London 1531. When blacksmith apprentice Will Patten witnesses his master’s brutal murder and the burning of his master’s house and forge, he returns to his family’s impoverished home in London. With his apprenticeship over and his family unable to feed another mouth, Will is left with few options. As a young man with an education […]
The delicate matter of mustard and candles: a Paston family scandal
Anne O’Brien tells the story of Margery Paston, a member of the famous Norfolk letter-writing family, and the scandal she caused when she fell in love with their bailiff, a man from a family who sold mustard and candles. It’s the background to her new novel, A Marriage of Fortune. Clement Paston, who died in […]
Bellatrix by Simon Turney
Egypt, 25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty-Second is no ordinary legion. Formed from the personal guard of a conquered king, the Twenty Second’s ways are strange to soldiers of the Empire — yet the legion has proved itself in the blistering heat of the desert. Cervianus and his comrades march […]
Resurrection by David Gilman
Dan Raglan, former Foreign Legion fighter, alias The Englishman, returns. Somewhere in the Sahara, on the desolate border between Sudan and Chad, a P51 Mustang with long-range drop tanks slowly emerges from the dunes. Inside, the skeletalised remains of a man missing for three decades. His flying jacket bears no insignia, a worn leather attaché […]
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
London, 1799. Dora Blake lives with her uncle in what used to be her parents’ famed shop of antiquities. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora is intrigued by her uncle’s suspicious behaviour and enlists the help of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar. For Edward, the ancient vase is the key to unlocking […]
The Queen’s Lady by Joanna Hickson
Raven-haired and fiercely independent, Joan Guildford has always remained true to herself. As lady-in-waiting and confidante to Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII, Joan understands royal patronage is vital if she and her husband, Sir Richard, are to thrive in the volatile atmosphere of court life. But Tudor England is in mourning following the death […]
The Virgins of Venice by Gina Buonaguro
Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just 16, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna. Her hopes are dashed […]
The French House by Jacquie Bloese
In Nazi-occupied Guernsey, the wrong decision can destroy a life. Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation – or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever. Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn’t know what has become of Émile and […]