He has learned the art of making a longbow and the skill to use it with deadly accuracy. Why must this be kept secret? The Normans rule England with their armored knights and a well-aimed longbow can pierce that armor. Possession of the weapon is a hanging offense and when Roland takes the wrong deer on the wrong Lord’s land he has to flee for his life. His flight will take him from the high hills of the English midlands to the wild frontier with Wales and on to the court of Richard the Lionheart. Along the way he is hunted by a paid killer, aided by a strange monk named Tuck, and taken in by a gruff Norman knight, who values his skill with the bow. That skill and his courage will be sorely tested as he fights to earn the trust of his new master. As King Richard celebrates his coronation, Roland faces old enemies he thought he had left behind and must test his skill at a royal archery tournament against the greatest bowmen in England, to include the favorite, Sir Robin of Loxley. A mix of history, myth and high adventure, LONGBOW follows the journey of Roland Inness as he seeks to find a place for himself in a restive kingdom and become a man in a brutal age.

    The crown of England changed hands violently seven times as the great families of England fought to the death for power, majesty and the right to rule. Dan Jones completes his epic history of medieval England with a new book about the the Wars of the Roses - and describes how the Plantagenets, tore themselves apart and were finally replaced by the Tudors.With vivid descriptions of the battle of Towton, where 28,000 men died in a single morning, to Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was hacked down, this is the real story behind Shakespeare's famous history plays.

    

     Lady Diamantha de Bocage Edlington lost her husband at the Battle of Falkirk. Grieving, she is unprepared for the visit of Sir Cortez de Bretagne, King Edward’s garrison commander at Sherborne Castle. Dark and fiery from his Spanish heritage, Cortez is a knight with sultry good looks and a quick temperament. He has also come on a mission.Cortez was the last man who saw Diamantha’s husband alive and promised the dying man he would take care of his wife. He has therefore come to claim her. Horrified, Diamantha struggles to come to terms with what de Bretagne is telling her, but in her heart, resentment and hatred stir: Robert Edlington’s corpse was left upon the fields of Falkirk and de Bretagne, as the last man to see him, is to blame. Therefore, before Diamantha will become de Bretagne’s wife, she makes a demand of him: return for Robert’s body and bring him home for a proper burial. And so, the great Questing to find Robert Edlington’s body begins…. Join Diamantha and Cortez on their great journey from the fields of Dorset to the hallowed grounds of Falkirk, a journey during which they discover great and terrible things about the world, their country, and each other. From the ashes of grief rises a phoenix of great passion, and bonds are forged between Diamantha and Cortez that can never be broken.

    Eustace is the bastard son of an earl, Giselle the sheltered daughter of a dotting gentry father, and Robert the son of an impoverished village carpenter. In ordinary times, their lives would not intersect. But when Robert breaks his uncle out of Earl Roger FitzWalter’s gaol, he sets in motion a series of events that sends their lives colliding in a maelstrom of murder and revenge that drives them all outside the laws and customs of England. Step into the tumultuous years of the Twelfth Century, and stand alongside Eustace as he schemes to inherit his father’s title, lands, and power, using every means within his grasp; Giselle as she fights to free herself from a forced marriage and to save her inheritance; and Robert as he struggles to rise above the limitations of his birth in the face of Eustace’s quest for vengeance. A saga to rival Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, The Outlaws sweeps from serene English villages and quiet forest glens, to French battlefields, remote Welsh fortresses, and even the court of King Henry II, where nobles and clergy vie for power and wealth, and disputes are often decided with steel and blood. The Outlaws is sure to please fans of the Stephen Attebrook mysteries, for it reveals the truth about the founding of the powerful Attebrook family — a secret that family would sooner forget.

    And in return, she captured his heart the moment he first cast gaze his gaze upon her...Renowned artist Mariah Jennings, hired to paint a thirteenth century Scottish castle, gets the shock of her life when she encounters the handsome knight who has dominated a lifetime of portraits and sketchbooks. But Sir Cailen Braithnoch is no ordinary ghost, nor did he suffer an ordinary death. Magic of the blackest kind cast a pall over the knights centuries ago. As the ghost and his lady seek to unravel the paradox surrounding his death, black arts, otherworldly forces, and a jealous rival conspire against them.Will fate keep them apart, or is their love destined to last through the ages?

    - Brogan d'Aurilliac is a master sergeant in the infantry of Edward IV. The son of a Germanic knight, he came to England at his father's death and worked his way up through the ranks of the infantry to become the king's highest ranking soldier. Brogan is a very large man with power and skill, but uneducated due to his family's immigrant social standing. He meets our heroine by chance, a member of the mighty de Nevilles, the most powerful ruling family in England. The Lady Avalyn du Brant's uncle is the all-powerful Richard Neville, "The Kingmaker." Although Brogan knows she is out of his league, he is nonetheless taken by her. Avalyn, too, is intrigued by the big soldier with the heavy accent and menacing presence. What starts out as pity for the man turns to something else and her uncle, used to meddling in people's lives, seeks to separate his niece from Brogan by betrothing her to a powerful but foolish baron. Yet Avalyn is intelligent; she takes charge of the situation and, like a great chess match, seeks to beat her uncle at his own game. Brogan, the man that enemy and ally alike call "The Monster" in battle, offers support and affection such as Avalyn has never known in this story of reversal of roles. She is the 'smart and cunning' one in this battle to save her relationship with Brogan from her uncle's destruction.

    He is also a strong proponent that the Irish should rule Irish lands. Rebelling against his English overlord, the Earl of Kildare, he captures one of Kildare's castles south of Wicklow. Known as Black Sword, a rebel who is both admired and feared, Devlin has set the events in motion for an enormous Irish revolt. Every Norman settlement in Ireland is at risk because of Black Sword's actions and the stage is set.The Lady Emllyn Fitzgerald is the sister of the Earl of Kildare. When her brother sends his fleet to quell the uprising on his lands, she stows away on one of the vessels in order to follow the object of her affection, a strong young English knight sworn to her brother, into battle. It is her intention to prove to the man she is worthy and brave enough to be his wife, but she truly has no grasp of the seriousness of her folly. As the English fleet makes landfall along the Wicklow coast, disaster strikes - Black Sword and his army of Irish rebels are waiting for them. In a devastating night of blood and mayhem, the English armada is destroyed and Lady Emllyn is taken a prize.Join Devlin and Emllyn as they embark upon a journey of a lifetime where both will face death, defeat, and disaster, but most terrifying of all, face their growing feelings for one another in a world that would see them torn apart. How is it possible for two people from two completely different worlds to find a love so deep that it will see each of them make sacrifices for the other? Will they be able to remain together or will politics and war keep them apart?Join the unforgettable adventure of a lifetime and experience what lengths Devlin and Emllyn with go to in order to be with each other, lengths that will transcend their loyalty to their own people and jeopardize their very freedom. For a love that was never meant to be, they will risk all.

    Robert is quickly set free, but Gavin’s father refuses to pay for his son’s release, leaving him to rot in a squalid French prison. Aided by a sympathetic priest, he escapes and returns home to England, only to find he has been proclaimed a bastard and disinherited. With nowhere to turn Gavin journeys to Kentwood, where he fostered as a boy, hoping Lord Aldred will take him on as a knight in his guard. The old warrior is close to death, but he soon realizes Gavin is his son. Aldred plots to have Gavin inherit Kentwood and marry his much younger wife, Elizabeth, a famed and opinionated beauty who remains a virgin after a decade of marriage.Will the king recognize Lord Aldred’s first request of a marriage between Elizabeth and Robert, uniting Robert’s estate with Kentwood—or will the temperamental Edward reward Aldred’s years of service and honor a dying man’s final request?

    For two centuries, Aidan dun Scoti's kinsmen have guarded Scotland's greatest secret, the real Stone of Destiny. Now King David seeks an alliance with the mountain Scot. But only one woman will tempt him--the accursed beauty whose father once betrayed his clan ... Tempted by Revenge Cursed by Aidan's people for the sins of her father, Lileas MacLaren is the one woman Aidan believes he is immune to ... she is also the one woman who may bring the fierce chieftain to his knees. Rich with history and lore, HIGHLAND FIRE brings back favorite characters from The Highland Brides and introduces you to new ones."

    Join Tate de Lara, bastard son of Edward I, and his comrades Kenneth St. Hever and Stephen of Pembury in their adventures for king and country. Welcome to the Medieval world of the Dragonblade Trilogy. "This author... genius...." ~ InD'Tale Magazine In this collection, you will find the three core novels that form the Dragonblade Trilogy: Dragonblade - The bastard son of Edward I realizes there is something more important than the quest for the throne - love. Island of Glass - A seasoned knight meets a Medieval feminist in her quest to find the Holy Grail. The Savage Curtain - An English knight is forced to marry an enemy Scot after the Battle of Berwick. Will love confuse their loyalties? Lose yourself in the world of Dragonblade!

    A request that can’t be refused.In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate.When one of the Sultan’s wives is brutally murdered, what begins as a reluctant task turns into a fight for survival. Together with the eunuch Jorge, Thomas attempts to hunt down the killer before they become his next victims. Except nothing is as it seems—friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends.Thomas’s investigation lays bare the secrets of the Red Hill and the people who inhabit it. His discoveries culminate in a battle not only for his own life, but for the lives of those he loves.

    Four great knights, each in his own world of shadow and darkness during times of strife and battle in Medieval England and Ireland. Some of Le Veque's greatest heroes come alive in this limited edition collection. Enter the darkness with them... but understand the hope and the romance in these four bestselling tales. Lord of War: Black Angel - He is the right hand of the Black Prince. When she comes into his life, will he choose love over war? Black Sword - He is an Irish rebel bent on destroying the English. When he falls in love with his enemy's sister, those who once served him now turn against him. Lord of the Shadows - As the bodyguard of the hated King John, all is not what it seems in this exciting Medieval spy romance. While Angels Slept - In the anarchy of Stephen and Matilda, a great English lord falls in love with a grieving widow. Can their love survive the odds?

    In the years following William the Conqueror’s harrying of the North, Lady Alfreya of Tyrswick returns to her family home after seven years in exile. But instead of returning victorious as her dead father had promised, she returns defeated by Baron Sebastian de la Croix, the Norman who rules her lands. To save her gravely ill brother's life, Alfreya offers herself hostage to her enemy. As Alfreya gets to know her new husband, she finds he’s not the monster she feared, and their marriage of convenience soon becomes a bond of passion. But Sebastian is a man with a secret—one that could destroy him. As a series of brutal murders haunt their nights, the man who betrayed Alfreya’s father returns claiming to be her betrothed. He has learned Sebastian’s secret and will use it to further his own ambition—using Sebastian’s own family—which will destroy Sebastian and mark him a traitor, and plunge an unprepared England into war with the Scots…

     Return to the days of kings and knight, of tournaments and battles, and discover four of the most powerful and chivalrous heroes in all the land and the ladies who captured their hearts. This is an Amazon-exclusive collection for a limited time. "Kathryn Le Veque... wow... just wow!" - Ind'Tale Magazine Spectre of the Sword - He was assigned to protect her but ended up falling in love with her. Will he choose love over duty? Unending Love - She has loved him all her life. When he finally returns that love, terrible circumstances threaten to keep them a part forever. Lespada - When she is forced to marry the sword of an arrogant knight who refuses to show up at his own wedding, sparks fly in this wildly passionate romance. The Whispering Night - A spy for William Marshal is ordered to marry in the line of duty. What he didn't count on was falling in love with his enemy wife. Enjoy this exclusive collection.

