Renaissance Fiction

Raised by her aunt and uncle amidst the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, young orphan Virginia Tacci has always harbored a deep love for horses - though she knows she may never have the chance to ride. As a shepherdess in sixteenth-century Italy, Virginia's possibilities are doubly limited by her peasant class and her gender.

Quinze ans se sont écoulés depuis la destruction de la forteresse d’Amecareth et la chute de l’empereur Noir. La paix règne sur Enkidiev. Qui sont les rois et les reines du continent ? Où sont allés les Chevaliers d’Émeraude et que font-ils ?

Ny bestseller af forfatteren til Havets Katedral. I 1500-tallets Andalusien stræber den unge Hernando efter frihed - for sig selv og sit folk. Som uægte søn af en katolsk præst og en muslimsk kvinde efter en voldtægt fanges han i et brutalt opgør mellem to religioner og i et spil om kærlighed, han umuligt kan vinde. Fatimas Hånd er en gribende og brutal rejse med tragedier og triumfer i det gryende moderne Spanien.

A chance meeting reunites Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, estranged friends who have long been separated by their ambitions. Since losing touch, Irene has become a wife and mother in Harlem, where she remains closely connected to her racial heritage. The seductive Clare, however, now “passes,” enjoying the privileges of white society while hiding her roots from the world, including her rich (and racist) husband.

Toledo, 1479. Nace Juana I de Castilla, tercera hija de los Reyes Católicos. A pesar de tener una educación esmerada, ni sus padres, Isabel I de Castilla y Fernando II de Aragón, ni su esposo Felipe de Habsburgo por el que sentía un amor y unos celos desmedidos, la consideraron capaz de gobernar. Relegada a un segundo plano, y olvidada, su padre y su esposo ejercieron la regencia hasta que su hijo Carlos I tuvo la mayoría de edad.

Cesare Borgia, former cardinal, Duke of Valentinois and Romagna, has been a figure of awe and scorn for generations. Seemingly compelled to explore this fascinating historical figure's true nature, Rafael Sabatini brought Borgia life as no one had before. Drawn to the passion, suspicion, betrayal, and ambition of Borgia's brief but exciting life, Sabatini penned seven short stories set during the Italian Renaissance: "The Honour of Varano", "The Test", "Ferrante's Jest", "Gisimondi's Wage", "The Snare", "The Lust of Conquest", and "The Pasquinade". These stories are collected here.

Paris, 1572. Seventeen-year-old Jacqueline “Jac” d’Argenson-Aunis is lady-in-waiting to her best friend and former lover, the French Princess Marguerite “Margot” de Valois, but she dreams of more. If Jac plays her cards right, one day, she’ll become a full member of the Societas Solis, a secret society of spies. But it’s hard to think about her own ambitions while France is on the brink of war, and the only thing that might save the country is an alliance—a marriage between the Catholic Princess Margot and Henry, the awful son of the Huguenot queen.

Settled down in his beloved Mortlake once again, philosopher and astronomer John Dee is enjoying the quiet life when Her Majesty’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham darkens his door, instructing him to befriend a certain Polish count with an interest in alchemy and angelic communication. But when Dee and the count are caught breaking the law, trying to convene with angels, they are exiled, and must make their way to the court of Rudolf, Holy Roman Emperor, in far-off Prague.

The daughter of a wealthy merchant, young Dolça Llull Prat is besotted with the dashing, bootstrapping Miguel Cervantes from their first meeting. Despite Miguel’s entreaties, the ever-practical Dolça, with her love of luxury and her devotion to her own art, repeatedly refuses to upend her life for him, although she always welcomes his attentions on her own terms. When Miguel renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his great Quixote, revealing their association, he commits an unforgivable offense and their decades-long affinity is severed—until he reaches out to her one last time.

February, 1586. When the queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, learns that Ursula is to visit her relatives in Devon, he asks her to find out what has happened to two of his local agents, who have been strangely silent recently. On arrival in the small Devon village of Zeal Aquatio, Ursula discovers that both spies in question have met with mysterious - and fatal - accidents. Or is there more to it than that? What did the two spies find out that got them killed?

