Let's start things off with a review of one of my favorite books of all time

Katherine by Anya Seton



This book haunts you. I don't think I've been able to get it totally out of my head since I first read it. It makes you want to go out and research the true story behind it... which is a pretty fascinating one.

In 14th Century England, there weren't any men more handsome or powerful than John of Gaunt, the great Duke of Lancaster. Katherine de Roet was a naive teenage girl when she first came into his life. Despite the gap in their positions, they found love together. "Katherine" beautifully tells the story of their thirty-year affair and the way their illicit love changed history.

Anya Seton wrote some other good books (Devil Water & Avalon especially), but make no mistake - this is her masterpiece. If you come away from this book without falling in love with John, you're a stronger woman than I. It just makes my toes curl to hear him call his "Katrine," lovedy.