A new Tudor monarch has just been crowned: a handsome, energetic king. His court, so different from his father’s, is a glamorous, seductive magnet to ambitious young noblemen from across the country. One such man is Julian Allard who has fled a monastic life in Northumberland to seek love, fame and fortune at the court of Henry VIII. But when his beloved marries another and the King proves to be a temperamental master, Julian’s idyllic life at court begins to fall apart. Dismissing the advice of friends and the wise heads around him, he finds himself on a path to self-destruction, believing only in the dark prophesy of a fortune teller. Cloisterman is powerful Tudor chronicle from a master storyteller. Juliet Dymoke’s portrayal of life at the court of Henry VIII at an exciting time of intellectual and artistic promise, is compelling, moving and utterly convincing.

    Christianity has swept unstoppably across Scandinavia, leaving few enclaves of the old ways clinging on to their fading world as King Olof of Sweden works to convert his people.A young warrior, Halfdan, has witnessed the ‘mercy’ of the Christian lords, watched his people attacked, his village burned and the Odin stone toppled as heretical. Watched his father cut down by an ambitious Christian jarl and his zealous priest. Among the ashes of his world he vowed an oath of vengeance before all the gods.That oath will bring together an unlikely band of allies and carry them to the very edge of the world, fighting giants, dragons and wraiths, in pursuit of his father’s killer: Yngvar. The jarl is powerful, and the weaving of Fate difficult, but the blood price must be paid.

    Speesh Reads Review. The North: 937AD - Three years have passed since the English king Athelstan bribed treacherous jarls to take Erik’s half-brother as king in Norway. Forced from his kingdom, Erik Bloodaxe returns to the Viking ways of his youth. Warlords are driven from Danish lands, Saxony burns, and Dublin falls to a brutal assault before the prow beasts of Erik’s fleet turn south to stalk the seas off Al-Andalus. As Erik’s reputation as a battle winner spreads his sons grow to manhood, and together they carve a new kingdom to rule from the islands which gird Britain’s north-west. But Bloodaxe is not alone in suffering the Imperial ambitions of the southern English, and when a half-remembered figure leads a Northumbrian deputation to the king’s Orkney fastness, events are set in motion which will lure Erik south to face his greatest test. The Raven and the Cross continues the turbulent story of Erik Haraldsson, a legendary king of the Viking Age. PRAISE FOR BOOK ONE - BLOODAXE This is historical fiction as it’s meant to be written…a writer at the peak of his craft. THE REVIEW Splendidly impressive, confident, and rich in incident and historical detail. SPEESH READS Exhilarating. HOOVER BOOK REVIEWS

     1098. The crusader army still stands outside Antioch. Starving. Deserting. An enemy force, led by Kerbogha of Mosul, is days away from relieving the walled city. Bohemond of Taranto calls upon the English knight, Edward Kemp, to meet with an agent, who is willing to provide the Norman prince with access to Antioch. But Bohemond is not alone in wishing to capture and lay claim to the prize. Edward must contend with enemies in his own camp. Should the knight's mission fail, then so may the entire campaign. Antioch must fall. Recommended for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Michael Jecks and Conn Iggulden. Siege is the first book in a new series, set during the First Crusade, by bestselling historical novelist Richard Foreman. Author Bio: Richard Foreman is the bestselling author of numerous historical series set during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, including the Augustus Caesar books, Sword of Empire and Sword of Rome. He is also the author Warsaw, Raffles: The Complete Innings and Band of Brothers, a series charting the story of Henry V and the Agincourt campaign. Richard writes modern thrillers too, under the pseudonym of Thomas Waugh. He is a judge for the HWA Crowns and the founder of the London History Festival. He lives in London. Praise for Richard Foreman's Books. Spies of Rome. "A masterful and evocative depiction of a fledgling imperial Rome fraught with intrigue and at war with itself. The story and characters are as striking as the graffiti that adorns the violent city’s walls during Augustus' rise." Steven Veerapen, author of The Abbey Close. "An arresting opening that leads into a thoroughly gripping story. Impressive research and understanding of the period allows Richard Foreman to move so seamlessly and effectively from historical epic to historical detective thriller. A must read for fans of Steven Saylor." Peter Tonkin, author of The Ides. Augustus: Son of Rome ‘Augustus: Son of Rome forges action and adventure with politics and philosophy. This superb story is drenched in both blood and wisdom - and puts Foreman on the map as the coming man of historical fiction’. Saul David, Author of the Zulu Hart series. Raffles: The Complete Innings. ‘Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime.’ David Blackburn, The Spectator. Band of Brothers: The Complete Campaigns. 'Escapism at its best... A great read that tells much about the style of war and how the individuals fought.' Michael Jecks 'A rattling good yarn, requiring only the minimum of suspension of belief, and leaves one eagerly anticipating the next instalment of the adventures of the team as they accompany the King to Harfleur.' Major Gordon Corrigan, author of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War. Warsaw.

