781250191205)
Free review copy provided by publisher, St Martin’s, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: historical fiction

Cesare Borgia was a teen with dreams of military life but when your father is Rodrigo Borgia, the Pope, well your life isn't your own.  When the Pope tells you what to do there is no arguing.  Such is the life of Cesare, bowing to his father (literally).  It was a nice change to have a male POV, he might not be all that likable but getting a sense of his turmoil and desires made his story authentic.  It wasn't a pretty story - these are the Borgia's after all, but seeing it from his perspective didn't justify his behavior but one could understand it better.  Actually, that isn't correct, who can really understand the things they did.

The other POV was that of Maddalena, she is a fictional character, maid to Cesare's sister Lucrezia. With desires of her own, secrets to keep and guilt to overcome she is caught up in the Borgia net and gets more than she bargained for.

This is only my second time reading Alyssa Palombo and I find her writing style gripping.  I am placed in the halls of The Vatican or in the dark alleys.  She brings to life a time of unrest with her research shining through along with her passion for the time period.  

If you haven't read Alyssa Palombo I highly recommend this book along with her previous release The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow.

My thanks to St. Martin's Griffin (via Netgalley) for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Borgias are one of my favorite historical families (rivaled only by the Philopators) so I jumped at the chance to read The Borgias Confessions by Alyssa Palomba. I was not disappointed by the tale, which follows the path of Pope Alexander's eldest son, Ceseare Borgia, as well as that of his fictionalized lover and palace maid, the great beauty Maddalena Moretti. 

The Borgia Confessions highlights Cesare's rise to bishop and ultimately cardinal while navigating the dangerous circles of the Catholic church, the Romanga, and his own family. As Ceseare helps his father bend Rome--and all of Italy--to the Borgia will amidst rumors of intrigue, incest, and murder, Maddalena must wrestle with her faith--sorely jaded after her unfortunate marriage--and her forbidden love for a man of the church. 

The story follows the real history of the Borgia family, remaining almost entirely faithful to the true events of history. I was surprised to learn that author Alyssa Palomba was also the author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, which I also loved, but maybe that explains why I enjoyed The Borgia Confessions as much as I did. Anyone with a penchant for Borgias or for compelling historical literature would do well to give this one a try.

This was an excellent, excellent book! There were a lot of chapters, but they were short, and I flew through the story. While I had some knowledge of the Borgia family prior to reading this, Alyssa Palombo was undoubtedly able to provide a fresh take on Cesare's life. I really enjoyed reading about sweet Maddalena. Alyssa is an author I repeatedly recommend for great historical fiction -- every one of her novels are great, and this one stands strong. 

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo is a thrilling, intricate, and intriguing historical fiction novel that rotates between Cesare Borgia and one of the maids that worked for the family, and eventually his lover, Maddalena Moretti. While the character of Moretti is fictional, the author used that perspective to give the reader a further look into the thought process and steps leading up to the “creation” of what we know of Cesare Borgia. It gave us wonderful insights into his family, and what we would think would have been going on during that time. 

The novel spans from 1492-1498. I find the timeframe and how she ended the book, appropriate, fascinating, and perfect. I would love to read a follow up in the next step of Cesare’s life.

Fabulous read 5/5 stars. 

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

This is posted to my GR account immediately and will be posted to my Amazon, Bookbub, and B&N accounts upon publication. (2/11/20- Posted on all outlets. First post for the book under Rachel_Denise01 on B&N)

5 Word Review: Family, secrets, ambition, obligation, power.

I am a bit conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I loved the story. On the other, I hated the characters. But I think that I enjoyed the story itself so thoroughly that I could look past the characters.

With the characters, I generally liked Cesare and Maddalena to being with. It was once they met that I started to dislike the two of them. I didn't have much love for the secondary and supporting characters either. What I loved about Maddalena, her devotion and naivety, seemed to be pretty quickly tossed aside, and I thought that was such a shame. And I definitely wasn't expecting the steamier scenes in the book!

The story though? It's glorious. There is plotting and intrigue and secrets and lies and power plays. I loved the descriptions of the places and the clothing, the historical setting really came alive for me. I loved all of the little details, the intricate strategies and dramas.

Overall I loved the story, but my dislike of the characters was definitely a personal preference thing. I'd recommend this to anyone who's a fan of political intrigue and steamy romance.

