They can start a fire with it, or smother it in their fingertips.She chooses to start a fire.You are born high, but marry a traitor's son. You bear him twelve children, carry his cause and bury his past.You play the game, against enemies who wish you ashes. Slowly, you rise.You are Cecily.But when the King who governs you proves unfit, what then?Loyalty or treason - death may follow both. The board is set. Time to make your first move.Told through the eyes of its greatest unseen protagonist, this astonishing debut plunges you into the blood and exhilaration of the first days of the Wars of the Roses, a war as women fight it.

    The bells toll for the dead king, Edward IV, while his rivaling nobles grasp for power. His daughter Cecily can only watch as England is plunged into chaos, torn between her loyalties to her headstrong mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and her favourite uncle, Richard of Gloucester. When Elizabeth schemes to secure her own son on the throne that Richard lays claim to, Cecily and her siblings become pawns in a perilous game.The Yorkist dynasty that Cecily holds so dear soon faces another threat: the last Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor. Meanwhile, Cecily battles with envy towards her older sister, who is betrothed to Tudor.The White Rose of York has turned its thorns inwards, and royal blood proves fatal... Princess of Thorns is a sweeping tale of loyalty and treason, ambition and family bonds.Saga Hillbom is the author of four historical novels. Her other work include A Generation of Poppies (2018), Today Dauphine Tomorrow Nothing (2019), and City of Bronze City of Silver (2020).

    A kind of fifteenth-century Eat, Pray, Love, Revelations illuminates the intersecting lives of two female mystics who changed history—Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich.

    Matthias is no hero. He’s no one. Simply another mud-spattered baseborn face among thousands, until an act of kindness aligns him with an extraordinary opportunity. His prince fallen in battle, Matthias is entrusted to retrieve a foreign princess as a bride for his king, in exchange for a second chance at a promised reward. Given the honor of wearing his sword in his king’s name, Matthias is hellbent to keep his word. His king—his brothers—are counting on him. And soon, so will she.Princess Avelina has nothing. And no one. Since the death of her parents shattered her world, Avelina has lived as a political pawn, having been degraded, disinherited, and defined by others. When a mysterious soldier arrives at her bridal barter, Avelina dares to hope - could this be the chance of escape she’s been praying for?Their paths intertwined, the soldier and princess embark on a journey that will change both of their lives forever. Plagued by self-doubt, rocked by betrayals, haunted by faltering faith and forbidden feelings that test their loyalties, they’ll learn the hardest fought battles are often those waged within themselves.An irresistible blend of historical fiction, adventure and romance, The King’s Sword is the first novel of the Metzlingen Saga. From soaring Alps to crumbling ruins, welcoming hearths to calculating courts, this love story, nestled within the German landscape of the Renaissance, honors friendship, found family and the lengths we go to for those we love.

    Much has been written about the lives of the Tudors, but it is sometimes difficult to really grasp how they experienced the world. Using the five senses, Amy Licence presents a new perspective on the material culture of the past, exploring the Tudors’ relationship with the fabric of their existence, from the clothes on their back, roofs over their heads and food on their tables, to the wider questions of how they interpreted and presented themselves, and beliefs about life, death and beyond. This book helps recapture the past: what were the Tudors’ favorite perfumes? How did the weather affect their lives? What sounds from the past have been lost? Take a journey back 500 years, to experience the Tudor world as closely as possible, through sights, sound, smell, taste and touch.

    The Last Muslim Conquest transforms our understanding of the Ottoman Empire, showing how Ottoman statecraft was far more pragmatic and sophisticated than previously acknowledged, and how the Ottoman dynasty was a crucial player in the power struggles of early modern Europe.In this panoramic and multifaceted book, Gábor Ágoston captures the grand sweep of Ottoman history, from the dynasty's stunning rise to power at the turn of the fourteenth century to the Siege of Vienna in 1683, which brought an end to Ottoman incursions into central Europe. He discusses how the Ottoman wars of conquest gave rise to the imperial rivalry with the Habsburgs, and brings vividly to life the intrigues of sultans, kings, popes, and spies. Ágoston examines the subtler methods of Ottoman conquest, such as dynastic marriages and the incorporation of conquered peoples into the Ottoman administration, and argues that while the Ottoman Empire was shaped by Turkish, Iranian, and Islamic influences, it was also an integral part of Europe and was, in many ways, a European empire.Rich in narrative detail, The Last Muslim Conquest looks at Ottoman military capabilities, frontier management, law, diplomacy, and intelligence, offering new perspectives on the gradual shift in power between the Ottomans and their European rivals and reframing the old story of Ottoman decline.