Best of
Ancient

2021

The Thrice Named Man X: Herulian


Hector Miller - 2021
    

War God from the Sea (erilaR, #3)


Hector Miller - 2021
    Guided by the hand of fate, they become embroiled in a struggle for tribal dominance which soon escalates to a quest fueled by greed, revenge and desire.Meanwhile, in the lands of the Empire, the Romans continue their designing and incite the tribes to take up the sword against their fellow barbarians, drawing the Heruli into a conflict that could spell their demise.But for the tribes to prosper, Rome has to endure. Ragnar and his companions have to outwit and outfight the Heruli’s ancient enemies to keep the Empire from falling into the hands of the conniving Goths.Ragnar faces overwhelming odds, but the gods have ordained it long before. In the fires of destruction, a new power is being forged – one which is destined to conquer all.

Highland Intrigue: A Prequel


Donna Fletcher - 2021
    You’ll never find her. And a curse on the three of you for betraying your friend. May you suffer and never know peace until you right this terrible wrong. But you, Lochlann, will suffer the worst, for you were his best friend. Bliss is worried for her two sisters, Elysia and Annis, as are those in their clan who have marriage-age daughters. A search goes on to find a wife for the cursed lord. He’s lost three wives in the last six years due to the curse inflicted upon his father twenty years ago. There are rumors that he is half savage, having spent the last year on foreign soil with heathens. No noble will allow their daughter to wed him, and so, his father, Lord Lochlann of the Clan MacClaren, has sent two men to find a peasant woman for him to wed and produce an heir, since he is the last of three sons, the curse having claimed the other two.Bliss can’t bear the thought of either one of her sisters forced to wed a man that will surely mean her death. Elysia is a gentle soul, preferring the quiet and her stitching. Annis is the opposite, outspoken, no interest in men or marriage, but the most beautiful out of the three of them. Bliss doesn’t worry about herself being chosen, since most believe her past childbearing age, at her twenty plus years.The situation is much worse than first thought, for two other men were cursed that awful night, and a search goes on for wives for them, as well. One lost his voice the day his brother died, while some say he killed his brother in a fit of madness. The other is so cursed, that death will not even touch him. He has suffered endless wounds and injures that would kill most men, but not him.It is a nightmare for Bliss. She has the ability to help her sisters, should they fall ill, since she is a fine healer, but curses are beyond her healing abilities. The only choice left to her is to seek out the witch in the forest and see if there is a way to break the curse.Unfortunately, time is not on her side, and fate decides for her.

Healing The Broken Highlander: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands’ Formidable Warriors)


Ann Marie Scott - 2021
    

Highlander’s Phantom Lass: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands’ Formidable Warriors)


Ann Marie Scott - 2021
    

Jerusalem's Daughter (Generations of Faith, #1)


Jenna Van Mourik - 2021
    Her family is shunned by many in the Jewish community who believe that their misfortune in life is the result of a secret sin. Rumors are spreading of a nearby healer with incredible abilities; if the stories are true, then the Messiah may be near, and Shamira will stop at nothing in the pursuit of a miracle.Asa spends every day at the temple under the tutelage of his strict father, an elite Levite priest who enforces the laws without mercy. Between the growing demands of the Roman government and the threats of the Zealots, tensions are high. When Shamira, the girl who stole his heart years ago, asks him to help her find the healer called Jesus, he must choose to either follow in his father’s footsteps or forge his own path.Shamira knows that both her life and the lives of her loved ones could be changed forever, but only if she can find a way to speak to the man called Jesus of Nazareth before it’s too late.

Highlander’s Pride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands' Deadly Sins Book 2)


Adamina Young - 2021
    

The Saxon Lord's Unwanted Bride


Emily Royal - 2021
    Embittered by past betrayals, he values women only for the satisfaction they give him in bed. But he finds himself reluctantly falling in love with Eloise de Morigueax, the Norman noblewoman he’s commanded to marry. Her quiet courage and devotion to his people breaks down his defences and softens his heart.Initially terrified of her barbaric husband, Eloise’s hopes for a peaceful life are strengthened by the glimpses of the compassionate man beneath his uncouth exterior. However, a visitor from her past jeopardises the fragile bond of love, setting in motion a chain of events leading to murder and betrayal, which threatens to destroy their lives and shatter the peace between Norman and Saxon.Heat level: Hot!Note: HEA guaranteed, but this book has a flawed hero, and includes some scenes of violence, and references to past abuse and trauma.

