Shadow on the crown - Patricia Bracewell

Set in England when Vikings are on the brink of invasion, this is an epic tale of seduction, war, and unrequited love from an outstanding new voice in historical fiction

The year is 1001 and England is under threat. The air off the southern coast hangs heavy, thick with the fear of Viking sea raids.

For England's King thelred the night sky is heavy with a dark portent. England's future hangs in the balance, its path determined by a struggle for the King's own heart. Two women - Emma, his Norman bride and Elgiva, his Anglo Saxon mistress - will stop at nothing in their battle for the King's favour and the Queen's Coronet. But the sky speaks of a royal death and ahead of all three is a journey fraught with danger and deception.

Patricia Bracewell, an outstanding new voice in historical fiction, weaves together a tale of war and betrayal to extraordinary dramatic effect.