Medieval English

In this edition, we hear, translated into modern English, 20-some tales, told in the voices of knight and merchant, wife and miller, squire and nun, and many more. Some are bawdy, some spiritual, some romantic, some mysterious, some chivalrous. Between the stories, the travelers converse, joke, and argue, revealing much about their individual outlooks upon life as well as what life was like in late 14th-century England.

The Executioner Knights are back! Alexander de Sherrington seeks to marry a daughter of the great Christopher de Lohr (Rise of the Defender). But not if King John has anything to say about it! Alexander de Sherrington, the man affectionately referred to as "Sherry" by his friends, is off on the greatest adventure of his life...and his target is Lady Christin de Lohr. Lovely and vivacious, Christin is as head-strong as her mother but born with her father’s innate sense of politics.

Caius d'Avignon, the knight known as The Britannia Viper, finds himself on the opposite side of William Marshal...and the Executioner Knights are caught in the middle...Welcome to another Executioner Knights' tale! When Caius d’Avignon is sent north at the request of a cousin of William Marshal to help in a dispute between neighbors, Caius couldn’t have imagined how his life would change. When Caius goes to speak to the neighbors to demand their unconditional surrender, the first thing he sees is a woman of astounding beauty. Emelisse de Thorington is that woman.

Achilles de Dere is a stubborn knight prone to fighting - anywhere, anytime. If there is a punch to be thrown, it's usually from Achilles. When he first met Susanna de Tiegh, the sparks flew - and not in a good way. Susanna, an accomplished warrior in her own right and an agent for William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, refused to take Achilles’ bullying behavior. Friends feared they would kill one another. But an abject hatred of each other soon turned into something else. Now, Susanna is all Achilles can think of, even as he goes about his duties for William Marshal.

1215 A.D. - Dashiell "Dash" du Reims is the eldest son of the Earl of East Anglia and a cousin to the great House of de Lohr. Much like his warring and politically-involved cousins, Dashiell is also waist-deep in the political turmoil that is sweeping England at this time. As the Captain of the Guard for the powerful, and senile, Duke of Savernake, his is in the middle of the baron's rebellion against the king.

A decorated knight for Richard the Lionheart and an ally of the House of de Lohr, Sir Garret de Moray was a man described as cold, intimidating, foreboding. A man with eyes as black as night. Receiving a royal appointment as Captain of the Household Guard, there was no man more qualified or prepared for the role because on the sands of the Holy Land where Garret went on Richard’s great quest, the Christian armies whispered of a knight whose wisdom was ancient. Some wondered if he was the walking dead, an immortal soul who had lived many lifetimes over, because his skill and power exceeded earthly restraints. Kronos, they called him. The father of the gods. Then came a lady without hope…

Rhiann knows that demons walk the night. She has been taught to fear them. But from the moment Cade is dragged before her father's throne, beaten and having lost all of his men to her father's treachery, he stirs something inside her that she has never felt before. When Cade is revealed to be not only Arthur's heir but touched by the sidhe, Rhiann must choose between the life she left behind and the one before her - and how much she is willing to risk to follow her heart.

A classic medieval-gothic love story complete with ghostly wanderings, a spooky castle, and a damsel in distress.... In the Dark Ages on a remote coast of Cornwall, there was a legend of a wicked lord who was burned to death for his deeds. Everyone in Cornwall knows to avoid Baiadepaura Castle because of the ghostly happenings, said to be the spirit of Lord de Paura, who has returned to seek revenge for his grisly death.

Chaucer wrote about everyday people outside the walls of the English court-men and women who spent days at the pedal of a loom, or maintaining the ledgers of an estate, or on the high seas. In Chaucer's People, Liza Picard transforms The Canterbury Tales into a masterful guide for a gloriously detailed tour of medieval England, from the mills and farms of a manor house to the lending houses and Inns of Court in London. In Chaucer's People, we meet, again, the motley crew of pilgrims on the road to Canterbury.

As the autumn storms of 1271 ravage the East Anglian coast, Crowner Ralf finds the corpse of a brutally murdered soldier in the woods near Tyndal Priory. The dagger in the man’s chest is engraved with a strange cursive design, and the body is wrapped in a crusader’s cloak. Was this the act of a member of the Assassin sect, or was the weapon meant to mislead? Ralf’s decision to take the corpse to the priory for advice may be reasonable, but he is soon caught up in a maelstrom of conflict, both personal and political.

Throughout the Disputed Lands, she is called "Amber the Untouched" - a chaste, golden-haired beauty fleeing the remarkable love that was prophesied at her birth...and the death that must inevitably follow.

Sir Valor "Val" de Nerra is one of Henry II's most trusted knights. As the Itinerant Justice of East Hampshire, Val's word is law. A fair and just man, and a very handsome one, he enjoys a good deal of attention and respect. His life is a prestigious and wealthy one until he faces a decision one day that will change the course of his life.

Gabriel “Gart” Forbes is the most powerful knight in the arsenal of David de Lohr, Baron Thornden, brother to the mighty Earl of Hereford. When Julian de Moyon, Baron Buckland, summons Thornden for critical support, Gart travels to Dunster Castle to meet with Buckland. Upon arrival, he is set upon by three young boys who try to rob him, all sons of Baron Buckland. Gart discovers that their mother, the Lady Emberley de Moyon, is the sister of his long-dead best friend.

1228 A.D. - After a vicious battle with old adversaries that sees his father killed, Sir Dennis d’Vant finds himself the head of the House of d’Vant. A house descended from the kings of Cornwall, they are a proud but warring people. Their most hated enemy is their neighbor to the north, the rich and cunning Earl of Cornwall. Dennis, however, is not like his forefathers; a giant of a man and a skilled warrior, he is also quiet and gentle. He does not possess the same fiery instincts of his family and for that, he is often looked upon as weak.

Back in his element, Kieran is determined to finish his mission of peace. He must return the crown of thorns to England. But the same assassins who tried to kill him the first time are after him again, patterns of life repeating themselves, and Kieran, now with Rory, finds himself back on the run. Over dry land and heavy seas, he and Rory flee the assassins, struggling to make their way back to England.

From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part–even if it breaks his heart. Sir Una...

Tristan de Royans was raised by the House of de Royans, but de Royans blood does not flow through his veins. As the secret love child of Alys of France and Henry II, Tristan has been kept hidden since the day of his birth. Aware of his true parentage, he bears the shield of the royal house in the course of his duties, hating that he bears the crimson shield of his real family. A family that wants to kill him.

1264 A.D. - Davyss de Winter is the champion for King Henry III, a powerful and arrogant man that descends from a long line of powerful knights. He is also a much-sought after man and has had more than his share of female admirers, including a besotted baron's daughter who bore him bastard twins.

Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew up on storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn't what the storybooks promised. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins. Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.

The Middle Ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings; a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But when we dig a little deeper into the truth, we can see that the “Dark” Ages were anything but.