Book picks similar to
Genealogy of the Pagan Gods by Giovanni Boccaccio
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Nesta: Princess of Wales
Mammie Belle Tower - 2019
Nesta was a consort to King Henry I, wife to Gerald of Pembroke and the captive-lover to Owain of Poweys. She is thought to be the original mother to the Tudor and Stuart Dynasties which Princess Diana and John F Kennedy are both descendants.
The Sixth Surrender
Hana Samek Norton - 2010
To that end, Aliénor coerces into matrimony two pawns-Juliana de Charnais, a plain and pious novice determined to regain her inheritance, and Guérin de lasalle, a cynical, war-worn mercenary equally resolved to renounce his. The womanizing Lasalle and the proud Juliana are perfectly matched for battle not love-until spies and assassins conspire to reverse their romantic fortunes. Populated by spirited and intelligent women and executed in flawless period detail, The Sixth Surrender is a compelling love story that heralds the arrival of a major new talent in historical fiction.
A Flight of Arrows
A.J. MacKenzie - 2021
Two nations. One crown. 1328. After years of civil unrest between England and France, Charles IV dies, leaving no apparent heir. His closest heir to the throne is Edward III of England, but it passes instead to Charles' cousin, Phillip, spurring both countries on to war.1346. Landing at Normandy, Edward's immense army makes inroads into French territory, burning everything in their path. But the mysterious assassination of an English knight reveals a terrible truth: there is a traitor in their midst. The king charges Simon Merrivale, the Prince of Wales’ herald, with solving the case.As the army marches on towards its destiny, at the awesome scenes of the Battle of Crécy, Simon will uncover a conspiracy that goes to the heart of the warring nations. Among the ashes and the rubble, their fate will be decided: on the battlefield... and in the shadows.
The Red and Savage Tongue
F.J. Atkinson - 2013
Britain's underbelly was exposed.The Dark Ages had begun... Rome had abandoned Britannia, leaving its people undefended. Anglo Saxon warriors, previously employed as mercenaries, now saw themselves as conquerors. The scene was set, as more war bands crossed the North Sea to take British gold, slaves, and land. One Briton, alone in the forest, wanting only to live as a hunter and trapper, was about to have his life changed forever. Dominic would become the hope of abandoned Britons. Dominic the wolf slayer would become the nemesis of any evil that entered his forest realm.
Wingling (Ellery Rider)
Megan McCabe - 2012
Before he did, he carefully eliminated all obstacles in his way—or so he thought. Despite all his efforts, a wide network of spies and soldiers are planning to remove him from power and put his niece, the First Princess, on the throne.Fourteen-year-old Ellery Rider is an orphan living in a frontier village cut off from the terror Jadeth has caused. When a knight arrives to recruit men for the army massing against the king, her only worry is that her cousin and only friend will be dragged into the war.When the knight gives her an emerald necklace, Ellery discovers that she has much bigger things to worry about. The emerald is a dragonstone, and Ellery has become one of the Draikon, the mythical race of dragon shapeshifters who are the shadow king’s only enemies. Despised throughout Prell for abandoning Jadeth’s eldest brother in his hour of need, they are nevertheless the only thing that stands between the shadow king and absolute power.
Her Scottish Warrior (Highland Mist Book 2)
Kate Wingo - 2016
The Highland Mist series continues . . . Once sworn enemies, the fearsome knight Sir Galen de Ogilvy and the beautiful, headstrong Scotswoman, Laoghaire MacKinnon, have been ordered by Robert the Bruce to wed one another in order to end the blood feud between their two families. And though their marriage is born of ancient hatreds, beneath the newlyweds’ fiery exchanges an explosive passion simmers. But Laoghaire soon discovers a far more dangerous enemy lurking in the shadows, one who will stop at nothing to sever the burgeoning bond between her and Galen. When the treachery is finally revealed, it will put their love and their lives in deadly peril. HER SCOTTISH WARRIOR is a sensuous and spirited tale in which swords and hearts clash, as a formidable warrior and a bold-hearted bride discover that love, and not revenge, is the one thing worth fighting for.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate Wingo is the pseudonym of a two-time Golden Heart finalist. Born in Washington DC, she graduated from George Mason University with a degree in art history. Although Kate began her writing career in the romance genre, she switched gears several years ago, making the leap to thrillers. Having completed an esoteric thriller series for Penguin UK under the pen name C.M. Palov, she has happily returned to her romance roots. Kate lives and writes from her home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Conquered
Morganna Mayfair - 2013
When they are unable to fend off the invading army, the leader of their enemies claims Christiana was promised to him as his wife, along with her home and her family's lands. Betrothed to another, she fights him, but finds herself married quickly.Roland joined William of Normandy for the potential to become a land owner. A second son, he knows the only way he will ever own anything is by joining forces with the powerful ruler. He's told there are three sister witches defending their home and the oldest is his promised bride. Both Christiana and Roland are used to being in charge. Will the sisters be able to fight off the coming evil to fulfill their destiny? Is it possible for two headstrong people from different cultures to find a way to live as husband and wife?
