Patricia Bracewell
Список книг автора Patricia BracewellShadow on the Crown
Set in England when Vikings are on the brink of invasion, this is an epic tale of seduction, war, and unrequited love from an outstanding new voice in historical fictionThe year is 1001 and England is under threat. The air off the southern coast hangs heavy, thick with the fear of Viking sea raids.For England’s King Æthelred the night sky is heavy with a dark portent. England’s future hangs in the balance, its path determined by a struggle for the King’s own heart. Two women – Emma, his Norman bride and Elgiva, his Anglo Saxon mistress – will stop at nothing in their battle for the King’s favour and the Queen’s Coronet. But the sky speaks of a royal death and ahead of all three is a journey fraught with danger and deception.
The Price of Blood
The second book in Bracewell’s outstanding Emma of Normandy series, set in 11-century England, when Vikings are on the brink of invasion.1006 AD. Queen Emma, the Norman bride of England’s King Æthelred, has given birth to a son. Now her place as second wife to the king is safe and Edward marked as heir to the throne. But the royal bed is a cold place and the court a setting for betrayal and violence, as the ageing king struggles to retain his power over the realm. Emma can trust no one, not even the king’s eldest son Athelstan, the man she truly loves.Elsewhere Viking threats to the crown are gaining strength, and in the north the powerful nobleman Ælfhelm is striking an alliance with the Danes. His seductive daughter Elgiva, former mistress to the king, is forced to act as a pawn in his plan, and is given as wife to a Viking Lord. Can King Æthelred finally listen to Athelstan, whose plan to strengthen the kingdoms’ ties will put off the Viking threat once and for all?Emma must protect her only child without abandoning her noble position. And her inner conflict, between maternal instinct and royal duty, will be played out against the dramatic and bloody struggle for Britain’s rule.
