Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England’s ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king’s beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John’s attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales---and Llewelyn---Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies. The book that began the trilogy that includes Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning, Here Be Dragons brings thirteenth-century England, France, and Wales to tangled, tempestuous life. Review“A masterful picture of Wales in the thirteenth century . . . vividly pictured as grandly beautiful, its people volatile, stubborn, and mystic.” ---The San Diego Union “There is everything in Here Be Dragons but dragons: princesses held captive in stone towers, bloody wars, princes scheming to dethrone their own brothers, castles under siege, maidens in distress, power struggles for half of civilization, rampant infidelity, lusting, mead guzzling, wine drinking, love affairs that topple kingdoms---how did England survive the thirteenth century? . . . History and fiction bound up together in historical novels have always had their own uneasy alliance. . . . Penman deftly makes the mesh work.” ---The Washington Post Book World“Remarkable. . . . Her writing is faultless, deftly interweaving the threads of the various story lines into a glowing, living tapestry. . . . This is storytelling at its finest.” ---United Press International“With a fidelity to historical detail, a deep understanding of the period, a lucid, felicitous prose style, a sensitivity to nuances of character, and a sure sense of drama, the new novel by the author of The Sunne in Splendour is an engrossing tale.” ---Publishers WeeklyFrom the PublisherAs a publisher I have been lucky to be able to visit bookstores all over the country, independent and chain alike. What interests me first about these stores is what titles are being displayed in the 'Staff Recommends' section of the store. It is here that you can find treasured, beloved books quite dear to someone who works in the stores, someone waiting quite eagerly for the chance to hand sell their recommended titles.It is in these Staff Recommend sections that I kept on seeing our Penman's titles, HERE BE DRAGONS, FALLS THE SHADOW, THE RECKONING and also SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR and WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT.It's funny, you can sell something for years before you notice that the author has been quietly making a powerful impact on people everywhere.I started with HERE BE DRAGONS and I have never looked back. Her trilogy of the decline of the Welsh kings ( DRAGON, FALLS THE SHADOW and THE RECKONING)is a holiday gift I give year after year, and I'm happy to say they have always been embraced and loved. From my 15 year old niece to my 70 year old mother and many ages in between, all readers are enchanted and transported to a land and an age gone forever. But Penman makes them live forever in our minds and hearts with fantastic, unforgettable characters and wonderful history. HERE BE DRAGONS is such a great title--medieval mapmakes would write those words across any part of the map that was unknown.. a wonderful metaphor for how little the Welsh and English knew of each other.SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR--Warning: This is not Shakespeare's Richard III. In this novel, Richard is a victim of circumstance and man vilified by the Tudors, but here presented as a decent and normal man, a man of conscience.AND he is not a murderer. Yes, those princes did die, but not by Richard's hand.WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPTAnother wonderful title, for it refers to the 15 years of England's darkest time-the civil war between the cousins Queen Maud and King Steven. England was deserted, for Christ and his saints were sleeping. I had never even heard of these royals. Queen Maud was the legitimate heir to the throne, but a woman, and there fore not fit to rule. She is also the mother of Henry, who later married Eleanor of Aquitaine . Pretty heady stuff, more incredible men and women, another book to get totally lost in. Although it has been years since all these books were first published, I can name 5 stores I have been in in the past 3 months that have one of these titles in the Staff Recommends section.-Alice Kesterson, Ballantine Regional Sales Manger Views: 62
“One of the best writers today.”* (Johnny Olsen) / “A master storyteller.”* (Betty Richard) WILL A DESPERATE PRESIDENT RISK WAR TO SAVE HIS ONLY CHILD? J. Robert Kennedy, author of the USA Today Bestseller The Templar’s Relic (#1 overall on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo), delivers another irresistible pulse-pounding, action-packed thriller with Kill Chain. If you love your stories filled with intrigue, suspense, a healthy dose of humor and a touch of romance, then prepare to lose sleep with this chilling torn from the headlines adventure the likes of which only Kennedy can deliver. With over 500,000 books in circulation and over 3000 Five-Star reviews, it’s time to join those who have compared him to Patterson, Clancy, Brown, Cussler and Rollins. In Seoul, South Korea, the daughter of the President of the United States disappears aboard an automated bus carrying the spouses of the world’s most powerful nations, hacked by an unknown enemy with an unknown agenda. In order to save all that remains of his family, the widower president unleashes America’s elite Delta Force to save his daughter, yet the more they learn, the more the mystery deepens, witness upon witness declaring with certainty they never saw any kidnappers. Only drones. It’s a race against time to prevent all-out war between North and South Korea, and save the lives of the innocents aboard the bus, forcing the President to make decisions not in the best interest of his country and the world, but for the last remaining member of his family—his teenage daughter.
