The Blurb
Run,
run, girl. In the name of God, run.
1141.
A mercenary watches from the icy reeds as a little girl with red hair is
attacked by his ownmen. He is powerless to stop them.
But
a strange twist of fate brings them together again. Sheltering in a church, he
finds the girl
freezing
cold, close to death, clutching a sliver of parchment. And now he is certain of
what he must do.
He
will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And he will protect her
from the man who calls himself a monk, who lost a piece of parchment he will do
anything to get back . . .
An
epic account of the brutal winter when Stephen and Matilda tore England apart in
their battle for its crown – when atrocities were inflicted on the innocent, but
bravery found a home in an old solider and a young girl.
It's 12 Century England and the civil war between Queen Matilda and King Stephen is raging. But life in the fens carries on as usual. Until the mercenaries ride through. And a small red-haired girl named Em is snatched and carried off. After the soldiers have finished with her they leave her for dead. But fenland girls are not easy to kill. Although she has lost all memory of her past life including her name, Em survives and teams up with Gwyl a Breton archer who has almost completely lost faith in humanity. Together Gwyl and his new protege--now crop-headed and disguised as a boy--travel through the countryside giving archery exhibitions. But there is one man who hasn't forgotten the little red-haired girl. He has some unfinished business with her and he is determined to finish it. And one freezing winter in a castle completely besieged, he might well get his chance...
Winter Siege is a stand-alone historical novel started by the late Diana Norman under her pseudonym Ariana Franklin. It has been completed by her daughter Samantha Norman.
About The Authors
Ariana
Franklin
was born in Devon and, like her father, became a journalist.
Having
invaded Wales dressed in combat uniform with the Royal Marines for one
of their
military exercises, accompanied the Queen on a royal visit, missed her own
twenty first birthday party because she had to cover a murder, she married,
almost inevitably,another
journalist. She then abandoned her career in national newspapers and
settled down
in the country to bring up two daughters, study medieval history and
write.
Ariana
was the author of the acclaimed, award-winning Mistress of the Art of
Death series.
She passed away in 2011, before she was able to deliver the manuscript for
Winter Siege. Her daughter, Samantha, decided to complete the novel on
her mother’s behalf.
Samantha
Norman
is a journalist and broadcaster who is mad about horses. She lives in west
London with her two sons Harry and Charlie, and their dogs Becks and
Spider.
- One copy of Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin & Samantha Norman. UK only!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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