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 […]
Christmas reading 2025 – historical books to give or to treat yourself to
We asked 12 well-loved authors to each suggest a couple of historical books to give, receive, or treat yourself to for Christmas 2025. There are ideas for history-reading children and teens as well. Newly-published or classics, fiction and non-fiction, their choices range from Ancient Rome to a history of Black British culture, via the Crusades, […]
Pilgrim’s War by Michael Jecks
France, 1096, and crowds gather in Sens, Northern France, to hear the Hermit speak. He talks of a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a quest filled with promise for those Christian soldiers who march with him. Sybill knows the perils of the road ahead, but follow it she must. Her husband is a reckless gambler, easily […]
Ashes of Rebellion by Michael Jecks
1358, Northern France. In a land ravaged by war, King John II is the prisoner of the King of England. His son, the teenaged Dauphin, must battle to impose control over the fractured kingdom. But King Charles of Navarre wants to wrest power for himself. He leads Parisians and the Jacquerie to open rebellion, upending […]
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 […]
Blood on the Sand by Michael Jecks
1346 sees Berenger Fripper and the men of his Vintaine stationed near the ancient port of Calais, a French city under English siege. They are here to capture the city and use it as a staging-post for future incursions into France. But with the French army and Genoese mercenaries all about them, and trouble brewing […]
Fields of Glory by Michael Jecks
1346, France, and King Edward III is restless. Despite earlier victories the French crown remains intact. Determined to bring France under his own rule, Edward has devised a new plan of attack – one which he believes will finally bring the French army to its knees: a final, cataclysmic battle. Berenger Fripper, Vintener of a […]
Death Comes in Threes by Michael Jecks
As London is bustling with growing trade from foreign lands, and Queen Mary’s health is once again a hot topic, Jack Blackjack has much to keep him busy in August, 1558. And that’s before his new tenant — a Dutch merchant — disappears under a cloud of suspicion, quickly presumed murdered, and Jack’s latest female […]