Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, powerful, action-packed historical thriller about vengeance and coming of age. The Bernicia Chronicles are perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell.Beobrand is compelled by his brother's almost-certain murder to embark on a quest for revenge in the war-ravaged kingdoms of Northumbria.The land is rife with danger, as warlords vie for supremacy and dominion. In the battles for control of the region, new oaths are made and broken, and loyalties are tested to the limits.With no patronage and no experience Beobrand must form his own allegiances and learn to fight with sword and shield.Relentless in pursuit of his enemies, he faces challenges which transform him from a boy to a man who stands strong in the clamour and gore of the shieldwall.As he closes in on his kin's slayer and the bodies pile up, can Beobrand mete out the vengeance he craves without sacrificing his honour … or even his soul?PRAISE FOR THE SERPENT SWORD "The Serpent Sword is a stunning debut: fast, confident, adrenaline-pumped, this story of a young warrior's coming of age in the maelstrom of the Dark Ages has the flavour of early Giles Kristian or James Aitcheson: it's raw, rugged and rich in colour and texture." MANDA SCOTT "...a gripping and credible tale of Dark Ages Britain...Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this." ANGUS DONALD "Vivid and compelling, The Serpent Sword is historical fiction at its brutal best." PAUL FRASER COLLARD "A storming debut novel fans of Bernard Cornwell should not miss!" STEVEN A. MCKAY "...a fast-paced tale of historical adventure beautifully written. The Serpent Sword is a story of revenge, passion, betrayal, honour, love and loss. Above all, it contains both a quest and a love story. Harffy’s characters are portrayed with depth and humanity. This novel is a thrilling read.” CAROL MCGRATH "With powerful language and gripping action, Harffy tells a tale of courage, revenge and love..." JUSTIN HILL

    As their world is torn apart by the jealous fury of kings, their only duty is to a sacred oath of allegiance to the Order and to each other. Step-by-step they eradicate their footsteps, knowing that only their own obliteration will guarantee that their duty will be fulfilled. Eight hundred years later and an international expert in disaster management sets out to prove that the Templars had a last ditch Doomsday plan. Peter Sparke aims at nothing less than to uncover the last refuge of the Order and the secrets they took to their graves.

    Riveting!" - Historical Novel Review 1206: When Fabricia Berenger is struck by lightning in the main square of Toulouse, her troubles are only just beginning. Soon she develops mysterious wounds on her hands and feet - and the other villagers say she can perform miracles. To keep her safe, her family flee into the mountains of the Languedoc and hide her in a Convent. But still the crowds follow her there in search of healing. Even Philip of Vercy comes from far away in France. He has lost his beloved wife, now his four-year-old son is dying. He sets off to find Fabricia and bring her back to help his boy. But he reaches Toulouse just as the Pope orders a crusade against the Cathars in the south. Soon Philip is not the only one looking for Fabricia; the Inquisition are searching for her as well. As the Languedoc convulses into flame and revolt, Philip is drawn into a vortex of passion, vengeance and mystery. One more step, and he knows he can never, ever, go back. “The story moves along at a cracking pace, the narrative fraught with action and tension at every turn. Stigmata is a powerful tale of religious heresy, crusades, loss and love.” - Historical Novel Society

    With the English King Edward heirless and ailing, across the grey seas in Normandy the brutal William the Bastard waits for the moment when he can drown England in a tide of blood.The ravens of war are gathering. But as the king's closest advisors scheme and squabble amongst themselves, hopes of resisting the naked ambition of the Norman duke come to rest with just one man: Hereward.To some a ruthless warrior and master tactician, to others a devil in human form, Hereward is as adept in the art of slaughter as the foes that gather to claim England's throne. But in his country's hour of greatest need, his enemies at Court have made him outlaw. To stay alive - and a freeman - he must carve a bloody swathe from the frozen hills of Northumbria to Flanders' fields and the fenlands of East Anglia.The tale of a man whose deeds will become the stuff of legend, this is also the story of two mismatched allies: Hereward the man of war, and Alric, a man of peace, a monk. One will risk everything to save the land he loves, the other to save his friend's soul.James Wilde's thrilling, action-packed debut rescues a great English hero from the darkest of times and brings him to brutal and bloody life.

