Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Richard III and the Bosworth Campaign by Peter Hammond.  Non-fiction.  US release October 30, 2010.  On 22 August 1485 the forces of the Yorkist king Richard III and his Lancastrian opponent Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond clashed at Bosworth Field in Leicestershire in one of the decisive battles of English history. Richard was defeated and killed. Henry took the crown as Henry VII, established the Tudor dynasty and set English history on a new course. For the last 500 years this, the most famous battle of the Wars of the Roses, has excited passionate interest and continuing controversy. Peter Hammond, in a vivid and perceptive account of the battle, retells the story of the tangled dynastic and personal rivalries that provoked the conflict, describes the preparations of the two converging armies and offers a gripping analysis of the contest itself. The latest documentary and archaeological evidence is considered, and the author weighs up the merits of conflicting interpretations of the battle and the battlefield. He also pays particular attention to the contrasting characters of Richard III and Henry Tudor, the villain and the victor of the drama, who are reconsidered as individuals and as commanders. This lucid, authoritative and readable new history will be essential reading for anyone who is intrigued by the short, unhappy reign of Richard III and the trial of strength that destroyed him.

Master of Rome by John Stack.  UK release January 6, 2011.  A stirring adventure novel set amid the tumultuous clashes between the Roman and Carthaginian empires, battling for control of the Mediterranean, north Africa and Rome itself. Atticus, the young Greek captain, is now a commander of the growing Roman navy, blockading a port near Tunis, when the Roman legions suffer terrible defeat by the triumphant Carthaginian army, spearheaded by the elephant charges. He and his ships escape together with the main body of the Roman fleet out manoevred by the more skillful Carthaginians and then caught and almost completely annhilated by a terrible storm. Atticus and his crew are among the handful of survivors and being the messenger of this news to the Senta in Rome brings Atticus into political troubles, almost as stormy as the sea. He begins to feel not onlt that a greek will never be accepted by the Romans but also that the behaviour of many, noth politicians and soldiers, is such that he is not sure that he wants to be a Roman.Full of dramatic battles by land and sea, led by tremendous characters on both sides, MASTER OF ROME is a powerful novel, the third in this bestselling series by a born storyteller.

Exit the Actress by Priva Parmar.  US release February 1, 2011.  No real description yet but there is this on Amazon:  Review

Rebellion by James McGee.  UK release February 3, 2011.  Hawkwood, the Regency James Bond, returns in this gripping, action-packed follow up to the bestselling Ratcatcher. October 1812: Britain and France are still at war. France is engaged on two battle fronts - Spain and Russia - and her civilians are growing weary of the fight. Rebellion is brewing. Since Napoleon Bonaparte appointed himself as First Consul, there have been several attempts to either kill or overthrow him. All have failed, so far…Meanwhile in London, Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood has been seconded to the foreign arm of the Secret Service. There, he meets the urbane Henry Brooke, who tells him he’s to join a colleague in Paris on a special mission. Brooke's agent has come up with a daring plan and he needs Hawkwood's help to put it into action. If the plan is successful it could lead to a negotiated peace treaty between France and the allies. Failure would mean prison, torture and a meeting with the guillotine…

Bathseba by Jill Elieen Smith.  US release March 1, 2011.  Bathsheba is a woman who longs for love. With her devout husband away fighting the king's wars for many months at a time, discontent and loneliness dog her steps--and make it frighteningly easy to succumb to King David's charm and attention. Though she immediately regrets her involvement with the powerful king, the pieces are set in motion that will destroy everything she holds dear. Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God--and David--forever?   With a historian's sharp eye for detail and a novelist's creative spirit, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the passionate and emotional story of David's most famous--and infamous--wife. Smith uses her gentle hand to draw out the humanity in her characters, allowing readers to see themselves in the three-dimensional lives and minds of people who are often viewed in starkly moralistic terms. You will never read the story of David and Bathsheba in the same way again.

Cleopatra the Great by Joan Fletcher.  Non-fiction.  US reissue April 5, 2011.  She was a woman of passion, magnetism, and political genius who weiled power with a skill and cunning matched by few. A mother, a goddess, a lover, a politician, the subject of myth and mystery for more two millenia, she was Cleopatra, the last, and greatest Egyptian pharaoh. In this mesmerizing biography, renowend Egyptologist Joann Fletcher draws on a wealth of overlooked detail and the latest research to reveal the vital woman as she truly was, from her first meeting with Julius Caesar to her legendary death by snakebite. Cleopatra the Great tells the story of a turbulent time and the extraordinary woman who shaped it. Here are the roots of her heritage—she was Greek by descent—and her political success. A polymath monarch, she was also a potent combination of traditionalist and innovator, astute enough to realize what was necessary for Egypt’s continued prosperity and sufficiently ruthless to allow nothing to stand in her way of achieving it. Yet our understanding of Cleopatra has been obscured by Roman propaganda, Shakespearean tragedy, and Hollywood, with little attempt to tell her true story. Bringing the ancient world to life, Cleopatra the Great offers tantalizing details about the Pharaoh’s infamous banquets and massive library, her reputation as a magician, her relationships with both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, and her skillful use of fashion, beauty regimes, hairstyling, and face veiling to further her ambitions and her mystique. Intelligent and compulsively readable, here, is a unparalleled biography worthy of its subject.