Product Description

Maureen Paschal thought she might rest and work on her book after discovering the gospel written by Mary Magdalene that revealed Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. The truth of their story rocked the world and made Maureen a target of those who did not like her discovery and a heroine to those who did.

Then Maureen receives a strange package containing what looks like an ancient letter written in Latin and signed with a symbol. She discovers that its author is an extraordinary woman whom history has overlooked -- or covered up -- Countess Matilda of Tuscany, and in the letter Matilda demands the return of her "most precious books and documents." Maureen soon finds herself in a race across Italy and France, where hidden dangers await her and her lover, Bérenger, as they begin to realize that they are on the trail of another explosive discovery: the Book of Love, the Gospel written in Jesus' own hand.

As Maureen learns more about Matilda, an eleventhcentury warrior countess who was secretly married to a pope, she begins to see the eerie connections between herself and Matilda, connections she must trace to their source if she is to stop the wrong people from finding the Book of Love and hiding it forever.

Weaving together Matilda's little-known true story and Maureen's thrilling search, The Book of Love follows two amazing heroines as their stories intertwine through time. Maureen is immersed in the mysteries of the labyrinth, the beautiful poetry of the Song of Songs, the world's greatest art and architecture, and Matilda's amazing legacy...until a potentially fatal encounter reveals the Book of Love to Maureen -- and to the reader.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33878 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-10
• Format: Deckle Edge
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.50" h x 6.70" w x 9.60" l, 1.66 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 528 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Maureen Paschal, last seen discovering the secrets of Mary Magdalene in The Expected One, returns in this overstuffed sequel. Haunted by dreams of Jesus telling her to search for the Book of Love, Maureen, now a bestselling novelist, takes off for France, where her estranged lover, Bérenger Sinclair, reveals that the mysterious manuscript is supposed to be a gospel written by Christ and whose existence is merely a rumor. Both Maureen and Bérenger receive strange clues pointing them toward the story of Countess Matilda of Tuscany, an 11th-century noblewoman and an early champion of the Book of Love. With the help of Maureen's cousin, a Jesuit scholar at the Vatican, Maureen confronts dangerous forces bent on covering up the truth and follows Matilde's trail though Belgium, Italy and France, culminating in a stunning sequence within the Chartres Cathedral. However, Matilda's hefty story line exists uneasily next to Maureen's contemporary narrative and relies too much on long-winded narration to explain Christian esoterica. Series fans and readers into Da Vinci Code–style church intrigue will enjoy the hell out of this. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Kathleen McGowan is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared on five continents and in at least fifteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons. You can visit her website at www.theexpectedone.com.

From AudioFile
This sequel to THE EXPECTED ONE further explores the cult of Maryology, and the theory that Jesus Christ was married to and bore children with Mary Magdalene. Protagonist Maureen Pascal, one of their descendants, finds information suggesting a gospel written by Christ himself. This "Book of Love" points to the Holy Spirit being God's wife in heaven. Linda Stephens narrates in a hushed, breathy tone reminiscent of talking in church. Her portrayals of Maureen's friends, relatives, and antagonists from various countries include credible accents but little passion or conviction. One quickly tires of the author's endless repetition of clichéd phrases, as well as Stephens's delivery of them. In her self-narrated author's notes, McGowan swears it's all true. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

*SIGH*
Okay, I finally finished this book - but it took me 4 weeks. As an avid reader, I can easily read a riveting book within a few days. However, this book is slow and plodding. Yet I did have high expectations since I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Expected One.

The majority of the book is about Matilda of Tuscany rather than the heroine from the prior book (Maureen.) For me, TEO promised to delve into the alleged Cathar's "Book of Love" and its contents in this second book of the trilogy. Unfortunately, very little further information is revealed on that 'lost' book. Maureen supposedly finds the book which she cannot translate due to its undecipherable language. Then she magically absorbs light from it, and it glows, and she is able to understand the contents. Weird, huh? Yet we still don't learn what the BoL contained since it's never really explained.

Other than that silliness, it was difficult to keep up with all of the flashbacks. The reader has to contantly flip back-and-forth to try to keep track of characters, time-frames and events. For me, this is just too much work since I want entertainment from a good novel! It just got too exasperating and was a very fragmented read.

I honestly could not recommend this book to anyone unless they are suffering from insomnia- this book is the perfect remedy. I'm generously giving it a 2-star since I can tell that the author worked diligently on her new novel. But overall, it reads like a cheap modern romance - not a historical novel but instead a modern story set in medieval times. If you're looking for an experience of medieval immersion, get another book. However, if you're looking for a 21st century "emotion-fest" set in 12th century clothes, this book is for you.

Low Three Stars
I really enjoy reading books about conspiracy stories and alternate histories and about the Marys in Jesus' life. This looked like it would be a good combination of the three. I fully expected to enjoy this book.

The story itself was interesting. The plot was interesting. The story about the women in history; such as Matilda de Canossa, was interesting. In fact it was fascinating and left me wanting to learn more.

Here were some of the things that I think needed to be shared with others reading this book.
1. It is not a fast moving novel. It moves fairly slow. IF you have read DaVinci Code (Dan Brown); while this book is marketed and seems like it will be similar to that- it is not. This is a fairly slow moving book with much less drama. Even the climatic point of the novel seemed to be somewhat flat.

2. The book was overly melodramatic at times. This was the biggest problem I had with this book. Other reviewers have used the word cheesy. I think it is an apt discription of some of the dream sequences.

3. The other big problem I had with this book was the phrase that is repeated over and over again. Almost every third or fourth page is the phrase 'for those with ears to hear..' For me it became this hammer that kept hitting away and saying 'you don't get it because you don't have ears to hear', if you really read it, really understood this book, really believed, you would hear the truth. It became very old very quickly.

I have rated as high as I have because despite the three problems I had with this book- it is an overall interesting read with a fascinating concept behind it. It was not a complete waste of time to read this book. I simply believe it could be better written without the overly melodramatic language and the push through repitition to force you to believe, as this author does, that this is truth embodied in fiction.

Book Two - Prince of Poems might be better
Bear River Spirit (One)I enjoyed "The Expected One" and I did enjoy "The Book of Love". There was less intense action in this one. The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, so the characters are falling flat. This time Maureen was far to hysterical and into crying jags that got a bit on the nerves. But, I like the story of Mathilda, the expected ones, the writings of Christ and returning to true faith and spirituality. I also hope for a return to the balance of feminine and masculine. The labryinth was a bit much for me. Visions are acceptable since paranormal is simply unexplained science. The story dragged in this one, other than the account of Mathilda's life. Kathy, I am also with you when you author note that history is in the eye of the historian. Everyone is writing a story when they write history. Who is to say exactly what happened and when. It is my hope the Prince of Poems will answer many questions where the Book of Love left off.