Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons.  US release June 29, 2010.  The epic saga of love and war continues—the heart-stopping sequel to Paullina Simons's beloved international bestseller The Bronze Horseman.   Tatiana is eighteen years old, pregnant, and widowed when she escapes war-torn Leningrad to find a new life in America. But the ghosts of her past do not rest easily. She becomes consumed by the belief that her husband, Red Army officer Alexander Belov, is still alive and needs her desperately.   Meanwhile, oceans and continents away in the Soviet Union, Alexander barely escapes execution, and is forced to lead a battalion of soldiers considered expendable by the Soviet high command. Yet Alexander is determined to take his men through the ruins of Europe in one last desperate bid to escape Stalin's death machine and somehow find his way to Tatiana once again.

The Last Days of Richard III by John Ashdown Hill.  Non-fiction.  UK release June 30, 2010; US release November 1, 2010.  The Last Days of Richard III contains a new and uniquely detailed exploration of Richard's last 150 days, and explores these events from the standpoint of Richard himself and his contemporaries. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, we discover a new Richard: no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own policies and agenda. It also re-examines the aftermath of Bosworth, the treatment of Richard's body, his burial and the construction of his tomb. Based on newly discovered evidence and wider insights it explores the motives underlying these events. And there is also the fascinating story of why and how Richard III's DNA was rediscovered, alive and well, and living in Canada. John Ashdown-Hill has produced a stimulating and thought-provoking account of the end of Richard's life. Even readers very familiar with his short life will discover a new and fascinating picture of him.

Mary, Queen of Scots:  Truth or Lies by Rosalind Marshall.  Non-fiction.  UK release July 1, 2010.    Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous Scots in history. And yet the debate rages on as fiercely as ever about what this enigmatic Queen was really like. To some, Mary was a naive fool who allowed her errant heart to rule her head. To others, she was a clever, strategic thinker who secured the Scottish throne and the direction of the British monarchy. Murder, infidelity and intrigue permeate this story of one of the most turbulent times in history. Rosalind Marshall is renowned for her work on 'Mary, Queen of Scots' and she takes us through the key myths that surround this fascinating story.

Bonnie Prince Charles:  A Life by Peter Pininski.  Non-fiction.  US and UK release July 1, 2010.    The life of one of Scotland's most romantic and tragic figures. King James II's eldest legitimate grandson, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, known everywhere as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', achieved international fame at the age of twenty five as the man who by his charisma, daring and energy led the Rising of 1745 against George II which all but succeeded in restoring his exiled royal family - the Stuarts - to their thrones of Scotland, England and Ireland. The romance of this dramatic military episode and the legend of the prince's extraordinary months on the run in the Western Highlands after his defeat at Culloden in 1746, eclipse the deeply human story of a brilliant but flawed man. Vital, magnanimous and sensitive in victory, yet scarred as a youth by the anorexia which killed his mother, his defeat in successive risings led to an alchoholism which destroyed Charles's heroic qualities and all his early promise. Prince Charles Edward's life is often focused on the 1745 Rising. But this new biography charts his early life and reveals the Polish origin of his astonishing dynamism and brittle psyche, inherited from his Polish princess-mother, set against the multi-cultural upbringing of his father's exiled British court in Rome and the international network of his pan-European cousins, friends, freemasons and bankers who throughout his life financed and tried to further his ever-more doomed cause. Pininski's new life of Charles also vividly relates the story of the prince's only child and heir and three hidden grandchildren whose previously untold lives were described by the Daily Mail as 'one of the best-kept secrets in Scottish history'.

Bunker Hill by Howard Fast.  Reissue.  US and UK release July 1, 2010.  One battle will determine the fate of Boston.  Three thousand soldiers from the world's greatest army are cornered in Boston, surrounded by farmers and doctors turned rebel soldiers and generals. For a week both sides are at an impasse, until June 17, 1775, when the standstill comes to a violent, bloody end on Breed's and Bunker hills.  In Bunker Hill, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the unlikely battle that changed the course of the Revolutionary War forever. Tensions rise among both the British and Colonial soldiers as political and tactical frustrations, dissent, confusion, and fear threaten to tear both sides apart before the fighting even begins.

Legacy by Susan Kay.  Reissue.  US and UK release July 1, 2010.  The much-praised Legacy offers an exquisite psychological portrait of the Queen who defined an era, beloved and touted by readers for its stunning storytelling and intriguing take on the monarch's life. From the spectacular era that bears her name comes the mesmerizing story of Elizabeth I: her tragic childhood; her ruthless confrontations with Mary, Queen of Scots; and her brilliant reign as Europe's most celebrated queen. And into this beautiful tapestry Susan Kay weaves the vibrant and compelling image of Elizabeth the woman. Proud, passionate, captivating in her intensity, she inspired men to love her from the depths of their souls—and to curse the pain of that devotion. Teasing out an intriguing answer to the central mystery of the Virgin Queen—satisfying to readers new to Elizabeth's life as well as die-hard fans of the Tudors— here is a premier exploration of the woman who changed the course of history, and three men whose destinies belonged to her alone.

The Dark Rose by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.  Reissue.  US and UK release July 1, 2010.  In Cynthia Harrod-Eagles's worldwide bestsellers, the majestic sweep of English history is richly and movingly portrayed through the fictional lives of the Morland family.  It is 1501, and Paul, great-grandson of Eleanor Morland, has inherited the estate and has a son to follow him. But he fathers an illegitimate boy by his beloved mistress, and bitter jealously between the half-brothers causes a destructive rift that threatens to destroy them all.   Paul's niece Nanette has her own passions, and becomes maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. At the court of Henry VIII, she witnesses firsthand the events leading up to the rift with Rome, her mistress's execution, and the further efforts of the sad, ailing king to secure the male succession. And through all the turmoil of Henry VIII's reign-from drought to floods, from religious reform to court intrigue-the Morlands find new ways to come together while the world seems intent on tearing them apart.

Henry VII:  The First Tudor King by Bryan Bevan.  Non-fiction.  US release July 1, 2010.  Henry Tudor, born at Pembroke Castle in January 1457, was the son of Edmund Tudor and the Lady Margaret Beaufort. After Edward IV had defeated the Lancastrian Henry VI in battle, the young Henry Tudor was taken into custody by the Earl of Pembroke at his seat, Raglan Castle in Wales. Henry was in Wales forfourteen years and spent another fourteen as a political exile at the Court of François II of Brittany. After the murder of Henry VI (1471) and the death of his son, Prince Edward, Henry of Richmond (as he was then known) became head of the House of Lancaster. He invaded England in 1485 to defeat the last tyrannous Plantagenet king at Bosworth Field. Henry's hereditary claim to the throne was weak but the first Tudor King was a born politician and became one of the ablest kings. Henry ruled over a splendid court never stinting expense. His greatest sorrow was the premature death of his son Prince Arthur and soon afterwards that of his wife, Elizabeth (1503). Henry's character deteriorated and he became mean and miserly. Succeeding to an impoverished kingdom, his ambition was to make England important in the Europe of the time and in that he succeeded, leaving a prosperous kingdom to Henry VIII.