The Empress of Bright Moon

Empress

Shan Sa · 336 pages

Such is the voice of Shan Sa's unforgettable heroine in her latest literary masterpiece, Empress. Empress Wu, one of China's most controversial figures, was its first and only female emperor, who emerged in the seventh century during the great Tang Dynasty and ushered in a golden age. Throughout history, her name has been defamed and her story distorted by those taking vengeance on a woman who dar

Empress Orchid

Anchee Min · 346 pages

From the master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the splendid heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young Chinese concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seizes power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enem

Imperial Woman

Pearl S. Buck · 376 pages

Imperial Woman is the fictionalized biography of the last Empress in China, Ci-xi, who began as a concubine of the Xianfeng Emperor and on his death became the de facto head of the Qing Dynasty until her death in 1908.Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rulers during a time of intense turbulence.Tzu Hsi was born into one of the lowly ranks of the Imperial dynasty. According to cu

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Alison Goodman · 576 pages

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden t

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 1

Nekokurage · 176 pages

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 1

Kairi Yura, Sai Yukino

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Julie C. Dao · 373 pages

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic fu

The Red Queen

Philippa Gregory

Palace of Spies

Sarah Zettel · 367 pages

In 1716 London, an orphaned sixteen-year-old girl from a good family impersonates a lady-in-waiting only to discover that the real girl was murdered, the court harbors a nest of spies, and the handsome young artist who is helping her solve the mystery might be a spy himself.

The Pleasure Palace

Kate Emerson · 372 pages

River of Stars

Guy Gavriel Kay · 639 pages

"Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life-- in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later-- and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai

Queen of Someday

Sherry D. Ficklin · 262 pages

To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

Sandra Byrd

The Heretic Queen

Michelle Moran · 383 pages

In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family's past and remake history.The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty's royal family--all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl's deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their name

Duchess

Susan Holloway Scott · 381 pages

A historical novel based on the life of the lady-in-waiting who helped bring James II to the throne of England.Brimming with the intrigue and sensuality of one of history's most decadent courts, Duchess brings to vivid life the story of an unforgettable woman who determines her own destiny-outspoken, outrageous, but most of all true to herself and her heart.In 1673, as a penniless twelve-year-old,

The Last Boleyn

Karen Harper · 585 pages

She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe's Royal CourtsGreed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England's most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.A

Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow

Juliet Grey · 427 pages

The Dragon and the Pearl

Jeannie Lin · 325 pages

"Former Emperor's consort Ling Suyin was renowned for her beauty: the ultimate seductress. Now she lives quietly alone - until the most ruthless warlord in the region comes and steals her away. Li Tao lives life by the sword, and is trapped in the treacherous world of politics. The alluring Ling Suyin is at the centre of the web. He must uncover her mystery without falling under her spell - yet he

The Forbidden Queen

Anne O'Brien · 400 pages

An innocent pawn A kingdom without a King A new dynasty will reign... 1415. The jewel in the French crown, Katherine de Valois, is waiting under lock and key for King Henry V. While he's been slaughtering her kinsmen in Agincourt, Katherine has been praying for marriage to save her from her misery. But the brutal King wants her crown, not her innocent love. For Katherine, England is a lion's den o

The Last Great Dance on Earth

Sandra Gulland · 390 pages

*The Last Great Dance on Earth* is the triumphant final volume of Sandra Gulland's beloved trilogy based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte. When the novel opens, Josephine and Napoleon have been married for four tumultuous years. Napoleon is Josephine's great love, and she his. But their passionate union is troubled from within, as Josephine is unable to produce an heir, and from without, as Engl

Song of the Nile

Stephanie Dray · 398 pages

The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary Queen of Scots

Carolyn Meyer

Mary Stuart was just five years old when she was sent to France to be raised alongside her future husband. But when the frail young king dies, eighteen-year-old Mary is stripped of her title as Queen of France and set adrift in the harsh world, alone. Determined to reign over what is rightfully hers, Mary returns to Scotland. Hopingthat a husband will help her secure the coveted English throne, sh

A Rose for the Crown

Anne Easter Smith · 650 pages

In A Rose for the Crown, we meet one of history's alleged villains through the eyes of a captivating new heroine -- the woman who was the mother of his illegitimate children, a woman who loved him for who he really was, no matter what the cost to herself. As Kate Haute moves from her peasant roots to the luxurious palaces of England, her path is inextricably intertwined with that of Richard, Duke

The Lady in the Tower

Jean Plaidy · 405 pages