TRACEY WARR

Repudiated, kidnapped, excommunicated, desired.At a time when a noblewomans purpose is to produce heirs, Almodis resolves to create her own dynasty. Almodis path to power and happiness is fraught with drama. Forbidden love and murder underpin this extraordinary story based on the life of a scandalous female lord whose descendants went on to rule in France, Spain and England.Almodis de la Marche was afflicted with a Godless female itch, according to the monk chronicler William of Malmesbury but she was radiant upon Earth, according to her third husband, Ramon Berenger, count of Barcelona. What were the motivations, triumphs and griefs behind her scandal? A novel based on the life of the real eleventh-century Almodis de la Marche, countess of Toulouse and Barcelona.Almodis is feisty. She takes any situation by the scruff of the neck and shakes the best out of it that she can. Warr brings her off the page I read the book over a couple of days when I really should have been doing something else. The Book Bag

1093. An invasion and a curse. The three sons of William the Conqueror fight with each other for control of the Anglo-Norman kingdom created by their fathers conquest. The Norman Marcher lords are let loose to consolidate the conquest of Wales, pushing across the English border to the east and invading from the sea to the south.Nest ferch Rhys is the daughter of the king of south-west Wales. Captured during the Norman assault on her fathers lands, she is raised by her captors, the powerful Montgomery family. Nest is groomed to be the wife of a Norman, despite her pre-existing betrothal to a Welsh prince. Arnulf Montgomery has taken over her fathers lands and is her intended husband, but Count Henry, the youngest son of the Conqueror, is also captivated by the Welsh noblewoman.Who will Nest marry, and can the Welsh rebels oust the Normans? Book I in the Conquest trilogy centring on the turbulent life of Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I.I could not put this book down from the moment I started it. I practically inhaled the content. Poppy Coburn

1093. The three sons of William the Conqueror Robert Duke of Normandy, William II King of England and Count Henry fight with each other for control of the Anglo-Norman kingdom created by their father s conquest.Meanwhile, Nest ferch Rhys, the daughter of the last independent Welsh king, is captured during the Norman assault of her lands. Raised with her captors, the powerful Montgommery family, Nest is educated to be the wife of Arnulf of Montgommery, in spite of her pre-existing betrothal to a Welsh prince. Who will Nest marry and can the Welsh rebels oust the Normans? Daughter of the Last King is the first in the Conquest Trilogy.

1093. Beatriz de Farrera is a trobairitz (a female troubadour) at the court of Toulouse. She sings of love but intends to evade marriage and romantic entanglements. Her patron Lady Philippa is heiress to the rich city and county of Toulouse.Philippas uncle Raimon plans to marry his niece to the ageing king of Aragon, sweep her out of his way and usurp her rights. In a world of scheming lords and plotting abbots seeking to control the riches of local salt production and the pilgrim routes, a brutal murder occurs.Beatriz finds she has skills other than poetry and music. She must uncover the secrets lurking beneath the glittering surface of the Toulouse court to expose the murderer and avert a great injustice.

1107. A kidnap and a devastating shipwreck. King Henry I reigns over England, Normandy and Wales, but his rule is far from secure. He faces treacherous assassination attempts and rebellion. Nuns and bards are tasked as spies to carry dangerous messages across the kingdom.The Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, is settled in Wales with her Norman husband but her brother is gathering support to reclaim his kingdom, and another Welsh prince has not forgotten that he was once betrothed to marry Nest. While dissent grows, a secret passion is revealed, and Nest and her Cambro-Norman children are placed in dire peril.Nest ferch Rhys is embedded in Norman society, but where do her heart and loyalty belong, and who can she trust?Book II in the Conquest trilogy centring on Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I.The drawbridge came down and I ventured in. I was not disappointed. The Book Trail

Tracey Warrs art texts have been developed as an embedded writer, writing with rather than about artists. Throughout her various modes of art writing, she argues against binaries and focuses on the stream of consciousness, the more than human, and remoteness.Her essays tangle with punk art, art and ecology, endurance art, performance art, site-specific art, and womens art. Warrs writing engages with the making processes of contemporary artists, including Marina Abramovic, Ackroyd and Harvey, Tine Bech, Brook and Black, Bruce Gilchrist, Marcus Coates, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva, London Fieldworks, Hayley Newman, Optik, Alan Smith, Emily Speed, Christian Thompson, James Turrell, Urbonas Studio, and more.

