Blood Queen - Joanna Courtney

Cold. Ruthless. Deadly.

The myth of Lady Macbeth looms large. But behind the villainous portrait stands a real woman. This is her story .

. . n n Scotland, 1020 AD.

King Malcolm II lies on his deathbed, and the most powerful families make a violent claim for the Scottish throne . . .

n n On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, a flushed and nervous Cora MacDuff waits to marry her sweetheart, Macbeth. But her dreams are stolen from her, and the night she was hoping for turns into a brutal slaughter. n In order to reclaim the life she was promised, Cora must learn to use every weapon at her disposal - even those she loves .

. . n n The beginning of a brand new Historical fiction series by the bestselling author of the Queens of Conquest series, her new trilogy unearths the real women behind Shakespeare's most infamous queens .

. . If you love Elizabeth Chadwick and Anne O'Brien you will adore Joanna Courtney n n What readers are saying about Joanna Courtney: n n 'I was hooked from the very first page and didn't want to put it down.

Joanna Courtney is a new talent in the world of historical fiction and one that I would highly recommend. I look forward to reading more by this fantastic author' Bookbabblers n n 'A strong sense of atmosphere and place and time. I really got into the story, in fact I was so gripped by it at one point that I missed my bus.

It was a really good, exciting, read. I cannot wait to read the next two books.' Michelle Birkby, author of The House at Baker Street n n 'Amazing' (Miranda Dickinson) n n 'A glorious, rich, epic story of love, friendship and sacrifice which will sweep you up and transport you to another time. I absolutely loved this and can't wait for the next book in the series' (Rachael Lucas, author of Sealed With A Kiss and Coming Up Roses) n n 'An absorbing and emotional debut novel' (Candis magazine) n n 'A beautifully written multi layered tale with a tremendously authentic sense of