Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Anna Elliott continues her tale of Trystan and Isolde in Dark Moon of Avalon, the second in her trilogy (the first was Twilight of Avalon). As the Saxons continue to invade Britain, the new king, Madoc, looks to make alliances that may help him hold on to his land and protect his people. But with everyone looking out for themselves and their own interests it’s hard to know who can be trusted and for how long.


Isolde is once again a pawn in men’s games as she looks for a solution to the problem of how to save Britain. She keeps herself busy healing the sick and injured and making use of whatever limited ability her gift of sight decides to give her. But she is tortured by memories – of her first husband Constantine (Arthur’s heir), of her father, Mordred, and of Marche, the man she was forced to marry after Constantine’s death. But mostly, it is memories of Trystan that taunt her and play with her emotions.

As Isolde comes up with a plan, Trystan arrives just in time to help her and the two set off on a perilous journey to meet with Cedric of Wessex in the hopes of making a friend out of the enemy’s enemy. But there are those that don’t want to see the plan succeed and Isolde and Trystan must battle the forces against them – as well as their feelings for each other.

As with Twilight of Avalon, it took awhile for me to get into the story and for it to really get going. Early on not a lot happens and Isolde’s continual musings on her past, the present and her future almost made me stop reading it - almost. What kept me going was Elliott’s beautiful style of writing and the hope that something eventually would start happening. It did. And then, I didn’t want to put the book down.

That Trystan and Isolde love each other is clear. What is less clear is their sometimes muddled reasons for not letting the other person know how they feel. This leads to a number of instances where the pair is on the verge of expressing their true feelings but for one reason or another, they don’t follow through. By the time the “do or die” moment comes, I really wanted to just knock their heads together and scream “you love each other – admit it!”

Trystan and Isolde do not make their journey alone and Elliott creates some interesting secondary characters to help flesh out the story. Hereric, the mute who has a heart of gold and Fidach, a former slave who owes Trystan his life and who is more honorable than he lets on.

The third book, Sunrise of Avalon is scheduled for release in 2011 and I'm looking forward to it!.



Reality check:  "You do what you must and live with it after. So do we all." Isolde to a servant girl she is trying to help.




In case the FTC asks: I won an ARC from the author.

Roman Britain by Richard Hobbs and Ralph Jackson.  Non-fiction.  US release December 1, 2010.  For nearly four centuries Britain was a province on the outer edge of the Roman Empire and developed a distinctively Romano-British culture and way of life. Drawing on archaeological finds, ancient written sources and the latest research on surviving artefacts - from a child's shoe to a birthday invitation, from a lifelike portrait to a treasure trove - Roman Britain brings the ancient past to life. Spanning more than ten centuries and ranging the length and breadth of ancient Britain, this lively history evokes a vivid sense of life in Roman times - for both rich and poor, Romans and native Britons, city and country dwellers. A rich diversity of lifestyle and culture evolved, experienced across all strata of society. Native British traditions of trade and craftsmanship merged with the imported Roman styles and practices to create a unique cultural synthesis, the legacy of which is still visible today in British landscapes, architecture, art and society. Ralph Jackson and Richard Hobbs are curators of Romano-British antiquities in the British Museum.

Sphinx's Queen by Esther Friesner.  US and UK release September 28, 2010.  Ancient Egypt springs to life in this enthralling sequel to Sphinx’s Princess. As she did in Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize, author Esther Friesner offers readers a fresh look at an iconic figure, blending historical fiction and mythology in a heady concoction.  Hunted . . . Overnight, every aspect of Nefertiti’s life has changed. She is no longer living at the royal palace as the intended bride of the crown prince. Instead, she is being chased by the prince and his soldiers for a crime she did not commit.  Hidden . . . Traveling with two of her dearest friends, including the crown prince’s brother, who helped her escape, Nefertiti takes shelter in the wild hills along the Nile’s west bank. She must rely on her own resourcefulness and skills (all those secret archery lessons prove very useful) as the fugitives fight to survive.  Haunted . . . But the need for justice gnaws at Nefertiti. She is determined to plead her case to the Pharaoh and set things right. As she begins to question long-held sacred beliefs—a questioning that could alter the fabric of Egyptian society—her extraordinary journey from commoner to royalty brings adventure, intrigue, and romance.




Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman. Non-fiction.  US release September 28, 2010; released last year in the UK.  A source of endless fascination and speculation, the subject of countless biographies, novels, and films, Elizabeth I is now considered from a thrilling new angle by the brilliant young historian Tracy Borman. So often viewed in her relationships with men, the Virgin Queen is portrayed here as the product of women—the mother she lost so tragically, the female subjects who worshipped her, and the peers and intimates who loved, raised, challenged, and sometimes opposed her.  In vivid detail, Borman presents Elizabeth’s bewitching mother, Anne Boleyn, eager to nurture her new child, only to see her taken away and her own life destroyed by damning allegations—which taught Elizabeth never to mix politics and love. Kat Astley, the governess who attended and taught Elizabeth for almost thirty years, invited disaster by encouraging her charge into a dangerous liaison after Henry VIII’s death. Mary Tudor—“Bloody Mary”—envied her younger sister’s popularity and threatened to destroy her altogether. And animosity drove Elizabeth and her cousin Mary Queen of Scots into an intense thirty-year rivalry that could end only in death.  Elizabeth’s Women contains more than an indelible cast of characters. It is an unprecedented account of how the public posture of femininity figured into the English court, the meaning of costume and display, the power of fecundity and flirtation, and how Elizabeth herself—long viewed as the embodiment of feminism—shared popular views of female inferiority and scorned and schemed against her underlings’ marriages and pregnancies.  Brilliantly researched and elegantly written, Elizabeth’s Women is a unique take on history’s most captivating queen and the dazzling court that surrounded her.



Rival to the Queen by Carolly Erickson.  US release September 28, 2010;  UK release November 5, 2010. 
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII comes a novel about the bitter rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her fascinating cousin, Lettice Knollys, for the love of one extraordinary man.  Powerful, dramatic and full of the rich history that has made Carolly Erickson’s novels perennial bestsellers, this is the story of the only woman to ever stand up to the Virgin Queen— her own cousin, Lettie Knollys. Far more attractive than the queen, Lettie soon won the attention of the handsome and ambitious Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, a man so enamored of the queen and determined to share her throne that it was rumored he had murdered his own wife in order to become her royal consort. The enigmatic Elizabeth allowed Dudley into her heart, and relied on his devoted service, but shied away from the personal and political risks of marriage.   When Elizabeth discovered that he had married her cousin Lettie in secret, Lettie would pay a terrible price, fighting to keep her husband’s love and ultimately losing her beloved son, the Earl of Essex, to the queen’s headsman.   This is the unforgettable story of two women related by blood, yet destined to clash over one of Tudor England’s most charismatic men.




Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.  US and UK release September 28, 2010.  Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep, beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits...Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House...two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution...Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London...   These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.   In future volumes of The Century Trilogy, subsequent generations of the same families will travel through the great events of the rest of the twentieth century, changing themselves-and the century itself. With passion and the hand of a master, Follett brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.




The Fort by Bernard Cornwell.  US release September 28, 2010; UK release September 30, 2010.    While the major fighting of the war moves to the south in the summer of 1779, a British force of fewer than a thousand Scottish infantry, backed by three sloops-of-war, sails to the desolate and fog-bound coast of New England. Establishing a garrison and naval base at Penobscot Bay, in the eastern province of Massachusetts that would become Maine, the Scots—the only British troops between Canada and New York—harry rebel privateers and give shelter to American loyalists.   In response, Massachusetts sends a fleet of more than forty vessels and some one thousand infantrymen to “captivate, kill or destroy” the foreign invaders. Second in command is Peleg Wadsworth, a veteran of the battles at Lexington and Long Island, once aide to General Washington, and a man who sees clearly what must be done to expel the invaders.   But ineptitude and irresolution lead to a mortifying defeat—and have stunning repercussions for two men on opposite sides: an untested eighteen-year-old Scottish lieutenant named John Moore, who will begin an illustrious military career; and a Boston silversmith and patriot named Paul Revere, who will face court-martial for disobedience and cowardice.  Grounded firmly in history, inimitably told in Cornwell's thrilling narrative style, The Fort is the extraordinary novel of this fascinating clash between a superpower and a nation in the making.



