Blood Queen Av Joanna Courtney

<p><font><b><i>Cold. Ruthless. Deadly. </i>The myth of Lady Macbeth looms large. But behind the villainous portrait stands a real woman. This is her story . . <i>. </i></b></font><br><br><b>Scotland, 1020 AD. </b><b><i>King Malcolm II lies on his deathbed, and the most powerful families make a violent claim for the Scottish throne . . .<br></i></b><br>On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, a flushed and nervous Cora MacDuff waits to marry her sweetheart, Macbeth. But her dreams are stolen from her, and the night she was hoping for turns into a brutal slaughter. <br>In order to reclaim the life she was promised, Cora must learn to use every weapon at her disposal - even those she loves . . . <br><br><b>The beginning of a brand new Historical fiction series by the bestselling author of the <i>Queens of Conquest </i>series, her new trilogy unearths the real women behind Shakespeare''s most infamous queens . . . If you love Elizabeth Chadwick and Anne O''Brien you will adore Joanna Courtney</b><br><b><br>What readers are saying about Joanna Courtney:</b><br><br>''I was hooked from the very first page and didn''t want to put it down. Joanna Courtney is a new talent in the world of historical fiction and one that I would highly recommend. I look forward to reading more by this fantastic author'' <i>Bookbabblers</i><br><br>''A strong sense of atmosphere and place and time. I really got into the story, in fact I was so gripped by it at one point that I missed my bus. It was a really good, exciting, read. I cannot wait to read the next two books.'' <i>Michelle Birkby, author of The House at Baker Street</i><br><br>''Amazing'' (<i>Miranda Dickinson</i>)<br><br>''Courtney''s novel breathes new life into this complex character,...A thrilling introduction to Courtney''s new trilogy on Shakespearean queens.'' - <i>The Lady </i><br><br>''A glorious, rich, epic story of love, friendship and sacrifice which will sweep you up and transport you to another time. I absolutely loved this and can''t wait for the next book in the series'' (<i>Rachael Lucas, author of Sealed With A Kiss and Coming Up Roses</i>)<br><br>''An absorbing and emotional debut novel'' (<i>Candis magazine</i>)<br><br>''A thrilling and atmospheric read with strong female characters'' (<i>MyWeekly</i>)<br><br>''A beautifully written multi layered tale with a tremendously authentic sense of place and time . . . an epic feel . . . highly recommended'' (<i>LizLovesBooks</i>)<br><br>''The story reaches a heart-rending climax. A must read. I loved it'' (<i>Freda Lightfoot, author of The Amber Keeper</i>)<br><br>''With lovely writing and a terrific sense of narrative drive, Joanna Courtney portrays an era of change through a story about a long forgotten Queen. In <i>The Chosen Queen</i>, Edyth is a heroine who inhabits a convincingly re-created historical world, peopled with personalities whose lives leap from the page. Superb! (<i>Carol McGrath, author of The Daughters of Hastings trilogy</i>)<br><br>An outstanding opening to this new series set to rival historical fiction heavyweights like Philippa Gregory and Susanna Dunn (<i>Lisareadsbooks</i>)</p>