Revenge of the Rose — Nicole Galland

An impoverished young knight living in rural Burgundy, Willem of Dole greets with surprise -- and apprehension -- his summons to the magnificent court of Konrad, Holy Roman Emperor, whose realm spans half of Europe. Immediately overwhelmed by court affairs, the idealistic young Willem submits to the witty, relentless tutelage of his mischievous friend Jouglet, Konrad's favorite minstrel -- and thus the naive youth quickly rises in the Emperor's esteem. But Willem finds himself gravely imperiled when his sister, Lienor, becomes a prospect for the role of Empress -- for the elevation of two sibling "nobodies" suddenly threatens three dangerous men who hold influential positions at a royal court fueled by gossip, secrets, treachery, and lies.

Brilliantly transporting the reader to the lush, conniving heart of thirteenth-century Europe's largest and most powerful empire, Revenge of the Rose is a novel rich in irony and tongue-in-cheek wit that reveals all the color, grit, politics, and passion of medieval court life.