Royal Wales by Deborah Fisher.  UK release September 30, 2010;  US release November 30, 2010.  This book covers both the royal families that existed in pre-Conquest Wales and the predominantly English royal families that have ruled over Wales since medieval times. The changing relationships between the rulers and the ruled in Wales are examined, over a period from the early Middle Ages to the present day. The aim is to tell the story of how Wales has figured in the development of the British royal family and its traditions. The author's previous books covered individual members of the royal families; although this book will inevitably cover individuals in the telling of the story, to some extent, the book will concentrate less on the personalities and more on the surrounding tradition and pageantry (e.g., investiture ceremonies), and there is ample scope for covering new ground. An index and select bibliography will be provided, as well as illustrations, the latter largely of monuments and locations in Wales associated with the book's theme.





The Reluctant Queen by Freda Lightfoot.  UK release September 30, 2010;  US release January 1, 2011.  A brand-new historical novel from a well-loved storyteller - Sixteenth-century France. Gabrielle d’Esrées’ one wish is to marry for love, but her mother sells her as a mistress to three different men before she catches the eye – and the heart – of Henry of Navarre, King of France. Henry promises to marry her, but Gabrielle’s difficulties have just begun . . . for Henry’s wife will only divorce him if he promises not to marry Gabrielle. Is the love of a king enough to secure her both the happiness and respectability she craves and a crown for their son as the next dauphin of France?











Crown and Country:  A History of England Through the Monarchy by David Starkey.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 30, 2010. 
From one of our finest historians comes an outstanding exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.  The monarchy is one of Britain’s longest surviving institutions – as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I and Cromwell's emergence as Lord Protector – all the way up until the Victorian era when Britain’s monarchs came face-to-face with modernity.  This brilliant collection of biographies of Britain’s kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of what the British monarchy has meant, what it means now and what it will continue to mean. Bringing to life a cast of colourful characters, Starkey’s trademark energy and authority make him the perfect guide on this epic, accessible and compelling journey, as he offers us a vivid portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood through an institution that has defined the realm for nearly two thousand years.




The Elizabethan World edited by Susan Doran and Norman Jones.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 30, 2010;  US release November 11, 2010  (note - this is not cheap - about $250!).
This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated collection of essays conveys a vivid picture of a fascinating and hugely significant period in history. Featuring contributions from thirty-eight international scholars, the book takes a thematic approach to a period which saw the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the explorations of Francis Drake and Walter Ralegh, the establishment of the Protestant Church, the flourishing of commercial theatre and the works of Edmund Spencer, Philip Sidney and William Shakespeare.

Encompassing social, political, cultural, religious and economic history, and crossing several disciplines, The Elizabethan World depicts a time of transformation, and a world order in transition. Topics covered include central and local government; political ideas; censorship and propaganda; parliament, the Protestant Church, the Catholic community; social hierarchies; women; the family and household; popular culture, commerce and consumption; urban and rural economies; theatre; art; architecture; intellectual developments ; exploration and imperialism; Ireland, and the Elizabethan wars. The volume conveys a vivid picture of how politics, religion, popular culture, the world of work and social practices fit together in an exciting world of change, and will be invaluable reading for all students and scholars of the Elizabethan period.





