Courting the Sun

A Novel of Versailles

By: Peggy Joque Williams

Narrated by: Mallory Fuccella

France, 1670. On her sixteenth birthday, Sylvienne d’Aubert thinks her dream has come true. She holds in her hands an invitation from King Louis XIV to attend his royal court. However, her mother harbors a longtime secret she's kept from both her daughter and the monarch, a secret that could upend Sylvienne’s life.

In Paris, Sylvienne is quickly swept up in the romance, opulence, and excitement of royal life. Assigned to serve King Louis's favorite mistress, she is absorbed into the monarch's most intimate circle. But the naïve country girl soon finds herself ill-prepared for the world of intrigue, illicit affairs, and power-mongering that takes place behind the shiny façade of Versailles.

This debut historical novel from Peggy Joque Williams captures the vibrancy and quandaries of 17th century life for a village girl seeking love and excitement during the dangerous reign of the Sun King.

©2024 Black Rose Writing (P)2024 Beacon Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“A rich journey through 17th century France in all its aspects—its bucolic countryside, the still-unmatched splendor of the court of Louis XIV, and the struggling French colony in Canada.” –Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of Elizabeth I, The Autobiography of Henry VIII & The Memoirs of Cleopatra

Just

1st time I’ve read a book of this genre. I enjoyed it. However I wish there was more to the ending.

A Series?

I want to know what happens when she gets to Canada. The story just stops. I would love to read this in a series.

Enjoyable Book

I absolutely loved this book! The writing was beautiful and the story telling was great! I would recommend the audiobook.

Excellent Audiobook

This book was a really nice surprise! I didn't go into with any expectations and was wonderfully surprised on how much I enjoyed it.

Good story, audio needs some editing

The story was good, but the audio could have used some more editing. There were probably a dozen times throughout the audiobook in which phrases were repeated - the editors forgot to cut out duplicate audio. It was distracting and disappointing. The story itself was engaging, though.