Forthcoming Books: 2012 edition

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Wed November 30th, 2011, 11:45 pm

The Final Sacrament by James Forrester. UK release July 5, 2012.

September 1566. William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, lives quietly with his family in London, with a document in his possession that could destroy the state. The aged Lady Percy, Countess of Northumberland, has not given up trying to find it. Nor has she forgotten how he betrayed her and the Catholic cause - she has spent the last two years planning her revenge. But then eloquent and adventurous courtier, John Greystoke suddenly seems most concerned for Clarenceux's safety. And why, on behalf of the government, does Francis Walsingham have spies watching Clarenceux's house day and night? When his wife and his daughter go missing, Clarenceux finds himself on the run with his other young daughter, hunted by Lady Percy's agents. He knows he must finally destroy the document, even if it should cost him his life - but how can he, until he has reunited his family?

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Wed November 30th, 2011, 11:46 pm

Heretic Queen: Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion by Susan Ronald. Non-fiction. US and UK release August 7, 2012.

From the acclaimed biographer, an account of Elizabeth I focusing on her role in the Wars on Religion that tore apart Europe in the sixteenth century

Elizabeths 1558 coronation procession was met with an extravagant outpouring of love. Only twenty-five years old, the young queen saw herself as their Protestant savior; aiming to provide the nation with new hope, prosperity, and independence from the foreign influence that had plagued her sister Marys reign. Given the scars of the Reformation, Elizabeth would need all of the powers of diplomacy and tact she could summon. Extravagant, witty, and hot-tempered, Elizabeth was the ultimate tyrant. Yet at the outset, in religious matters, she was unfathomably tolerant for her day. There is only one Christ, Jesus, one faith, Elizabeth once proclaimed. All else is a dispute over trifles. Heretic Queen is the highly personal, untold story of how Queen Elizabeth I secured the future of England as a world power. Susan Ronald paints the queen as a complex character whose apparent indecision was really a political tool that she wielded with great aplomb.

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Wed November 30th, 2011, 11:47 pm

[quote=""Tanzanite""]The Borgia Mistress by Sara Poole. US release May 22, 2012.

From the author of Poison and The Borgia Betrayal, comes a new historical thriller, featuring the same intriguing and beautiful heroine: Borgia court poisoner, Francesca Giordano. Mistress of death Francesca Giordanocourt poisoner to the House of Borgiareturns to confront an ancient atrocity that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance and plunge the world into eternal darkness. As the enemies of Pope Alexander VI close in and the papal court is forced to flee from Rome, Francesca joins forces with her lover, the brilliant and ruthless Cesare Borgia to unravel a conspiracy that strikes at the heart of Christendom. But when a shattering secret from her past imperils her precarious hold on sanity, only Francescas own courage and resolve can draw her back from the brink of madness to save all she values most.[/quote]

cover attached

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Wed November 30th, 2011, 11:48 pm

[quote=""Tanzanite""]Empress Josephine’s Crown by Michelle Moran. UK release March 1, 2012.

Empress Josephine's family has been called to Napoleon's court for the terrible news that he intends to divorce his barren wife of thirteen years and take a younger bride, the Austrian Princess Marie-Louise. For Josephine's daughter, Hortense, this means she is free to leave her husband, Napoleon's brother, having given the Bonapartes three heirs. As she looks for love, she must support her mother through the terrible grief of Napoleon's betrayal. For his new wife, it is a terrible duty she must take on in her father's name. She has nothing in common with the strange, older man she has married and can find little in her life to enjoy. But an unlikely friendship with Hortense will bring her much comfort, especially as she must fight for her own happiness. For Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte, it is yet another woman stealing her brother's attention and affection. Having spent years attempting to control his power and his influence, she must fight harder and dirtier if she is to win...[/quote]

UK cover attached (I've seen two different titles for this one so not sure which one they are going with).

cw gortner · Post by **cw gortner** » Fri December 2nd, 2011, 7:36 pm

Here's information regarding my novel about Isabella of Castile (this blurb text is not final):

The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner. US release: June 12, 2012. UK release: TBA

An evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens — the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. In The Queen's Vow, acclaimed author C.W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of Isabella of Castile, whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Berengaria · Post by **Berengaria** » Sat December 3rd, 2011, 9:27 pm

Have this book on my pre-order list!

The Queen's Vow that is!

Helen_Davis · Post by **Helen_Davis** » Sat December 3rd, 2011, 10:46 pm

[quote=""cw gortner""]Here's information regarding my novel about Isabella of Castile (this blurb text is not final):

The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner. US release: June 12, 2012. UK release: TBA

An evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of historys most famous and controversial queens the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. In The Queen's Vow, acclaimed author C.W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of Isabella of Castile, whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.[/quote]

Do you have any previews, CW?

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Sun December 4th, 2011, 9:06 pm

[quote=""Andromeda_Organa""]Do you have any previews, CW?[/quote]

Good to see you back Andromeda!!!

cw gortner · Post by **cw gortner** » Sun December 4th, 2011, 9:53 pm

[quote=""Amanda""]Good to see you back Andromeda!!!

[/quote]

Hi Andromeda, no previews yet but amazon and others should have a search inside function up at some point. The book is still in layout stages.

Hope you enjoy it, Berengaria! Thank you for the pre-order. Pre-orders are becoming more important for authors these days, and can often dictate the size of a print-run.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Sat December 31st, 2011, 3:53 am

I don't think this one (coming out next week) is on the list.

At the King's Pleasure by Kate Emerson

Married to one man. Desiring another. Beautiful Lady Anne Stafford, lady-in- waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, is torn between her love for her husband, George, Lord Hastings . . . and the kings boon companion, the attentive Sir William Compton. But when King Henry VIII, amorous as always, joins the men clustering around her, Anne realizes she has become perilously enmeshed in the intrigues of the court. Will she be forced to decide between the two men she desiresand the one she doesnt? Kate Emerson charms again with a heroine who steps out of the pages of history to win our hearts in this sumptuous novel of Tudor scandal and intrigue.