    The war ends, and Lexie awaits his return. Other soldiers are making it home, but Reese is missing. She leaves New Orleans and travels back to Azalea Plantation in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to await his return, busying herself with restoring the plantation after the war. Lexie clings to faith and hope and refuses to give up on Reese even though she's heard the stories about prisoners-of-war and the explosion of the Sultana. The family decides to visit Azalea Plantation. Will it be for a funeral or a wedding? Reese has still not shown when they are all gathered together. Is it possible for a country to be restored like a plantation home?

    

    

    Plough the Furrow begins in 1910. Esther Everatt, shunned by her family and desperate for work and a place to say, finds her way to Sam Brumby's farm. Able to work alongside any man, she earns old Sam's grudging respect. Prepared to risk everything to secure her future, Esther marries a local farmhand. But as war arrives she comes to understand that only the truest of love can survive the passing of the seasons. Sow the Seed follows the story of Kate, Esther's daughter. Kate is determined to marry her childhood sweetheart, Danny. But when she reaches eighteen Kate is told the bitter truth of her family's past and the reasons why marriage to Danny can never happen. Heart-broken Kate witnesses many things amidst the chaos and destruction of WWII, which finally lead her to experience a love that allows her to leave the past behind. Reap the Harvest is set in the aftermath of the disastrous Lincolnshire floods of 1953. Kate's daughter Ella finds herself compelled to live at Brumby's Farm with her grandmother, Esther. This story of love, war, secrets and tragedy seems destined to repeat itself in heartache before coming full circle and bringing this glorious trilogy to a close.

    It is a dark and cruel place for the workers on this farm. The master, Archie McLachlan, causes fear to run through the hearts of the slaves, except for one woman who speaks up deliberately and without fear whenever she wishes. Her name is Soola, and she fast becomes leader of the slaves and friend to the master's wife Gertrude. The friendship forms a triangle of competition, love, and hatred as "Massa Archie" becomes more and more dangerous, even towards his own son Robert and Soola's son John, even to a point where Soola begins to understand the meaning of fear. But, together, the leaders of the second generation can look for a future where hope might overcome fear.Thus, this story, Part One of a four-part series, not only recounts the family's beginnings at the Inveraray/Dogwood Plantation, but also introduces the second generation, who will appear again in the ensuing volumes. Slavery, the corruption caused by slavery, its close companions, race bigotry and injustice, and the laws and bitter politics that result from them, are featured and discussed throughout. While, in the foreground, the unique relationship between mistress and slave and their respective descendants triggers a wide-sweeping story of love, conflict, heartbreak, and forgiveness.

    Over twelve hundred years ago, Cynethryth ruled with Offa to become one of the most powerful couples in English history. And although she's the only Anglo-Saxon queen to have coinage issued in her name, she is remembered today only for her purported murder of a fellow king. Was she an infamous monster, or is this only how she appeared to the (male) chroniclers of her day? Read her story and you decide, but remember: his-story is not always the same as her-story. (Warning: this book deals with adult topics and situations.)

