Karalių meilės istorijos

Love Stories

by Gill Paul, Aušra Lukšaitė-Lapinskienė (Translator)

Rašytojos Gill Paul knygoje „Karalių meilės istorijos" 14 nuostabių istorijų leidžia žvilgtelėti į pastaruosius septynis šimtmečius valdžiusių monarchų širdies reikalus. Pasakojimai atskleidžia stebinančią tiesą apie tai, kokie jausmai kunkuliavo šių žmonių širdyse.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Royalty, Biography, Romance, Biography Memoir, Historical Romance

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2014

About the author

Gill Paul is the international bestselling author of thirteen novels, many of them reevaluating extraordinary twentieth-century women whom she believes have been marginalized or misjudged. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Toronto Globe & Mail charts, and have been translated into twenty-three languages.
Her latest novel, Scandalous Women (2024), is about trailblazing authors Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann battling their way to the top in the misogynous boys' club of 1960s publishing. A Beautiful Rival (2023) is about the infamous feud between beauty tycoons Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. Jackie and Maria (2020) was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown. The Collector’s Daughter (2021) was named a Times ‘historical novel of the month’ and The Manhattan Girls (2022), was reviewed in The Sun as a “sweeping, evocative tale” and in The Book List as “Witty, emotional and intelligent”.
Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A History of Medicine in 50 Objects and a series of Love Stories. Published around the world, this series includes Royal Love Stories, World War I Love Stories and Titanic Love Stories.
Gill lives in London where she swims year round in a wild pond, and speaks at libraries and literary festivals on topics ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book concentrates on royal marriages and royal love relationships. I found this small book rather intriguing plus with each chapter about royal marriage and/or love affairs from different countries. One could switch to another book on a completely different subject to provide subject variety which I did. Each time I started reading Royal Love Stories again, I was swept away with the story I was reading be it Ludwig I of Bavaria, Princess Grace of Monaco or Prince William and Kate Middleton of Great Britain. Love, being such a strong emotion, Princess Lilian of Sweden waited 'three decades' to marry her prince. The stories were fascinating. The individuals involved were/are so varied. I learned many new facts about these royals, and I read a great deal about royalty especially those in Great Britain. This is a terrific book, and one that I am proud to add to my collection on royalty. I highly recommend this book. It is one I am sure that I shall reread often. 4 1/2 stars!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of facts and entertaining entries, this work is a perfect reader for anyone who’s looking to learn something but doesn’t want to dive into an encyclopedia length non-fiction. It’s a light and easy read but contains some very intriguing information that one probably isn’t going to find in your run-of-the-mill historical textbook.

I enjoyed the variety of stories in this volume, from the very well-known like Will & Kate (you’d have to be living under a rock to not be aware of this one!!) to the more obscure like Victor Emmanuel and Rosa. The author incorporates pictures and some quotes to give the book some weight but writes in such a way that I fairly flew through this work on royal love stories.

I’ve read the author’s work on Titanic newlyweds and see that she’s also done similar works for war romances. I can’t wait to dive into more from her. I’d recommend this work if you’re in the market for light historical non-fiction that won’t put you to sleep or weight you down with a mountain of indigestible facts.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ulkoisesti kirja on kaunis ja runsaasti kuvitettu. Valitettavasti pienet ärsyttävät asiavirheet (kuten herttuatar Catherinen isästä käytetty väärä nimi) nakertavat lukunautintoa ja saavat olon tuntumaan pikkumaiselta, vaikka näihin asioihin eivät välttämättä kiinnittäisi huomiota ellei kuninkaallista olisi niin kiinnostunut. Ja jos koen itseni pikkumaiseksi lukijaksi, en pysty täysin nauttimaan kirjasta.

Koska puolikkaita tähtiä ei ole, korotan tässä arvosanaa ylöspäin. Muodollisesti täysin pätevä, mutta ikävästi osoittaa ettei kaikista asioista ollut sittenkään niin paljoa tietoa kuin olisi pitänyt.

[Melisende]

Really only borrowed this one from the local library as it had a chapter on Ines de Castro. Nice neat little chapters of some of the more famous royal love affairs of the ages.

[Linda Strawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Amy Bryan sent me this book and I loved it. I love love and love stories. So interesting and I learned some history too. Some things were just shocking, especially way back when. Great read!

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever thought you might want to grow up and become a princess one day, then this is the book for you. Full of princesses, it’s also full of murder, suicide, adulterous affairs, and so much more! Enjoy!

[Coolkuutti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iha kiva.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I love reading about monarchies and this was such a nice collection of stories. It was well written and had so many details. Overall, I recommend!

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly interesting. It provides a brief overview of each relationship. Nothing groundbreaking.