Desiree by Annemarie Selinko.  US reissue October 1, 2010. 
To be young, in France, and in love: fourteen year old Desiree can't believe her good fortune. Her fiance, a dashing and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte, is poised for battlefield success, and no longer will she be just a French merchant's daughter. She could not have known the twisting path her role in history would take, nearly breaking her vibrant heart but sweeping her to a life rich in passion and desire.  A love story, but so much more, Désirée explores the landscape of a young heart torn in two, giving readers a compelling true story of an ordinary girl whose unlikely brush with history leads to a throne no one would have expected.  An epic bestseller that has earned both critical acclaim and mass adoration, Désirée is at once a novel of the rise and fall of empires, the blush and fade of love, and the heart and soul of a woman.







Wicked Company by Ciji Ware.  US reissue October 1, 2010; available in the UK October 29, 2010.   
All of life's a wicked stage and love a dangerous drama...If Shakespeare had a sister...  In 18th century London the glamorous Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres were all the rage, beckoning every young actor, actress, playwright, and performer with the lure of the stage lights. But competition and back-biting between theatre owners, patrons, actors, and writers left aspiring playwrights with their work stolen, profits withheld, and reputations on the line. For a female, things were harder still, as the chances of a "petticoat playwright" getting past the government censor was slim.  In this exciting and cutthroat world, a young woman with a skill for writing and an ambition to see her work performed could rise to glory, or could lose all in the blink of an eye...  In Ciji Ware's signature style, real-life characters of the day create a backdrop for a portrait of a glittering era, a love story, and a compelling glimpse into what life was like for a strong and independent-minded woman in an emphatically man's world.




The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes.  US reissue October 1,2010;  available in the UK November 30, 2010.   
In this compelling novel of love, loyalty, and lost chances, Margaret Campbell Barnes gives readers a new perspective on Richard the Lionheart's triumphs and tragedies. Drawing on folklore, Barnes explores what might have happened if King Richard's foster brother were none other than Robin Hood, a legendary figure more vibrant than most in authentic history. Thick as thieves as Richard builds a kingdom and marshals a crusade, the two clash when Robin Hood so provokes the king's white hot temper that Richard banishes him. The Passionate Brood is a tale of a man driven to win back the Holy Land, beset by the guilt of casting out his childhood friend, and shouldering the burden of being the lionhearted leader of the Plantagenets.






Elizabeth, Captive Princess by Margaret Irwin.  US reissue October 1, 2010.  In July 1553, sibling rivalry looms perilous, even life-threatening, between the daughters of King Henry VIII. Their brother King Edward is dead, his successor Lady Jane Grey has been beheaded, and Queen Mary Tudor has just won possession of the throne. But her younger half sister-the beautiful and vivacious Princess Elizabeth-holds the hearts of the people. Despite Mary's health fading fast and her power beginning to crumble, she won't give up the throne, determined to rule to the absolute end as her father did before her. In these treacherous times, when all about her there is secrecy and deception, Elizabeth must rely on her faith and courage if she is to survive her ordeal and rise to fulfill her destiny. With grace and elegance, Margaret Irwin continues the story begun in Young Bess, giving readers an intimate peek into the world of that most enigmatic of Britain's monarchs.




 
 
 
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine.  US reissue October 1, 2010. 
Two Women, Eight Hundred Years, and the Destiny They Share.  With a story as mesmerizing as it is chilling, Lady of Hay explores how Jo, a journalist investigating hypnotic regression, plunges into the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay-who lived eight hundred years earlier. As she learns of Matilda's unhappy marriage, her troubled love for Richard de Clare, and the brutal treatment she received from King John, it seems that Jo's past and present are hopelessly entwined. Centuries later, a story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to begin again-and she has no choice but to brave both lives if she wants to shake the iron grip of history.










