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A sweeping, cinematic novel about the life of the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart October 1612. King James I is looking to expand England’s influence in Europe, especially among the Protestants. He invites Prince Frederic of the Palatinate to London and offers him his sixteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. The fierce and intelligent Elizabeth moves to Heidelberg Castle, Frederic’s ancestral home, where she is favored with whatever she desires, and the couple begins their family. Amid much turmoil, the Hapsburg emperor is weakened, and with help from Bohemian rebels, Frederic takes over royal duties in Prague. Thus, Elizabeth becomes the Queen of Bohemia. But their reign...
King David sings his psalms. A world away, King Henry plots. And courtier Thomas Wyatt sees them both, his beloved falcon Lukkes on his arm. David wants Bathsheba. Henry too must have what he wants. He wants Ann, a divorce, a son. He looks up at his tapestry of David and sees a mighty predecessor who defended his faith and took what he liked. But he leaves it to others to count the costs. Among those counting is the poet Wyatt, who sees a different David, a man who repented before God, in song as in life. This is the version of the biblical king which Wyatt must give voice to as he translates David's psalms. As David pursues Bathsheba, Henry courts Ann, and Wyatt interweaves the past and present. Lux is a story of love and its reach, fidelity and faith, power and poetry.
Already a great historian, Tracy Borman proves with this thrilling debut novel that she is also a born storyteller. As she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth, Frances Gorges longs for the fields and ancient woods of her parents' Hampshire estate, where she has learned to use the flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. Frances is happy to stay in her beloved countryside when the new King arrives from Scotland, bringing change, fear and suspicion. His court may be shockingly decadent, but James's religion is Puritan, intolerant of all the old ways; he has already put to death many men for treason and women for witchcraft. So when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to co...
Did you love WOLF HALL, BRING UP THE BODIES and THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT? If so, you'll be gripped by MISTRESS CROMWELL: discover the powerful story of the woman in the shadows . . . Reader acclaim for Mistress Cromwell 'A delicious frisson of danger slithers through every page of the book. Enthralling.' Karen Maitland 'A delicate and detailed portrayal, absolutely beautifully done. Captivating.' Suzannah Dunn 'Rich, vivid and immersive, an enthralling story of the turbulent Tudor era.' Nicola Cornick 'Fantastic read from the perspective of Cromwell's wife.' ***** Reader Review 'Excellent read. Very well written and researched. Would recommend this book to anyone interested in Tudor times.' ...
"Focussing on the intense period of raised hopes and dashed expectations between Christmas 1602 and Christmas 1603, Leanda de Lisle tells in detail the story of Elizabeth's death and how the suffocating conservatism of her rule was replaced with that of the energetic, seemingly fair-minded James." "As James journeys south from Scotland, he is confronted with the extraordinary wealth of his new kingdom, but also with English contempt for his Scots entourage and a stubborn rejection of his hopes for the union of Britain. As the welcome turns sour, those who are disappointed in James turn to intrique and hatch plots against him before the crown is even on his head. Lives are lost and fortunes won in the struggle for power and influence."--BOOK JACKET.
In this compelling story, a man who has endured much tragedy as a boy reaps the bitter fruit of deceit sown by his deceased father, threatening all he loves. While growing up in British Guiana, Richard Cheong wrestles with guilt after his younger brother is murdered and his mother's death shortly thereafter. As the lone surviving son, Richard believes that only a son can redeem his tormented soul and end his life of poverty and servitude to his father's sister. After he marries the beautiful and headstrong Gloria, she bears him three girls. But in 1953 as Richard awaits the birth of what he hopes will be his first son, the British governor orchestrates a troop invasion, suspends the Guianese Constitution, and disbands the leftist government. As a chain of events unfurls that splinters Richard's life and alters the course of his country, political unrest rages across the colony.
Queen Elizabeth’s spymasters recruit an unlikely agent—the only Muslim in England—for an impossible mission in a mesmerizing novel from “one of the best writers in America” (The Washington Post) “Evokes flashes of Hilary Mantel, John le Carré and Graham Greene, but the wry, tricky plot that drives it is pure Arthur Phillips.”—The Wall Street Journal NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE WASHINGTON POST The year is 1601. Queen Elizabeth I is dying, childless. Her nervous kingdom has no heir. It is a capital crime even to think that Elizabeth will ever die. Potential successors secretly maneuver to be in position when the inevitable ...
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Two questions have always plagued historians: how could Christopher Marlowe, a known spy and England's foremost playwright, be suspiciously murdered and quickly buried in an unmarked grave, just days before he was to be tried for treason? How could William Shakespeare replace Marlowe as England's greatest playwright virtually overnight --when Shakespeare had never written anything before and was merely an unknown actor? The Shakespeare Conspiracy is a historical novel that intertwines the two mysteries and then puts the pieces together to offer the only possible resolution.