Sphere The King's Assassin Donald Angus

An epic new adventure for the heroes of Outlaw and Holy Warrior • The third crusade is over. Richard the Lionheart is bound for England. But with all the princes of Europe united against him can the greatest warrior in Christendom make it safely home? • The Lion is chained. Captured. Bound. Imprisoned. King Richard's slim hope of salvation rests on one man - a former outlaw, a vengeful earl, a man who scoffs at Holy Mother Church Robin Hood • For King and country Robin and his loyal lieutenant Alan Dale will risk all - from blood-soaked battlefields to deadly assassins - to see the Lionheart restored to his rightful throne

The Welsh Borders, 1069 • When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders • It seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye, calls off the attack. But he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer: her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married into the enemy side, with her brother swearing his vengeance on her new husband • Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive

A King's passion, a young man's love - and a girl's tragic choice • The young Roger Bigod, heir to the powerful earldom of Norfolk, arrives at Henry II's court to prove his worth and wrestle his inheritance from the arms of his half-brothers. While there, he encounters the pretty and gentle Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the King. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida knows the fickle sparkle of her current life is beginning to fade, and sees in Roger a chance to escape her life of manipulation for security and affection • They begin a careful courtship, but the King's anger soon catches them up. Forced into a corner, Ida's decision will carry an agonising price • Based on a never-before-told true story, critically acclaimed author Elizabeth Chadwick brings the twelfth-century world blazing to life

Fresh from his defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy has returned home in triumph, accompanied by the English nobles he cannot trust to leave behind. For Waltheof of Huntingdon, however, rebellion is not at the forefront of his thoughts. From the moment he catches sight of Judith, daughter of the King's formidable sister, he knows he has found his future wife • When Waltheof saves Judith's life, it is clear that the attraction is mutual. But marriage has little to do with love in medieval Europe. William refuses to let the couple wed and Waltheof joins an uprising against him. William crushes the rebellion but decides the best way to keep Waltheof in check is to agree to the marriage • But is the match between Saxon earl and Norman lady one made in heaven or hell? As their children grow, Waltheof and Judith must choose between their feelings for each other and older loyalties

Alexander and Hervi de Montroi, half-brothers with no inheritance, meet in France. Hervi is a professional jouster and Alexander, fleeing the beatings of an English monastery, needs a trade. Despite misgivings, Hervi takes him on as his squire, introducing him to the travellers' immoral lifestyle. He befriends a girl, Monday, taking care of her after her parents die until, pregnant with Alexander's child, she leaves, finding shelter in a castle as a seamstress. Noticed by King John, she becomes his mistress in England, bearing his son and gaining a house. Meanwhile, Stefan has returned to England too, in the pay of an Earl - they meet again at court and, now older, fall in love. They have the King's blessing, but Monday's grandfather, now heirless, sees her as a way to gain power

Ireland, 1152 • The King of Leinster, awaiting news of his newborn child, is disappointed to hear he has a daughter. Diarmait MacMurchada wanted another strapping son to shoulder a spear, wield a sword, and protect his kingdom. But from the moment Diarmait held the newborn Aoife knew she would be his most precious treasure • 1166 • Forced into exile Aoife and her family find themselves at the mercy of Henry II. Aoife - aware of her beauty but not its power - intrigues and beguiles Henry in equal measure. For Aoife he agrees to help her father, an alliance that leads the MacMurchadas to the charismatic Richard de Clare, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new horizons • Diarmit promises Richard Aoife's hand in marriage in return for his aid in Ireland, but Aoife has her own thoughts on the matter

The year is 1140 and England is torn by the strife of civil war. Oliver Pascal chances upon a village raided by mercenaries and rescues the survivors: an orphaned boy, who is the illegitimate son of the old king, and his mother's maid, a young widow named Catrin. After escorting them to Bristol Castle, they are accepted into the household of Robert of Gloucester and while Catrin finds herself falling in love with Oliver she suffers a deep boredom at the frivolity of court life. Thus when the old midwife Etheldreda offers to teach her the secrets of her ancient art, Catrin agrees • But the midwife's life is fraught with dangers, not least Oliver's own personal fears which threaten their relationship, but also in the shape of two men, both killers and both of whom threaten the couple's lives

The Port of Barfleur, 1120 • Sabin FitzSimon, disgraced son of an earl, finally has the chance to salvage his reputation when renowned knight Edmund Strongfist asks Sabin to join a journey to Jerusalem • The only thing Sabin must promise is to keep away from Strongfist's beautiful daughter, Annais. Sabin obeys, but his attraction to Annais's spirit, courage and her wonderful harp playing become increasingly difficult to resist • As Sabin struggles to keep his heart in check, the Holy Land itself is in turmoil from constant warfare and the capture of its King. Simon must take command of the fortress of Montabard, and with it the recently widowed lady of the castle

The people and businesses of London are quickly recovering from the ravages of the plague, none faster than the Court of Charles II where excess, corruption and debauchery has rebounded at a frenetic pace. In Westminster, in the haphazard corridors of White Hall Palace, plans are afoot for a grandiose ball in honour of a long-dead but English-born Pope. Meanwhile, the markets and coffee houses in the city are awash with rumours of war and portents of a coming disaster, inflamed by uncensored newssheets and the wagging tongues of dissatisfied citizens • Mysterious killings at both ends of the capital have been caused by the use of an unusually long, slender blade, and Thomas Chaloner is ordered to investigate. The only common thread is the victims' connection to the Worshipful Company of Poulters, whose members are struggling to keep ahead of London's enormous demand for eggs

The Patron Saint of Plumbing is not answering Nino Speranza's prayers • Without the thousands of euros in taxes that he could never bring himself to collect from his neighbours, the water board will cut the town off. All 212 inhabitants will be forced to leave • So, in a desperate bid to save his hometown, he starts a rumour that major movie star Dante Rinaldi is filming his next movie in the village • Soon, all the locals want to be involved: Speranza's assistant has written a screenplay and the local butcher will invest - each of his fifteen enormous sons is given a role. It seems the only way to save the town is to actually make the movie • And Nino Speranza starts to think he might have created the second chance they all needed . . . until word of the production reaches Dante Rinaldi himself

The whole country is asking • But they're not telling • At a children's party • Nothing ever happens in a sleepy American town like Middlebrook. Until the shocking events of one hot Saturday afternoon when, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak off to a barn. And one child is shot by another • In the media storm that sweeps the nation • The press are asking questions. About the type of parents who let their children play unsupervised in a house with guns. About how damaged a child must be to commit this kind of atrocity • In the ensuing police investigation • Two questions are the most urgent, and the most baffling. Of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one actually pulled the trigger? • And why are the others staying silent? • Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this is a spellbinding novel that asks how far we'll go to protect our children, and how we can come together when so much divides us

The blossom is out in the little Cornish harbour town of St Felix • But Poppy Carmichael's spirits aren't lifted by the pretty West Country spring. Inheriting her grandmother's flower shop has forced her to return to Cornwall, a place that holds too many memories • Poppy is determined to do her best for the sake of her adored grandmother, but she struggles with the responsibility of the more-shabby-than-chic shop. And with the added complication of Jake, the gruff but gorgeous local flower grower, Poppy is very tempted to run away • The pretty little town has a few surprises in store for Poppy. With new friends to help her and romance blooming, it's time for Poppy to open her heart to St Felix and to the special magic of a little flower shop by the sea!