[Jessica Senn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid coffee table read. :)

[Charlotte Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love makes people do some crazy stuff!! Yeah I’m looking at you Lisa — Queen Noor. You crazy girl!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather short chapters, some are true romances, others whirlwind romances made in Hollywood, some tragedies, others star-crossed lovers that never could make their love meet in the middle, and other love stories of lust and obsession. My very favorite story was the one of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, the Emperor & Empress of the Mughal Empire (later to become India). "In an age when polygamy was the norm and men who loved just one woman were seen as weak, the young Prince... who would later become Shah Jahan, fell for Arjumand Banu with every fiber of his being and was determined not to be parted from her for a single day." (pg.35) The Shah would go on to build the Taj Mahal, after his wife died. The Taj Mahal is the world's ultimate symbol of undying love.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some errors in the book that could have been fixed with research. For example, Empress Elizabeth was not Peter III’s mother but his aunt.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I'm not enjoying a book I brought to the call center, I hit up my Hoopla account for any digital books to read instead. This was one of my choices I found after my recent Royal Family obsession. This was a wonderful non-fiction to breeze through love stories in royal European households. Most of these couples were not married to the object of their affection and the mistress rather than the wife had the king wrapped around her finger. I know royals married more secure connections rather than love but it just made my empathetic heart a little sad to imagine how the queen felt. Anyway, this was a fascinating read featuring Catherine the Great, the Romanovs, and the women who inspired the Taj Mahal. My favorite story was Prince Bertil of Sweden and Lillian Craig who were not allowed to marry because she was a commoner and "morgantic" marriages were not looked upon kindly in royal circles. These two had to wait 30 years for the succession to pass them and someone else could be king. Bertil and Lillian got married in their 60's and it was the sweetest story. It made me very happy and I am pleased to have learned about so many great royal European romances in history.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good book. Didn't know what to expect from the title. But since many of the royal romances described were among couples in earlier times, they were not ones I had heard of before. I'd say the book was weighted more on the side of history than romance, though. Interesting, nonetheless.

Quite a few of the relationships ended tragically. Some because of restrictions on who the Royal could marry, but a few even ended in suicides or murders. And even some of the couples that survived until natural deaths still seem to not have that "happily ever after" endings that we all read about in fairy tales.

Some lucky ones, though did get to enjoy their relationships that were forged in love rather than arranged for political or financial or even religious reasons. Though they seemed to be among the minority of the romances told here. Those fairy tale endings seemed to be few and far between.

[Kayla Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am endlessly fascinated by royals so this book was a fan favorite! it felt like reading historical tabloids. i liked the wide range of time periods and countries that this book covered, although i wished each story had a little bit more detail. this book is quickly engaging and easy to pick up and put down, so i would suggest the mobile version. i read it on the bus, waiting at the doctor's office, during lulls at work. a great read, and definitely one i would come back to.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title implies this book covers the love stories of royals. Many of these stories were of monarchs who fell in love with women or men they couldn't marry. Not until the current century were the loves of Princes William and Harry were they free to choose their spouse. I do question the love between Ludwig I of Bavaria, not that he didn't love Lola but rather that the love was not reciprocated by Lola. Otherwise a great book of these many interesting relationships.

[Ragne Rämmal-Orason · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Kuninglikud armastuslood” jutustab meile 14 paari tunnetest ning maalib paeluva pildi viimase seitsme sajandi lembelugudest. Liigutavad, kütkestavad ja sageli ka traagilised lood tutvustavad meile kuningakodade elu hiilgust ja vastuolusid.

Minu kommentaar: Kuninglikud (armastus)lood mulle meeldivad, ajalugu meeldib ja elulood ka, seega on raamat üsna hea kombo neist kõigist. Kuna tegu on mõnusa kerge lugemisega, siis möödus see raamat märkamatult!

[Judith Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Royals

This book is interesting in a gossipy way. Very honestly, the stories read and are quiet like a magazine. It is well written and appears to be meticulous in the research done in preparation. If you enjoy your history presented in an easy to read format, this book is for you. It was an enjoyable read.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provided selected historical overviews or royal romances. It was good, overall. It included a good variety of stories from around the world- some I knew well, some I didn't. I appreciate that the book left out some of the famous romances that we've heard of over and over again (such as Charles and Diana).

[Ashley Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fun book to spend a couple nights with. There’s nothing groundbreaking in it and it doesn’t go too deep into anything so there’s not much to it, but the information it does provide is pretty good.

I would recommend it for a fun read but I wouldn’t recommend it if someone was looking for an in-depth overview of royal marriages and affairs or royal history.

[Külli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerge lugemine, palju pilte. Oleks tahtnud veel mõne kuningliku paari kohta lugeda, mis raamatusse ei kajastunud. Raamatusse on mahtunud need armastuslood, kus kandvaks on suhted väljaspool ametlikke liite või armukestega.

[Celestine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tykkäsin kauheasti! Kivalla tyylillä kirjoitettu: pysytään neutraalina, mutta teksti on helppoa ja kevyttä lukea, sivut kääntyilevät nopeasti. Opin paljon uutta! Nimi tosin on hieman harhaanjohtava, monessa tarinassa ei ollut rakkautta, pelkkää politiikkaa.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read. Some were a stretch to call them “love” stories, but historically, royal marriages have not had much love in them. There wasn’t as much of a critical gaze as I would have liked at times, but it was still an interesting introduction to some history I didn’t know.

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the elegant layout and the real-life photos/illustrations of the book! Some of the stories you could tell were a little bit sugar-coated, but if you love reading about royalty and love stories in general, then this book is for you!

[Maegan Ellicott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh quick and easy read. Not too exciting but somewhat interesting.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This was chosen as book club summer read. I was bored.

[Libby Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Well organized. I appreciated the pictures and diagrams. Very informational.

[Kristin Dahlman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. Exactly what I thought it would be, but heartbreaking at the same time. While I am surprised by some of the couples included, it's an interesting piece of history.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about the royals. This book gives brief details about many of the British royalty. The author has done some great research to compile in this small book.