Book review: 'A breathtaking story of sorcery and ambition'

Wrap yourself in a cloak, light some candles and prepare to descend into darkness and witchery…

It’s 1420 and Eleanor Cobham arrives at the court of Henry V. Pretty but not highborn, she hopes for little more than to marry well. England is in a golden age - but beneath the glittering surface, ancient rivalries fester and chaos lurks in the shadows.

This inevitably, Eleanor discovers, creates opportunities. Appointed lady-in-waiting to a Countess who commands her own army, she begins to see what a woman can truly become.

Eleanor dares to dream of real power. Perhaps even the crown itself. But for that, she must turn to darker arts. And the higher she climbs, the darker the path becomes.

Philippa Gregory tells a breathtaking story of sorcery, ambition and one woman's extraordinary rise. A potent potion of a book by the queen of historical fiction.

A darkly compelling read following three women across seven centuries chasing one unbreakable blood curse.

It began in fire, Paris, 1307. When eleven-year-old Princess Isabella of France watches four men burn at the stake, a dying knight curses her bloodline: love will destroy everything she holds dear. It was forged in madness in the horrors of Bedlam, 1865.

Lois wakes with no memory of who she is - only a precious red stone and the growing certainty that something ancient is hunting her. Can it end before blood is spilled?

Then in present day reality, artist Emma Harris arrives at a crumbling French chateau for her wedding and the exhibition of her life. But; the walls remember everything, and something has followed her here. Now after seven centuries of destruction, one woman is left to fight. A dazzlingly dark, fiercely feminist novel of silenced women across history.

Limited signed copies available.