     Four Great Master Warriors collection join the four great Master Knight's collection... now, four more great Medieval tales from the world of Kathryn Le Veque. Welcome to the Master Warrior collection from Kathryn Le Veque, Amazon's multi-#1 bestselling author of Medieval Historical Romance. Contained within this collection are four of Le Veque's best selling Medieval novels. Return to the days of chivalry and honor, with powerful but flawed warriors and the women who love them. The Warrior Poet - Two great families and a longstanding family feud. What happens when two lovers, one from each family, are twisted by fate? It's Romeo and Juliet, Le Veque-style. Valiant Chaos - a master sergeant and a high-ranking noble lady fall in love. Their struggles to find a world they can exist in, as lovers, are both valiant and chaotic. W The Falls of Erith - a mercenary and a destitute lady fall in love the hard way. Can he changes his life for her? Tender is the Knight - Bitter enemies marry but their lives are further disrupted by a greedy pirate and a deep betrayal. Can love survive these odds? Enjoy these four full-length novels at a spectacular limited price.

    Laird Jamie Montgomery is a warrior with a mission. When he travels to the northern Highlands on the orders of William Wallace, temptation in the form of an alluring lass, could be his undoing. Lady Lorna Sutherland can't resist the charms of one irresistible Highlander. Though she's been forbidden, she breaks every rule for the pleasure of his intoxicating embrace. When their love is discovered, Jamie is tossed from Sutherland lands under threat of death. But danger can't keep the two of them apart. No matter what perils may try to separate them-Lorna and Jamie swear they'll find a way to be together. More Stolen Brides: The Highlander's Reward The Highlander's Conquest The Highlander's Lady The Highlander's Warrior Bride The Highlander's Triumph The Highlander's Sin Praise for The Stolen Bride Series... "For fans of Highlander romance, this series is a must read!" Night Owl Romance The Highlander's Reward - winner of InD'Tale Magazine's Best Historical Novel 2012 The Highlander's Reward - "The powerful yet sensitive Magnus and the saucy and beautiful Arbella are a winning pair in this Scottish themed romance that even boasts cameos from William Wallace himself." Publisher's Weekly Reviewer for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest

    Where the legend ends, the story begins... Lancashire, England, AD 1480 The story of England's last wolf plays a large part in Kate's life. The man who killed the wolf is her father, Sir John Harrington, lord and master of Wraysholme Manor. Strangely, though, her knowledge of the tale is all second-hand. Her father, for unknown reasons, refuses to speak of exactly what happened the day the wolf was killed. Nor will he speak of Kate's mother, who died soon after giving birth. So, Kate is left to wonder about her past, although lately her curiosity has been overshadowed by a series of unusual dreams. Indeed, her lonely heart has been captured by the handsome stranger who speaks to her in sleep. But he is not the only man who haunts her nights. There is another who lurks in the shadows of her subconscious. Who is he, and why does she feel so threatened by him? When Kate is brutally snatched from her home, she begins to understand the meaning behind her dreams and the incredible truth about her past. Her captor is a man void of emotion and without conscience, yet Kate finds herself irresistibly drawn to his dark charisma. As the reason for her kidnapping is revealed, Kate is faced with a decision. Will she find the courage to make the right choice? Can the love of a gentle heart hope to save an unfeeling and corrupted soul? Perhaps – especially if their destinies were preordained long ago. The death of the wolf, it seems, is part of an much older legend.

     Determined to control her own destiny, wilful Helena of Lystanwold has chosen just the husband to suit her purposes. But when her banished guardian uncle attempts to secure her future and climbs through her bedroom window with a new husband by a proxy marriage, she understandably balks. Notorious warrior Guy of Helston is everything Helena swore she would never marry; a man who lives by the sword. This marriage finally brings Guy close to his lifetime dream of gaining lands and a title. He is not about to let his feisty bride stand in his way. A master strategist, Guy sets out to woo and conquer his lady. Against a backdrop of vengeance, war, and betrayal, Guy and Helena must learn to forge a united front or risk losing everything.

    He certainly doesn’t expect to be confronted with his twin’s imminent death, or with the plan his brother has concocted. Ten years before, Malcolm made a tragic mistake, and, to preserve the family name—and his own skin—he allowed Kenneth to take the fall. Now that he is dying without an heir, Malcolm plans to atone for his mistake: by giving Kenneth his life back. All Kenneth has to do is assume his brother’s identity. But complicating matters is the unexpected return of Lady Isobel Mackay, the daughter of an English marquess and the wife Malcolm didn’t want. Isobel barely knows the husband who abandoned her even before their marriage, and she'd long since given up on having a real marriage with him. Yet when she returns to the Mackay holding far earlier than expected, she finds her husband a changed man. Despite the hurt between them, Isobel's heart responds to this man who cares for his entire clan as if they were family. Who, for the first time, cares for her as if she is, too. Falling in love with her husband had never been part of Isobel’s plan. But when their future is suddenly in peril, Isobel must find a way to save him—from himself and from the deception threatening to tear them apart.

    All he knew was the pain and suffering he had caused…and the pain he now felt from the fateful fall from the tree limb that now lay splintered beneath him. As certain death was about to befall him, he was granted a chance of redemption. Somehow, he was deemed worthy of a second chance but it would come with a price. The price would plunge him into a world between the living and the dead, where isolation was his only companion. Isolation and time….Those were things he would have an abundance of to ponder the misdeeds he had wrought throughout his life. Old hatreds of the past prevented Derek from opening the path of redemption. Love would be the only thing to save his soul from the endless years spent not quite a man; not quite a ghost. His punishment was severe and an ancient curse prevented him from satisfying his human needs in every sense. He knew want; he knew loneliness. Only in the Tower, protected by the Guardians of the past, could he claim his humanity. The tower held the key to unlock Derek Campbell from the prison of his soul and of his heart. Kiera Callum was running from a failed relationship and a career with a sadistic and abusive boss. The Highlands of Scotland seemed like just the balm to soothe her battered spirit. She never dreamed that taking the menial job as a tour guide would afford her to actually live in the main quarters of Castle Campbell. She also could not imagine that the Keep came complete with a 700 year old spirit. It seemed Kiera ran from many things in her life when the going got tougher. One of those things was her ability to sense the spirits of those who had gone before. She had denied that gift her entire life because it marked her as a freak. Only now there was nowhere to run. Kiera had to finally face everything she had run from in order to help the trapped soul of a medieval man whose presence was the most vital thing she had ever encountered. She would have to learn to trust in the things that could not be explained. Things are not always as they appear… Could love end his torment? Would Kiera be able to open her heart enough to release him from the prison of isolation? Would her love be strong enough to let him go? Celtic Spirit spans six and half centuries where the past and present collide. Love can bridge time and space. Love is eternal.

    It wasn't as if she could see events that would happen in the future. Her gift was much simpler than that. With a look or a touch, she could detect evil intent and deception. And for that, even her father wanted her dead. So when Ian MacAlister is found mortally wounded near her hideaway, Màiri and her guardian tend his injuries and nurse him back to health. Blinded by his wounds, the laird of the clan MacAlister doesn't know he is being tended by the very woman he’s been sent to find. Once his vision is restored, Ian takes Màiri into his life, introduces her to a world that accepts her as the laird’s wife, a world vastly different from the isolation her father had forced upon her from the day she was born. She loves and is loved, cherishes each day as mistress of the keep. Each day, that is, until the laird’s jealous brother discovers the one thing she’s been hiding. Her gift.

    Arbella and Magnus’ marriage has flourished, their passion and love growing stronger daily. But when a mysterious missive arrives begging Laird and Lady Sutherland for help in a rescue mission, they leave the safety of the castle, and ride headlong into a trap. Will they thwart their enemy and make it home in time to celebrate the holiday season in good Scottish fashion? Or will warring clans prevail? ***This is a Stolen Bride novella--an extension of THE HIGHLANDER'S REWARD***

    Written with the general reader in mind, Reading Dante brings her knowledge to bear in an accessible yet expert introduction to his great poem.This is far more than an exegesis of Dante’s three-part Commedia. Shaw communicates the imaginative power, the linguistic skill and the emotional intensity of Dante’s poetry—the qualities that make the Commedia perhaps the greatest literary work of all time and not simply a medieval treatise on morality and religion.The book provides a graphic account of the complicated geography of Dante's version of the afterlife and a sure guide to thirteenth-century Florence and the people and places that influenced him. At the same time it offers a literary experience that lifts the reader into the universal realms of poetry and mythology, creating links not only to the classical world of Virgil and Ovid but also to modern art and poetry, the world of T. S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney and many others.Dante's questions are our questions: What is it to be a human being? How should we judge human behavior? What matters in life and in death? Reading Dante helps the reader to understand Dante’s answers to these timeless questions and to see how surprisingly close they sometimes are to modern answers.Reading Dante is an astonishingly lyrical work that will appeal to both those who’ve never read the Commedia and those who have. It underscores Dante's belief that poetry can change human lives.

    Abandoned by the Romans, rebuilt by the Saxons, occupied by the Vikings and reconstructed by the Normans, London would become the largest trade and financial center, dominating the world in later centuries. London has always been a brilliant, vibrant and eclectic place Henry V was given a triumphal procession after his return from Agincourt and the Lord Mayor s river pageant was a medieval annual spectacular. William the Conqueror built the Tower, Thomas Becket was born in Cheapside, Wat Tyler led the peasants in revolt across London Bridge, Chaucer made a living and a name for himself, and a century later his Canterbury Tales was the first book produced on Caxton s new printing press in Westminster.But beneath the color and pageantry lay dirt, discomfort and disease, the daily grind for ordinary folk. Like us, they had family problems, work worries, health concerns and wondered about the weather.