    The great city of Constantinople, last remnant of the once-mighty Roman Empire, falls to the Ottoman armies of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. An English knight named Sir John Page is taken prisoner by the Ottomans, and forced to entertain the Sultan with tales of the West. Page chooses to tell the story of his own long career as a soldier of fortune in France, Bohemia and the Italian city-states. Page’s tale begins in the year of Agincourt, Henry V’s famous victory over the French. As the bastard son of Thomas Page, a famous mercenary captain known as The Half-Hanged Man or The Wolf of Burgundy, Page soon acquires the nickname of The Wolf Cub. After slaying his cousin in a duel, Page flees his home and joins a band of outlaws in the forests of Sussex. At last - tired of the brutality of his companions - he decides to leave England and join the English army in Normandy. There he endures brutal sieges, vicious combats, torture, betrayal and imprisonment, all to win glory and redeem his father's name. Trapped in the Sultan’s prison, Page must hope his story is enough to save him from the executioner’s blade....at least for another three days...

     In TUESDAY NIGHTS, boxer Michael Cunningham is more interested in building his fortune than finding a wife, but made a promise he would marry by his twenty-eighth birthday. Reminded of the deadline by his sister, Michael realizes he has much to do in the three weeks he has if he’s to propose to Olivia—or she’ll become his sister’s governess! With no time for courtship, banns, or wedding planning, his sister insists Michael ruin Olivia! Despite feeling affection for Michael since the day he rescued her from a rake, Olivia is still shocked—and ruined!—when he climbs into her bed. Once they're married, Michael is sure Olivia despises him, while she is sure he wandered into the wrong bedchamber that fateful Tuesday night. Will a week be enough time for Michael to court Olivia, to convince her of his affections? Or will he regret his last-minute efforts to keep his promise? Only time will tell… When Clarinda married the Earl of Norwick, she thought she was marrying the Fitzwilliam twin who courted her. But it was David's identical twin brother Daniel, the spare heir, who captured her heart with pink roses and delectable kisses. So when the rakish David made her his countess, the embittered Daniel left London to run the earl's estates in Sussex. With David's sudden death comes a reunion of the star-crossed lovers—and Clarinda's randy mother-in-law. Clarinda thinks Daniel despises her for being a fortune hunter—and because she's pregnant with what might be an heir to the earldom. Daniel knows Clarinda despises him, but can't remember what caused the row they had when they last spoke. Meanwhile, David's ghost is paying nocturnal visits to Clarinda while annoying Daniel with instructions to pursue his widow and pleas to discover who caused his untimely death. Who can be in mourning when twin brothers are causing so much trouble? Or is two times the romance worth a bit of sibling rivalry? Twins double the fun in THE WIDOWED COUNTESS. When Lady Julia and her friend Samantha notice an especially handsome groom from their vantage point of a second-story bedchamber window in Mayfield House, they decide the man would make the perfect gentleman. Julia accepts Samantha's challenge to transform the man in time for a ball. Little do they know Alistair Comber is already a gentleman. The estranged second son of an earl works in service in order to make good on a promise he made to a fellow soldier while he was an officer in the British Army. Alistair agrees to Julia's request that he learn how to bow, dance and dress like a gentleman in time for her mother's ball. After all, how hard can it be when MY FAIR GROOM is already a gentleman? How hard indeed!

    After all, it's 1825 and this is the land of opportunity!

    Leonard Cohen is at the start of his career and in love with Marianne, who is also muse to her ex-husband, Axel. Australian authors George Johnston and Charmian Clift write, drink and fight. It is a hedonistic time of love, sex and new ideas. As the island hums with excitement, Jack and Frieda Silver join the community, hoping to mend their broken marriage. However, Greece is overtaken by a military junta and the artistic idyll is threatened.

    He has vowed to uphold a simple life of peace. Then the Roman Legions find him.A war that should not be sweeps Varro from his idyllic farm and carries him across the Aegean Sea to a land under siege. His vow of peace is stretched to its limits as he is plunged into blood and battle. The ceaseless march of the Republican Roman Army spares none.Yet a greater threat stalks Varro, more dangerous and more personal than any enemy soldier. Can he survive in an army where he faces swords to his front and daggers at his back?