It’s AD652, and after surviving dark intrigues at the Frankish royal court, Beobrand is finally able to undertake the mission his queen set him: to escort a party of pilgrims to the holy city of Rome. Yet Beobrand’s life is never easy. His party includes a scheming churchman whose ambition is boundless, and a mysterious […]
Blood of the Innocents by Michael Jecks
France, 1356; 10 years have passed since the battle of Crécy, and the English fighters are still abroad, laying siege to cities, towns and villages. Meanwhile the Prince of Wales raids across the continent to draw the French King John into a battle for sovereignty over all France. Berenger Fripper, having lost everything during the […]
Show, don’t tell, Write what you know: do they work for historical fiction?
How useful is advice like ‘Show, don’t tell’ and ‘Write what you know’ for authors in general and writers of historical fiction in particular? Jem Poster, who’s an author and an emeritus professor of Creative Writing, takes a closer look. Whatever genre they work in, good fiction writers know better than to give unqualified assent […]
Carnival of Lies by DV Bishop
Venice in the winter of 1539. When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence – with his life, if necessary. The deadly attack that follows leads to bodies, bloodshed… and something far more dangerous. Those behind the plot obtain a journal […]
The King of Montréal by Daniela Norris
It’s 1800 when Louis-Charles, only 15 years old, arrives in Montréal. Known to everyone as Charles, he has escaped France aboard the ill-fated packet ship Freedom. Rescued by Basque fishermen, Charles is taken to the port of Montréal and left there to fend for himself as he bears the heavy secret of his true identity… […]
Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home… When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home. But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s […]
The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite
In 1461, through blood and battle, Edward IV has gained England’s throne. King by right and conquest – 18 years old and unstoppable. Cecily has piloted his rise to power and stands at his shoulder now, first to claim the title King’s Mother. But to win a throne is not to keep it, and war […]
The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden
The trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst is not Mrs Montgomery Hurst – as young Miss Amelia Ashpoint well knows. The real trouble is the polite society of Wickenshire in 1841, with its inescapable gossip about the arrival of the new Mrs Hurst and – whisper it – her three children from a previous marriage. In […]