Book excerpt: The Sultan found her irresistible. The Chief Eunuch wanted to use her to his own ends. Jealous rivals plotted her demise. Can an innocent former convent girl survive in such a strange and dangerous world? In a tale deeply enmeshed in the histories of two of the world’s greatest empires, The French Sultana continues the true story of Aimée Dubucq de Rivery and her cousin Rose who were both destined to be queens...one beside the Emperor Napoleon and the other from behind the thrones of three consecutive sultans of the Ottoman Empire. The saga spans two continents from the decadent aristocratic courts of pre-revolutionary France, to the unimaginable opulence and deadly intrigues inside forbidden Turkish harem walls. Publisher's Note: This is an extraordinarily well-researched novel that is true to the period. As such, there is explicit sexual and violent content that, while typical to the era, is most appropriate for adult readers. The Veil and the Crown, in series order: The Stolen Girl The French Sultana “I felt as if the book had been written originally in French during the 18th century...as if the author had remembered and translated it into English, keeping the exact tone of the original account, with detailed description of the places, manners, clothing, tastes and smells transporting me into the actual moment and location of each scene, making me feel like I was immersed in a film instead of a book.” Fredric Lehrman, author of The Sacred Landscape