Gregory, Philippa

"Princess Florizella was friends with some of the princesses who had studied the Princess Rules, and behaved just as the Rules said they should. Florizella thought their hair was lovely: so golden and so very long. And their clothes were nice: so richly embroidered. And their shoes were delightful: so tiny and handmade in silk. But their days bored her to death... Instead, Princess Florizella rides herhorse, Jellybean, all over the kingdom, having adventures ofher own"--OCLC.

When the death of Joan of Arc shows her the dangers faced by strong women, Jacquetta, a psychic descendant of a river goddess, studies alchemy and becomes the secret wife of Richard Woodville before returning to the court of Henry VI.

Mary Boleyn comes to the court of King Henry VIII, where she falls for the dashing king, and begins to enjoy her growing role as unofficial queen, however, she soon realizes she is merely a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to turn towards her best friend and rival, her sister, Anne.

Although widowed in her early teens, Margaret Beaufort, the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III, and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England.

"... Seventeen-year-old Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days. Her father and his allies crowned her instead of the dead king's half-sister Mary Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed her throne, and locked Jane in the Tower of London. When Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith, Mary sent her to the executioner's block, where Jane transformed her father's greedy power-grab into tragic martyrdom. "Learn you to die," was the advice Jane wrote to her younger sister Katherine, who has no intention of dying. She intends to enjoy her beauty and her youth and fall in love."--Provided by publisher.

Luca and Isolde continue investigating for the Order of Darkness in the fourth book in the Order of Darkness series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory. Luca has been tasked by his master to uncover the truth behind strange happenings. She travels across Europe with Lady Isolde, Ishraq, Freize, and Brother Peter seeking out the signs of the ends of days. Now they are trapped in a village possessed by a dancing madness-- and fighting to keep their own sanity. But the greatest threat may be the men who have come to their rescue....

When rumors begin to circulate that King Henry VIII is no longer intimate with his wife who has been unable to give him a male heir, Sir Thomas Boleyn concocts a plan to bring his family back to prominence.