Lorenzo's Daggers


Book Description

"The boy's disappearance could not be explained. That was Prester's problem, or soon would be." Combine one troubled boy with his concerned prep school teacher. Stir in a pinch of quantum physics, add Italian Renaissance political intrigue, and serve piping hot with Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, the Medici’s, and a Borgia Pope on the side. That is the perfect recipe for a time travel adventure crackling with historical detail. Lorenzo’s Daggers is a delightfully entertaining story of time travel between modern-day New England and 15th century Italy. Author Ron McGaw keeps the pages turning quickly with endearing characters, taut prose, and a riveting storyline that stands alone for its novelty and intrigue. But Lorenzo’s Daggers is more than just good fiction. It is also a deft portrayal of Renaissance Florence—a city of prolific genius that produced some of the most creative minds of Western Civilization. Through the travels and travails of protagonist Prester John, readers can well imagine the life and times of the Renaissance giants of Western art, science, political theory, architecture, and philosophy. Lorenzo’s Daggers—a worthy read! Brigadier General Lance Betros (retired) Former Head - Department of History, West Point




The Medici


Book Description

A dazzling history of the modest family that rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, The Medici is a remarkably modern story of power, money, and ambition. Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence, as well as the Italian Renaissance which they did so much to sponsor and encourage.Strathern also follows the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello; as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola; and the fortunes of those members of the Medici family who achieved success away from Florence, including the two Medici popes and Catherine de' Médicis, who became Queen of France and played a major role in that country through three turbulent reigns.




Oak and Dagger


Book Description

When it comes to gardening, Cassandra “Casey” Calhoun isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. But when it comes to murder, she’s not the kind of gal to let any killer get away clean... Despite cooler fall temperatures in Washington, D.C., tempers flare at the White House when important historical documents go missing from the curator’s office and the gardeners are blamed. As if that isn’t bad enough, Casey has started receiving death threats, the president’s pooch is digging unsightly holes all over the South Lawn, and the curator has been found dead. All evidence for the murder points to Gordon Sims, the chief gardener. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and witnesses saw him arguing with the curator shortly before her death. With the help of Special Agent Jack Turner, her reluctant sidekick and new flame, Casey works to clear Gordon’s name. Along the way she finds herself in a deadly race against time to discover if there’s a link between the stolen papers, the dog’s holes in the South Lawn, and a rumored two-hundred-year-old treasure—before the killer strikes again...







While Passion Sleeps (The Reluctant Brides Series, Book 3)


Book Description

The married daughter of an English aristocrat, Beth Ridgeway believes Rafael Santana cruel and insensitive; a man who uses women only for selfish pleasure. The arrogant son of a wealthy Texas family, Rafael thinks Beth flirtatious and unfaithful; a woman who takes pride in breaking men's hearts. But when Beth and Rafael chance to meet again at a dazzling New Orleans ball, something happens. Something neither the years nor the violent misunderstandings between them can diminish: an awakening to the magnificent passions of love, no matter how forbidden. THE RELUCTANT BRIDES, in series order A Heart for the Taking Swear by Moonlight While Passion Sleeps THE SOUTHERN WOMEN, in series order The Tiger Lily Each Time We Love At Long Last Love a Dark Rider THE LOUISIANA LADIES, in series order Deceive Not My Heart Midnight Masquerade Love Be Mine




Haelo Hunted


Book Description

Haelo Marley is a long way from high school. As a Candeon princess, and the key to the future of her race, Haelo’s choices are no longer just about her. After learning that her father is still alive—and may know something about the traitor in Pankyra—Haelo is determined to find him. Hoping to win her affection, Prince Griffin grants Haelo the freedom to leave Pankyra’s hidden Mediterranean palace to track down her father, with Dagger as her guard. But Haelo’s journey will reveal more than she bargained for—like the truth behind her fated marriage; the motivation of the sociopathic villain Massaude who will stop at nothing to find her; and her true feelings for Dagger, which may run deeper than she wants to admit. With her heart torn in nearly every way, Haelo is faced with an impossible decision: a loveless marriage with Prince Griffin, or her own happiness. As Massaude closes in, Haelo’s choice becomes more urgent, more complicated, and more painful than ever before. While others hunt for Haelo, Haelo hunts for answers. Whoever finds what they’re looking for first will control the destiny of the Candeon Empire. No pressure. Fans of paranormal suspense, ancient folklore, and slow-burn romance will love this epic, coming-of-age fantasy series about the battle between the things we love, the things we choose, and the things that are chosen for us.




