In a Treacherous Court

In a Treacherous Court
Author: Michelle Diener
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2011-08-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1439197105

An unconventional woman. A deadly enemy. A clash of intrigue, deception, and desire. . . . 1525: Artist Susanna Horenbout is sent from Belgium to be Henry VIII’s personal illuminator inside the royal palace. But her new homeland greets her with an attempt on her life, and the King’s most lethal courtier, John Parker, is charged with keeping her safe. As further attacks are made, Susanna and Parker realize that she unknowingly carries the key to a bloody plot against the throne. For while Richard de la Pole amasses troops in France for a Yorkist invasion, a traitor prepares to trample the kingdom from within. Who is the mastermind? Why are men vying to kill the woman Parker protects with his life? With a motley gang of urchins, Susanna’s wits, and Parker’s fierce instincts, honed on the streets and in palace chambers, the two slash through deadly layers of deceit in a race against time. For in the court of Henry VIII, secrets are the last to die. . . . Brilliantly revealing a little-known historical figure who lived among the Tudors, Michelle Diener makes a smashing historical fiction debut.

Shadow on the Crown

Shadow on the Crown
Author: Patricia Bracewell
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 483
Release: 2013-02-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101606193

A rich tale of power and forbidden love revolving around a young medieval queen In 1002, fifteen­-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son. Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life. Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern readers.

The Court of Miracles

The Court of Miracles
Author: Kester Grant
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2020-06-02
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1524772879

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution. In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

Keeper of the King's Secrets

Keeper of the King's Secrets
Author: Michelle Diener
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2012-04-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1439197091

The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the Kings most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. ...

Court of Shadows

Court of Shadows
Author: Cynthia Morgan
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 640
Release: 1992
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780345366511

There's a plot afoot to assassinate Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. A female agent of the queen falls into the clutches of an opposition agent. Unfortunately, their growing attraction for each other brings them close to betraying their respective causes, and their hearts.

Court of Swans

Court of Swans
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2021-01-05
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0785234020

Where there is wealth and power, there’s always someone willing to do anything to take it. When Delia's father dies, her stepmother accuses her seven brothers of treasonous crimes. Seeking to free them from Richard II's grasp, Delia's only ally is Sir Geoffrey, the man who arrested them. Can she trust him? England, 1381: Delia’s idyllic life as daughter of an earl is shattered when her father dies and his wife accuses Delia’s seven brothers of treason and murder. The youngest is only ten years old, but this doesn’t stop the guards from hauling them off to the Tower of London. There they await a grim fate, as child-king Richard II is executing anyone who poses a threat to his throne. Delia is their only hope for pardon and freedom. Sir Geoffrey did not expect his first assignment as captain of the guard to be the arrest of boys so young. He dutifully imprisons the brothers, but he can’t ignore the feeling, rooted in personal experience, that injustice and treachery are at work. Determined to rescue her brothers, Delia secures a position as a seamstress for the queen. Her quest is all but impossible as the executions continue. Sir Geoffrey offers to be her ally, but should she trust him in a court where everyone has an agenda? From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a tender retelling of “The Wild Swans,” where the virtues of loyalty and love face a harrowing showdown with power and fear. The first installment in a brand-new series set in England: The Dericott Tales Book 1: Court of Swans Book 2: Castle of Refuge Book 3: Veil of Winter Full-length clean fairy-tale reimagining Includes discussion questions for book clubs

The Treachery of Beautiful Things

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Author: Ruth Long
Publisher: Speak
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2013-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0142426067

Seven years after the forest seemingly swallowed her brother whole, seventeen-year-old Jenny, whose story about Tom's disappearance has never been believed, sets out to finally say goodbye, but instead she is pulled into a mysterious world of faeries and other creatures where nothing is what it seems.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Wings and Ruin
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 739
Release: 2018-05
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1619635208

Sarah J. Maas hit the New York Times SERIES list at #1 with A Court of Wings and Ruin!

Royal Blood

Royal Blood
Author: Rona Sharon
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Total Pages: 796
Release: 2009-03-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0758240880

In the Tudor Court of 1518, your friends and enemies can be one and the same. . . During the annual celebration of the Order of the Garter, Sir Michael Devereaux arrives in King Henry VIII's court on a mission for his benefactor. The celebration's endless feats and sumptuous women delight the charismatic newcomer, who becomes captivated by the enigmatic Princess Renée of France. But evil, it seems, has followed Michael to the court. Shortly after his arrival, an unknown killer claims several victims, including the Queen's lady-in-waiting, and the powerful Cardinal Wolsey asks Michael to help with the investigation. As he searches for the killer, Michael is haunted by disturbing images of the victims--flashes of violence that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Michael soon realizes that the key to solving the crime is connected to both the Pope's Imperial vault in Rome and a mystery from Michael's own past--revealing a secret that is so damning, it could forever alter the future of mankind. Powerfully evocative and steeped with detail from the breathtaking era of the Tudors, Royal Blood is historical storytelling at its richest--an unforgettable tale of intrigue, passion, and danger.

A Treacherous Paradise

A Treacherous Paradise
Author: Henning Mankell
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2013-07-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307362450

From the internationally acclaimed author of the Wallander crime series, a dramatic new standalone novel set in turn-of-the-century Sweden and Mozambique, whose indomitable female protagonist is awoken from naiveté by her exposure to racism, and by her own unexpected inner strengths. Cold and poverty define Hanna Renström's childhood in remote northern Sweden, and in 1905, at 19, she boards a ship for Australia in hope of a better life. But none of her hopes--or fears--prepares her for the life she will lead. After 2 brief marriages, she finds herself a widow twice over, and the owner of a bordello in Portuguese East Africa, a world where colonialism and white supremacy rule, where she is isolated within society by her profession and her sex, and, among the bordello's black prostitutes, by her colour. As Hanna's story unfurls over the next several years, we watch her in this "treacherous paradise," as she wrestles with a constant, wrenching loneliness and with the racism she's meant to unthinkingly adopt. And as her life becomes increasingly intertwined with the prostitutes, she moves inexorably toward the moment when she will make a decision that defies every expectation society has of her, and, more importantly, those she has of herself.