"I promessi sposi" è ambientato nella Lombardia del '600 sotto la dominazione spagnola. Il romanzo racconta la storia di due giovani innamorati, Renzo e Lucia, che desiderano sposarsi, ma a causa della tirannia del signore locale Don Rodrigo, che innamoratosi di Lucia intimidisce la popolazione e il clero locale, devono intraprendere una lunga serie di avventure per riuscire a coronare il loro sogno d'amore. Il libro contiene fedeli ricostruzioni storiche e temi quali la divina provvidenza, la peste, la dominazione straniera e la povertà.

"The descriptions are extraordinary. Great descriptions are given of each character and scene." – Royal Palm Literary Award Judge "Lennox's illness is a clever opportunity for the story to turn in a more action-oriented direction, and to sneak in some drama into what might have otherwise been a quiet family story." – Book Pipeline Betrayal and Redemption Lennox's role as a powerful knight once defined him, but being a father fulfills his days. His desire for a life of peace and tranquility has finally come to pass. So, he thinks ... The demons of his past have come calling, threatening ...

It is May 1706. Ana, a young Spanish woman, lives in a small town on the north-west coast of Tenerife with her mother and twin younger brothers. The town is in the shadow of a mighty volcano, which legend says has the devil living inside it. However, there has been no eruption for thousands of years, and no one believes it is a threat. One day, Ana notices that the air feels strange and heavy, that the birds have stopped singing. Tending the family vineyard, a sudden strange tremor in the earth frightens her.

On the heels of the best seller success of her novel The Wedding, Dorothy West, the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, presents a collection of essays and stories that explore both the realism of everyday life, and the fantastical, extraordinary circumstances of one woman's life in a mythic time.

I když se situace v Uhrách v polovině 16. století již trochu uklidnila a útoky Osmanů na nějakou dobu utichly, objeví se jiná nebezpečná a zdánlivě neřešitelná záležitost. Protože použití vojska je vyloučeno a rovněž vyslanec českého krále v Budíně má v tom ohledu ruce svázané, obrátí se královna Anna na královského písaře Jiřího Adama z Dobronína. Pán z Dobronína se rozhodne její prosbě vyhovět a vydává se na tajnou misi do Uher. Ale ještě dříve, než tam stačí dorazit, dojde k první vraždě, která cestu velmi zkomplikuje.

London, winter of 1589. The city is alive with intrigue, and anticipation. The players of Lord Strange’s Men are rehearsing a daring new play, penned by one of their promising young actors, William Shakespeare. But excitement turns to disaster when the authorities shutter the theatre over a trivial offense, plunging Will into uncertainty and despair. Determined to press on, he begins crafting a grisly revenge tragedy—Titus Andronicus—hoping to sell it to another troupe. But before he can do so, his entire collection of playscripts is stolen. His reputation, his career—everything is ...

Elizabeth Fane is on the cusp of 50, but instead of celebrating with her family, she is on a plane to Italy alone, leaving behind her husband, three adult sons, and the profound rift between them.

Una documentada e inteligente trama que traslada al lector a los tiempos del rey Carlos I. Su mala salud presagia su inminente muerte, y en la corte se desencadena una intrincada intriga política y eclesiástica, a propósito de su sucesión. Un alquimista de Praga puede acabar con el hechizo que padece el rey.

What would you think if, in your old age, the doctors tell you that you only have a couple years left to live, and even ultra-modern medical technology is powerless to help? Some may spend their remaining years at the bottom of a bottle, others may choose to spend it quietly, with family...But there are also those who are ready to leave everything behind. Volper is one of those who has decided to have one last hurrah and immerse himself in a virtual reality.

Since her mother's death, Madeline "Gwen" Hathaway has been determined that nothing in her life will change ever again. That's why she keeps extensive lists in journals, has had only one friend since childhood, and looks forward to the monotony of working the ren faire circuit with her father. Until she arrives at her mother's favorite end-of-tour stop to find the faire is under new management and completely changed.