An aristocratic young nun must find a legendary crown in order to save her father—and preserve the Catholic faith from Cromwell’s ruthless terror. The year is 1537. . . Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.
The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain.
But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna’s father alive. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon’s first husband, Arthur. The crown’s intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands.
With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.Interested? Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win one of two copies of the newly released (today!) paperback of The Crown. Entries close at midnight on September 22nd. Open to US and Canada only and the prizes will be shipped to the winners by the publisher. Good luck everyone!
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Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court
Thanks for hosting this giveaway. I won a hardcover copy of The Crown a few months back on another blog but it never arrived *sniff*. Here's my chance to actually get a copy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a great book to win. I also reviewed it and this was my last sentence: It’s both a fun, fast read you can’t put down and an insightful read about spirituality and endurance. So good luck to your hopeful readers!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I didn't hear of this book sooner. It sounds most interesting. Thank you for the giveaway.
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