     The bigger they are ...the harder they fall. Four beautiful stories of men who seem bigger than life, who find love unexpectedly. Two of the biggest names in Medieval Romance combine for a fabulous Medieval Romance collection of Border Giants... Medieval warriors, both Scots and English, who are larger than life, giants among men, and deeply devoted to the women who love them. FINDLEY'S LASS - She had won his heart without trying… and he can only hope for a chance to win hers. THE FALLEN ONE - He was disgraced in battle. Can she help redeem a knight who has lost everything? THE SAVAGE CURTAIN - The conqueror marries his captive and an unexpected love blooms. She must fight for him when her people threaten his life. WEE WILLIAM'S WOMAN - The giant Highlander is a self-proclaimed bachelor who has sworn for years that there isn't a woman in all of Scotland worth shaving his beard for ... until he meets her. Enjoy these four full-length novels at a spectacular limited price.

    four great Medieval tales. Welcome to the Master Knight collection from Kathryn Le Veque, Amazon's multi-#1 bestselling author of Medieval Historical Romance. Contained within this collection are four of Le Veque's best selling Medieval novels. Return to the days of chivalry and honor, with powerful knights and the women who love them. The Legend - when the best knight England has ever seen loses his faith, can the woman he loves restore it? The Gorgon - A tournament knight with a dark past finds love with a beautiful, imperfect lady. Great Protector - He has loved her all his life. Will she return that love? The Darkland - A dark Irish knight finds love in the most unexpected place. Enjoy these four full-length novels at a spectacular limited price.

    But when he arrives home, he finds his father dying, his castle under threat of siege by a rival clan, and his twin sister claiming that Faeries roam their lands.As the eldest son, it falls to Alex to take on the onerous task of setting things to rights and ensuring the welfare of Clan MacKillican. The last thing he needs is a strange woman arriving unannounced to add to the bedlam that his life has become. Honor demands that he offer her protection. But is he keeping her safe or has he allowed a spy into his home?Denver, CO – Present DayAnalise Shaw is a woman suffocating in her perfect life.Annie has spent her life being the perfect daughter. She’s even agreed to marry the “perfect” man to suit her parents. But as the wedding nears, she’s getting cold feet. What Annie really wants isn’t a husband, but time to herself and a place to call her own.A deathbed promise to her grandmother sends Annie to Scotland, to the cottage she’s inherited. Once there, her attempt to solve a mystery surrounding her grandmother takes a bizarre twist, landing her in another time–A time in which she finds a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, and a quiet, brooding Highlander who makes her question all her old arguments against wanting a man of her very own.Alex and Annie face the challenges of lives taking paths completely different from the ones they expected to travel. Just as they begin to suspect that, together, they can face any obstacle, they are presented with the biggest obstacle of all: the Magic that would return Annie to her own time and the man who awaits her there.

    The house and all its problems now belong to her. As Laura struggles to to save the manor, she is pulled back into the lives, and loves, of the home's past inhabitants. Unfortunately, time is running out, not only for the preservation of the house, but for those who now live there. Centuries before, Lorraine Bonville, a young French girl, was forced to flee her chateau and cross the English Channel. Her fate was tied to Lord Bannock, a man twenty-five years her senior, and to the beautiful manor house he built for her. From castles in their full glory to the ruins of war, this novel weaves a beautiful tapestry of history, the struggle to rebuild life and love, and the desire to protect a very special home.The CHAMBER AND THE CROSS is a contemporary thriller wrapped around a medieval romance. It was a finalist with the 2015 San Diego Book Awards.

    He drove his kingdom to the brink of civil war a dozen times in less than twenty years. He allowed his male lovers to rule the kingdom. He led a great army to the most ignominious military defeat in English history. His wife took a lover and invaded his kingdom, and he ended his reign wandering around Wales with a handful of followers, pursued by an army. He was the first king of England forced to abdicate his throne. Popular legend has it that he died screaming impaled on a red-hot poker, but in fact the time and place of his death are shrouded in mystery. His life reads like an Elizabethan tragedy, full of passionate doomed love, bloody revenge, jealousy, hatred, vindictiveness and obsession. He was Edward II, and this book tells his story. The focus here is on his relationships with his male 'favourites' and his disaffected wife, on his unorthodox lifestyle and hobbies, and on the mystery surrounding his death. Using almost exclusively fourteenth-century sources and Edward's own letters and speeches wherever possible, Kathryn Warner strips away the myths which have been created about him over the centuries, and provides a far more accurate and vivid picture of him than has previously been seen.

    Despite earlier victories his army has still not achieved a major breakthrough and the French crown remains intact. Determined to bring France under English rule and the French army to its knees he has regrouped and planned a new route of attack.And on the beaches of Normandy his men now mass, ready to march through France to victory. But the French are nowhere to be seen. Edward knows that the worst thing he could do would be to take the battle to the French, where they will have the advantage and so he sets up camp near a small hill at Crecy and waits.The Battle of Crecy will be a decisive turning point in the Hundred Years' Wars. This is the story of that battle and the men who won it.

    Crestfallen, she believes her disastrous life cannot get worse—until she awakes to the blasts of cannon fire.Facing certain death, Anne trembles in her stateroom while swords clash and the chilling screams of battle rage on the deck above. When a rugged Highlander kicks in her door, she prays for a swift end. But Laird Calum MacLeod has a reason for plundering the ship—and it’s not a stunning English lass. With no other choice, he takes Anne to his crumbling keep on the isle of Raasay and sends a letter of ransom to her husband. In time, Anne grows to understand MacLeod’s plight and finds it increasingly difficult to resist Calum’s unsettling charm—until the baron sends a reply agreeing to terms. Ripped from passion that will be forever seared into their souls, will Anne and Calum risk everything for love?

    Balian d’Ibelin saved thousands of women and children from slavery and brokered peace between Richard I and Saladin. Arab chronicles described him as “like a king,” and his descendants dominated the history of the Holy Land for the next century. Yet he inherited neither land nor titles and we know nothing of his youth. What made him the man he would become? In this comprehensive revision of the first book in the Jerusalem Trilogy, Schrader evokes the underlying currents and powerful personalities that shaped the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. She weaves history with hypotheses to create a credible, if fictional, backstory for a hero: Balian d’Ibelin.

    Extensively researched and compellingly told, it introduces us to the passionate drama and violent upheaval of eleventh-century Europe. The world as we know it, and the English language, would have been vastly different were it not for the driving ambition of one man: William the Conqueror. But conquerors are made, not born, and William was made in fire and blood. How does a boy become a man, surviving a tumultuous and terrifying childhood? And how does that man become a legend? William Rising plunges us into this world of danger and betrayal, of choosing sides and dying for absolutes. It follows the creation of a conqueror, as he grows up abandoned, learns to fight at an early age for anything he hopes to keep, and is sculpted into a remorseless, far-sighted, ruthlessly efficient soldier and statesman. From his origins as an orphaned, penniless bastard boy, to his personal and political trials by fire, to the climactic battle with his rebellious barons where he finally comes of age, the young duke increasingly establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with. But as the shadowy intrigues of English politics, and the all-consuming question of an heir for a childless king, begin to draw him into their web, it may just be that William of Normandy has a destiny far greater than even he has ever dreamed.

    Isabelle MacDuff prays to escape a fate worse than death. And while their fellow Scots scrap over the empty throne, the brutal Edward Longshanks of England invades the weakened northern kingdom.Yet one young warrior--who will become feared by his enemies as the Black Douglas--stands in the path of three Plantagenet monarchs. Their clans are sworn rivals, but James pursues the ravishing Isabelle, whose forefathers for centuries have inaugurated kings on the hallowed Stone of Destiny. Their world is upturned when James befriends Robert Bruce, a bitter foe of the MacDuffs. Both James and Isabelle must make agonizing decisions that will draw the armies to the bloody field of Bannockburn.Here is the story of the remarkable events following the execution of William Wallace of Braveheart fame. Set during the Bruce wars of independence, The Spider and the Stone is the unforgettable saga of the star-crossed love, religious intrigue, fierce friendship in arms, and heroic sacrifice that preserved Scotland's freedom during its time of greatest peril. -- Chaucer Award First-Place Historical Fiction-- Foreword Finalist Book-of-the-Year Historical Fiction-- indieBRAG Medallion -- BTS Magazine Reader's Choice Honorable Mention

     Guardian of Darkness 1200 A.D. - After decades of warring between the Lairds of Kerr and Prudhoe Castle in Northumbria, a tentative peace is reached. The Lady Carington Kerr is sent to Prudhoe as a hostage to ensure her father’s good behavior, and a more reluctant hostage there never was. Small and dark, with emerald eyes and a luscious figure, she is as gorgeous as she is fiery. Enter Sir Creed de Reyne; a gentle giant of a man, he is, by nature, calm and wise. He is the ice to Carington’s fire. As Carington resists the attempts to keep her in her English prison, Creed is placed in charge of the captive as both jailer and protector. But Creed is also as reluctant a protector as she is a hostage; six months prior, he had been given the important assignment of escorting Isabella of Angoulệme from France to England as the bride of King John. Isabella, a woman-child of twelve years, was smitten with Creed from the start. When he spurned her advances, she fabricated a story of Creed’s indiscretions against her and brought the king’s wrath upon him. Creed fled to Prudhoe and straight into another assignment guarding a firebrand of a young woman. Creed soon discovers that Carington is far different from the petty child who would become queen and against both his judgment and his wishes, he falls for the Scots lass. Suffering through tragedy and triumph, Creed and Carington have a love that only strengthens with each passing moment. Even when Creed is forced to flee for his life and leave Carington behind, their only thoughts are of being together again. With Isabella and King John closing in, Creed and Carington must fight for their very survival as two countries and a kingdom seek to separate them. -AND- The Warrior Poet (a #1 Best seller in Medieval Historical Romance) 1266 A.D. – A family feud has existed between the House of de Gare and the House of St. John for over seventy years. The feud has seen Eden Castle, home to the St. John’s, grow stronger while Castle Winding Cross, lair of the de Gare clan, suffers. Furthermore, the House of St. John has bred the most fearsome warrior in the north of England, a powerful knight known throughout the land as the Demon of Eden. Christian St. John is the culmination of decades of fine breeding and training, a master of the knighthood. When Christian launches what he hopes will be the final attack against Winding Cross to end the long-running feud once and for all, the de Gares are cunning enough to avoid complete destruction. Furious, Christian’s father orders his son to breach the sanctity of the convent where the de Gare heiress has been hiding. The Demon is able to violate the convent and capture his quarry, but not without a fight. The Lady Gaithlin de Gare does not go easily with the Demon. A big woman with long legs and long blond hair, she too has long been taught to hate the House of St. John. Christian escapes to the north with his combative captive and it is a long-running battle that takes them well into Scotland where Christian will hold the woman, demanding the complete surrender of her family’s home in exchange for her life. Gaithlin doesn’t make Christian’s life easy at first; she fights him furiously, unwilling to be a submissive prisoner. But the more times that passes, the more she comes to ease her combative stance and realize that Christian St.

    But when powerful enemies threaten, each Douglas lass will find she must face them alone. CAPTURED BY A LAIRD Haunted by his father's violent death, David Hume, the new laird of Wedderburn, sets out to make his name so feared that no one will dare harm his family again. The treacherous ally who played on his father's weakness is dead and beyond David's vengeance, but his castle and young widow are ripe for the taking. The moment David lays eyes on the dark-haired beauty defending her wee daughters, however, he knows this frail-looking lass is the one person who could bring him to his knees. Wed at thirteen to a man who tried daily to break her spirit, Lady Alison Douglas is looking forward to a long widowhood. But when the fearsome warrior known as the Beast of Wedderburn storms her gates, she finds herself, once again, forced to wed a stranger. Alison is only a pawn to serve his vengeance, so why does this dark warrior arouse such fiery passion and an unwelcome longing in her heart? With death and danger looming, these two wounded souls must learn to trust each other...for only love can save them.

    Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his ‘penance', the shire’s first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn’t and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.

    Heather, the eldest, is known for her beauty and kindness. Patience, the middle sister, while attractive is known for her warrior skills. Emma, the youngest is plain-featured, her passion is knowledge. There is nothing the sisters will not do for each other and their love and loyalty is tested when Heather is abducted.Emma must ride alone through a rainstorm to reach the MacClennan keep and fetch the mighty warrior Rogan MacClennan, Heather’s intended. Nothing must delay her. Her sister’s life depends on it. Emma is not only shocked by the warrior’s handsome features, but by his refusal to leave immediately once he learns that Heather has been abducted. His excuse is the raging storm, but Emma will not bow to the mighty warrior’s dictates. She sneaks off to return to the injured Macinnes warriors and to search for Heather.Rogan MacClennan cannot believe the audacity of the youngest Macinnes sister to call him a coward, and then sneak off in nothing more than her nightdress. When he gets his hands on her, he intends to see her sent home to her father. Then he will rescue his intended without any interference from Emma.Thrown together, the unlikely pair must face more trials and tribulations than they ever imagined possible. They also must face something both are trying desperately to ignore and deny... that they are falling in love.Emma cannot betray her sister and Rogan must do his duty to his clan. They have no future together... or do they?

     Abandoned by the woman he loved, Captain Marteinn wants to escape his misery by winning the summer games in Lagenheim. The champion is entitled to ask one favor from the jarl and he’s prepared to request his freedom. A woman desperate for passion ... Taken to Scandinavia after the Normans invaded England, Mercia works hard to prove her loyalty to the Vikings. Despite multiple offers of marriage, she fears she’ll never find true love. Until she meets a brooding warrior, who ignites a hidden passion she can’t ignore.

    In the fight that follows, she is rescued by a young monk and the knight is defeated. But the consequences are far-reaching, and Thomas and Katherine are expelled from their religious Orders and forced to flee across a land caught in the throes of one of the most savage and bloody civil wars in history: the Wars of the Roses.Their flight will take them across the Narrow Sea to Calais where Thomas picks up his warbow, and trains alongside the Yorkist forces. Katherine, now dressed as a man, hones her talents for observation and healing both on and off the fields of battle. And all around them, friends and enemies fight and die as the future Yorkist monarch, Edward, Earl of March, and his adviser the Earl of Warwick, later to become known as the Kingmaker, prepare to do bloody battle. Encompassing the battles of Northampton, Mortimer's Cross and finally the great slaughter of Towton, this is war as experienced not by the highborn nobles of the land but by ordinary men and women who do their best just to stay alive. Filled with strong, sympathetic characters, this is a must-read series for all who like their fiction action-packed, heroic and utterly believable.

    A knight who conquered her land. When you’re enemies, does love have a fighting chance?For Amiria of Berwyck, defeat does not come easily as she watches her home and clan being ripped asunder. When the very enemy who has laid siege to her home demands her fealty, she will do whatever it takes to protect her people including a hastily concocted ruse that quickly begins to unravel. All too soon, she starts to question whether she can forgive herself for betraying those she has sworn to protect.Dristan of Blackmore, champion knight of King Henry II, has a reputation to uphold as the Devil’s Dragon. After his invading army conquers Berwyck castle, he sets out to manage the newly claimed estate by training its knight in the art of proper defense. At first, everything appears as it should be, or is it? Betrayed by those he believed he could trust, he must first set aside his anger before he can make room in his heart for love.Together they are tied by an unspoken bond. As they begin to rebuild the land and unite their people, forces beyond their control attempt to tear apart their fragile truce and only time will tell if love will forever bring them together.

    Also included are the opening chapters from The Vanishing Witch, Karen's thrilling new novel, which is published in August.Camelot and Narigorm the rune reader return to delight fans of Karen Maitland's classic novel as the company — in their desperate bid to outrun the plague — encounter a band of outlaws, who are making the most of the breakdown in law and order to steal from the weak... and kill at leisure. But in the child Narigorm they might just have met their match — for plague is the lesser of those two evils.

    Set in thirteenth century England, Edric, a man crippled in body and soul, begs, steals, and sometimes plays a pipe to make a living. Against his better judgment, he saves the life of Azriel...a man who claims to be an Angel. But is this stranger a divine being or the escaped "Mad Monk" from a nearby monastery? The peasant woman who finds herself attracted to the acerbic Edric isn't certain, nor is the morose knight in desperate search of secrets to the afterlife. Another scheming monk seems to have all the answers...or does he? But circumstances cause the beggar, the monk, and the knight to collide in the same quest, some of whom would see Azriel permanently locked away and Edric hanged for murder.

    These are the romantic tales of the Winter Stone... In Once Upon a Highland Legend, a Guardians of the Stone novella, by Tanya Anne Crosby, Annie McPherson has gone through her entire life a bit lost. She's about to find herself misplaced in time as well, where she must take her place as a guardian and find a way to restore the faith of a powerful chieftain. Will she win his heart as well? In MacAlister's Hope, a Kilmartin Glen novella, by Laurin Wittig, Kieron MacAlister has always loved Fia MacLachlan, a wee fey lass he met years ago who, with her sweet smile and surprising insight, changed his life. When he comes face-to-face with the beautiful woman she's grown into, can he convince her to change her life, too?In The Outcast, a Scottish Lasses novella, by Glynnis Campbell, Lachlan Mar, a disfigured and broken Scots warrior, doesn't believe anything can mend the wounds of war until Alisoune Hay, a brilliant and beautiful young lass, stumbles into his cottage and his life, healing his hurt and his heart with the most magical power of all--love. One legend, three enchanting novellas from three beloved authors.

    Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III, arrives, aged twelve, for the safety of Middleham Castle to begin his training for knighthood. His new companions discover he can change from kindness to cold rage within the wink of an eye. Men, it was said, watched him with wary eyes, for they knew when the young pup found his teeth, he would make a dangerous enemy. Far in the north, Margaret of Anjou, warrior Queen to Henry VI, prepares to fight against the advancing armies of Edward IV. Why does she abandon her husband, and flee to France vowing never to return? Who blackmails her, seven years later, to join forces with her most hated enemy, to return and fight once again for the crown of England? King Edward IV, tall, handsome, and clever, is a brilliant warrior, whose Achilles' heel is women; he loves them all. What dark forces drive him into a secret marriage that rips his kingdom apart? He is forced to fight Louis XI of France, and the mighty Earl of Warwick, not only for his crown but also his life. From the courts of Edward IV, Louis XI, and Margaret of Anjou, comes intrigue, betrayal, witchcraft, and love. The Dreams of Kings weaves plots and characters together to make a roller-coaster read of the period they call the WAR of the ROSES.

    Gone are the times of peace and prosperity they appreciated under deposed king Varic Khalon, who vanished the night Lorcan took power. Most believe him dead. Only one man knows the truth.Stripped of his magic and imprisoned, Varic never thought to see his kingdom again. But a twist of dark fate secures his freedom and he returns to the city he loves. Now calling himself Gavril, he finds himself with no home, no magic, no subjects, and no hope of reclaiming the throne, forced to survive any way he can. Until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the one person who may tip the scales in his favor.Shyla de Aven has a single magical gift. She can sense magic in others. Not a very useful talent in a city where everyone has magical abilities. So when a wounded stranger literally stumbles into her, he presents her with a mystery she feels compelled to solve. He has magic, yet not. Determined to find the answer, Shyla helps the man. Only to discover they are far more connected than she realizes. And if the people of Aquina want their king returned, she will have to discover the key to unlocking his true power, all without losing her heart in the process.

    Domning...Le Veque...Knight... Kean... O'Donnell... Markland... Williams... York. Eight of the top voices in Medieval Historical romance brings to you a collection of 'first' novels - either the first novel ever published, the first written, or the first in a series, welcome to this collection of first novels by some of the best authors in the world. This is a limited edition collection with eight bestselling novels at a special limited price. From England to Ireland to France, enjoy the power, majesty, and triumph of High Middle Ages romance and action! Denise Domning WINTER'S HEAT - A knight is forced to marry a woman whose future has been drastically changed. Can they learn to trust and love? (Winner of RT's 1994 "Best First Historical") Kathryn Le Veque TO THE LADY BORN - A pious KNIGHT and a tormented LADY find love in spite of the dark secret that threatens to tear them apart. (A #1 Bestseller in Medieval Historical Romance from one of Amazon's #1 Medieval Romance authors) Eliza Knight A KNIGHT'S VICTORY - An English KNIGHT is determined to protect his childhood love—an Irish LADY trapped in a vicious marriage. (A Bestseller) Anna Markland HEARTS AND CROWNS - Politics forces a knight and lady to marry against their will. Can love bloom? (A Bestseller) Laurel O'Donnell THE ANGEL AND THE PRINCE - An English KNIGHT and a French lady-warrior wage a battle of wills that challenges everything they have ever believed in. (A Bestseller) Catherine Kean A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE - A lady is held for ransom by a rogue knight. Through their forbidden love, they uncover perilous secrets. (A Bestseller) Lana Williams A VOW TO KEEP - As passions rise, the hero must choose vengeance or love. (A #1 Bestseller in Medieval Historical Romance) Ashley York THE SAXON BRIDE - A NORMAN knight struggles to win over a SAXON lady and her people. (A top selling novel)

    Named Chief and Lady of the land, they rule the vast holding, and protect the people by divine right, until the next game begins. After her brother's death Ceana is named laird. The only way for her clan to survive the ravages of the Highlands is to join in the war games. Bastard son of a powerful earl, Macrath is placed in the games by his vengeful stepmother. He must survive for the ultimate retribution. Ceana can't afford to like the formidable, captivating, Highlander who seems to be following her, and yet she can't seem to walk away. Macrath wants nothing more than to protect the enchanting warrior lass, but doing so may get in the way of his need for revenge. What starts out as a race to survive turns into passion to endure together. May the gods be forever in their favor...

