Best of
11th-Century

2015

Devil


David Churchill - 2015
    The Leopards of Normandy trilogy tells the story of William the Conqueror in all its wild, intoxicating, unfailingly dramatic glory. The fate of England hangs in the balance of a fight between brothers The noble families of Europe are tearing themselves apart in their lust for power and wealth.Emma, Queen of England, is in agony over the succession to her husband Canute's throne ... while the sons of her brother, the Duke of Normandy, battle in the wake of his death.Robert, the younger son, has been cheated of Normandy's mightiest castle and sets out to take it by force. He emerges from a bloody siege victorious and in love with a beautiful - and pregnant - peasant girl.Robert's child will be mocked as William the bastard. But we have another name for him... Conqueror .The first instalment in the Leopards of Normandy trilogy paints a world seething with rivalry and intrigue, where assassins are never short of work.

Death Riddle


Maureen Ash - 2015
    But William’s recent death has once again plunged the island kingdom into war as his two eldest sons strive against each other for the right to wear their father’s crown. The town of Rochester is at the centre of the conflict and, while the battle rages, two men, one a Norman soldier and the other a local pig farmer, are brutally murdered. Godric, a young Englishman, is blamed for the slayings but manages to escape arrest by fleeing to the cathedral where, proclaiming his innocence, he claims sanctuary. Estrid, his widowed mother, is desperate to save her son but the only way to exonerate him is to discover the identity of the true murderer. Daughter of an English thegn killed at the Battle of Hastings, she is a woman of courage and determination but, when she begins to investigate the crime, she soon becomes entangled in a web of espionage, deceit and betrayal that places her own life in danger.

The Chosen Queen


Joanna Courtney - 2015
    As a young girl she witnessed Earl Harold standing barefoot in his handfast marriage to the beautiful Lady Svana and has yearned for her own love match ever since.Amongst England's royal court, marriages are not often chosen for love and political matches are rife while King Edward is still without an heir. When her family are exiled to the wild Welsh court, Edyth unexpectedly finds herself falling for the charismatic Griffin - first King of all of Wales. Becoming his Queen catapults Edyth onto the opposing side of a bitter feud between England and Wales. She has to grow up fast but has the support and encouragement of her closest friend, Lady Svana.Years later, Edyth is in line to take the crown of England. This time the lines of love and duty are far more blurred. As 1066 dawns, Edyth and Svana will be asked to make an even greater sacrifice, perhaps the greatest of all. In the midst of war, can love - and freedom - survive?