    The Kingdom of Jerusalem hanging by a thread. One Knight Justice must face his greatest fears or die trying… Brother Foulques de Villaret just wants to stay in Acre and perform his sworn duties. Instead, the young Hospitaller Knight of Saint John must undertake a dangerous journey from the Holy Land to a remote village nestled in the Alps, the ‘Spine of the World’. His mission: buy 500 peasant boys and return them to Acre to be trained as Soldiers of Christ. Pursued across the Mid-Earth Sea by slavers, Brother Foulques and his Army of Children are about to be thrust into a confrontation with the greatest warriors the East has ever known: the Mamluks. To survive, Brother Foulques must turn to risky alliances… and pray that his choices do not lead them all to destruction. Acre is the first book in the Hospitaller Saga, a series of breathtaking historical novels set in the late 13th century. If you like action-packed adventure and authentically rich fiction, then you’ll love J. K. Swift’s historically epic masterpiece.

    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.

    Treasonous and oath-breaking, they were deservedly condemned; unbelievers and faithless, they were justly punished.” Orphaned as a child by a blood-feud, and sold as a slave to an exiled chieftain in Ireland, the boy Hasting had little hope of surviving to adulthood. The gods had other plans. A ship arrived at his master's longphort carrying a man who would alter the course of his destiny, and take him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Vikings. His is a story of a boy who was a slave, who became a warlord, and who helped topple an empire. A supposed son of Ragnar Lodbrok, and referred to in the Gesta Normanorum as the Scourge of the Somme and Loire, his life exemplified the qualities of the ideal Viking. Join author and historian C.J. Adrien on an adventure that explores the coming of age of the Viking Hasting, his first love, his first great trials, and his first betrayal.

    Rome is torn apart by war, plague and internal power struggles between the Emperor, the aristocracy and the Church. Into this morass stumbles the young and handsome Aelric. His father was murdered, his inheritance stolen. Forcibly separated from the woman he loves, he is determined to win back all that he has lost. Through his naivety and ambition, he unwittingly becomes involved in a heretical plot that will lead to fraud, murder and high treason. Introducing the most compelling anti-hero since Flashman, Conspiracies of Rome is the first in a searingly sharp trilogy that takes you to one of the darkest and most dramatic periods of history.

    In Rome, Pope Innocent III plots to crush a growing dualist sect that preaches Christ's mission has been corrupted. In the Holy Land, warrior-monks make a disturbing discovery. In southern France, roving troubadours sing of a Holy Grail that offers salvation through the intercession of a worthy lady.And in the foothills of the Pyrenees, war clouds approach Esclarmonde's hunted heretics, who protect an ancient scroll containing shattering revelations. Declared outlaws by the Church, the Occitan knights who defend Esclarmonde's family and followers determine to make their last stand atop Montsegur, a haunting mountain keep that protects a sacred treasure. Their heroic resistance against the papal and French armies evokes the legendary defiance of the Jewish rebels against the Roman legions at Masada.Myth and history collide in this sweeping saga of crusading fanaticism, courtly romance, knightly valor, and monastic conspiracy set during the infamous Albigensian Crusade.-- Foreword Book-of-the-Year Finalist/Honorable Mention Historical Fiction-- NIEA Award for Best New Fiction-- Nautilus Silver Award-- IPPY Silver Award-- Eric Hoffer Award Finalist/Honorable Mention-- Da Vinci Eye Award Finalist