A Journey Back to the Highlands: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Tales Of Highland Might Book 6)


Ava McArthur - 2021
    

Alec: A Scottish Outlaw (Highland Outlaws Book 4)


Lily Baldwin - 2021
    

From the Ashes


Melissa Addey - 2021
    A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

Trapped Under his Highland Spell: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Tales Of Highland Might Book 4)


Ava McArthur - 2021
    She didn’t care much for the things they did, she kept her hair short and always believed she’d never leave her home. But her life will radically change when her brother, the Laird, agrees to marry her to an old warring clan, the Calbraiths, to ensure long-lasting peace.Moira’s plans of spinsterhood and living a simple life with her niece and nephew are squashed and she unhappily agrees to the marriage plans for the good of her people. Moira does not know what to expect of her new husband. Very quickly she realizes that Laird Niall Calbraith is a strong, handsome man built like an ox and he’s now married to her!Not knowing how to properly stand next to him, she can hardly imagine how spending the nights with him will feel. Everyone expects her to be happy, but Moira believes that something evil is lurking in the shadows.When a mysterious illness takes hold of the castle, Moira is certain that she’s right. But while she is trying to uncover the secret that brings sorrow and death to her new clan, supposition turns against her and she feels disillusioned by her husband who does not seem to trust her at all.Moira is determined to find out more, even if she knows that the outcome of this mystery will affect not only the future of her new clan but also the fate of her marriage. And a failure might even cost her her very life…

Atonement for a Highland Sin: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Tales Of Highland Might Book 5)


Ava McArthur - 2021
    

Highlander’s Envy: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands' Deadly Sins Book 1)


Adamina Young - 2021
    

Brides with Blades: Medieval Romance Bundle


Kathryn Le Veque - 2021
    Welcome to the world of Medieval pageantry where borders have no meaning, the men are driven, and the women are tough as nails. Female empowerment has a whole new meaning in BRIDES WITH BLADES collection. This bundle includes:* Serpent: A de Wolfe daughter isn't meant to be crossed. The daughter of England's greatest knight is a great knight in her own right. Trouble ensues when she marries a Welshman who doesn't particularly want a wife.* Lady of the Moon: Our heroine is a highway robber known as "Lady of the Moon".* Tender is the Knight: The hero's sister is a full-fledged knight in this intricate adventure.* Deep Into Darkness: Our heroine is an excellent knight, now having to protect her ill husband in this spooky, romantic tale.Bonus chapters of The Red Fury included - A heroine protects her castle at all costs until a mercenary knight shows up.

Highlander’s Fight for Forgiveness: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands’ Partners in Crime)


Olivia Kerr - 2021
    

Highlander’s Veil of Deceit : A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance


Emilia C. Dunbar - 2021
    

Highlander’s Impossible Love: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance


Emilia C. Dunbar - 2021
    

Faith and Honor in the Highlands: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Collection


Ann Marie Scott - 2021
    

The Devil's Laird


Brenda Jernigan - 2021
    She doesn’t believe she is worth anything, much less love. Her own people believe she is cursed. Siena’s only true blessing is the gift of sight.The Devil’s LairdRoderick, Warlord of Kirkurd, is driven by revenge and guilt. When his holding was attacked, his wife ravished and slain, and his son missing, the goodness within Roderick died. He is now known as the Devil’s Laird.The MeetingRoderick saves Siena from the hangman’s noose and takes her back to his castle. Siena sees a lonely, haunted man who needs her. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot completely break down the barrier Roderick has constructed around his heart, nor shake the curse of bad luck that his people believe she carries. Only the Holy Grail can prove if she is good or evil.When Siena sacrifices herself to free Roderick’s son, Roderick realizes that he has lost his chance to love again. Now, he will move heaven and earth to find her, before it is too late.

Highlander’s Cursed Moon: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance


Adamina Young - 2021
    

The Highlander's Escape (Highlands Forever Book 4)


Aileen Adams - 2021
    

The Warrior and the Wildflower


Everley Gregg - 2021
    Can he win her heart?Read the exciting new Medieval Romance series by debut author Everly Gregg!Fifteenth Century, Burgundy.Eva of Utrecht is an unrecognized, illegitimate daughter of the Duke Philip III. She fears she will never rise above her roots as a simple tailor’s daughter. Her birth defect, a club foot, brands her even less desirable. When the missive arrives inviting her to attend the May Day Festival at Coudenburg Castle, hope rallies.Under Lady Isabella’s wing, Eva blossoms into a confident young woman—one blinded by pride. She sets her sights on the life of a lady, determined to win the love of a gallant knight. Little does she expect her heart to be swept away by a simple horseman who’s shunned his chance at knighthood.Mathieu of Liège was on a warrior’s path when he brutally witnessed how power can taint the title. He bears the scar on his face and the horrible memory as reminders. The ostler believes he does not need the sword and spurs to uphold the principles of chivalry. He leads a simple life, training the horses and hunting birds for Duke Philip's court. Mathieu, though, is lonely, and dreams of finding a lady love to share his life, one who will appreciate his quiet strength and infallible dignity. When Matthieu falls hard for Eva, he must find a way to convince her of his valor... even if he doesn’t wear the armor.Can their love take flight?