The Princeling by Cythina Harrod-Eagles.  US reissue October 1, 2010.   The Morlands' rise to power, as tenuous as it was unexpected, now faces its greatest threat. Elizabeth I is on the throne and Protestantism is sweeping the land, threatening the position of the Catholic Morlands and forcing them to seek new spheres of influence. John, the heir, rides north to the untamed Borderlands to wed the daughter of a Northumberland cattle lord. But he finds he must first prove himself and win her heart through blood and battle. John's gentle sister Lettice is given in marriage to a ruthless Scottish baron, and in the treacherous court of Mary, Queen of Scots, she learns the fierce lessons of survival. Through birth and death, love and hatred, triumph and heartbreak, the Morlands fight to hold on to their place among England's aristocracy.




 
 
 
 
 
The Death of Elizabeth I (Queenship and Power) by Catherine Loomis.  Non-fiction.  UK release October 1, 2010;  released in the US August 31, 2010.   The death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603 was greeted by an outpouring of official proclamations, gossip-filled letters, tense diary entries, diplomatic dispatches, and somber sermons. English poets wrote hundreds of elegies to Elizabeth, and playwrights began bringing her onto the stage. This book uses these historical and literary sources, including a maid of honor’s eyewitness account of the explosion of the Queen’s corpse, to provide a detailed history of Elizabeth’s final illness and death, and to show Elizabeth’s subjects—peers and poets, bishops and beggars, women and men—responding to their loss by remembering and reconstructing their Queen.

It's been awhile since I had some covers to update and all of the sudden, I have several!!


Penetrates the intriguing mysteries surrounding the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and the true fate of his daughter, Anastasia
Reveals previously unknown details of Anderson's life as Franziska Schanzkowska
Explains how Anderson acquired her knowledge, why people believed her claim, and how it transformed Anastasia into a cultural phenomenon
Draws on unpublished materials including Schanzkowska family memoirs, legal papers, and exclusive access to private documents of the British and Hessian Royal Families
Includes 75 photographs, dozens published here for the first time
Written by the authors of The Fate of the Romanovs

Refuting long-accepted evidence in the Anderson case, The Resurrection of the Romanovs finally explodes the greatest royal mystery of the twentieth-century.










Deliverance from Evil by Frances Hill.  Release date March 3, 2011.  Salem, Massachusetts, Winter 1692: In the parsonage of Reverend Samuel Parris, two young girls are seated by the fire and play at fortune-telling as snow falls softly outside. What starts as a game sends one of the girls into a hysterical trance, and a small town begins its descent into madness. Accusations of witchcraft would destroy lives and old scores would be settled. Over 150 people would be arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused of consorting with the devil.
In Deliverance from Evil, Frances Hill brings her deep historical and political understanding together with her honed skills as a novelist to produce a picture of the Salem witch trials both realistic and emotional.








From one of our finest historians comes an outstanding exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.  The monarchy is one of Britain’s longest surviving institutions – as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I and Cromwell's emergence as Lord Protector – all the way up until the Victorian era when Britain’s monarchs came face-to-face with modernity.
This brilliant collection of biographies of Britain’s kings and queens provides an in-depth examination of what the British monarchy has meant, what it means now and what it will continue to mean. Bringing to life a cast of colourful characters, Starkey’s trademark energy and authority make him the perfect guide on this epic, accessible and compelling journey, as he offers us a vivid portrait of British culture, politics and nationhood through an institution that has defined the realm for nearly two thousand years.

The main “Protagonists” – Jane, Mary, John Dudley and Edward VI – are each covered separately. These sections include their family background, and possible insight into their personality and motivations. He seems to have a great deal of respect for John Dudley’s abilities and puts him in the same category as Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell and William Cecil. Ives notes that although Dudley started out the son of a traitor, by the time he was barely forty he had gained an earldom – quite an achievement in Tudor England. Ives also spends some time looking at history’s less than kind view of Dudley and his ambition.

Ives indicates that there were four version of Edward VI’s “deuise for the succession.” He goes through each in great detail and points out that initially it seemed clear that Edward wanted to make female rule impossible. It is only later as his health deteriorated and realizing that the conditions initially set out would not happen soon, that he made changes.