    Sir Marcus decides to take on the greatest challenge of his life and remain behind to raise the children, his loyal sergeant and squires insisting on joining him to work the land at his side. But before they can settle into their new lives as farmers rather than soldiers, they are thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that could rock the very foundations of the Templars and the Roman Catholic Church. And it all starts with a simple murder, witnessed by a little boy, who swears Templars killed his parents. Now it is up to Sir Marcus and his men to determine who committed the gruesome murders, and clear the good name of the Templars, before the very balance of power in the region shifts in favor of someone who should never possess it. From USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy, comes the first in a new series, The Templar Detective, packed with pulse-pounding action, intrigue, and humor, guaranteed to keep thriller fans awake into the late hours. Reserve your copy today, and be among the first to meet a new band of war-weary heroes, struggling to reintegrate into society, who are called upon once again to serve their Order, their Church, and their God.

    Late one night, a junior naval officer at the Admiralty intercepts a coded despatch, marked with blood: Napoleon Bonaparte is about to launch the largest invasion fleet in history. Target: unknown.England is vulnerable, bereft of allies, and the Sea Lords fear a direct assault on Britain. Admiralty Intelligence sounds the alarm and prepares to unleash Nelson and the Mediterranean squadron.But before they can, they need vital information. They need a special officer to infiltrate by land or by sea to uncover the destination of Napoleon’s armada – a man who never stops.Marine Lt William John Hazzard.But will he agree to help them?Betrayed by the Admiralty at the African Cape three years earlier, Hazzard has vowed never to trust them again. Bitter memories poisoned his return home, and his devoted fiancée Sarah, unable to bear his pain any longer, disappears in Naples – never to be seen again.But the Admiralty knows just how to get him back.They know where Sarah is, and her life is in danger…From pitched sea-battles to back-street duels in a covert war, this is the epic adventure of the new hero of Napoleonic fiction: Hazzard. Perfect for fans of Seth Hunter, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester.Never give up the boat.

    Only one man can save the empire . . . the Haga!1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion's life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness. Yet a hunger for revenge burns in Apion's soul, and he is drawn down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages.

    A mission gone wrong. An impossible goal. A gripping new series of Ancient Rome.Roman scout Silus is deep behind enemy lines in Caledonia. As he spies on a raiding party, he is abruptly discovered by an enemy chief and his son.Mounting a one man ambush, everything quickly goes wrong. Silus must run for his life, the head of the enemy leader in his hands. Little does he know the price he will pay...As Silus is inducted into the Arcani, an elite faction of assassins and spies, he must return to Caledonia, back into the wilderness, and risk everything in the service of his Caesar. The odds don’t look good.Failure is not an option.

    On one hand, it's a tale of the crusades, as told from the Islamic side, where Shi'a and Sunni are as intent on killing Ismaili Muslims as they are crusaders. In self-defense, the Ismaili's develop an elite band of highly trained killers called Hashshashin (Assassins) whose missions are launched from their mountain fortress of Alamut. But, it's also the story of a French boy, who is captured and forced into the alien world of the assassins. Forbidden love for a princess is intertwined with sinister plots and self-sacrifice, as the hero, and his two companions discover treachery and then attempt to evade the ruthless assassins of Alamut who are sent to hunt them down. It's a sweeping saga that takes you across 12th century Persia and Palestine, over vast snow covered mountains, through the frozen wastes of the winter plateau, and into the fabulous cites of Hamadan, Isfahan, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. "A brilliant first novel, worthy of Bernard Cornwell at his best."

    He certainly has no love for Alfred, whom he considers a pious weakling and no match for Viking savagery, yet when Alfred unexpectedly defeats the Danes and the Danes themselves turn on Uhtred, he is finally forced to choose sides. By now he is a young man, in love, trained to fight and ready to take his place in the dreaded shield wall. Above all, though, he wishes to recover his father’s land, the enchanting fort of Bebbanburg by the wild northern sea.This thrilling adventure—based on existing records of Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors—depicts a time when law and order were ripped violently apart by a pagan assault on Christian England, an assault that came very close to destroying England.