For fans of Hilary Mantel Philippa Gregory & Alison Weir Elizabeth Fremantle's first novel Queen's Gambit is a riveting account of Katherine Parr the Tudor queen who married four men & outlived three of them
- including Henry VIII. Queen's Gambit: Gripping". (Woman & Home). " Sumptuous". (Metro). "A major new voice in historical fiction". (The Bookseller). " Rich & enticing". (Stylist). " Electric". (Good Housekeeping). " Wildly entertaining". (Huffington Post). Tudor England
- A dying king. A queen in danger Widowed for the second time aged thirty-one Katherine is obliged to return to court but suspicious of the aging Henry & those who surround him she does so with reluctance. Nevertheless when she finds herself caught up in a passionate affair with the dashing & seductive Thomas Seymour she believes she might finally be able to marry for love. But her presence at court has attracted the attentions of another... Captivated by her honesty & intelligence Henry Tudor has his own plans for Katherine & no one is in the position to refuse a proposal from the king. With her charismatic lover dispatched to the continent Katherine becomes Henry's sixth wife. Passionate about religious reform & ever aware of the fates of his previous queens she must draw upon all her instincts & intellect to navigate the treachery of the court. With the Catholic faction once more in the ascendency reformers burned for heresy & those around the dying king vying for position in the new regime her survival seems unlikely
- & yet she has still not quite given up on love... Rich in atmosphere & period detail & told through the eyes of Katherine & her young maid Dot Queen's Gambit is the story of two very different women during a terrifying & turbulent time. If you loved Wolf Hall The Other Boleyn Girl or the BBC drama series The Tudors then Elizabeth Fremantle's Queen's Gambit is the book for you. Elizabeth Fremantle holds a first in English & an MA in creative Writing from Birkbeck. Queen's Gambit is her first novel. Her second Queen Jane's Shadow will be published in 2014."


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It's a busy year for the Queen
- she has lots of important events to attend. Meanwhile a little girl is wondering what knickers
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A charming hilariously funny & genuinely affectionate picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator of Jesus' Christmas Party. A little girl is looking forward to the Queen's visit to her school -- & wonders what knickers Her Majesty will choose to wear! Will they be her 'at home' knickers
- adorned with corgis -- or her garden party knickers or perhaps her woolly Balmoral ones? Whichever choices from the Official HM Knicker Guide the Queen decides upon the girl is determined that the royal visitor will feel at home at her school. Both children & adults will love this very special & endearing insight into a child's imagination.
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From bestselling author Lyn Andrews comes a compelling historical epic set at the endlessly fascinating Tudor court about the most infamous woman of the age
- Anne Boleyn
- & the man who loved her before she became queen. From the moment Henry Percy future Earl of Northumberland glimpses the beautiful Anne Boleyn he is captivated & quickly proposes marriage Anne has been taught to use her charms to her advantage & to secure her family's position of power at court. She sees that Henry Percy's affection is sincere & agrees to marry him. But a match of the heart has no place in a world where marriage is a political manoeuvre. Torn apart the lovers are exiled to separate ends of the kingdom. For Henry a lifetime of duty awaits while he remains true to the only woman he will ever love. But he is not the only man to be bewitched by Anne. & when King Henry VIII determines to make her his queen the course of history is changed for ever...

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Hal is a poor stable boy who has a dream
- to work for King Henry at his palace in Whitehall. But when he chances upon the royal
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England's medieval queens were elemental in shaping the history of the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very centre of power
- the king's bed. From Matilda of Flanders the Conqueror's queen to Elizabeth of York the first Tudor consort England's queens fashioned the nature of monarchy & influenced the direction of the state. Occupying a unique position in the mercurial often violent world of medieval state-craft English queens had to negotiate a role that combined tremendous influence with terrifying vulnerability. Lisa Hilton's meticulously researched new book explores the lives of the twenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 & 1503 reconsidering the fictions surrounding well-known figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine & illuminating the lives of forgotten figures such as Adeliza of Louvain. War adultery witchcraft child abuse murder
- & occassionally even love
- formed English queenship but so too did patronage learning & fashion. Lisa Hilton considers the evolution of the queenly office alongside intimate portraits of the individual women dispelling the myth that medieval brides were no more than diplomatic pawns.


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Home to ancient rainforests tropical islands rugged mountains & the stunning Great Barrier Reef Queensland harbors some of ...

Originally written in 1952 but not published till 1985 Queer" is an enigma
- both an unflinching autobiographical self-portrait
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A classic memoir from Irelands favourite storyteller. Here Taylor follows To School Through The Fields with these equally captivating further recollections of family life in pastorial County Cork. Infused with wit & lyricism the story centres on the 1950s when the author & her friends were budding teenagers. She describes the past vividly & without complaint as the years of hard labour for herself parents & siblings were also filled with fun in the close knit community. ...

The Quentin Blake Treasury" contains: " All Join In"; " Quentin Blake's Nursery Rhyme Book"; " Patrick"; " Angelica Sprocket's Pockets"; " Mister Magnolia"; " Quentin Blake's ABC"; " Cockatoos"; " Angel Pavement"; & " Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road". Meet Mister Magnolia with only one boot! Peer into " Angelica Sprocket's Pockets"! Set off with " Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road" be whisked away by the music of the extraordinary Patrick & soar into the air on the wings of Angel Pavement. Discover the crazy counting of the mischievous Cockatoos & the most enjoyable alphabet ever in " Quentin Blake's ABC". & finally join in at the top of your voice with the verse & songs of " Quentin Blake's Nursery Rhyme Book" & " All Join In"! From Quentin's very first picture book to his most recent adventures this collection spans & celebrates his astonishing career. There's inspiration & exuberance wit & wonder joy & jollity to be found within these pages; we can't wait for you to explore them." ...