The next part of the book covers the “Thirteen Days” between the king’s death and Mary’s acclamation as queen. Ives notes that one of the puzzles during that time is the council’s inability and/or failure to appreciate the need for gaining control of Mary. Perhaps they underestimated her as a “mere woman”; if so, it was an opinion they would come to regret. Even as Jane was reluctantly agreeing to become Queen, Mary was mobilizing to enforce her own claim to the throne. From there, the events that follow become a jumble of names and events as the nobles scurry to save their own necks with some changing sides more often than they probably changed their clothes.

The success of Mary’s rebellion (Ives points out that Jane was the reigning queen at the time) had everything to do with her own preparations as well as the lack of the same on part of Northumberland and those supporting Jane. This was the likely result of Mary being warned as to what was going on, probably even before her brother’s death.   In the weeks following Mary’s establishment as queen, most of the “rebels” were released from prison. Ives notes that the “rebellion” of 1553 was different than most others in history since it was not directed against the government itself and/or its policies, but rather was a division within the ruling class. Mary’s purpose was to become queen and in order to govern effectively, she needed to turn “dissidents into loyalists”. Jane and her husband were found guilty of treason but Mary seemed content to keep them imprisoned.  The involvement of Jane’s father inthe later rebellion, known as Wyatt’s Rebellion, finally forced Mary’s hand. Although the purpose of the rebellion had been to put Elizabeth on the throne (rather than reinstating Jane), the rumor was put out that Jane had been the intended replacement. This made it impossible for Mary to continue to protect Jane.



After recounting Jane’s final days and her execution, Ives moves on to Jane’s place in history and in popular culture. She lives on due to the image portrayed in The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by the French artist Paul Delaroche – an image meant to evoke emotions “in one of the world’s most repulsive individual atrocities”. In this regard, Ives includes with Lady Jane: the daughter of Sejanus in first century Rome (the virgin who was raped so that she could be executed); Prince Arthur during the reign of King John; the Princes in the Tower; the son of Louis XVI; the son of Napoleon and the Romanov children – children killed not for what they had done but because of the “bed they were born in.”

Several illustrations and portraits are included, although it would have been nice if they had been printed in color. Also included is a list of individuals holding relevant titles and offices (including dates) as well as a number of charts showing the line of succession via Henry VIII’s will and the options considered by Edward VI. There is also an extensive bibliography and endnotes. Despite feeling that the “Thirteen Days” section was often overloaded with detail, overall I really liked Ives approach in telling Jane’s story as well as his focus on Dudley's character which is often glossed over in a negative way.





In case the FTC asks: A friend at Goodreads had an extra copy of this book and gave it to me.

Sold by his father for four guineas, Patrick Devlin was working as a servant to Royal Navy Captain John Coxon when he was catpured by pirates. Now, Devlin has himself become one of the most feared pirates in the world - and Coxon his most bitter foe.   But in this thrilling new historical adventure it is not gold that Devlin is chasing, but something even more valuable. The early 18th Century is obsessed with the flavours of the New World - coffee and chocolate. And only one material enables the kings, queens and rising middle classes of Europe to drink without burning their fingers on the handles of their cups - Chinese porcelain. In a brilliant conspiracy story reaching from the unknown empires of the East to the restless new colonies of America, a letter has gone missing. In the letter lies the formula for the manufacture of Chinese porcelain, and whoever can find the letter can name his price - and even change the course of history, by enriching the nation that owns the secret. Valentim Mendes, a Portugese noble who has crossed swords with Devlin before, now seeks to blackmail him into finding the letter. And wherever Devlin goes, his nemesis Coxon is never far behind.


