. . 'The year is AD 255 - the Roman Imperium is stretched to breaking point, its authority and might challenged along every border. The greatest threat lies in Persia to the east, where the massing forces of the Sassanid Empire loom with fiery menace. There the isolated Roman citadel of Arete awaits inevitable invasion.One man is sent to marshal the defences and shore up crumbling walls. A man whose name itself means war: a man called Ballista. Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces, and the courage to stand first and to stand hard, against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium.This is part one of WARRIOR OF ROME: an epic of empire, of heroes, of treachery, of courage, and most of all, a story of brutal, bloody warfare.

    But was his urge to protect her from the evil lord to whom she was promised an honorable one, or just an excuse to claim the lady as his own?

    In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman or child.As a boy, Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina's machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero's determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become, an Emperor who became legendary.With impeccable research and captivating prose, The Confessions of Young Nero is the story of a boy's ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.

    After the death of their mother, the four daughters of an impecunious country vicar make a pact to improve their family’s circumstances. This is the story of the eldest daughter...From the moment plain and sensible Juliana Honeyfield takes up her position as music instructor at elegant Northington Park, she senses something amiss. From drawing room to dining hall, the great house is filled with whispers and secrets as ominous as its brooding master Mr. Thorne.Charged with instructing a silent, motherless child who communicates through music, Juliana quickly finds herself tackling a much more perilous task. Can she unravel the truth of a mysterious family tragedy – and breach the icy defenses around the heart of the enigmatic Mr. Thorne?

    She escapes to help her oppressed people, only to be captured by a dangerous, battle-scarred centurion.Charged by his emperor to eliminate the powerful Druids in Britain, Maximus doesn’t expect his mission to be thwarted by the clan’s ethereal princess, Carys. Unaware of her true heritage, he’s enchanted by her beauty and intrigued by her bravery, and while he wants nothing more than to protect her, he reluctantly releases her.Shaken by the encounter, Carys can’t forget the fearless warrior and is convinced her beloved goddess brought Maximus to her for a reason. Although he’s the enemy of her people she can’t stay away, but their clandestine assignations threaten more than their lives.As Carys’ loyalties are twisted, and freedom is no longer her single-minded obsession, the avenging High Druid plans to crush Maximus’ people into oblivion. With time running out, Carys and Maximus must overcome the devastation of war and face the ultimate sacrifice if their forbidden love is to survive.Previously published by Penguin US in 2010

    Yet here he was, come to stay for the holidays in the very home where she was a governess...and bringing up the painful memories of their shared Christmas Charade by Lyn Stone Beth didn't want a husband. But when she agreed to marry handsome Jack as part of a scheme, she didn't expect to be playing with her heart. The Virtuous Widow by Anne Gracie Ellie was afraid she had no future. Left to her own devices now that her husband had passed away, she worried for her daughter's welfare as well as her own. But her world changed when a stranger landed on her doorstep.

    A Roman centurion discovers that Fate will always hold him in her power. The German frontier, spring 6 BC. When Lucius Cominius Tullus, a recently promoted centurion, gambles on a foot race between rival legionaries, he has no idea that his wager will endanger his very life, and that the streets of an Empire border town can be as deadly as the bloodiest battlefield. A prequel to Ben Kane's dramatic new trilogy, Eagles at War, The Shrine also includes a sample chapter from the first book in the series.

    The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Marcus Cicero—an ambitious young lawyer and spellbinding orator, who at the age of twenty-seven is determined to attain imperium—supreme power in the state. Of all the great figures of the Roman world, none was more fascinating or charismatic than Cicero. And Tiro—the inventor of shorthand and author of numerous books, including a celebrated biography of his master (which was lost in the Dark Ages)—was always by his side. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, Imperium is the re-creation of his vanished masterpiece, recounting in vivid detail the story of Cicero's quest for glory, competing with some of the most powerful and intimidating figures of his—or any other—age: Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, and the many other powerful Romans who changed history. Robert Harris, the world's master of innovative historical fiction, lures us into a violent, treacherous world of Roman politics at once exotically different from and yet startlingly similar to our own—a world of Senate intrigue and electoral corruption, special prosecutors and political adventurism—to describe how one clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable man fought to reach the top.

    Two things are certain: Annabelle Fortini makes the best biscuits in Bath and Samuel Delaney, the charming bachelor who’s just entered her shop, is trouble! Her mother’s unfair exile from society has taught Anna aristocrats can’t be trusted. Samuel may be a famous naval hero and reluctant heir to an earldom, but Anna can’t fall in love with him! Unless she can overcome her pride…and surrender to her heart!

    Rhiann is a courageous and beautiful Scottish princess and priestess scarred by her violent past. Of noble blood, she faces what for her is the ultimate sacrifice - a forced marriage - to protect the freedom of her people. Eremon is an enigmatic Irish prince in exile, who must seek an alliance elsewhere to regain his throne. Will he prove himself to be the man who can unite the squabbling Celtic tribes against the more ominous threat of Rome? With war and chaos looming for her people, Rhiann finds herself drawn into an unexpected journey of the spirit and heart, which will reveal the true purpose of her life.

