Forthcoming Books: 2012 edition

[Tanzanite]

Saxon: The Book of Dreams by Tim Severin. UK release August 2, 2012.

Frankia 780AD: Sigwulf, a minor Saxon prince, is saved from execution after his family is slaughtered by the ruthless King Offa of Mercia. Thanks to his Devil's Mark – his eyes of different colours – Sigwulf is exiled to the Frankish court of King Carolus, the future Charlemagne. There Sigwulf survives on his wits while at the same time trying to come to terms with disturbingly prophetic dreams. He gains the friendship of some – Count Hroudland, Carolus's powerful and ambitious nephew but – mysteriously – several attempts are made on Sigwulf’s life. When he obtains a Book of Dreams by chance, a rare text giving understanding to their meaning, he attracts the attention of Carolus himself. But the Book proves to be a slippery guide in a world of treachery and double dealing. Carolus sends Sigwulf and his slave Osric into Spain to spy on the Saracens ahead of a planned Frankish invasion. There, Sigwulf becomes caught between loyalties; either he honours his debt to new friends among the Saracens, or he serves his patron Count Hroudland in his quest for glory, gold and even the Grail itself. One after another Sigwulf's predictions come true, but often not as expected, and he finds himself swept forward into a final great battle that reveals who his enemies are . .

[Tanzanite]

Princess Elizabeth’s Spy: A Maggie Hope Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal. US and UK release August 28, 2012. (Second in series)

Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed debut, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain’s beloved royals against an international plot—one that could change the course of history.

As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous—and deadly—than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.

[Tanzanite]

The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert Massie. Non-fiction. US reissue September 18, 2012.

In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, books, and film, really Grand Duchess Anastasia? The Romanovs provides the answers, describing in suspenseful detail the dramatic efforts to discover the truth. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert K. Massie presents a colorful panorama of contemporary characters, illuminating the major scientific dispute between Russian experts and a team of Americans, whose findings, along with those of DNA scientists from Russia, America, and Great Britain, all contributed to solving one of the great mysteries of the twentieth century.

[Tanzanite]

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt. US and UK release October 9, 2012.

Illuminations chronicles the life of Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), who was tithed to the church at the age of eight and expected to live out her days in silent submission as the handmaiden of a renowned but disturbed young nun, Jutta von Sponheim. Instead, Hildegard rejected Jutta’s masochistic piety and found comfort and grace in studying books, growing herbs, and rejoicing in her own secret visions of the divine. When Jutta died some three decades later, Hildegard broke out of her prison with the heavenly calling to speak and write about her visions and to liberate her sisters and herself from the soul-destroying anchorage.
Like Anita Diamant’s portrayal of Dinah in The Red Tent, Mary Sharratt interweaves historical research with psychological insight and vivid imagination to write an engaging and triumphant portrait of a courageous and remarkably resilient woman and the life she might have lived. Deeply affecting, Illuminations is a testament to the power of faith, love, and self-creation.

[rebecca191]

Here are some forthcoming YA Historicals:

The Debutantes by Cora Harrison - UK release August 2, 2012

It's 1923 and London is a whirl of jazz, dancing and parties. Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose Derrington are desperate to be part of it, but stuck in an enormous crumbling house in the country, with no money and no fashionable dresses, the excitement seems a lifetime away. Luckily the girls each have a plan for escaping their humdrum country life: Rose wants to be a novelist, Poppy a jazz musician and Daisy a famous film director. Violet, however, has only one ambition: to become the perfect Debutante, so that she can go to London and catch the eye of Prince George, the most eligible bachelor in the country. But a house as big and old as Beech Grove Manor hides many secrets, and Daisy is about to uncover one so huge it could ruin all their plans - ruin everything - forever.

[rebecca191]

Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb - UK release July 5, 2012

Meg Lytton has always known of her dark and powerful gift. Raised a student of the old magick by her Aunt Jane, casting the circle to see visions of the future and concocting spells from herbs and bones has always been as natural to Meg as breathing. But there has never been a more dangerous time to practise the craft, for it is 1554, and the sentence for any woman branded a witch is hanging, or burning at the stake. Sent to the ruined, isolated palace of Woodstock to serve the disgraced Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and half-sister of Queen Mary, Meg discovers her skills are of interest to the outcast princess, who is desperate to know if she will ever claim the throne. But Meg's existence becomes more dangerous every day, with the constant threat of exposure by the ruthless witchfinder Marcus Dent, and the arrival of a young Spanish priest, Alejandro de Castillo, to whom Meg is irresistibly drawn - despite their very different attitudes to her secret. Thrilling and fast-paced, this is the first unputdownable story in a bewitching new series.

[rebecca191]

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame - US release May 1, 2012

A lush, historical novel about the secretive Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall!"The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets... "Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can't help but be grateful for. It's 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain's most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been...even as their carefully constructed facade rapidly comes undone. Maggie has a secret. And she's not the only one...the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons' teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie's younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons' massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever. When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

[rebecca191]

The Last Song by Eva Wiseman - US release May 24, 2012

Spain had been one of the world's most tolerant societies for eight hundred years, but that way of life was wiped out by the Inquisition. Isabel's family feels safe from the terrors, torture, and burnings. After all, her father is a respected physician in the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Isabel was raised as a Catholic and doesn't know that her family's Jewish roots may be a death sentence. When her father is arrested by Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, she makes a desperate plan to save his life - and her own. Once again, master storyteller Eva Wiseman brings history to life in this riveting and tragic novel.

[emr]

Since Susanna Kearsley's earlier books are difficult to find I'll mention that there is a reedition this April of The Splendour Falls.

Chinon - chateau of legend, steeped in the history of England and France. Emily Braden wasn't planning on taking a holiday until her charming but unreliable cousin Harry talked her into meeting him in Chinon. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared. As she tries to find him, she becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves among her fellow guests at the hotel. Exploring the town with its labyrinthine tunnels and its ancient secrets, Emily begins to fear that Harry might be more than simply overdue...

[Madeleine]

[quote=""emr""]Since Susanna Kearsley's earlier books are difficult to find I'll mention that there is a reedition this April of The Splendour Falls.

Chinon - chateau of legend, steeped in the history of England and France. Emily Braden wasn't planning on taking a holiday until her charming but unreliable cousin Harry talked her into meeting him in Chinon. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared. As she tries to find him, she becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves among her fellow guests at the hotel. Exploring the town with its labyrinthine tunnels and its ancient secrets, Emily begins to fear that Harry might be more than simply overdue... [/quote]

I managed to get an original copy of this from a used book website - possibly Abe - a couple of years ago with the gorgeous painting on the cover which was done by a friend of the author. It was quite difficult to get hold of but I'm glad I did. Having said that, none of my local bookshops have The Rose Garden in stock.