The Ground is Burning by Samuel Black. UK release February 3, 2011.
A sweeping historical novel set during the great Italian wars of the early sixteenth century. Seduction, betrayal and murder: the true art of the renaissance. Cesare Borgia, Niccolo Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci - three of the most famous, or notorious, names in European history. In the autumn of 1502, their lives intersect in a castle in Italy's Romagna. In this hugely intelligent and entertaining novel, Samuel Black tells the true story of these men who, with different tools - ruthless ambition, unstoppable genius and subtle political manipulation - each follow an obsession to attain greatness and leave a lasting mark on the world. And at the centre of this court of intrigue and deception is Dorotea Caracciolo, a young noblewoman abducted by Borgia who has become his lover - and his secret agent. Their story begins in hope and fear and ends in bloodshed, deceit and triumph. Along the way, there are battles and romances, lavish parties and furtive stranglings. And out of this maelstrom will emerge the Mona Lisa and The Prince.



Wolves Among Us by Ginger Garrett. US and UK release April 1, 2011.  This richly imagined tale takes readers to a tiny German town in the time of “the burnings,” when pious and heretic alike became victims of witch-hunting zealots. When a double murder stirs up festering fears, the village priest sends for help. But the charismatic Inquisitor who answers the call brings a deadly mix of spiritual fervor and self-deceptive evil. Under his influence, village fear, guilt, and suspicion of women take a deadly turn. In the midst of this nightmare, a doubting priest and an unloved wife—a secret friend of the recently martyred William Tyndale—somehow manage to hear another Voice…and discover the power of love over fear.
Dinfoil, Germany, 1538. In a little town on the edge of the Black Forest, a double murder stirs up festering fears. A lonely woman despairs of pleasing her husband and wonders why other women shun her. An overworked sheriff struggles to hold the town—and himself—together. A priest begins to doubt the power of the words he shares daily with his flock. And the charismatic Inquisitor who arrives to help—with a filthy witch in a cage as an object lesson—brings his own mix of lofty ideals and treacherous evil. Under his influence, ordinary village fears and resentments take a deadly turn. Terror mounts. Dark deeds come to light. And men and women alike discover not only what they are capable of, but who they are…and what it means to grapple for grace.





The Philosopher’s Kiss by Peter Prange. US release April 5, 2011.
A major bestseller in Germany and with rights already sold in ten countries, The Philosopher’s Kiss tells the passionate love story between Sophie, a girl from the French countryside, and Denis Diderot, the famed philosopher. Paris 1747. Betrayed by God and humanity, Sophie moves to the seething capital of the kingdom. To survive, she works at Café Procope, the meeting place for free-thinkers and revolutionaries. Against her better judgement she falls deeply in love with one of the regular customers: Denis Diderot, the famed philosopher and a married man. He and his colleagues are planning the most dangerous book in the world since the appearance of the Bible—an encyclopedia containing all of human knowledge. Even more explosive are the covert references in the Encyclopedia that threaten to undermine both the monarchy and the church. But Sophie soon realizes that her right to freedom, love, and happiness are at stake.





King’s Gold by Michael Jecks. UK release June 1, 2011.
As the year 1326 draws to a close, London is in flames. King Edward II is a prisoner, and the forces of his vengeful queen, Isabella, and her lover Sir Roger Mortimer, are in the ascendant. The Bardi family, bankers who have funded the King, must look to their future with the Queen, steering a careful course between rival factions -- if, that is, they can keep themselves alive. Others, too, find their loyalties torn. Guarding the deposed King on behalf of Mortimer, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and bailiff Simon Puttock find themselves entangled in a tightening net of conspiracy, greed, betrayal and murder.




The Great Seige: Clash of Empires by William Napier. UK release June 21, 2011.
1565: a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean stands gatekeeper between East and West. It is about to become the scene for one of the most amazing stories of bravery, battle and bloodlust: the siege of Malta. Formed in the Holy Land in the 11th century, a small band of knights had long sought a home. Driven from their lands by Ottoman might, they came to rest in Malta from where they watched the Turks and corsairs raid the Spanish empire. As word came from Constantinople that Malta was in the sights of the Ottoman Empire, all of Europe watched as a force of over 30,000 men besieged the island - itself only peopled by only 500 knights and a few thousand local soldiers. On that small rock an epic struggle will be played out - the story of individual men, warriors and slaves, but also the story of two worlds colliding.



