Elizabeth Fremantle

Katherine Parr is 31 years old and already twice widowed. She's in love with a man she can't have, and about to wed a man no-one would want - for her husband-to-be is none other than Henry VIII, who has already beheaded two wives, cast aside two more, and watched one die in childbirth. What will become of Katherine once she's wearing Henry Tudor's ring and becomes Queen of England? They say that the sharpest blades are sheathed in the softest pouches. Only time will tell what she is really made of...

Queen's Gambit

Reeling from the brutal execution of their elder sister, Jane Grey, Lady Catherine and Lady Mary Grey struggle with insecurities and prejudice while bonding with royal portrait artist, Levina, and navigating the dangers of the court. By the author of Queen's Gambit.

A Novel

Sisters of Treason

The Girl in the Glass Tower

A spellbinding thriller set in the Jacobean Court of 1615 surrounding a famed couple imprisoned on suspicion of murder—but was it Lord Robert or Lady Frances who committed the crime? A marriage. A murder. One of them did it. Which of them will die for it? In the autumn of 1615, scandal rocks the Jacobean court, when a celebrated couple, Robert and Frances Carr, are imprisoned on suspicion of murder. Frances is young, captivating, and from a notorious family. She has been rescued from an abusive marriage by Robert, and is determined to make a new life for herself. Whatever the price. Robert is one of the richest and most famous men in the kingdom. He has risen from nothing to become one of the country’s most powerful men. But to get to the top, you cannot help making enemies. Some believe she is innocent; others think her wicked or insane. He claims no knowledge of the murder. The king suspects them both, though it is his secret at stake. Now a man is dead. And someone must pay with their life. Who is telling the truth? Who has the most to lose? And who is willing to commit murder?

The Poison Bed

THE QUEEN'S GODDAUGHTER. HER MOST TRUSTED MAID. ADULTRESS. ENEMY OF THE STATE. WHO IS THE REAL PENELOPE DEVEREUX? Penelope Devereux is a legendary beauty in the court of Elizabeth I, with a smile that would light up the shadows of hell. But it's not just her looks which have won her favour with the Queen wing; her canny instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and her skilled political manoeuvrings under the guise of diplomacy, have rendered her a formidable adversary to anyone who stands in her path. Including Elizabeth. For Penelope must secure the future of the Devereux dynasty at whatever cost. Even treason. And the Queen, a woman she holds responsible for the death of her father, the exile of her mother and her failure to marry the one man she ever truly loved, is just one more pawn in a deadly game. Walking the knife-edge of court, whilst ensuring that her reckless brother Essex remains the only star in the Queen's firmament - and out of the Tower - Penelope must plan for the inevitable succession of an ailing monarch. But her secret letters of friendship to a foreign King - one who has a strong claim to the English throne - could see her illustrious family in the gutter and her own head on the block. It would only take a single mistake, a slip of the tongue, an intercepted message for Penelope to become the architect of her downfall. In a world where sister is turned against brother, husband against wife, courtier against queen, the rules of the game are forever changing. Discover the truth in Elizabeth Fremantle's stunning new novel about an extraordinary woman who helped change the course of England's history forever. This sumptuous historical drama is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Hilary Mantel and Jessie Burton. Praise for Watch the Lady 'The research and historical detail are impeccable.. and fans will enjoy this evocation of Elizabeth's tumultuous court' The Times 'A glamorous tale peopled by warrior poets, flamboyant courtiers and shameless loves, it is also sharp, perceptive and dramatic' Sunday Express 'Be transported to the court of Elizabeth I, where Penelope Devereux is prepared to do anything in the scramble for power. Watch The Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle combines fast-paced storytelling with rich period detail' Good Housekeeping 'Penelope Devereux, perspicacious, beautiful and muse of Sir Philip Sidney, will stop at nothing for the sake of her family. I was gripped by the tale of risky political and sexual shenanigans in the court of Elizabeth l' Woman and Home 'If you want an immersive read then this is it. The remarkable story of the beautiful Penelope Devereux comes vividly alive, bursting with colour and detail. The reader is transported to the perilous Elizabethan court, with all its plots, treachery and heartbreak, and gains fascinating insights into some of the most important figures of the time. Yet again Elizabeth Fremantle has produced a pacey, powerful narrative that kept this reader riveted throughout' Jane Thynne 'Penelope is a fascinating character and beautifully drawn in this enthralling, moving and immaculately written novel... Fremantle handles the intriguing with aplomb and it's impossible to read the books without feeling you are living events alongside the characters' Imogen Robertson, Historia 'Fascinating . . . it's a delight to keep Penelope company as she plunges into the intrigues of Elizabeth's court' The History Girls Praise for Elizabeth Fremantle 'Fremantle is surely a major new voice in historical fiction (...) what Hilary Mantel fans should read while waiting for the final part of her trilogy' The Bookseller 'An endlessly fascinating era, and Fremantle manages to combine pacey storytelling with superb background. . . it's terrifically entertaining' The Times 'Rich and Enticing' Stylist 'Gripping' Woman and Home

