Stephanie Marie Thornton

Empress Theodora began as an actress and prostitute and became Empress of the Roman Empire. Her life reads like a soap opera, and in Thornton's hands, it's a fast, sex-filled (but not necessarily raunchy) historical novel that is perfect for the summer.

Theodora's story is not for prudish. After circumstances force her sister to become an actress -- which was a step up from a street prostitute -- Theodora becomes one as well. Not pretty exactly, but clever and smart, Theodora scrabbles her show more way to notoriety with a 'reenactment' of the Leda and the swan myth, becoming Constantinople's most talked about courtesan. After having a daughter she can barely care for, Theodora takes up with a merchant patron and leaves Turkey for North Africa, where she endures blackmail and abuse. (I'll admit, this section was almost too hard for me to stomach!)

She's dismissed and abandoned in Alexandria, Egypt, where she meets Severus, the Patriarch of Antioch, who takes her under his wing and tries to direct her toward a religious life. (Theodora, topically Christian, becomes baptized in a sect of Christianity less popular in the Empire.) After her return to Constantinople, a chance encounter with another famed courtesan gives her an introduction to the court of Justinian, the man thought to become Emperor after Justin, and from there, her life takes off in another tumultuous direction.

In a book with a sex worker as a heroine, it's important to me that the author treats our heroine well. However grotesque, grim, unfair, or unpalatable the life, it's crucial the characters be given respect and three-dimensional selves. Thornton does just that without either glorifying or victimizing her characters, and it tipped the book from 'good' to 'great'.

In fact, I found Thornton managed beautiful the dance required of a good historical novel: period details that gave me a sense of the era without overwhelming me, zippy plot that made it impossible for me to slip a bookmark between the pages and stop, and characters that I could respond to and relate with who didn't seem from the future.

That being said, those who are uncomfortable with the realities of life in this era will be, well, uncomfortable! Although Thornton ages Theodora up, children at this time became 'actresses' and prostitutes, and I'm grateful Thornton managed to make me more comfortable without completely anachronizing the era or Theodora's life.

I'd been waiting all year for this debut and it didn't disappoint. A beach-y historical novel in the vein, perhaps, of Philippa Gregory, I was also reminded of Sandra Gulland and Susan Holloway Scott -- authors who have heroines with big personalities and snappy, zippy, almost too-crazy-to-be-believed plot lines. Historical fiction fans should get this, as well as those who are interested in the Byzantine era, and anyone who wants a splashy novel that reads like a sexy tv series. show less

The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton is a wonderful combination of fiction and history as she writes of a group of women who helped to shape, sustain and control the wide-spread empire of Genghis Khan. These women were relatives and friends who supported, advised and watched out for each other while sharing their intimate confidences.

The women were Borte, the first wife and queen of the empire, her daughter Alaqai, a warrior princess, her daughter-in-laws Toregene and Sorkhokhtani, and show more finally Fatima, taken as a slave but evolved into a well loved and revered scribe and friend. They lived in violent times and women were not often elevated to a position of power, but these women were members of the ‘Golden Family’ and were situated to have influence, political savvy and ability.

The book is set in the late 12th century and details the life of Genghis Khan and, after his death, how the family plotted and schemed for his throne. The story unfolds through the voice of 4 of the women who played such strong and fierce roles in the reign of Genghis Khan. I loved the story and in particular the setting of the sweeping grasslands and harsh steppes of central Asia. The author immerses us in the food and culture and doesn’t shy away from the horrific violence that was part of the Mongol horde’s day to day life. This mix of a great story with fascinating history makes The Tiger Queens a very compelling read. show less

On her author page, Stephanie Thornton says that she "retells the stories of history's forgotten women". Jacqueline Kennedy is not exactly a forgotten woman in American history but what Americans remember about her was often very different than the real person that she was. In this well-researched book, we are able to learn about the REAL Jackie - the one often hidden from the public, the person full of doubts and fears and full of love for her family.

For many younger readers, this book will show more be a history book. Because I was in high school when JFK was assassinated, this book brought back many sad memories. Like most Americans, I was glued to the TV for several days, watching the pageantry in DC and crying for days. At the time, it was impossible to have any feelings for the first lady other than profound respect for the way she handled the funeral, her children and herself. She later fell off the false pedestal that America had put her on when she married Onassis but was the pedestal ever really real or was she someone just like us with doubts and fears and sadness? After reading this book, I understand so much more about her - her love for her husband despite his philandering ways, her unconditional love for her children and her fear for their safety and her wish to make a mark on Washington and be a true respected partner with her husband. Even though this was fiction, I felt like I was reading Jackie's memoir. The author did so much research and it felt like she had totally captured Jackie's voice.

Thanks to Book Browse for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

It's the most bizarre thing. Full of historical details, a sweet romance, and unique characters, Daughter of the Gods should be a knock-out success. In spite of those attractions, the book just falls flat. With each new chapter, you pick it up, you start to become engrossed, and the next thing you know, you're counting down until it ends. This book isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. It's just a bit boring.

As one of Egypt's most well-known female pharaohs, Hatshepsut is an show more intriguing and complex character. In Thornton's novel, you glimpse some of that complexity, but it's mostly buried underneath pages and pages of hugs and kisses between her and her commoner lover Senenmut. It's hard to root for a character when they are always happy and when everything always goes their way. Just when you think the witch's prophecy of Hatshepsut ruining everyone's lives with her ambition is about to come true, everything works out. It was that prophecy that kept me going, kept me hoping that Hatshepsut's greed would eventually get in the way of things, but it never does. I have never wanted a powerful woman to screw up so badly.

Let me just say that I love romance and I love reading about royal women. However, Thornton's novel is sorely lacking in conflict. Every time an issue pops up (the Nubians revolt, the expedition fails, there's a coup, her lover might be cheating on her), Hatshepsut is confident she can overcome it, and she does. She's never concerned. She's never afraid, and it just becomes repetitive and boring. I want to read about a woman struggling to hold onto her throne because that is never easy regardless of who you are. Instead, any of her real struggles are relegated to a paragraph of off-page action, at most. As a result, when things finally fell apart, I felt more relieved than anything.

If you're looking for historical fiction lite and are inclined towards Ancient Egypt, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, if you want a story you connect with, read one of Michelle Moran's novels. Her ability to get inside her heroines' minds is more gripping than Thornton's big, long love story. show less