A story combining religion, wealth, sex, class, and power typically makes for a tantalizing read. Herman (Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics) does not disappoint with her account of Olimpia Maidalchini’s incredible life and rise to power in 17th-century Italy. As the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X, Olimpia was his closest adviser, would-be lover, and indisputably the authority behind the robes, which earned her the title of papessa, or lady pope. Olimpia’s legacy was a scandal for the Church, and a good deal was written about her during and after her time. With this immensely readable and compelling book, Herman has reopened the Maidalchini file and presents a very detailed historical account of a real woman who strove to overcome male domination and live her own life. An expert on—and descendant of—European royal families, she skillfully uses letters, diaries, newssheets of the time, and biographies to tell this personal tale, set during unforgiving times. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.

– The Library Journal

Herman (Sex with the Queen, 2006, etc.) does her royal best with the fantastic story of a tax collector’s daughter from Viterbo who finagled her way into a position of power at the Vatican... Herman nimbly navigates centuries of foggy papal history, providing plenty of gossip and slander about flagrant nepotism and other pontifical sins. She casts Olimpia’s story appropriately enough in soap-opera terms, making her feisty protagonist resemble a 17th-century Scarlett O’Hara.

The incredible life of a formidable woman, fetchingly told.