Rafael Sabatini 
Bellarion the Fortunate [EPUB ebook] 

This brilliant novel of the French Revolution became an international bestseller, following the equally successful Captain Blood in 1922. Set in Italy in the 15th century, Bellarion is en route for the priesthood but is diverted to the service of the Princess Valeria, developing in that time from a convent-bred youth to a soldier of great strength and cunning, and the feared and hated object of all his enemies.