Subtitle: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Still catching up with reviewing books I read weeks ago, because RL keeps being insanely busy:
kathyh mentioned this one to me, and as it overlaps with several areas of interest to me, I read and enjoyed it. It's entertaining, and accomplishes the feat of covering some of the most insanely complicated eras of European history (=> Thirty Years War, I'm just saying) in a way that should makes it comprehensible to a readership who doesn't know their Tilly from their Wallenstein while at the same time doesn't bore or annoy an audience (yours truly being a case in point) who does. This mighty deed is achieved by telling its story as a family
soap opera saga with power games, love affairs, schemes and various gruesome defeats and victories against the odds.
( Some of the high- and lowlights beneath the cut, with spoilers for history )