    Seven couples in need of its magic to find true love. Seven original, never before published novellas.A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER by Catherine Kean When widowed Lady Aislinn Locksmeade finds a naked, unconscious man, she wonders if he's Hugh Brigonne, her first and only true love. When he wakes, he can't remember who he is or what happened to him. Does she dare to love the roguish stranger, or is there far greater danger than risking her heart? HER PIRATE FROM THE PAST by Caro Carson After nearly being killed in an undercover operation, police officer Savannah Oglethorpe has sworn off adventure and chosen a safe corporate job. But when she falls into another century—and into the arms of a legendary pirate—can she survive the dangerous past to win a passionate future? WHEN WE GET TO PARIS by T. Elliott Brown American soldier Henry Stewart carries his family's lucky stone as he fights during World War II. The green rock has kept generations safe and brought true love, but when Henry is injured dur-ing a secret mission for the French Resistance, he believes the stone has failed him. When a beautiful French woman brings him into her home, is she a sign his luck changing for the better, or will she turn Henry over to the Nazis? EMERALD INTRIGUE by Wynter Daniels When Natalie discovers a valuable jewel hidden in a trinket box she bought at an estate sale, her life is suddenly in peril. With nowhere else to turn, she's forced to lean on her neighbor Jack for help. But can she put her past behind her and open her heart before it's too late? WHAT TO KEEP by Nancy Robards Thompson Emma Conrad returns to tiny Iris Island, Florida, with her New York life in shambles. When the one man she's never forgotten strolls back into her life, Emma has to rely on her mother's wis-dom, the strength she's forgotten, and a gem from the sea to build a future from the ashes of her past. FORTUNE'S FOOL by Mimi Wells Felicity Reeves hasn't had much luck lately with roommates. Or work. Or life. Certainly not love. But a dark-headed mystery man and one special stone are about to help Felicity discover what Fortune has in store for her. CHARMED BY THE THIEF by Katherine Garbera Stealing the three pieces of the Brigonne emerald was meant to be a way to thwart her father and claim piece of her past. But soon, Jules Monroe finds herself captivated by Devlin O'Dowd, the man who wants to catch her alter ego and put her in jail—unless the magic of the Brigonne emerald has another plan for the lovers.

    It tells the story of a complex feud, that starts innocently enough in a tiff over seating arrangement at a local feast, and expands over the course of 20 years to engulf half the country, in which both sides are effectively exterminated, Njal and his family burned to death in their farmhouse, the other faction picked off over the entire course of the feud. Law and feudfeature centrally in the saga, Njál, its hero, being the greatest lawyer of his generation. No reading of the saga can do it justice unless it takes its law, its feuding strategies, as well as the author's stunning manipulation and saga conventions. In 'Why is your axe bloody' W.I. Miller offers a lively,entertaining, and completely oriignal personal reading of this lengthy saga.

     Evil turns the life of Ysane Wulfsingas, a woman of gentleness and peace, into a nightmare that drives her to murder. When a new enemy, the fearsome knight Fallard D'Auvrecher, charges headlong into her life intent on picking up where her former husband left off, her only defense is to guard well her heart. Captain Fallard D'Auvrecher holds the opportunity of a lifetime within his hand. To keep it, he must rescue Ysane Wulfsingas from execution, for the beautiful Rose of Wulfsinraed is the key to all he has fought for in his years as a knight of King William. Fallard must conquer not only the rebel commander who desires Wulfsinraed for himself, but also the demesne's serenely obstinate mistress. Though he has waged countless battles, Fallard soon learns the greatest challenge of all is the fight for the lady's heart.

    By the time they learn that she is Lady Kathryn Weston, and that her attacker is none other than her betrothed, Robert Walford, the powerful and ruthless Duke of Pemberton, it is too late. They have both fallen in love with her and she with them—a love so forbidden it could cost them everything, even their lives.Set amidst the turmoil and pageantry of 14th-century England, Dark Warrior weaves a vivid tapestry of three lost souls bound to each other with a deep, abiding love. But will that love survive Walford’s evil plan to attack Berwick Castle, take it apart stone by stone and ultimately destroy everyone who lives there?

    With help from the deadly knight, Sir Erin Caldry, he hopes to conquer the land of Dothan once and for all. Using his wealth and power, he has formulated the perfect plan to finally take their rich land. What he doesn't realize, is the youngest Dothan princess is currently a slave within his very own castle walls. While out visiting the remote estate of a relative, Princess Bethany Kavadh is kidnapped by slavers. Bedraggled and weary, she finds herself sold into slavery. To her horror, she soon discovers that her new owner is none other than her family’s worst enemy, King Wolfric. To fight her rising despair and to keep what little sanity she possess, Princess Bethany begins to fight back, sabotaging the efficient running of the House and function of their Armies. But what happens when they realize her true identity? Will they ransom her for the wealth of her nation? Will they keep her as a slave? Or will they inflict an even crueler punishment? The only things for certain are: The war between two nations will escalate, and one young princess's life shall forever be TORN. Due to scenes of intense violence, reader discretion is advised.

    He rushes her to safety, but is captured by his father’s enemies. Imprisoned along with the lady, who has amnesia, he tries to find a way to escape and save them both. As their forbidden love grows, will her memories finally return, or will the villains destroy all? GUARDIAN OF DARKNESS by KATHRYN LE VEQUE -- LADY Carington Kerr is as gorgeous as she is fiery, with emerald eyes and a luscious figure. She is sent to Prudhoe as a hostage to ensure her father’s good behavior. Sir Creed de Reyne is a gentle GIANT of a man, by nature calm and wise. He is the ice to Carington’s fire. Creed is placed in charge of the beautiful captive as both her jailer and her protector. As dangers mount around them, Creed and Carington must fight for their very survival as two countries and a kingdom seek to separate them. DARK IRISH KNIGHT by ANNA MARKLAND -- Ronan MacLachlainn is rumored to be the SON of a selkie, intent on vengeance for the murder of his wife and the loss of his Irish lands. Torture has left him blind in one eye. Nothing can stand in the way of his vengeance, not even love. Rhoni is the pampered DAUGHTER of a powerful Norman Earl. Can she make Ronan whole again? CHAMPION OF THE HEART by LAUREL O'DONNELL --- He is an outcast THIEF known as the Black Fox, vowing revenge against those who unjustly stripped his father of his knighthood and lands. She is the PROTECTOR of the orphaned children of her village, promising to bring the Black Fox to justice for his dark deeds. Can Fox uncover the sinister secrets from their past and become the champion of his lady's heart? Add this great historical romance novel boxed set to your Kindle library today. And don' t miss the Magnificent Medieval Men collection available right here on Amazon!

    Though he knew he risked Ariana’s curse as well as a lifetime hiding from the king’s sword, he does not realize his greatest risk in holding the lovely princess for ransom is to his heart. The intimacy shared with her kidnapper leaves Ariana wounded by the experience and his reappearance at the annual tournament only deepens her pain. When her brother foists him on her as a guardian and slave she must come to terms with her feelings for the dominant warrior. Will she send him away to his death, or will she realize her pain is only caused by living without him?Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sex and spanking

    It is a story of repentance and forgiveness; desperation and hope, and one in which loyalty, courage and love triumph over treachery and betrayal. Lady Lisette is desperate to thwart her guardian’s plans and determined to do whatever she must to save her life and protect her young sister - even if she must act against her moral integrity. But just when she’s acted to safeguard her future and committed the sin that plagues her conscience, she is stunned to learn that King Henry V has assigned her a protector - Lord Rowan. Lisette is hardly worth of Henry’s noble warrior. Can she ever gain Rowan’s forgiveness for what she has done and win his heart? Lord Rowan, King Henry’s hero of Agincourt is driven by his thirst for justice. He swore an oath to seek revenge for the death of his parents and the last thing he wants is a wife. Yet he must marry by command of his liege. Believing that he has at least gained a beautiful and biddable bride, he is challenged on every level by a woman who is spirited and independent. Just when he thinks she may be the one to help heal the bitterness he carries, he discovers her betrayal. But does he have the right to judge her when his own past hides a shameful secret?

    Beset by foreign crisis and domestic rebellion, King John was fast running out of options. On 15 June he reluctantly agreed to fix his regal seal to a document that would change the world.A milestone in the development of constitutional politics and the rule of law, the 'Great Charter' established an Englishman's right to Habeas Corpus and set limits to the exercise of royal power. For the first time a group of subjects had forced an English king to agree to a document that limited his powers by law and protected their rights.Dan Jones's elegant and authoritative narrative of the making and legacy of Magna Carta is amplified by profiles of the barons who secured it and a full text of the charter in both Latin and English.

    

    It’s about Katrina, who is cast, through tragedy, into an unheard of relationship. She blossoms into a beautiful and exotic young lady and is about to be presented to society. To be so young, she is extremely adept at handling whatever comes her way and has the self-control and street smarts to do what’s needed, even if it means losing her life. Markus, prince and heir to the throne, who’s chivalry nearly costs him his life; falls for the beautiful Katrina. While struggling against the physical demands of his body to keep her moral demands of virginity intact, he devises an elaborate plan to make her fall in love with him. One fatal moment in time intertwines the two of them together, in spite of all the adversity to come their way and the deceitfulness required to bring it all about to Markus’ satisfaction. Alexander is our villain in this story and he uses all his wiles to charm Katrina into falling in love with him while secretly trying to destroy Markus and his family. They’re all in danger. While trying to save one another in a cat and mouse game of deceit and lies, intrigue and murder, they each may end up losing what matters the most. It’s a dangerous game and not everyone can be the winner.

    Else you shall be next.” These are the words that leave a six-year-old Highland lass without a voice, and without memory of that terrible day her family's caravan was overtaken and her parents were slain.Now, thirteen years later, fresh from the nunnery where she was taken after the attack, Highland Lady, Morgana Cambel, harbors only one wish: To have one night of ecstasy with the man of her dreams—her worldly, beautiful cousin's sometime lover—Robert MacVie. So, when she is offered such a chance—a secret switch—she determines to take it.Highland Laird, Robert MacVie, desperately plots to ensnare his heiress lover into marriage in order to gain her dowry and pay his King the debt his late father owed, thus saving his clan from division and ruin. But a last minute switch changes the course of his life—and his heart—forever.When their passionate interlude is discovered by her unctuous, devious uncle, nothing will do but that Robert wed the impoverished Morgana instead.At first, they both resist. He, for the sake of his clan. She, for the sake of her unrequited love. But they quickly discover that resistance is futile. And a boon by the King soon lessens Robert’s debt. Now, as their desire for each other grows, as Morgana’s voice begins to return only in song, as their hearts bond, a legacy of jealousy and greed entraps Morgana in a furious death plot—and only her warrior-knight husband can save her!THE MEDIEVAL HIGHLANDERS SERIES:The Highlands Trilogy (The Macleans)Book 1 : Highland VengeanceBook 2 : Highland GraceBook 3 : Highland Magic(The Cambels)Book 4 : Song of the Highlands (The Cambels)NEXT UP: Book 5 : Currently untitled : publication date unknown**The love story of Vika Cambel and Grímr Thorfinnsson

    Does she dare trust in their future, despite the shadow of his past? “A lyrical medieval-era romance!”—Publishers Weekly on THE BEAUTY BRIDE, a Quill Award nominee and a #1 Kindle Bestseller.From Amazon’s Multi-#1 Bestselling Medieval Romance author Kathryn Le Veque, FRAGMENTS OF GRACE is an epic historical romance with power, passion, and a paranormal element set within the reign of Edward II. Can a knight with a tragic past find love again? “Kathryn Le Veque takes you on an emotional roller coaster!”—Amazon reviewsIn Amazon’s Bestselling author and RONE Award winner Suzan Tisdale’s ROWAN’S LADY, Lady Arline is doing her best to survive her third marriage when her husband kidnaps a little girl. When the child’s father, Rowan Graham, comes to rescue his daughter, he finds he must also rescue the woman who has been caring for her. 2014 RONE Winner for Best Historical Romance and #1 Kindle Bestseller.Be swept away to the Borders of Scotland to savor the chivalry and adventure of an era when knights and Highlanders fought for principle—and for love. Meet a trio of valiant heroes, each determined to win the heart of his lady forever, no matter the price.

