From the author of 'The Birth of Venus', this is a novel about love, beauty, the politics of sex and the power of loyalty, set in one of the world's most spectacular cities.

1570 in the Italian city of Ferrara, and the convent of Santa Caterina is filled with noble women who are married to Christ because many cannot find husbands outside. Enter 16 year-old Serafina, ripped by her family from an illicit love affair, howling with rage and hormones and determined to escape.

Set in 15th-century Florence, this is a novel of mystery, history, politics and passion. 14-year-old Alessandra's love of art and her lively independence lure her into a world of all sorts of taboos. She must make crucial decisions about her life, as Florence itself must choose its future path.

By the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched only by its brutality and corruption. When Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia buys his way into the papacy, he is defined not just by his wealth, charisma and power, but by his blood: a Spanish Pope in a city run by Italians. If he is to succeed, he must use his Machiavellian son and innocent daughter. Stripping away the myths around the Borgias, Blood & Beauty breathes life into the astonishing family of Alexander VI and celebrates the raw power of history itself: compelling, complex, and relentless.