Medici ~ Ascendancy


Book Description

Florence, 1429 Giovanni de' Medici is dead. A lifetime of shrewd investment, strategic alliance and sly manipulation saw Giovanni climb from mere money-lender to the top echelon of Florentine society. But success has left a slew of bitter enemies in his wake – and there are whispers his untimely demise wasn't accidental. Florence is a nest of vipers, and with the Medici family's wealth in the hands of Giovanni's untested sons, Cosimo and Lorenzo, there are those who feel that now is the time to strike, to destroy the upstarts and seize their holdings. First in an award-winning, bestselling quartet charting ten generations of rise to power. Praise for Matteo Strukul: 'Strukul has a brilliant style and a rare imagination' TIM WILLOCKS 'One of the most important new voices in Italian crime fiction' JOE R. LANSDALE




The House of Medici: Seeds of Decline


Book Description

The Riveting Sequel to The House of Medici: Inheritance of Power. Lucrezia Tornabuoni, brought up in the Palazzo Medici alongside Cosimo’s children, always expected to marry his charismatic younger son, Giovanni. But now in later life, she finds herself imprisoned in a loveless marriage with the gout-ridden elder son, Piero. Like Cosimo, she sees the future salvation of the family in the hands of her own son, Lorenzo the Magnificent, but how can she be sure he inherits the mantle before Piero ruins everything? For years she has groomed her son to be a great prince, and in the process to ignore the Medici Bank—whose wealth has funded the City and Republic of Florence. But now the economy is faltering, the money is running out, the burdens of leadership are becoming more onerous for her son, and she begins to question whether she has led him astray. Her difficulty is that in the closed society of Florence, there is no-one she can confide in. Then, while on a journey away from the city, she is approached by a young priest, Girolamo Savonarola, recently appointed to a teaching post in Florence and asking for guidance about the workings of Florentine society. In confessing the secrets of her family to this benign outsider, she is able to unburden herself of the various worries that plague her. But Savonarola may not be the simple monk he appears, his objectives proving troublesome in compatibility with Lucrezia’s as the two characters hurtle towards a thrilling and unexpected ending. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.







The Poet Prince


Book Description

The Son of Man shall choose When the time returns for the Poet Prince. He will inspire the hearts and minds of the people So as to illuminate the path of service And show them the Way. This is his legacy, This, and to know a very great love. Worldwide controversy surrounds author Maureen Paschal as she promotes her new bestseller—the explosive account of her discovery of a gospel written in Jesus’ own hand. But a scandalous headline about her lover, Bérenger Sinclair, shatters Maureen’s plans and sends her to Florence. In Tuscany, Maureen and Bérenger seek out their spiritual teacher Destino, who insists the besieged couple study one of history’s great Poet Princes: Lorenzo de’ Medici, the godfather of the Italian Renaissance. Bérenger is a Poet Prince of the ancient bloodline prophecy, and even across the centuries, his fate is intertwined with Lorenzo de’ Medici’s. Bérenger must uncover the heretical secrets of the Medici family—and the shocking truth behind the birth of the Renaissance—if he is to fulfill his own destiny. These heretical secrets were hidden for a reason, and there are those who would stop at nothing to prevent Bérenger’s assumption of his rightful role. The Renaissance comes vividly to life as Maureen decodes the clues contained within the great masterpieces of Lorenzo the Magnificent’s friends: Donatello, Botticelli, and Michelangelo. Maureen uncovers truths connected to the legend of Longinus Gaius, the Roman centurion who used pierced the crucified Jesus with his spear. Could Longinus Gaius, doomed to live forever, be someone she knows? Could his infamous Spear of Destiny, sought even by Hitler, be the key to Bérenger’s fate? As Maureen and Bérenger race to find the answers, someone is after them, hell-bent on settling a five-hundred-year old blood feud and destroying the heresy once and for all. Rich in Kathleen McGowan’s signature insights into art, architecture, and history and set in the beauty of Renaissance and present-day Italy, this is a spiritual detective story of the highest order. The Truth Against the World!