     These five historical romances from Anita Mills sweeps readers back in time, to places like 11th Century Normandy, where the danger of loving the wrong man can be perilous, and where forbidden love flourishes in the darkened corners of castles. Defiant women and jealous men roam the gorgeous countryside in these novels, perfect escapist romance for readers who take their stolen kisses with a hint of danger.

    Now the nightmare is happening again. The Akkadians conquer her new home, Susa; make her a widow; and strip her of her rank. Nindalla vows to protect her children from her enemies by any means necessary, including marrying whoever can shield them best. With plots swirling around her, can she trust her instincts to tell friends from foes? Farm boy Ur-sag-enki was forced to become a soldier in the Akkadian army ten years ago after it destroyed his home and left him with nothing. When the Akkadians conquer Susa, he is awarded its governorship. He looks forward to settling down to the normal family life he craves. First, though, he must keep control of Susa despite enemies who exploit his inexperience, and he must gain legitimacy by persuading beautiful former princess Nindalla to marry him. But can he win her heart when it was his hand that struck down her husband?

    The poem, itself a combination of different poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom. The verses are attributed to Odin, much like the biblical Book of Wisdom is attributed to Solomon. The implicit attribution to Odin facilitated the accretion of various mythological material also dealing with Odin. This volume presents the original runes side by side with the Norse and English translations."

    Hugh de Barham, master mason at Wells, walks a dangerous path between Glastonbury and Wells as the two vie for supremacy, a path made more dangerous still by the fact that Hugh, if he could, would share his bed not with women but with men.The only way to stay safe is to keep his head down, but building the church of his dreams is no way to do that: and then there is Arnaut l’Occitan. What does this stranger from Provence want with Hugh? And can he, or anyone, be trusted?98000 words

    Broadcast on ITV between 1984 and 1986, the series has been a major influence on later versions of the Robin Hood story.Now for the first time, a guide to the series in two volumes.Hooded Man Volume One takes a fresh look at each episode starring Michael Praed, exploring the production of the first two series and the legends, literature and history that influenced them. On the way you'll find new trivia, goofs, quotes and translations, a comprehensive atlas of filming locations and the full story of the creation of the series.Hooded Man is an essential guide for every true fan of the series, detailing everything you might have missed along the way...because nothing is ever forgotten.

    More has been written about medieval women in the last twenty years than in the two whole centuries before that. Female authors of the medieval period have been rediscovered and translated; queens are no longer thought of as merely decorative brood mares for their royal husbands and have merited their own biographies. In the past, historians have tended to look at what women could not do. In this book we will look at the lives of medieval women in a more positive light, finding out what rights and opportunities women did enjoy, attempting to uncover the real women beneath the layers of dust accumulated over the centuries.

    Amidst the jesters, jugglers and fantastical beasts a lone assassin threatens the heir to the throne. It falls to Miles of Wildewood and Jesmina, the sultry daughter of Saladin the snake trader, to save the day and the life of the future king. But can Jesmina be trusted?Welcome to the second novella in The Wildewood Chronicles. This is the world of Miles of Wildewood, a reluctant knight, haunted by his past and driven by a need for revenge. In these novellas you’ll discover why.

    Linet, caught in a high seas adventure, soon realizes her only hope is trusting her mysterious champion--with her life and her heart.THE MACKINNON'S BRIDE by Tanya Anne CrosbyScottish chieftain Iain MacKinnon refuses to bow to the English. When his young son is stolen by the English, he captures the daughter of his enemy, planning to bargain with the devil. But even as Page blames her captor for welching on a contract with her father, she suspects the truth... the shadows hold secrets. Now only the love of her reluctant champion can save the MacKinnon's Bride.THE ROGUE by Claire DelacroixMerlyn stole Ysabella's heart with his charm and his mystery and they wed in haste. Ysabella left her rogue of a husband when she discovered that he deceived her. Five years later, he returns, as alluring as ever, asking for her help. Does she dare to trust him anew?HIGHLAND SOLUTION by Ceci GiltenanNiall MacIan, needs Lady Katherine's dowry but he has no intention of giving her his heart in the bargain. He believes all women are self-centered and deceitful. Can the lovely and gentle Katherine mend his heart and build a life with him or will the treachery of others destroy them?DANCE OF DESIRE by Catherine KeanDesperate to save her brother's life, veiled Lady Rexana Villeaux dances for Fane Linford, High Sheriff of Warringham. She entices Fane with the passion in her soul--and he's tempted. Rexana reluctantly marries Fane, but as she learns more about her husband tormented by secrets, she cannot deny his love.THE HIGHLANDER'S TEMPTATION by Eliza KnightLaird Jamie Montgomery is a warrior sent to the Highlands on the orders of William Wallace. Temptation in the form of an alluring lass, could be his undoing. Lady Lorna Sutherland can't resist Jamie's charms. Though she's been forbidden, she breaks every rule for the pleasure of his intoxicating embrace.ARCHANGEL by Kathryn Le VequeSir Gart Forbes, premier knight for the de Lohr dynasty, falls in love with a woman he can never have. Or can he? Divine intervention comes in many forms in this deeply passionate love story.CONQUERING PASSION by Anna MarklandThe year is 1066. The world is about to change forever. Can love survive and flourish amid the carnage, hatred, betrayals and dangers of the Norman Conquest? Juicy historical fiction. An intimate story of passion,ambition, conspiracy, and vengeance.ANGEL'S ASSASSIN by Laurel O'DonnellDamien is an assassin, a man with a tortured past. Sold into slavery, he is trained to kill. Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness. When Damien enters Aurora's life, tempting her with promises of forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.ROWAN'S LADY by Suzan TisdaleWalls have been built around two lonely souls. Is love enough to help tear them down? Will fate keep Rowan Graham and Lady Arline apart?

    A quest to find Earl Chanderling’s wayward daughter was not something he wanted, but being a knight in the king’s service, he was duty-bound to fulfill his king’s wishes - even if the bothersome girl he remembered had last been heard of in Venice. He’d never had plans to travel as far east as Venice, let alone much farther as this quest took more effort than he could have imagined - including dragging an unwilling and continuously challenging young woman across the known world.

    On his deathbed, her father appointed her laird, and with that came the responsibility of freeing her clan from Alistair's cruelty. In her fervor to escape her cousin, who is hell-bent on marrying her to solidify his control of the clan, Andie stumbles upon Riley, a boy he kidnapped. As happenstance would have it, Riley’s father was one of her clan's allies. While her father told her not to go to him, Andie decides to return his son and gain his help. Gavin Maitland is a cynic as much as he is a bastard, and he's furious that his son was kidnapped. Hardened by the betrayal of his dead wife, and haunted by curses and prophesies, Gavin doesn't trust anyone, much less women. When he sees Andie approach with his son, he mistakenly believes she kidnapped him. Even after he learns she played no part in his son’s kidnapping or the machinations against his clan, he cannot fully trust her. Gavin agrees, however, to help her fight for her clan, but only after he finishes aiding his other allies. As one catastrophe after another befalls, delaying aid to the McBrides, Andie and Gavin find themselves in a whirlwind attraction and affair that blossoms into love. Their journey to be with one another is wrought with deception, mistrust, and uncertainty, and when they are at last together, the Curse of the Dark Wolf threatens to take Gavin’s newfound happiness and Andie’s life. Even if Andie survives the curse, regaining control of her clan and escaping Alistair may cost her more than she thought she’d ever have to sacrifice. To Have and To Trust is a historical romance novel with paranormal elements, set in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The Heart of a Highlander…where the only thing fiercer than a warrior’s battle cry, is the way that he loves…

    In The Beauty, part of Claire's Bride Quest II trilogy, a maiden pledged to the convent heals the heart of a crusading knight returned home to find his legacy stolen.In The Rose Red Bride, part of Claire's Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogy, a damsel seeking adventure and romance is abducted, but only she can see the valor her captor would hide from the world. In The Warrior, part of Claire's Rogues of Ravensmuir trilogy, a daughter considered undesirable is chosen by a dangerous knight of dark repute to be his bride, only to be haunted by dreams of their shared past. Three wounded champions, each more honorable than he believes, each destined to be healed by a lady who steals his shielded heart.

    Material incantations, in forms such as spell-inscribed amulets and stone pillars, were also central to the spiritual lives of both monks and laypeople. In centering its analysis on the Chinese material culture of these deeply embodied forms of Buddhist ritual, The Body Incantatory reveals histories of practice--and logics of practice--that have until now remained hidden.Paul Copp examines inscribed stones, urns, and other objects unearthed from anonymous tombs; spells carved into pillars near mountain temples; and manuscripts and prints from both tombs and the Dunhuang cache. Focusing on two major Buddhist spells, or dhāraṇī, and their embodiment of the incantatory logics of adornment and unction, he makes breakthrough claims about the significance of Buddhist incantation practice not only in medieval China but also in Central Asia and India. Copp's work vividly captures the diversity of Buddhist practice among medieval monks, ritual healers, and other individuals lost to history, offering a corrective to accounts that have overemphasized elite, canonical materials.

    Proceeding chronologically, each chapter covers a specific time frame in which Southeast Asia is located in a global context. A discussion of general features that distinguish the period under discussion is followed by a detailed account of the various sub-regions. Students will be shown the ways in which local societies adapted to new religious and political ideas and responded to far-reaching economic changes. Particular attention is given to lesser-known societies that inhabited the seas, the forests, and the uplands, and to the role of the geographical environment in shaping the region's history. The authoritative yet accessible narrative features maps, illustrations, and timelines to support student learning. A major contribution to the field, this text is essential reading for students and specialists in Asian studies and early modern world history.

    Why is Richard III England s most controversial king?The question of his reburial has provoked national debate and protest, taking levels of interest in the medieval king to an unprecedented level. While Richard s life remains able to polarise opinion, the truth probably lies somewhere between the maligned saint and the evil hunchback stereotypes. Why did he seize the throne? Did he murder the Princes in the Tower? Why have the location and details of his reburial sparked a parliamentary debate? This book will act as both an introduction to his life and reign and a commemoration to tie in with his reburial this summer in Leicester Cathedral.