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Grayce Walters, animal acupuncturist, harbors a secret. She hides her intuitive gifts from the world until she becomes embroiled in arson on Seattle’s waterfront. As a key crime witness, Grayce must convince the attractive, logical, by-the-numbers fire investigator, Ewan Davis,that the fire she witnessed is part of a larger criminal conspiracy. Grayce embarks upon a mission to gather proof of the dangerous threat. She enlists the help of her cross-dressing best friend, her street-wise assistant, and Davis’ poodle, to conduct her own investigation. As her feelings for Davis shift between white hot passion and cold fear, Grayce must risk exposing her secrets to save Davis’ life. Davis must accept things, he can neither see, nor understand to solve the mystery and finally find the love he has stopped believing in. With nudges from the protective poodle, Grayce and Davis confront shocking betrayal and international crime on the rain soaked streets of Seattle.Review4 stars! Debut author Jacki Delecki takes readers into the world of hot firefighters and a vet that reads dogs. Graycee is a vet who has a practice in acupuncture for dogs. Not only is she a strong modern women she reads animals auras and receives premonitions from her dead sister. One of these paranormal encounters leads her to witness a burning shed and to the attention of Lt. Davis, the fire inspector. Things heat up for Graycee and Davis as they solve a crime and Graycee tries to protect the guy she loves. With a little help from her friends we have a happy romance for all. An Inner Fire is a hot new romance that is perfect for a summer read. Who doesn't love a strong alpha hero, a damsel and a poodle names Mitz? Davis is the entire typical alpha hero, but he has a sweet side. Graycee is the perfect partner. She's strong, sweet and willing to go the extra miles for the people around her. Also the secondary characters are strong and funny. James, Graycee's best friend, was a jewel.An Inner Fire had a mystery to solve that kept the story interesting as the story progressing. This is an all-around a great read. I look forward to read Jacki Delecki's next book. -- Lisa Jung, Night Owl Romance A fiery, engaging mystery with a touch of the paranormal. -- Kirkus Review 4 stars! I haven't read a book from this genre for a long time, and this has kick started my love of these kind of books again. I would definitely recommend this book! -- Lorraine Harvey 5 stars! I love how this book flows from start to finish. I would love to read this book over and over again. -- Sparkling Pink BookshelfFrom the AuthorWhy an animal acupuncturist instead of an ass-kicking heroine? I've asked myself that question many times as I wrote An Inner Fire. How did healing animals prepare Grayce Walters with the skills to solve crimes and protect a macho, hunky fire investigator? Maybe I've been watching too many super heroine movies but I wanted to show my heroine's strength coming from her inner force. There are many different kinds of power and I wanted to emphasize the feminine side. The part of the human brain labelled as feminine because it relies on intuition. Grayce uses her intuitive ability to heal animals. Is there any more beautiful or potent force? I wanted to celebrate the illusive power in people who listen and heal when we or our pets are ill. Not so easy to write a strength that we can recognize but when written can easily become cliched. I always planned to write the book as romantic suspense since I love suspense and a crime to be solved. But how to link Grayce to a crime and then how to have her actively involved in solving the mystery? The answer is obvious--through a dog, a very special dog. Mitzi, is a standard French poodle who just happens to belong to the logical fire investigator. Grayce and Mitzi bond with a common goal: protect Davis who is oblivious to the danger and can't imagine protection from a 90 pound woman and 100 pound dog. Views: 62
"Will do for firefighting what Patricia Cornwell did for forensic science." —Lee Child"A red hot debut." —USA TODAYWhen an inferno in Manhattan claims fifty lives, Georgia Skeehan, a rookie marshal with the New York City Fire Department, is thrust into command of the investigation. Georgia suspects the fire may have been started by something New York has never seen before: HTA, a kitchen-sink concoction with the thermal power of rocket fuel. HTA fires—though rare over the last decade—are so ferocious that they can melt a building's steel and concrete framework in minutes.Georgia soon unearths another startling possibility: the blaze may be connected to three other unsolved New York fires—and to several eerie, scripture-laden letters from a madman who calls himself the "Fourth Angel." As she races to unravel the clues before more lives are lost, she is troubled by the erratic behavior of her partner and by the betrayal of another... Views: 62
The second fast-moving thriller by Brian Coffey featuring Mike Tucker, art dealer, heir to a vast unobtainable fortune and highly successful professional thief. He is persuaded to lead Meyers and Bates in the robbery of an exclusive California shopping mall containing a bank crammed with cash, an expensive jewellers and eighteen other shops catering for super-extravagant tastes. The job is expected to take little more than an hour and is seemingly a walkover. But something is bugging Tucker: something Meyers has not told him. The operation has hardly begun when an alarm is sounded — too soon. They are surrounded. There is no way out. Yet when the police finally break in the three men have vanished with the loot into thin air. Views: 62
You can't fix stupid with duct tape. But you can muffle the sound.When Val tries to revive her old writing career, story ideas prove as elusive as a moment alone without her boyfriend Tom breathing down her neck.Tom's moved in, and Val's itching to move out – at least temporarily.A last-minute getaway to the country seems like the perfect solution for dissolving her writer's block. But a fateful fish fry ends up inspiring a whole different kind of dead end.With an angry horde of RVers pointing the finger at Val, she's got to out-smart Bigfoot, out-do a seedy crafter, out-wit a psycho killer, and just plain "out" whoever in blue blazes keeps scaring the daylights out of her with those hideous shrunken heads!Whether Val gets out of this alive or not, one thing's for sure. She'll never trust the internet again….If you like wacky, deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you'll love Seven Daze! It's the seventh book in Margaret Lashley's hilarious Val Fremden Mystery Series. Pick up a copy and get laughing today! Views: 62
Dan Rhodes, sheriff of Blacklin County, Texas, is called to the Beauty Shack, where the young and pretty Lynn Ashton has been found dead, bashed over the head with a hairdryer. The owner said Lynn had gone to the salon late to meet an unknown client. There was a lot of gossip going on about Lynn before her death, but no one seems to really know much about her, or they're not telling Rhodes.Lynn was known to flirt, and it's possible an angry wife or jilted lover had something to do with her death. The salon owner suspects two outsiders who have been staying in an abandoned building across the street. While he investigates the murder, Rhodes must also deal with the theft of copper and car batteries, not to mention a pregnant nanny goat that is terrorizing the town.Murder of a Beauty Shop Queen is a wonderful entry in this always delightful series by award-winning author Bill Crider. Views: 62
