Nancy Bilyeau

«Bilyeau compone en El cáliz un fascinante retrato de la Inglaterra de la Reforma». BooklistNancy Bilyeau retoma en esta entrega las aventuras de Joanna Stafford, protagonista que ya nos presentó en

An astonishing debut in historical fiction, hailed as part The Da Vinci Code, part The Other Boleyn Girl, (Womans Day), The Crown follows one nuns dangerous quest to find an ancient relic during Cromwells reign of terror.Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousins side. Arrested for interfering with the kings justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.While Joanna is in the Tower, the ruthless Bishop of Winchester forces her to spy for him: to save her fathers life she must find an ancient relica crown so powerful, it may possess the ability to end the Reformation.With Cromwells troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must decide who she can trust so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in Englands past.

The riveting and vivid sequel to The Crown set in the midst of Englands Reformation, where a young novice will risk everything to defy the most powerful men of her era, fulfill a prophecy, and preserve the future of Christendom. In 1538, Englands bloody power struggle between crown and cross threatens to tear the country apart. Novice Joanna Stafford has tasted the wrath of the royal court, discovered what lies within the kings torture rooms, and escaped death at the hands of those desperate to possess the power of an ancient relic.Even with all she has experienced, the quiet life is not for Joanna. Despite the possibilities of arrest and imprisonment, she becomes caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting Henry VIII himself. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna realizes her role is more critical than shed ever imagined. She must choose between those she loves most and assuming her part in a prophecy foretold by three seers. Repelled by violence, Joanna seizes a future with a man who loves her. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the spreading darkness of her destiny.To learn the final, sinister piece of the prophecy, she flees across Europe with a corrupt spy sent by Spain. As she completes the puzzle in the dungeon of a twelfth-century Belgian fortress, Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her handshands that must someday hold the chalice that lies at the center of these deadly prophecies.

The next page-turner in the award-winning Joanna Stafford series takes place in the heart of the Tudor court, as she risks everything to defy the most powerful men of her era.Henry VIIIs Palace of Whitehall is the last place on earth Joanna Stafford wants to be. But a summons from the king cannot be refused.After her priory was destroyed, Joanna, a young Dominican novice, vowed to live a quiet life, weaving tapestries and shunning dangerous conspiracies. That all changes when the king takes an interest in her tapestry talent.With a ruthless monarch tiring of his fourth wife and amoral noblemen driven by hidden agendas, Joanna becomes entangled in Tudor court politics. Her close friend, Catherine Howard. is rumored to be the kings mistress, and Joanna is determined to protect her from becoming the kings next wifeand victim. All the while, Joanna tries to understand her feelings for the two men in her life: the constable who tried to save her and the friar she cant forget.In a world of royal banquets, jousts, sea voyages and Tower Hill executions, Joanna must finally choose her future: nun or wife, spy or subject, rebel or courtier.The Tapestry is the final book in a Tudor trilogy that began in 2012 with The Crown, an Oprah magazine pick. Dont miss the adventures of one of the most unforgettable heroines in historical fiction.

Winner of the Best Historical Mystery novel at the RT Book Reviews Awards. A curse to kill a king, a fight to save a nation. Follow young Joanna Stafford right into the dark heart of King Henry VIIIs court in this stunning Tudor thriller.England, 1538. The nation is reeling after the ruthless dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII. Cast out of Dartford Priory, Joanna Stafford - feisty, courageous, but scarred by her recent encounter with rebellion at court - is trying to live a quiet life with her five-year-old charge, Arthur. But family connections draw her dangerously close to a treasonous plot and, repelled by violence and the whispered conspiracies around her, Joanna seeks a life with a man who loves her. But, no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the spreading darkness of her destiny. She must make a choice between those she cares for most, and taking her part in a mysterious prophecy foretold by three compelling seers. Joanna embarks upon a testing journey, and, as she deciphers the meaning at the core of the prophecy, she learns that the fate of a king and the freedom of a nation rest in her hands.

For secrets this deadly, blood will dye the throne of a nation... A superb Tudor novel from the author of THE CHALICE.London, May 1537. As those closest to the throne are locked in a fierce fight against those desperate to save Englands monasteries from destruction, young Joanna Stafford faces a far more personal battle. When Joanna learns her cousin is about to be burned at the stake for rebelling against Henry VIII, she makes a decision that will change not only her life, but quite possibly the fate of a nation. It will mean turning her back on everything she knows, for Joanna is a novice at Dartford Priory - and to save her family, she must break the sacred rule of enclosure. But running away is only the first transgression. From the Tower of London, to secret assignations and from Stonehenge to the royal court - Joanna becomes entangled with a secret whose deadly past stretches farther back than anyone had imagined. As her mission draws a trail in blood from the last whispered words of a queen to a pattern of unnatural deaths in the royal lineage, Joanna must determine who to trust, and how far shes willing to go to protect her life, her family and everything she holds dear.