Triskelion
Avril Borthiry - 2014
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.
An Unwilling Bride: A Medieval Highland Romance
Avery Maitland - 2019
Maybe after he made a deal they would stop their raids and maintain the peace of the Laird’s lands and keep the promises they had broken again, and again. But what my father hadn’t bargained on was that Lachlann Mackay, the fearsome leader of the warlike clan at our doorstep, would want a bride in exchange for his peace. A promise is a promise, and my sister will do her duty to our father, but when she disappears on her wedding day there is only one person who could take her place, but the last thing I want is to be tied to a filthy barbarian for the rest of my life. But if I do not—if I go against my father’s wishes and break the oath that was made, all of our lives are in danger. Reader beware — “An Unwilling Bride” features lots of plaid, possible historical inaccuracies, a high-spirited heroine facing off against a sword-swinging alpha-hero worthy of some serious swooning, and a dastardly plot that could ruin everything. There is no cheating to be found here, and (by the trilogy's end) a Highland HEA is guaranteed. Inside every history book is a heartthrob waiting to be discovered... Highlander’s Honor Book 1 - An Unwilling Bride Book 2 - A Stolen Bride - COMING February 2020 Book 3 ~ A Warlord’s Prize - COMING March 2020
Medieval Intrigue: Decoding Royal Conspiracies
Ian Mortimer - 2010
Central to this book is his ground-breaking approach to medieval evidence. He explains how an information-based method allows a more certain reading of a series of texts. He criticises existing modes of arriving at consensus and outlines a process of historical analysis that ultimately leads to questioning historical doubts as well as historical facts, with profound implications for what we can say about the past with certainty. This is an important work from one of the most original and popular medieval historians writing today.
The Whispering Bell
Brian Sellars - 2012
When he is lost in battle she loses everything, even their children. Her fight to win them back recalls the terror of the shield wall, the harsh lives of convict slaves, and the enormous difficulties a lone woman must face in a male dominated heroic age."This is a really excellent read, a page turner that gives a vivid, convincing picture of 7th century Mercian England." The Historical Novels Review
The Black Prince: England's Greatest Medieval Warrior
Michael Jones - 2017
At Poitiers, in 1356, his victory over King John II of France forced the French into a humiliating surrender that marked the zenith of England’s dominance in the Hundred Years War. As lord of Aquitaine, he ruled a vast swathe of territory across the west and southwest of France, holding a magnificent court at Bordeaux that mesmerized the brave but unruly Gascon nobility and drew them like moths to the flame of his cause.He was Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, and better known to posterity as “the Black Prince.” His military achievements captured the imagination of Europe: heralds and chroniclers called him “the flower of all chivalry” and “the embodiment of all valor.” But what was the true nature of the man behind the chivalric myth, and of the violent but pious world in which he lived? This exemplary new history uses contemporary chronicles plus a wide range of documentary material—including the Prince's own letters and those of his closest followers—to tell the tale of an authentic English hero and to paint a memorable portrait of society in the tumultuous fourteenth century.
The Viking's Hold (The Viking's Hold, #1)
Jany Vernis - 2014
But she never thought they would dare to attack her father's stronghold. And that they would succeed...Do you like your history with a pinch of adventure and a zest of romance? Then this book is for you.Set in tenth century England, this story will draw you back to ancient times, where life was uncertain and passions were burning. At the end of the Dark Ages men fought for honor, land and wealth, and did everything with excess. Women struggled through feuds, raids, diseases and famines. Love was rare and precious, hard to find and easy to lose. And worth going to war for.Published on Wattpad as an unedited draft, The Viking's Hold received more than nine million reads worldwide, and the Wattpad Most Read award in the Historical Fiction category.Out of seven thousand comments, the most frequents were:"I didn't sleep last night, I couldn't stop reading...""I love how realistic the characters are for the time frame...""Thank you for putting so much efforts in the research, it truly shows...""I always thought history was boring, not anymore...""I feel as if I was there..."
The Norse Myths
Kevin Crossley-Holland - 1980
The mythic legacy of the Scandinavians includes a cycle of stories filled with magnificent images from pre-Christian Europe. Gods, humans, and monstrous beasts engage in prodigious drinking bouts, contests of strength, greedy schemes for gold, and lusty encounters. The Norse pantheon includes Odin, the wisest and most fearsome of the gods; Thor, the thundering powerhouse; and the exquisite, magic-wielding Freyja. Their loves, wars, and adventures take us through worlds both mortal and divine, culminating in a blazing doomsday for gods and humans alike. These stories bear witness to the courage, passion, and boundless spirit that were hallmarks of the Norse world.“Kevin Crossley-Holland retells the Norse myths in clear, attractive prose . . . An excellent introduction, notes, and a glossary provide mythological and historical backgrounds and suggest parallels with myths in other parts of the world.”–The Denver Post
The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World
Shelley Puhak - 2022
Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet—in the 6th-century Merovingian Empire, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport—these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe.The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a years-long civil war—against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne’s empire. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund’s deaths—one gentle, the other horrific—their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture’s stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.