Watch the Lady

Ein sterbender König. Eine schöne Königin in Gefahr. Und ein erbitterter Krieg, der alles zu zerstören droht ... Als Katherine Parr mit einunddreißig Jahren den alten, sterbenden König Heinrich den VIII. heiratet, ist sie bereits seine sechste Ehefrau. Klug, schön und praktisch veranlagt, scheint sie die perfekte Königin und ihrer Zeit weit voraus. Aber ihr Herz gehört einem anderen. Denn Katherine ist unsterblich in Thomas Seymour, den Bruder von Heinrichs dritter Ehefrau, verliebt, mit dem sie bald eine leidenschaftliche Affäre beginnt. Doch nicht nur deshalb hängt ihr Leben an einem seidenen Faden: In England tobt ein blutiger Religionskrieg, und Katherine muss schnell handeln, bevor dieser für sie zur tödlichen Bedrohung wird ...

Ein Tudor-Roman

Spiel der Königin

Sinners

A riveting novel based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi—the greatest female painter of the Renaissance—as she forges her own destiny in a world dominated by the will of men. This is the ring that you gave me, and these are your promises. A young woman is put on trial. She has accused her painting teacher of the darkest betrayal - he accuses her of being an immoral liar. What really happened, and why will this trial scandalise seventeenth-century Rome? Rome 1611. A jewel-bright place of change, with sumptuous new palaces and lavish wealth on constant display. A city where women are seen but not heard. Artemisia Gentileschi dreams of becoming a great artist. Motherless, she grows up among a family of painters - men and boys. She knows she is more talented than her brothers, but she cannot choose her own future. She belongs to her father and will belong to a husband. As Artemisia patiently goes from lesson to lesson, perfecting her craft, a mysterious tutor enters her life. Tassi is a dashing figure, handsome and worldly, and for a moment he represents everything that a life of freedom might offer. But then the unthinkable happens. A violent act that threatens Artemisia's honour, and her virtue. In the eyes of her family, Artemisia should accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain. But Artemisia is a survivor. And this is her story to tell.

Disobedient

From “a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction” (People), comes the mesmerizing story of Lady Penelope Devereux—the daring young beauty in the Tudor court, who inspired Sir Philip Sidney’s famous sonnets even while she plotted against Queen Elizabeth. Penelope Devereux arrives at Queen Elizabeth’s court where she and her brother, the Earl of Essex, are drawn into the aging Queen’s favor. Young and naïve, Penelope, though promised elsewhere, falls in love with Philip Sidney who pours his heartbreak into the now classic sonnet series Astrophil and Stella. But Penelope is soon married off to a man who loathes her. Never fainthearted, she chooses her moment and strikes a deal with her husband: after she gives birth to two sons, she will be free to live as she chooses, with whom she chooses. But she is to discover that the course of true love is never smooth. Meanwhile Robert Cecil, ever loyal to Elizabeth, has his eye on Penelope and her brother. Although it seems the Earl of Essex can do no wrong in the eyes of the Queen, as his influence grows, so his enemies gather. Penelope must draw on all her political savvy to save her brother from his own ballooning ambition and Cecil’s trap, while daring to plan for an event it is treason even to think about. Unfolding over the course of two decades and told from the perspectives of Penelope and her greatest enemy, the devious politician Cecil, Watch the Lady chronicles the last gasps of Elizabeth’s reign, and the deadly scramble for power in a dying dynasty.

Now a major motion picture, Firebrand shows the tumultuous darker side to the marriages of the notorious King of England, Henry VIII, and the wife who survived. Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one, Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. Instead, she attracts the amorous attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII. No one is able to refuse a royal proposal. Haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and rely on her wits and the help of her loyal servant Dot to survive the treacherous pitfalls of life as Henry’s queen. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