    Discovering Aymon has committed an act of treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves. But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of the king once she learns the truth? A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command. Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his secret?

    The feud between the two men has dark roots in an incident shrouded in secrecy and protected by a Templar oath. The boy’s plight provides the catalyst for an escalation of hostilities. As a trial by combat is hastily arranged to settle the dispute, Miles’ benefactor Hugh de Reynard seeks a favour from the future king and the Templars prepare for the inevitable backlash.Miles must save the boy, but at what cost?Welcome to the first novella in The Wildewood Chronicles. This is the world of Miles of Wildewood, a reluctant knight, haunted by his past and driven by a need for revenge. In these novellas you’ll discover why.

     Refusing to accept that fate has condemned her to a life of misery, Laurel finds new hope when she reunites with Blair Cameron, a handsome young Highlander who when they were children promised to marry her as soon as they came of age. Can Blair help Laurel unravel a mystery from the past, secrets that could stop the wedding, or will she find herself wed to her arrogant, weak-willed cousin, a spineless man who refuses to defy his mother?

    This comprehensive study explores how the presence of Islamic minorities transformed Europe in everything from architecture to cooking, literature to science, and served as a stimulus for Christian society to define itself. Combining a series of regional studies, Catlos compares the varied experiences of Muslims across Iberia, southern Italy, the Crusader Kingdoms and Hungary to examine those ideologies that informed their experiences, their place in society and their sense of themselves as Muslims. This is a pioneering new narrative of the history of medieval and early modern Europe from the perspective of Islamic minorities; one which is not, as we might first assume, driven by ideology, isolation and decline, but instead one in which successful communities persisted because they remained actively integrated within the larger Christian and Jewish societies in which they lived.Offers the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon of Muslim minorities in Latin ChristendomProvides a unique narrative of the history of late medieval and early modern Europe from the perspective of Islamic minoritiesCombines detailed regional case studies with analysis of the Muslim experience across Europe as a whole"The time is right for a sustained synthesis of the last few generations’ mountain of research on the experience of Muslims under Latin-Christian rule in the Mediterranean lands. Brian Catlos has accomplished that difficult feat impressively in this volume, but much more as well. On offer also are his own extensive knowledge of the vast primary-source base that has undergirded that research, his own unfailingly deft analysis of complex social and cultural realities, and his ever energetic and readable prose, making Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, c.1050–1614 not just an essential summation of Mudejar studies, but a model for future research on this rich topic." Thomas E. Burman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville"Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, c.1050–1614 is one of the most significant works on Christian-Muslim relations to have been published in the past twenty-five years. The book is original and scholarly, and its conclusions are wise." Simon Barton, University of Exeter"This is the first monograph that analyzes the Muslim communities of medieval Latin Christendom. Brian Catlos combines a focus on the diversity of experiences of these minorities in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Hungary with insightful discussions of general traits that shaped Islamic societies across medieval Europe. Making excellent use of the explosion of academic studies into this field of the last years on the one hand, and showing a passion for pioneering work on archival documents and manuscript sources on the other, Catlos brings the study of the economic, social, cultural and religious life of these minorities a major step forward." Gerard Wiegers, University of Amsterdam and Visiting Research Fellow, Käte Hamburger Kolleg, Ruhr University Bochum"The first modern scholarly work on this subject in any language, Brian Catlos’s magisterial new book is likely to command its field for a long while to come. Well-known for his studies of religious minorities in medieval Spain, Catlos here not only synthesises an immense literature on mudéjar societies but writes with equal authority on Italy, Hungary, the Crusader States, and indeed everywhere that Muslim subalterns, slaves or captives were to be found within medieval Latin Europe. In its range, learning, archival depth, clarity and vigour, this is an astonishing achievement." Peregrine Horden, Royal Holloway, University of London"This book will quickly become (and long remain) a vade mecum for students interested in the topic." R. T. Ingoglia, Choice

    With her father not yet buried, Nicole Miles marries the man who killed him--without the king’s blessing and under the shadow of her family’s curse. Nicole doesn’t care whether her new husband believes the rumors that her womb is cursed, but Stephen has vowed to protect her younger brother, Alex. Rendered deaf when his mother boxed his ears, Alex has tried diversions over the years to keep people from realizing he's deaf. His efforts have backfired, though, and people believe he's mad, unfit to inherit his title or hold claim to the Faierfield lands. Stephen weds Nicole to make amends for accidentally killing her father and leaving her family vulnerable. He must protect Alex from their ambitious uncle, who plans to kill the young boy to claim the family's holdings. Then the Battle of Blore Heath erupts, the first of many in the War of the Roses, and Stephen must face Nicole's uncle on the battlefield. The chaos of war is a perfect breeding place for treachery, and the uncle stages an incident that leads the king to declare Stephen a traitor. Only Nicole can help him, but she finds no evidence to prove his innocence, and it is, in the end, a matter of trust. It's fortunate that he has good armor, though this particular set of armor may lead to his death.

    When he learns MacKintosh schemes to wed his English sister-in-law to chieftain of the Chattan, he knows the risk threatening the clan. Her riches and blood ties could overpower the Camerons. For the upper hand, he kidnaps her. To save her life… Widow Lady Portia de Mowbray hides in the rugged Highlands far from the clutches of a deadly baron desiring her riches but not her hand. She has lost the man she loved and nearly her life at his hands and she must save herself. Snagged in a deadly power play between two feuding clans, she is caught in the clutches of Laird Cameron. He may be the man who can save her.

    Widukind, likely of noble birth, received a thorough education in both biblical and classical texts. When writing the Gestae, Widukind also had available the extensive library at Corvey, with its large collection of ancient texts as well as numerous works from the eighth and ninth centuries. Widukind drew on these, and even more contemporary written sources to complement and inform orally transmitted information that he received from many sources including people closely associated with the Ottonian royal court. Widukind wrote the Res gestae from the 950s to the 970s, incorporating additional material as he obtained further information and as major new events took place in the German kingdom and beyond. After providing a historical background for the Saxon people Widukind devotes most of his attention to the political and military affairs of the German kingdom, concentrating heavily on affairs of the royal court. Widukind provides information that can be found in no other source. His close relationship with the royal court enabled him to provide an "insider's" view of the people and events that shaped the political and military history of the most powerful kingdom in Europe. As a consequence, the Res gestae is an indispensable account for the history of the German kingdom during the tenth century. Bernard S. Bachrach and David S. Bachrach provide an introduction to the text that contextualizes the author, his historical methods, and the information that he provides. They draw on a large number of other written sources of information, including both narrative works and the political, economic, social, and military affairs of the day, and provide an extensive apparatus of notes.ABOUT THE TRANSLATORSBernard S. Bachrach is professor of history, ancient studies, religious studies, and Jewish studies at the University of Minnesota. David S. Bachrach is associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire.

    Isabeau, however, has designed a plan to escape her brother. She has already set it in motion when their liege lord, Donovan d’Alloyshire, arrives unexpectedly. Isabeau immediately senses that the great scars which mar the huge dark knight’s face also reside deep inside the legendary war hero.Discovering theft, mismanagement and abiding evil at Olivet, Donovan rescues Isabeau, declaring his intention to marry her. But can he abide another marriage? His first wife did not hide her revulsion at his scared body. But she did her duty, saving her passion for another woman. Never again would he be entangled in a more than loveless match! Isabeau must be tested before their marriage bed! Donovan finds himself exceptionally willing to offer the necessary examination. Is it simple lust that attracts him or some other unknown emotion?A willing pupil, Isabeau knows what this strange emotion is. Love!Thwarted, Simon vows revenge on Donovan, the man he has hated forever. And perhaps Simon can recoup his loses; not only by disposing of Donovan, but also, after all, delivering Isabeau to the fate he had arranged for her.

     In 1343, eleven-year-old Hattie saves a boy named Ephraim from being beaten to death on the streets, simply because he is physically disfigured. Hattie hides Ephraim in a cave deep in the woods to keep him safe from civilization, and prays often to her guardian angel, the Morning Star, for guidance. Hattie grows up to love Ephraim, though he keeps her at arm’s length, as he knows he will never be accepted by humanity. Her love is put to the test when her father swears to marry her off to the richest noble, and she meets the young friar, Silas, a tortured soul who is determined to win her affection. When the Black Death ravages Europe, the world is in shambles, and Hattie’s life along with it. Forces beyond her control threaten to destroy everything she has ever cared for, and she learns more about her Morning Star than she ever believed possible.

    So archaeologist Matthew Champion started a nationwide survey to gather the best examples. In this book he shines a spotlight on a secret world of ships, prayers for good fortune, satirical cartoons, charms, curses, windmills, word puzzles, architectural plans and heraldic designs. Drawing on examples from surviving medieval churches in England and Wales, the author gives a voice to the secret graffiti artists: from the lord of the manor and the parish priest to the people who built the church itself.Here are strange medieval beasts, knights battling unseen dragons, ships sailing across lime-washed oceans and demons who stalk the walls. Latin prayers for the dead jostle with medieval curses, builders’ accounts and slanderous comments concerning a long-dead archdeacon. Strange and complex geometric designs, created to ward off the ‘evil eye’ and thwart the works of the devil, share church pillars with the heraldic shields of England’s medieval nobility.

    At the centre of the narrative are the Cumbri, or North Britons, an ancient people whose kings ruled from a power base in the lower valley of the River Clyde. In the tenth century, these kings extended their rule southward to the Solway Firth and beyond, bringing their language and culture to districts that had been in English hands for more than two hundred years. Their kingdom, known as Strathclyde or Cumbria, became one of the great powers of the time. Its history is an important chapter in the tale of how England and Scotland emerged from the early medieval period or ‘Dark Ages’ as the countries we know today.

