The King's Women — Dinah Lampitt

The ill-starred beginnings of Charles VII, eleventh child of a mad king and a notoriously depraved queen, were hardly a lineage that would equip him to bring splendor and greatness to the Kingdom of France. But Charles had a secret weapon in the extraordinary women who indulged him, inflamed, influenced and informed him: his godmother, the elegant Duchess of Anjou, lovingly prepared a young Charles for the throne far from the carnal affairs at court... his exquisite mistress Bonne taught a fledgling king the art of love and claimed a forbidden corner of his heart even after his forced marriage to the dowdy and steadfast Marie... the glorious Agnes became the coveted prize in a fierce struggle between Charles and his rival... and, above all, Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who risked all for her beloved country-and the man for whom she vowed to win a kingdom! This is the enthralling, passion-filled saga of Charles of France, born into a tempestuous world of violence and intrigue... and of the women who ruled his desires and shaped his destiny!