Once a upon a time there was a professor who thought I was total lesser mind for liking scandalous history over military history. Hey Professor Dude, some of that hot military action you love? Totally caused by scandalous stuff going on behind the scenes. Wonder if Leslie Carroll ever encountered a professor like that? And if so, does Leslie Carroll look at her royalty checks and author copies and giggle her way through her next manuscript?

In her latest romp through history Leslie Carroll fastens an eye on the royal pains in the rump roast through out history. You have royal younger brothers like Prince John (yup the one from the animated Robin Hood movie who snatches the throne from his kidnapped big brother Richard II), Richard III (might not have be a deformed murdered after all), off their blasted rockers Ivan the Terrible and Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory, royal sex kittens Pauline Bonaparte and Princess Margaret Rose (Elizabeth II’s baby sister) and more. There’s more secret marriages, plotting, bastard children and bed hopping then you can shake a stick at.

If you love history and you love scandal give Royal Pains a go. Between shaking your head at some of the antics and feeling glad Ivan the Terrible never picked you to be his Czarina of the Week you’ll learn the odd bit of history. Or you could watch the non Moogles and Googles shows on the History Channel but those are few and far between. Stick with Leslie Carroll, her bank account and history majors everywhere will thank you.