    Aisling, despite her best efforts has failed to become the seer her mother desired, so when her mother dies leaving her alone, she departs Ireland for Wales to be with her brother, Cormac, at the royal court at Gwynedd. There she finds he is joining Prince Madog's voyage to the western lands in order to escape the threatening war. After Madog refuses to let her come with them she stows away, desperate to remain with her brother. A terrible storm arises and she is tossed overboard by a resentful Welshman and washes up on the shores of the Gulf Coast. Caxna, a Tlingit trader and former shaman, finds her and reluctantly agrees to let her join him on a trading journey to the Mayan city of Xicallanca, and later Etowah (in modern day Georgia) in the hopes she might find Madog and her brother. Caxna must succeed in this trading journey in order to free his clan but with Aisling along everything changes ....Gleeson leaves us with a memorable and poignant love story and a vision of a wonderful culture, unique in my experience of literature. Karen Charlton, author of 'The Heiress of Linn Hagh' and 'Catching the Eagle' The underlying sexual tension is all the more powerful for the beautifully restrained writing, which makes the slightest touch electric; a medicinal massage becomes a moment of physical communion.... This is what Kristin Gleeson does best; portraying different cultures and showing how humanity can cross them. Jean Gill, author of 'Song at Dawn' and 'Bladesong'

    After the capture of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, the most prominent and successful of the Greek rump states was the Empire of Nicaea, which managed to re-capture the city in 1261 and restore Byzantium. The Nicaean Empire, like Byzantium of the Komnenoi and Angeloi of the twelfth century, went on to gain dominant influence over the Seljukid Sultanate of Rum in the 1250s. However, the decline of the Seljuk power, the continuing migration of Turks from the east, and what effectively amounted to a lack of Mongol interest in western Anatolia, allowed the creation of powerful Turkish nomadic confederations in the frontier regions facing Byzantium. By 1304, the nomadic Turks had broken Byzantium's eastern defences; the Empire lost its Asian territories forever, and Constantinople became the most eastern outpost of Byzantium. At the beginning of the fourteenth century the Empire was a tiny, second-ranking Balkan state, whose lands were often disputed between the Bulgarians, the Serbs, and the Franks.Using Greek, Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman sources, Byzantium and the Turks in the Thirteenth Century presents a new interpretation of the Nicaean Empire and highlights the evidence for its wealth and power. It explains the importance of the relations between the Byzantines and the Seljuks and the Mongols, revealing how the Byzantines adapted to the new and complex situation that emerged in the second half of the thirteenth century. Finally, it turns to the Empire's Anatolian frontiers and the emergence of the Turkish confederations, the biggest challenge that the Byzantines faced in the thirteenth century.

    Set in 10th century Iceland, a time of harsh laws and cruel men, Freyja falls in love with Jarn, a handsome young man from the next settlement, only to have him ripped from her by her father Sigurd as he enforces a merciless, ancient Icelandic law against Jarn for the crime of riding Sigurd's spirit horse Faxi without permission. Surrounded by customs and rules that make little sense to her, Freyja must overcome her lack of status as a young woman in a man’s world of brutal justice and blood in order to save her family from banishment and shame, and with the help of the magical shaman-horse Faxi, to regain her freedom to be with Jarn. THE AUTHORS Gerald and Loretta Hausman are an award-winning, bestselling husband and wife writing team with over 18 books to their joint credit. From mythology to biography, from cats to dogs to horses and from sagas to a book about pancakes, their books have been recognized by USA Today, The New York Public Library, the American Booksellers, Better Homes and Gardens, the Scholastic Book Club, the QBP Book of the Month Club and the Edgar Cayce Foundation, to name a few. The Hausmans have a distinguished career as master storytellers and their latest book, THE FORBIDDEN RIDE, is but one example of their magnetic writing style that draws the reader in from the first page to the last.

    She never expected to run headlong into a mesmerizing stranger known as The Hawk. Nor did she anticipate the way his masculine power kindles a womanly flame within her.Exiled from an elite warrior's brigade, Lord of Fire Gabriel Hawk guards his heart and his solitude. He wants nothing to do with the world of men or the realm of fae. Then a beautiful Wytchfae bursts into his life, stirring desire and sparking need. Garnet is on a dangerous mission, and he can't let her face the evil alone. What else can he do but fight beside her? When she disappears, he raises hell to find her. Will he be too late? Will darkness conquer this couple or will love burn their souls into one?

    This history begins with the military clashes during the initial stages of the Wars of Independence. After Bruce's revolt against Edward I, it follows his chain of military successes which led to the siege of the English garrison in Stirling Castle and brought about the great battle between both countries at Bannockburn. The book considers the significance of the Scottish victory, primarily—but not exclusively—in the light of their continued battlefield successes that compelled England to acknowledge Scotland's reemergence as a sovereign power 14 years later.

    This guide by architectural historian Jon Cannon uses high-quality photographs and diagrams to help us to analyze the leading changes in style from the Anglo-Saxon period, through the Romanesque as far as Gothic and Perpendicular. By identifying various clues left by each period, he enables us to date architectural features and styles, and explains the technical terms applied to them. If you have ever wondered how your church or cathedral developed, and want to know your triforium from your blind arcade or your vault from your hammerbeam, all the answers are here.

    Her only hope of evading her fate is to convince de Beaufort that she can help him in his quest for vengeance, after which, she’s going to retire to a cloister where she’ll be free of men who use women to achieve their ends. But when Owen sets eyes on Elise he starts making plans of his own that don’t include her fleeing to the nearest convent. Drawn by her integrity and courage, he decides to marry her, despite her horror at the very idea of another husband. He’s not going to mistreat her, so why should she object? But when Elise’s objections turn to desperate action, Owen has to discover the truth about her first husband before he can heal the hurt that was done to her. Nor is Elise the only one who is intent on stopping Owen’s marriage.

    Revealing that it was in death that the Viking view of life was most clearly distilled, Odin’s Whisper uses Norse mythology and recent archaeological evidence to draw a compelling picture of the Viking mind.   In this in-depth account, Neil Price argues that it is by understanding Viking burial that we can best understand the thought and mythology of this fascinating culture. Price contextualizes how Vikings grasped death within the Ragnarök—the immense battle of the living, dead, gods, and humans that would ultimately consume the world in fire—and illustrates that their conception of the afterlife was seen only as a respite before this end. He also shows that this violent view of the afterlife informed their funeral practice, divulging blood-curdling accounts of the sacrifices and rapes that occasionally marked burials. Filled with striking illustrations and reconstructions of graves, Odin’s Whispercasts new light on Norse beliefs about death and, in turn, what these notions tell us of their beliefs about life.

    From the author of the critically-acclaimed book "Saints Alive! New Stories of Old Saints: Volume I Saints of Empire" comes "Volume II: Celtic Paths." Indeed, Andrew Seddon delivers another powerful, thought-provoking book in this second volume of the series "Saints Alive! New Stories of Old Saints." "Celtic Paths" is sure to delight fans who have come to know Seddon is a gifted story-teller-an excellent hagiographer-and will undoubtedly engender a whole new generation of readers-young and old alike-who yearn for more substantive, engaging stories that teach and entertain.

    The volume examines York from its post-Roman revival as a town (c. 600) to the major changes of the 1530s and 1540s, which in many waysbrought an end to the Middle Ages in England. York was one of the leading English towns after London, and in status almost always the 'second city'.Much research and publication has been carried out on various aspects of medieval York, but this volume seeks to cover the field in its entirety. David Palliser offers an up-to-date and broad-based account of the city by employing the evidence of written documents, archaeology (especially on therich results of recent city centre excavations), urban morphology, numismatics, art, architecture, and literature. Special attention is paid to the city's religious drama and its wealth of surviving stained glass.The story of Medieval York is set in a wide context to make comparisons with other English and Continental towns, to establish how far York's story was distinctive or was typical of other English towns which have been less fortunate in the survival of their medieval fabric. It is essential readingfor anyone interested in York's past and in its rich heritage of medieval churches, guildhalls, houses, streets, and city walls - the most complete medieval circuit in England.

    

    Gathering together a rowdy multiplicity of voices from within medieval and early modern studies, these two volumes seek to extend and intensify a conversation about how to shape premodern studies, and also the humanities, in the years ahead. Authors in both volumes, in various ways, lay claim to the act(s) of manifesting, and also anti-manifesting, as a collective endeavor that works on behalf of the future without laying any belligerent claims upon it, where we might craft new spaces for the University-at-large, which is also a University that wanders, that is never just somewhere, dwelling in the partitive - of a particular place - but rather, seeks to be everywhere, always on the move, pandemic, uncontainable, and always to-come, while also being present/between us (manifest). This is not a book, but a blueprint. TABLE OF CONTENTS Vol. 1: Miniature Manifestos for a Post/medieval Studies, edited by Eileen A. Joy and Myra Seaman Heather Bamford: INTENTIONALLY GOOD, REALLY BAD - Frank Battaglia: SEEING A FOREST AS WELL AS TREES - Bettina Bildhauer: NET WORTH - Martha Easton + Maggie Williams: OUR FEMINISM, OUR ACTIVISM - Ruth Evans: BE CRITICAL! - Joshua R. Eyler: THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES - Lara Farina: STICKING TOGETHER - Matthew Gabriele: WAGING GUERRILLA WARFARE AGAINST THE 19TH CENTURY - Gaelan Gilbert: MEDIEVAL STUDIES IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD - Noah D. Guynn: RADICAL RIDICULE - David Hadbawnik: BURNED BEFORE WRITING - Guy Halsall: HISTORY AND COMMITMENT - Cary Howie: ON NEVER LETTING GO - Shayne Aaron Legassie: THE GOTHIC FLY - Erin Maglaque: FUCK POSTCOLONIALISM - Material Collective: WE ARE THE MATERIAL COLLECTIVE - Thomas Mical: MEDIEVAL SURREALIST MANIFESTO - Chris Piuma: DE CATERVIS CETERIS - Daniel C. Remein: 2ND PROGRAM OF THE ORNAMENTALISTS - Christopher Roman: A MEDIEVAL: MANIFESTO - Eva von Contzen: HOMO NARRANS - Erik Wade: HISTORICISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS - Lisa Weston: 'TIS MAGICK, MAGICK THAT WILL HAVE RAVISHED ME Vol. 2: The Future We Want: A Collaboration, edited by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen Anne Harris + Karen Eileen Overbey: FIELD CHANGE/DISCIPLINE CHANGE - L.O. Aranye Fradenburg + Eileen A. Joy: PARADIGM CHANGE/INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE - J. Allan Mitchell + Will Stockton: TIME CHANGE/MODE CHANGE - Lowell Duckert + Steve Mentz: WORLD CHANGE/SEA CHANGE - Chris Piuma + Jonathan Hsy: SPECTRAL VOICE CHANGE/LANGUAGE CHANGE - Julie Orlemanski + Julian Yates: COLLECTIVE CHANGE/MOOD CHANGE

    1300–1600) by shifting the conventional land-based analytical framework to one centered on the perspectives of seafarers who, though usually dismissed as "pirates," thought of themselves as sea lords. Over the course of these centuries, Japan's sea lords became maritime magnates who wielded increasing amounts of political and economic authority by developing autonomous maritime domains that operated outside the auspices of state authority. They played key roles in the operation of networks linking Japan to the rest of the world, and their protection businesses, shipping organizations, and sea tenure practices spread their influence across the waves to the continent, shaping commercial and diplomatic relations with Korea and China.Japan's land-based authorities during this time not only came to accept the autonomy of "pirates" but also competed to sponsor sea-lord bands who could administer littoral estates, fight sea battles, protect shipping, and carry trade. In turn, prominent sea-lord families expanded their dominion by shifting their locus of service among several patrons and by appropriating land-based rhetorics of lordship, which forced authorities to recognize them as legitimate lords over sea-based domains.By the end of the late medieval period, the ambitions, tactics, and technologies of sea-lord mercenary bands proved integral to the naval dimensions of Japan's sixteenth-century military revolution. Sea lords translated their late medieval autonomy into positions of influence in early modern Japan and helped make control of the seas part of the ideological foundations of the state.