London, October, 1956. A glittering Royal Film Premiere. The whole world is watching. Tonight, Elizabeth II will formally greet an array of stars. Though she was not born to be Queen, this young mother and wife has embraced her patriotic duty and its unforgiving demands. A limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling […]
The Library of War and Peace by Louise Morrish
Josie Everley may have survived the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, but she lost the man she loves most to the sea. Broken-hearted and destitute, Josie must start afresh as a library assistant at a ground-breaking, all-female-run military hospital in Endell Street. As she focuses on her work, she never expected to meet Theo, a […]
Storm of Mercia by MJ Porter
By AD836 the Viking raiders’ devastation has been halted once more — by the shields of Mercia, as opposed to Wessex. ,But their whereabouts are unknown. King Wiglaf of Mercia is keen to ensure the Viking raiders are swept from his shared border with Wessex but these Viking ships are quick and difficult to track. […]
The Darkening Globe by Naomi Kelsey
It’s 1597, and in London, when Beatrice’s husband returns from exploring the New World, he comes home with unexpected company: a mysterious woman, and an enormous painted globe. As Hugh refuses to explain who their female guest is, Beatrice’s foreboding grows. The unwieldy globe now strikes her as sinister – a reminder of the world […]
The Turncoat’s Revenge by Eleanor Swift-Hook
Spring 1628, and England is at war with France as the rest of Europe consumes itself in increasingly bitter conflict. In Dunkirk, Philip Lord, disgraced adventurer, has a new ship and through it the chance to gain enough from his privateering to follow his guiding star. But when he must risk everything to rescue a […]
Historian or novelist? Writing fiction based on facts
Is the historical fiction author a historian or novelist? Julie Owen Moylan considers her own experience of writing a novel based on the known facts about two iconic women in the 1950s. Writing about real people is a challenging enterprise for both novelist and historian. How can we best sum up a life of many […]
Fury of the King by Donovan Cook
Ragnar Lothbrok is dead, and King Horik of the Danes is hunting down those he believes are plotting against him. Ulf Bear-Slayer Bjornson, unaware of Ragnar’s death, prepares to go raiding with the legendary jarl. But when he returns to Jelling, he finds himself caught in a trap and barely escapes. Now hunted by the […]
Treaty of Blood by Michael Jecks
1359, Northern France. With the ink still drying on the Treaty of Bretigny, an agreement most believed to be nothing more than a stalemate between King Edward III of England and John II of France, the country is left riddled with both English and France armies – exhausted, adrift and directionless. An atmosphere ripe for […]