Father-to-son succession wasn’t necessarily the way for Roman Emperors. Far from it, says LJ Trafford, who draws on research for her book Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors to illustrate how not to become a successful Roman Emperor. Buying the position when you’re drunk? Agreeing because a mob of thugs has a blade to your throat? Probably […]
Wolves around the Throne by SJA Turney
AD 1044, and all eyes are on the marriage of Beatrix de Hautville to Armand de Mortain. The union could calm a tense political situation in Normandy: a young, illegitimate nobleman called William is vying for the ducal throne, and making plenty of enemies along the way. One of these is Beatrix’s elder brother, Serlo, […]
Storm Tossed Moon by Maggie Craig
Edinburgh, January 1744: Scotland stands on the brink of armed and bloody conflict. Travelling secretly across Europe from Rome, Prince Charles Edward Stuart is determined to claim his birthright. His fervour is matched by homegrown Jacobites who long to see the House of Stuart restored to the British throne. Redcoat Captain Robert Catto has painful […]
Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby
1938: Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the menacing shadow of her controlling older brother, Aubrey. But when she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney, the two women form a close bond, and Vita finally glimpses a chance to be free. 1997: Following the death of her mother, Eve Blakeney returns to the coast where she spent […]
The Orphans on the Train by Gill Thompson
1939, and a girl with auburn hair looks anxiously out of the train window, watching the mountains of Europe pass by. War is on the horizon at home, and Kirsty finds herself heading to neutral Hungary to help in a school for Jewish children. Little does she know that in leaving everything behind, she is […]
Warrior by Alistair Tosh
It’s AD 150 and Lucius Faenius Felix — a battle-hardened tribune, scarred in body and mind — journeys to his home province of Hispania Baetica. Accompanied by his friend Cai Martis — warrior of the Nervii tribe and veteran praefect of cavalry — Felix has high hopes of recovering his family lands and avenging his […]
The Hunt by Griff Hosker
The Battle of Stirling Bridge is a haunting memory for King Edward I. When Scottish rebels threaten his northern borders the king acts swiftly to quash it. William Wallace remains a threat and hiding across the seas he sends his hunter to fetch him back. Sir Gerald Warbow is no longer a young man and […]
The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper
Amara’s journey has taken her far, from a lowly slave in Pompeii’s brothel to a high-powered courtesan in Rome. She is now a freedwoman with wealth and influence, yet she is still drawn back to her past. For while Amara is caught up in the political scheming of the Imperial palace, her daughter remains in […]