    But by the time it was joined by Centurion Justinius Corvus, it had clearly fallen on hard times.Smarting from the sting of his recent demotion, and a transfer to Britain, a land he despises, Justinius nevertheless works hard to bring to his men some of the same pride he feels as a Roman soldier.As their bond grows strong, with each other and with the occupied land, their skill in combat is tested to its limits against the forces of Vortrix, High King of the Britons. As the battle lines muster, the fate of an Army, and of a nation, will be decided...The Legions of the Mist is an earth-shattering tale of loyalty, love and war, perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden and Ben Kane.

    Born a Druid with the power to control the elements, Brighid knows her pursuers will never stop until she is under their control. To escape detection, she struggles to hide her powers and finds safety in a small, out-of-the-way village. But after a series of mysterious accidents, she fears something sinister has invaded her new home. While she searches for the source of the trouble, suspicion falls on her, and Brighid flees, only steps ahead of the villagers seeking vengeance.Wyatt Graystone, Earl of Castelline, retires when the life-and-death clandestine investigations he did for the Crown becomes more tedious than adventurous. Something vital is missing from his life. The last place he expects to find the missing spark is in a woman he literally leaps through fire to rescue from being burned at the stake. But the danger is far from over. To his frustration, the infernal woman adamantly refuses his assistance, pushing him away at every turn, when his only desire is to claim her for his own.But someone has targeted Brighid for a reason. As the threats to her life intensify, Wyatt is determined to uncover her secrets and do whatever it takes to ensure she survives. When their pasts come back to haunt them, they must overcome their worst fears or risk losing everything. Saving her life is the biggest battle he's ever faced...and the only one that has ever mattered.A Druid Quest Novel : Book 1

    Simon's devotion to his cause swayed by his desire for Anne, he will not settle for the manor house alone. He will have the lady—and her heart—into the bargain!Yet Anne has a secret that must be kept from him at all costs….

    But he desperately wants to become a Roman citizen.He calls upon his Greek slave Ikaros of Apollonius. Ikaros was once a soldier, nobleman and engineer, but, after his country was invaded by the Romans, he was forced into a life of servitude. Known for his mind-reading abilities, Ikaros is believed by some to have magical powers.Londinium is in need of a method to raise the water for the Imperial Baths. So Scorteus calls upon Ikaros’ talents to design such a structure. If this project is accepted, Scorteus will finance the project for Londinium in the hope of winning citizenship. And once he becomes a Roman citizen, Scorteus promises to make Ikaros a free man.But, things do not go as planned… A member of the Scorteus household is discovered murdered. Everyone believes that it must be the work of a servant. Under a vicious Roman law Senatus Consultum Silanianum, if any slave killed the master, then every slave in the house was put to death, meaning hundreds of innocent people.Ikaros is sure no-one in the household is to blame. With his mind-reading powers, it is suggested that he may be able to solve the murder.With the support of Morganus, First Javelin of the Twentieth Legion and his men, Ikaros sets out to solve the mystery. And when further blood is shed their investigations take them to other parts of Roman Britain in an attempt to find the truth ...Will Ikaros unmask the culprit before innocent blood is shed?Death in Londinium is a gripping historical mystery set in Roman Britain.Praise for John Drake’s Fletcher series "Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas doesn't get much better than this. […] John Drake writes beautifully, and you'll be torn between savoring the words and quickly flipping the pages. Any favorable comparison to Stevenson or Patrick O'Brian is totally justified." – Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling authorJohn Drake trained as a biochemist to post-doctorate research level before realizing he was no good at science. His working career was in the television department of ICI until 1999 when he became a full-time writer. John's hobby is muzzle-loading shooting, and his interests are British history and British politics (as a spectator), plus newspapers, TV news, and current affairs. He is married with a son and two grandchildren. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

    Constantine, the son of an emperor, the Roman officer leading this raid, tells his men to halt - something is wrong. Have they been seen in the pre-dawn light? Before long, the battle rages. Eventually he frees a slave named Juliana. She is half Persian and half Roman. As they are pursued to Britannia over land and sea, he learns that she can see the future - his future.It is 306A.D., long before Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and became the first Christian emperor.To ensure he survives, he must now eliminate his enemies. But who must die first? The priestess, Sybellina, who joined them in Rome and practices dark and seductive magic? Or the brutal legion commanders who surround his father? Or, as Juliana suspects, are those who want him dead even closer?An electrifying historical novel about Constantine’s bloody rise to power, the woman who helped him, and the real reason he supported a persecuted Christian minority, a decision which changed the world into the one we know.Reviews of previous books by the author:“A delight,” Yorkshire Evening Post.'… superbly executed…' Irish Examiner.'Well written, beautifully descriptive, and with smart dialogue and a compelling air of menace throughout,' The Lancashire Evening Post.'A brisk plot…which draws the reader into a conspiratorial rapport,' Telegraph.