Killer of Men: Marathon by Christian Cameron. UK release August 18, 2011.
The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC was one of history's great turning points - the first time the Greeks managed to defeat the Persians in a pitched battle, it enabled the rise of classical Greek civilization. As John Stuart Mill famously put it, 'The Battle of Marathon, even as an event in British history, is more important than the Battle of Hastings.' Without it, the modern world as we know it would not exist. Christian Cameron's epic retelling of the battle will bring it alive, with all of its human drama and tragedy, as never before. The Greeks do not always behave well - in fact, many readers may come to see them as ignorant and bigoted as compared to the multi-cultural Persians, who for some, actually bring greater freedom - at least for a while. The heroic Militiades, who led the Greeks at Marathon and then died in exile, a ruined man, was a fatally flawed character. His opponent, The Persian King Darius, was guilty of vaulting ambition and hubris, but he combined it with personal integrity and vast generosity. And in the middle, torn between two cultures, one of which has already made him a slave, we find Kineas - ancestor of the Kineas of the Tyrant books - nicknamed 'Killer of Men' he will lead a decisive contingent of infantry in the thickest of the battle.

Since my upcoming read has some of the Borgia family as at least secondary characters and with the 2011 Showtime series about the family I thought it was time to start learning a little bit more about them.  Rodrigo Borgia was born in 1431 and after studying law, worked his way up the church hierarchy.  In 1492 he was elected pope (amid allegations of bribery) and he took the name of Alexander VI.  Despite his long career in the church, Rodrigo had several children.  Four - including Cesare and Lucrezia (among the more well known of the Borgia family) -were by the same woman, Vannozza dei Cattani.  He died in 1503.

The young former High Queen, Isolde, and her friend and protector, Trystan, are reunited in a new and dangerous quest to keep the usurper, Lord Marche, and his Saxon allies from the throne of Britain. Using Isolde’s cunning wit and talent for healing and Trystan’s strength and bravery, they must act as diplomats, persuading the rulers of the smaller kingdoms, from Ireland to Cornwall, that their allegiance to the High King is needed to keep Britain from a despot’s hands.  Their admissions of love hang in the air, but neither wants to put the other at risk by openly declaring a deeper alliance. When their situation is at its most desperate, Trystan and Isolde must finally confront their true feelings toward each other, in time for a battle that will test the strength of their will and their love.  Steeped in the magic and lore of Arthurian legend, Elliott paints a moving portrait of a timeless romance, fraught with danger, yet with the power to inspire heroism and transcend even the darkest age.



The Last White Rose:  Dynasty, Rebellion and Treason - The Secret Wars Against the Tudors by Desmond Seward.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 16, 2010.  This is a brilliant new interpretation of one of the most dramatic periods of British history. The Wars of the Roses didn't end at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Despite the death of Richard III and Henry VII's victory, it continued underground into the following century with plots, pretenders and subterfuge by the ousted white rose faction. In a brand new interpretation of this turning point in history, well known historian Desmond Seward reviews the story of the Tudors' seizure of the throne and shows that for many years they were far from secure. He challenges the way we look at the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, explaining why there were so many Yorkist pretenders and conspiracies, and why the new dynasty had such difficulty establishing itself. King Richard's nephews, the Earl of Warwick and the little known de la Pole brothers, all had the support of dangerous enemies overseas, while England was split when the lowly Perkin Warbeck skilfully impersonated one of the princes in the tower in order to claim the right to the throne. Warwick's surviving sister Margaret also became the desperate focus of hopes that the White Rose would be reborn. The book also offers a new perspective on why Henry VIII, constantly threatened by treachery, real or imagined, and desperate to secure his power with a male heir, became a tyrant.