I should admit that my previous attempt at reading a book by this author failed and I also had no clue who the Borgia family really was; so my deciding to read this book probably was an odd choice. But I'm so glad I did.
Because now I want to not only know more about the Borgia's; but read other books by Alyssa Palombo. It's been far too long since I've been this captivated by a historical fiction novel. It's so well told, I couldn't get enough.

Rating: 4/5⭐️⁣
Rationale: The book was well-written in very “period” language, was clearly well-researched, and had enough drama to keep me captivated.⁣
⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: Historical fiction fans who also love romance novels. Once you get past Part I, this one laid it on THICK with the steam🔥⁣
⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: When I picked up this novel, I was certainly not prepared for what I was getting myself into. I was blind-sighted to learn that the Pope and other appointed officials of the Church had wives and mistresses in the 1490s, so the story itself surprised me. But I was also taken aback by the amount of explicit content and smut that was all wrapped into a very Catholic-presenting book. That is to say, the writing also surprised me; it was salacious and I LOVED it.⁣
⁣
I found the Borgia family to be insufferable, but that seems to be the point. They were selfish and immoral, and I cannot believe that they actually existed. Despite hating all of the characters, I very much enjoyed reading about them.⁣
⁣
I also really loved the Author’s Note at the end. Palumbo detailed exactly which pieces of the story were factual vs. where she took artistic liberties. It really helped to have that information when reflecting back on the story, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an author lay it out, piece by piece, in that way.⁣
⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: Part I of this book was dry for me, and so it took a while to get into it. I appreciated it after the fact, because the author did a lot of foundation laying within Part I; but as the longest section it did not immediately hook me.⁣

The Borgias are a famous Italian family that continue to provide plenty of fodder for books more than 500 years later. How can a family so involved in the church be so corrupt? Never ceases to amaze me.  This book is well-researched and well-written. I always wonder how much of the lore and stories surrounding this family are real and how much is embellished over the centuries. The family as a whole is unlikable but always interesting and entertaining.

Alyssa Palombo’s The Borgia Confessions invites readers to explore the halls of the Vatican Palace, peek behind its decadent curtains, and glimpse its most exclusive chambers to understand the rise of notorious Borgia scion, Cesare.

Written as a sort of bad boy origins story, The Borgia Confessions illustrates Cesare’s world as well as the politics and personalities that shaped him into Machiavelli’s quintessential Prince. Palombo understands the complex legacy of her protagonist and the story she presents is a brilliantly imagined chronicle of his individual evolution and the sins he felt forced to commit in the name of both familial and personal ambition. 

Politically, I loved how this novel captured the ruthless and manipulative nature of power during this period and the dangerous games played by those at its pinnacle. Palombo’s characters aren’t likable, but they aren’t supposed to be. They are a complicated collection of immoral schemers, deceivers, hypocrites, and rogues. Their lack of scruples and less than holy lifestyles deliberately provoke the reader and in so doing create a boldly memorable novel of conflict, controversy, and corruption. 

The only aspect of the story that didn’t work for me was Maddalena. Her relationship with Cesare felt one-sided and her role, while fun to read, didn’t feel intrinsic to the telling. She didn’t detract from the novel by any means, but she felt like something of a late addition to the narrative, a character shoehorned into place to appease industry standards requiring romantic subplots. I love what Maddalena represents and feel she boasts an admirable degree of brass, but at the end of the day I didn’t feel her at all necessary to Cesare’s journey.

This was terrific!  Those who are well versed in the Borgias and the period in history might quibble here or there but I know virtually nothing about them and wow- I learned a lot.  I also very much enjoyed this highly readable novel that uses young Maddalena, a young woman with no background in the politics until she found herself in the middle of them, to illuminate  how Cesare Borgia rose to power and how his influence still lingers today.  It's obviously well researched but never goes too far into the weeds.  It also doesn't assume that the reader knows who's who.  I admit to some side googling of various characters- which is always the mark, in my view, of a good historical novel.  Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.  One to sink into!

"During the sweltering Roman summer of 1492, Rodrigo Borgia has risen to power as pope. 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.

Maddalena Moretti comes from the countryside, where she has seen how the whims of powerful men wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people. 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.

As war rages and shifting alliances challenge the pope’s authority, Maddalena and Cesare's lives grow inexplicably entwined. 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. And as jealousy and betrayal threaten to tear apart the Borgia family from within, Cesare is forced to reckon with his seemingly limitless ambition.

Alyssa 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."

I am one of those people who feel like I always need to know more about the Borgias.