A story of love, adventure and scandal based on the real life of the eleventh-century Countess Almodis de la Marche. After generations of fighting amongst the ruling families of eleventh-century Occitania, the marriage of Almodis de la Marche to Hugh of Lusignan is intended to bring peace and harmony to the region. But at a time when a noblewomans purpose is to produce an heir, Almodis resolves to create her own dynasty. Almodiss path to power and happiness is fraught with drama. Having escaped her mariage blanc to God-fearing Hugh, she weds the lascivious Pons of Toulouse and takes over the administration of the great city. However, his distrust leaves him plotting to imprison her at a nunnery. Fearing for her life, Almodis flees in the dead of night the young, gallant Count of Barcelona might be her one chance, if only he wasnt betrothed to another Intrigue, forbidden love and murder underpin this extraordinary story based upon the life of a real medieval countess, whose children went on to rule southern France and northern Spain.

1121. The trail of a mass murderer and a hunt for a runaway nun. King Henry I has lost his heir in the sinking of The White Ship and his reign is fraught with the succession crisis. The king is obsessed with relics and prophecies. He summons his daughter, the Empress Maud, to return to England, and considers putting a woman on the English throne. King Henrys former mistress, Nest ferch Rhys, is unhappily married to the Norman constable of Cardigan Castle. She becomes increasingly embroiled in the Welsh resistance to the Norman occupation of her familys lands. Sheriff Haith distracts himself from his loss of Nest by plumbing the mystery of the shipwreck in which the Kings heir died along with three hundred other young Norman nobles. As Haith pieces together fragments of the tragic shipwreck, he discovers a chest full of secrets, but will the revelations bring a culprit to light and aid the grieving king? Book III in the Conquest trilogy centring on Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I. When Warr delved into Welsh history and discovered Nest, she must have known shed struck story gold. Historical Novels Review

Viking Raids at the End of Time.972. Tallinn. Sigrid, a Norwegian girl, is sold in the slave market and separated from her brothers. As a slave in the French Limousin, she stubbornly clings to her pagan identity. Audebert is imprisoned in a grim dungeon for his brothers crime. If Audebert is ever released, he has a life to lead, a great destiny to fulfil. Guy will soon be viscount of Limoges but fears exposure of his near-blindness and challenge to his authority. Adalmode and Aina are great heiresses attempting to resist the unwelcome pressures of the marriage market. Their stories tangle with questions of nobility, freedom, friendship and courage in the highly stratified and often brutal society of early medieval Europe. Amid Viking raids, fears of The End of Time and turbulent power struggles, The Viking Hostage tells these interweaving stories in late 10th century France and Wales.Three instantly likeable women fight the system from within. The Book Bag

Unhappily married to Stephen de Marais, the Welsh princess, Nest, becomes increasingly embroiled in her countrymen s resistance to the Norman occupation of her family s lands. She plans to visit King Henry in the hope of securing a life away from her unwanted husband, but grieving for the loss of his son, the King is obsessed with relics and prophecies.Meanwhile, Haith tries to avoid the reality that Nest is married to another man by distracting himself with the mystery of the shipwreck in which the King s heir drowned. As Haith pieces together fragments of the tragedy, he discovers a chest full of secrets, but will the revelations bring a culprit to light and aid the grieving King?Will the two lovers be united as Nest fights for independence and Haith struggles to protect King Henry?

1107. Henry I finally reigns over England, Normandy and Wales, but his rule is far from secure. He faces a series of treacherous assassination attempts, and rebellion in Normandy is scuppering his plans to secure a marriage for his son and heir. With the King torn between his kingdoms and Nest settled with her Norman husband, can she evade Henrys notice or will she fall under his control once more? As her brother Gruffudd garners support in an effort to reclaim his kingdom, Nest finds she cannot escape the pull of her Welsh heritage. While the dissent grows and a secret passion is revealed, the future of Nest and her Norman sons is placed in dire peril. In this riveting sequel to Daughter of the Last King, Nest must decide to whom her heart and loyalty belongs.

Set in late 10th century France and Wales, The Viking Hostage tells the intertwining stories of three women living through turbulent times of Viking raids, Christian conversions, and struggles for power across Europe at the turn of the millennium. Sigrid is a Norwegian sold into slavery in the French Limousin, stubbornly clinging to her pagan identity. Aina is a rich heiress, betrothed as a child to a man who does not offer her the adventure she craves. Adalmode is the daughter of the Viscount of Limoges, whose father has forbidden her passion for a young man imprisoned in his dungeon for a great crime. Their stories question and tangle with the nature of human nobility and of freedom in the highly stratified, unequal, and often brutal society of early medieval Europe.