To Have And Hold: Highland Romance Collection (Isla and the Highlander Book 3)


Fiona Knightley - 2021
    

Scion of Gaia (Rebels of the Underworld, #1)


Michele Amitrani - 2021
    Wife. Queen. Rebel.When Persephone, queen of the Underworld and ruler of the dead, finds her mother Demeter amid the ruins of a forest, she knows the goddess’s mind is broken.With the world withering and mortals dying by the thousands with every turn of the sun, Persephone has little time to stop the rapid decay of nature before doom befalls the world of gods and men.But rescuing her mother from insanity proves both difficult and dangerous, and demands a painful remembering of Persephone’s past—filled with beauty and bitterness, rage and thwarted love.And the powerful Olympians do not stay idle. They threaten and scheme, pushing Persephone to fulfil her destiny in a way that would force her to write history with her family’s blood.Will Persephone save her mother and thus stop the collapse of the world, or will she be forced to pay her due by committing the ultimate crime?

Love And Cherish : Highland Romance Collection (Isla and the Highlander Book 2)


Fiona Knightley - 2021
    

Lives of the Great Occultists


Kevin Jackson - 2021
    Some were Mystics, some were Scientists, some were Charlatans. Some were Powerful, some were Wretched. All were pretty bonkers. From Dr. Dee to Kenneth Anger, from Mother Shipton to Madam Blavatsky, from Isaac Newton to David Bowie - centuries of eccentric, bizarre lives. Kevin Jackson and Hunt Emerson have made over 100 pages of comics dealing with the Lives of the Great Occultists. Over 40 Occultists in all, including Faust, Giordano Bruno, Strindberg, Isobel Gowdie, Kircher, William Blake, PL Travers, WB Yeats, Jack Parsons, and - repeatedly - Aleister Crowley. The comics are factual, and very funny.

Daughter of Carthage, Son of Rome


Kate Q. Johnson - 2021
    But violence both on the battlefield and within the Roman legion eventually leads them into an alliance that is tested repeatedly by their ties to home. Ultimately, they must choose –their love for one another or their loyalty to their people.

The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere


Paulette F.C. Steeves - 2021
    Paulette F. C. Steeves mines evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years. Steeves discusses the political history of American anthropology to focus on why pre-Clovis sites have been dismissed by the field for nearly a century. She explores supporting evidence from genetics and linguistic anthropology regarding First Peoples and time frames of early migrations. Additionally, she highlights the work and struggles faced by a small yet vibrant group of American and European archaeologists who have excavated and reported on numerous pre-Clovis archaeology sites. In this first book on Paleolithic archaeology of the Americas written from an Indigenous perspective, The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere includes Indigenous oral traditions, archaeological evidence, and a critical and decolonizing discussion of the development of archaeology in the Americas.

The Charioteer: A Roman Adventure Story


Jemahl Evans - 2021
    

The Last Great War of Antiquity


James Howard-Johnston - 2021
    It was ideologically charged and fought along the full length of the Persian-Roman frontier, drawing in all the available resources and great powers of the steppe world. The conflict raged on anunprecedented scale, and its end brought the classical phase of history to a close. Despite all this, it has left a conspicuous gap in the history of warfare. This book aims to finally fill that gap.The war opened in summer 603 when Persian armies launched co-ordinated attacks across the Roman frontier. Twenty-five years later the fighting stopped after the final, forlorn counteroffensive thrusts of the Emperor Heraclius into the Persians' Mesopotamian heartland. James Howard-Johnston piecestogether the scattered and fragmentary evidence of this period to form a coherent story of the dramatic events, as well as an introduction to key players-Turks, Arabs, and Avars, as well as Persians and Romans- and a tour of the vast lands over which the fighting took place. The decisions andactions of individuals-particularly Heraclius, a general of rare talent-and the various immaterial factors affecting morale take centre stage, yet due attention is also given to the underlying structures in both belligerent empires and to the Middle East under Persian occupation in the 620s. Theresult is a solidly founded, critical history of a conflict of immense significance in the final episode of classical history.