Firebrand

MURDER MOST FOUL ... OR VENGEANCE MOST JUST? An electrifying retelling from Elizabeth Fremantle - the fierce and fearless story of Beatrice Cenci: prisoner, rebel, saint... or sinner? -- Rome, 1599. Noblewoman Beatrice Cenci awaits execution, accused of murder. Imprisoned in Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. Murderer or victim? Saint or sinner? Desperate to escape her abusive father’s control, Beatrice enlists the help of Olimpio, the castle keeper. As love grows between them, her fate takes unexpected turns. History has sold her short. She is no doe-eyed victim of her father’s brutality, nor the cunning murderer who plotted her father’s demise. She is both innocent and guilty, fierce and fragile, standing tall against the violence of men, no matter the cost. -- ‘An evocative tale of misplaced love and lust ... A gripping read which gallops to a crescendo of an ending’ Melanie Cantor ‘A sensationally powerful novel with a rollercoaster of a story that has the dark logic of Greek tragedy’ Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Ashes of London ‘Fremantle never misses. Sinners is a fierce and searing feminist retelling of Beatrice Cenci’s life and murder trial’ Flora Carr, author of The Tower ‘I couldn’t put this book down!’ 5* Reader Review ‘I was on the edge of my seat for this entire book!’ 5* Reader Review ‘This was one of the most powerful writing I have read in a historical novel in a while’ 5* Reader Review Praise for Elizabeth Fremantle: 'MAGICAL, THRILLING, WONDERFUL, EXCELLENT. HEARTPOUNDINGLY TENSE AND ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSING. CLEVER, AMAZING AND INSPIRING' DAILY MAIL ‘Electric’ Good Housekeeping ‘Rich in atmosphere and period detail . . . An enticing read’ Stylist ‘Beautifully written and finely observed' RACHEL HORE, author of A PLACE OF SECRETS 'An enthralling tale of power and passion, loyalty and betrayal’ ELIZABETH WILHIDE, author of ASHENDEN

A fiery historical tale of rebellion and survival in Renaissance Rome - a bold feminist retelling

A riveting novel based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi—the greatest female painter of the Renaissance—as she forges her own destiny in a world dominated by the will of men. This is the ring that you gave me, and these are your promises. A young woman is put on trial. She has accused her painting teacher of the darkest betrayal - he accuses her of being an immoral liar. What really happened, and why will this trial scandalize seventeenth-century Rome? Rome 1611. A jewel-bright place of change, with sumptuous new palaces and lavish wealth on constant display. A city where women are seen but not heard. Artemisia Gentileschi dreams of becoming a great artist. Motherless, she grows up among a family of painters - men and boys. She knows she is more talented than her brothers, but she cannot choose her own future. She belongs to her father and will belong to a husband. As Artemisia patiently goes from lesson to lesson, perfecting her craft, a mysterious tutor enters her life. Tassi is a dashing figure, handsome and worldly, and for a moment he represents everything that a life of freedom might offer. But then the unthinkable happens. A violent act that threatens Artemisia's honor, and her virtue. In the eyes of her family, Artemisia should accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain. But Artemisia is a survivor. And this is her story to tell.

Girl in the Glass Tower

Poison Bed

“Smart, sensual and suspenseful as a thriller, Queen’s Gambit is a must-read for Philippa Gregory fans—and heralds a brilliant new player in the court of royal fiction” (People). Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived: This is the story of the one who survived. Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. Instead, she attracts the amorous attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and rely on her wits and the help of her loyal servant Dot to survive the treacherous pitfalls of life as Henry’s queen. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

Wir schreiben das Jahr 1554: Edward VI. stirbt überraschend jung und bestimmt die sechzehnjährige Jane Grey zur Königin, er bestimmt die Änderung der Erbfolge, um Mary als Königin zu verhindern. Doch Janes Regentschaft dauert nicht einmal zwei Wochen, da hat Mary die unerfahrene Jane entmachtet und enthaupten lassen. Doch was geschieht mit Janes jüngeren Schwestern Katherine und Mary? Dass königliches Blut in ihren Adern fließt, wird ihnen zum Fluch, denn die kinderlose Queen Mary fühlt sich schon allein durch ihre Existenz bedroht. Elizabeth Fremantle lässt auch in ihrem zweiten Roman die wechselvolle Tudorzeit überraschend lebendig werden.

Im Schatten der Königin

The Poison Bed: A Novel

Mit achtzehn Jahren wird Penelope Devereux Hofdame von Elisabeth I. Dort, in einer Welt voll gnadenloser Rivalität und bösartiger Machenschaften, muss sie versuchen, sich die Gunst der alternden Königin zu sichern. Als sie von ihrem Vormund gezwungen wird zu heiraten, obwohl ihr Herz einem anderen gehört, beschließt Penelope, ihr Schicksal selbst in die Hand zu nehmen. Durch geschickte Intrigen versucht sie, ihre Stellung am Hof zu stärken. Doch Robert Cecil, der mächtigste Minister am Hof, will Penelope und ihre Familie um jeden Preis vernichten. Und auch der Königin ist sie allmählich ein Dorn im Auge ...

Elizabeth Fremantle

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