Book Title: Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles
Series: n/a
Author: Peggy Joque Williams
Publication Date: May 9th, 2024
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Pages: 389
Genre: Historical Fiction
Any Triggers: Rape Scene, Spousal Abuse
Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles
by Peggy Joque Williams
Audiobook narrated by Mallory Fuccella
Blurb:
“A rich journey through 17th century France in all its aspects—its bucolic countryside, the still-unmatched splendor of the court of Louis XIV, and the struggling French colony in Canada.”~ Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of Elizabeth I, The Autobiography of Henry VIII & The Memoirs of Cleopatra
France, 1670. On her sixteenth birthday, Sylvienne d’Aubert thinks her dream has come true. She holds in her hands an invitation from King Louis XIV to attend his royal court. However, her mother harbors a longtime secret she's kept from both her daughter and the monarch, a secret that could upend Sylvienne’s life.
In Paris, Sylvienne is quickly swept up in the romance, opulence, and excitement of royal life. Assigned to serve King Louis's favorite mistress, she is absorbed into the monarch's most intimate circle. But the naïve country girl soon finds herself ill-prepared for the world of intrigue, illicit affairs, and power-mongering that takes place behind the shiny façade of Versailles.
This debut historical novel from Peggy Joque Williams captures the vibrancy and quandaries of 17th century life for a village girl seeking love and excitement during the dangerous reign of the Sun King.
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mqk0r9
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/courting-the-sun-peggy-joque-williams/1144842024?ean=9781685134129
Black Rose Writing: https://www.blackrosewriting.com/historicaladventure/courtingthesun
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Author Bio:
Peggy Joque Williams is the author of Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles and co-author of two mystery novels, On the Road to Death’s Door and On the Road to Where the Bells Toll, written under the penname M. J. Williams. She is an alumnus of Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A retired elementary school teacher and avid researcher, Peggy's fascination with genealogy and her French-Canadian, European, and Native American ancestry inspires her historical fiction. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Author Links:
Website: https://peggywilliamsauthor.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjoque/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@peggyjoque
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peggy-Joque-Williams/author/B0CV7S8M24
Book Excerpt:
Excerpt from Chapters 11 and 12 of Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles
Etienne let Jolie set the pace on the ride home. She was in no hurry. I sat in front of him now. Though neither of us said much, my grief at saying adieu to Perrette gave way to a sort of bliss at the feel of Etienne’s body against mine. A breeze tickled my face now, easing the heat that rose within me.
When we turned onto the lane leading toward the manor house and my cottage, Etienne muttered under his breath, “What the hell?” He reined Jolie to a sudden stop, causing her to prance nervously. A long line of buckboard wagons and baggage carts had stopped all along the road and up around the bend.
I gaped in bewilderment. “What’s going on?” Something must be wrong.
Etienne kneed Jolie into a trot past the caravan, at the front of which were several dozen carriages accompanied by blue-coated officers of the Gardes du Corps on horseback. In front of those was a majestic coach with six white horses. A driver in blue and red livery sat stiff-backed up front, and two liveried footmen stood at attention on the coach’s back perch.
Clumps of people, neighbors and some whose faces I didn’t recognize, crowded the lane, craning their necks to get a glimpse into the carriages, gesturing toward the house. Two boys stood on tiptoes peering into my front window. Foot soldiers and musketeers in their distinctive blue capes and plumed hats stood at attention in my yard. Had they come to arrest us for consorting with the witch?
In a panic, I slid off Jolie and, gathering my skirts, ran toward the house. “Maman!”
A trio of mastiffs lolling under the maple tree jumped up and lunged, barking. At my front door guards crossed long-shafted halberds to stop me from entering. Another grabbed me from behind.
“Let me go! My mother’s in there!” I struggled against him.
“Sylvienne!” Etienne, close on my heels, tried to free me, but a pair of soldiers thrust him to the ground, pinning him there.
From inside the house came an unfamiliar male voice. “Let the girl pass.”
The man who held me let me go. The guards at the door withdrew their weapons. Heart pounding, wary of what might await me, I stepped inside. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of the sitting room. My mother, in her simple cinnamon-colored housedress, sat perched on our brocade-covered stool, her hands folded in her lap. Across from her in her favorite armchair sat the King of France.
King Louis XIV, wearing a crimson traveling cloak edged in ermine, crimson leggings, and black leather shoes with three-inch heels painted gold, scrutinized me with overt curiosity. I blinked to make sure the light wasn’t playing tricks with my vision.
Quite sure I had stopped breathing, I feared I might swoon. Coming to my senses, I dropped into a deep curtsy.
“Rise,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
As I rose, Maman kept her eyes downcast, her cheeks flushed. Tatie and Blondeau stood gawking in the kitchen doorway.
“Who might this be?” King Louis asked Maman.
He was as handsome as everyone said, with his square jaw, his aquiline nose, and his long dark locks unadorned in this moment by a wig. He looked younger than I had expected. Even though this most important man of all France was the same age as my mother, I had somehow pictured him older, more patriarch-like.
“She is my daughter,” Maman said, looking him in the eye now.
The light from the window behind her highlighted the strands of caramel-colored hair that had escaped from under her coif. I reached up to touch my own hair, realizing in a rush of horror that my nearly raven locks were uncoifed and windblown.
“You have a child?” He seemed genuinely surprised.
“Yes.” Was that a challenge in her eyes? “You must have known.”
“How could I?”
“You are the king.”
He grunted then offered a self-deprecating smile. “Her name?”
“Sylvienne,” Maman said. “Sylvienne d’Aubert.” Her emphasis on d’Aubert seemed odd.
He held me in his gaze for the longest time. There was something about his eyes. Green with flecks of gold. It was more the depth of his countenance, however, the intensity of that look. Was his smile because he found me to his liking? He was famous—infamous might be a better word—throughout the realm for his love of young women. But then, I was barely out of my childhood. What could he find enticing in me? While my breasts had begun to bud, I was anything but a woman.
“How old are you, Sylvienne d’Aubert?”
“I’ll be sixteen next month.”
A calculating frown settled over his brow. The moment seemed to edge into an eternity; I had to force myself not to fidget. He smiled again. “She is quite lovely, ma cousine.”
Cousin?
“Merci, Your Majesty,” Maman murmured.
“Sire.” An officer spoke from the doorway. “The horses have all been watered.”
The King nodded, and the man left. Louis put his hands on his knees and gazed at me again. After a moment he rose; my mother and I rose with him.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Isabelle.”
How seldom I heard my mother’s name spoken. And for King Louis to speak it in such a casual and familiar way. I blinked, astounded, when he put his arms around her in an affectionate embrace, bussing her on both cheeks. Then he stepped back and said with a smile I couldn’t interpret, “You are as beautiful as I remember.” His eyes flicked toward me. “And clearly you have found a way to replicate your loveliness.”
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Thank you so much for hosting Courting the Sun, and for including an excerpt from my novel. Your support on this blog tour is very much appreciated.
Thanks so much for featuring Peggy Joque Williams today, with an excerpt from her intriguing new novel, Courting the Sun. Take care, Cathie xo The Coffee Pot Book Club