The Herods: Murder, Politics, and the Art of Succession


Bruce Chilton - 2021
    Although he ruled over a rich, strategically crucial land, his royal title did not derive from heredity. His family came from the people of Idumea, ancient antagonists of the Israelites.Yet Herod did not rule as an outsider, but from a family committed to Judaism going back to his grandfather and father. They had served the priestly dynasty of the Maccabees that had subjected Idumea to their rule, including the Maccabean version of what loyalty to the Torah required. Herod's father, Antipater, rose not only to manage affairs on behalf of his priestly masters, but to become a pivotal military leader. He inaugurated a new alignment of power: an alliance with Rome negotiated with Pompey and Julius Caesar. In the crucible of civil war among Romans as the Triumvirate broke up, and of war between Rome and Parthia, Antipater managed to leave his sons with the prospect of a dynasty.Herod inherited the twin pillars of loyalty to Judaism and loyalty to Rome that became the basis of Herodian rule. He elevated Antipater's opportunism to a political art. During Herod's time, Roman power took its imperial form, and Octavian was responsible for making Herod king of Judea. As Octavian ruled, he took the title Augustus, in keeping with his devotion to his adoptive father's cult of the divine Julius. Imperial power was a theocratic assertion as well as a dominant military, economic, and political force.Herod framed a version of theocratic ambition all his own, deliberately crafting a dynastic claim grounded in Roman might and Israelite theocracy. That unlikely hybrid was the key to the Herodians' surprising longevity in power during the most chaotic century in the political history of Judaism.

Sword of Betrayal


Avery Maitland - 2021
    There are rumors that the jarl has been cursed by the gods—a new leader must be chosen, or destruction will come down upon them all.One spark of rebellion can light many fires, and Torrun is faced with the possibility that her father might not have a jarldom to return to before the winter snows begin to fall.Tasked with the care of the village while her father is away raiding, will Torrun be able to keep the peace and protect her people against the growing unrest, or will everything come crashing down around her?Fans of Vikings, The Last Kingdom, and Game of Thrones will relish Warrior’s Claim. Epic adventure and brutal vengeance await!

Epigrams from the Greek Anthology


Gideon Nisbet - 2021
    . . Meleager, AP 12.109Encompassing four thousand short poems and more, the ramshackle classic we call the Greek Anthology gathers up a millennium of snapshots from ancient daily life. Its influence echoes not merely in the classic tradition of the English epigram (Pope, Dryden) but in Rudyard Kipling, Ezra Pound, Virgina Woolf, T. S. Eliot, H.D., and the poets of the First World War. Its variety is almost infinite. Victorious armies, ruined cities, and Olympic champions share space with lovers' quarrels and laments for the untimely dead - but also with jokes and riddles, art appreciation, potted biographies of authors, and scenes from country life and the workplace.This selection of more than 600 epigrams in verse is the first major translation from the Greek Anthology in nearly a century. Each of the Anthology's books of epigrams is represented here, in manuscript order, and with extensive notes on the history and myth that lie behind them.

Sculpting Fables


Rachel Huffmire - 2021
    Persecuted by her Roman master's conceited and beautiful daughters, Rho vows to ease other's burdens, never add to them. But when the gods finally hear her prayers, a mysterious woman appears to give Rho everything she ever wanted. But her gifts don't last forever, and Rhodopis will have to fight to keep what truly matters.

Freeing a Highlander Criminal: A Steamy Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlands’ Partners in Crime)


Olivia Kerr - 2021
    

A Winter War


Tim Leach - 2021
    The Danube lies frozen. On its banks gather the clans of Samartia, their riders winter starved by sickly herds and blighted crops. Petty feuds cast aside and their disparate numbers united in the face of a great enemy. For across the frozen waters stands the mighty Roman Empire, and its Legion marches ever closer.But the Samartians are proud, and they are cast from the ice itself. They were trained from young to ride and fight and kill on its slippery surface. They cannot lose.They charge...Alone on a bloodied battlefield awakens Kai. Surrounded by the bodies of his people, fallen to the Legion, to have survived is a disgrace. In the aftermath of such defeat, he must navigate a course between honor and shame, his people and the Empire. It is a journey that will take him far to the West, beyond everything he has ever known.A disgraced warrior must navigate a course between honor and shame, his people and the Roman Empire, in the first of a new trilogy set in the second century AD, from the author of Smile of the Wolf.

Her Heart's Desire : Highland Romance Collection (Isla and the Highlander Book 2)


Fiona Knightley - 2021
    

Epic Iran: 3000 Years of Culture


John Curtis - 2021
    Epic Iran tells the story of Iran from pre-Islamic through modern times and provides an opportunity to see pieces from key museum and private collections. This book combines the ancient and Islamic periods and continues the narrative into the contemporary world. It shows how civilized life emerged in Iran around 3,200 BC and how a distinctive Iranian identity formed 2,500 years ago has survived until today, expressed in the Persian language and in religious affiliations. Lavishly illustrated, some 250 images showcase pieces including goldwork, ceramics, glass, illustrated manuscripts, textiles, carpets, oil paintings, drawings, and photographs. Alongside the historical sweep are examples from contemporary artists and makers, demonstrating the rich antecedents still influencing some modern-day practitioners.