Queen Mother Schemer Mage is the first book in a new historical fantasy series set in a fictionalized version of Tudor-era England.
The once-formidable queen Marie Blacktips was exiled to a convent and declared legally dead for the crime of failing to produce a son to continue her husband’s line. She has long been planning her escape, but when she learns of the king’s death she accelerates her plans to leave the same day. With the help of her magic, strategic cunning, and the unwitting assistance of a young nun, she makes good on her plan to escape the convent.
What she doesn’t know when she leaves is that, soon after her husband’s death, an attempt was made on her daughter’s life. Her escape quickly turns into an investigation and potential rescue, sending her across a war-torn kingdom in her journey to unmask the would-be assassins.
Rebekah has been assigned as Marie’s handmaid for several years. She joined the church to escape the unwanted advances of a nearby baron, only to discover that the strictures of religion chafed nearly as much.
When Rebekah’s mother superior sends her from the convent, she is forced into a world of mystery and magic. A narrow escape from death by fire introduces her to Jem.
He is a mercenary. A rough-edged man who nonetheless saved her life the first time they met. Along with Rebekah, he is pulled into Marie’s web and the investigation into the threat on her daughter’s life.
Torn between the promises she has made to her God and the love of a man who seems truly devoted to her, Rebekah is forced to choose which matters more. Assuming she and Jem manage to survive their entanglement with Marie, that is.
Princess Eleanor is second in line to the throne. After an attempt is made on her life, Thomas, a courtier who has been close to Eleanor since she was a child, takes her to the sea to keep her safe. While they sail together, he unveils both his history with Eleanor’s mother and his plots regarding Eleanor herself. She doesn’t know if she can trust the man, but she also doesn’t know if she has a choice.
