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Buy Links:
Connect with Jude:
Website • Art • Instagram • Facebook • Threads
Amazon Author Page • LinkedIn • Goodreads
Senlac is a two-part historical novel that brings to life the turbulent period leading to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. A bloody war fought at close hand and on horseback with sword and battle-ax, with the English pitted on different fronts against the Normans and the Vikings, the results of this invasion would dramatically change the course of Medieval history and beyond.
Senlac opens during Christmas of the year 1065, a time of grave national crisis and disquieting omens, when the aged King Edward the Confessor, the seventh son of Æthelred the Unready, dies in the Palace of Westminster in London. He leaves behind no heir.
To fill the void, Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold, the Earl of Wessex and the greatest warrior in England, is hurriedly elected king by popular acclaim. Harold desperately seeks to unify a kingdom ravaged by the Danish occupation, and by unrest on both the Scottish and Welsh borders.
In order to ensure military support in the north, Harold must turn his back on his beloved common-law wife, Edith the Fair—also known as Edith Swanneck, for the graceful length of her neck—and their children to marry Aeldyth, the sister of both the Earl of Northumbria and the Earl of Mercia. Meanwhile, Harold’s mercurial younger brother, Tostig, is bitterly plotting a return from exile and revenge against the King.
Across the North Sea, the King of Norway, the aging and psychotic Harald Hardraada, who was said to be a full seven feet tall, dreams of a new Viking Empire on English soil, and strikes an alliance with Tosig. Likewise, across the English Channel, William, Duke of Normandy—the leader of a powerful yet unstable military state—plans his own attack, determined to avenge Harold’s broken promise to make England his.
Carefully researched and re-imagined by Londoner and first-time novelist Julian del la Motte, Senlac turns the dust of history into living flesh and emotion.
Praise for The King’s Intelligencer:
“In her latest literary achievement, Elizabeth St.John delivers a powerful and memorable narrative in The King’s Intelligencer. Through her storytelling, she has woven together an indelible plot that delves into the realms of family, friendship, monarchy, espionage, and love. This book has an irresistible pull that draws you into the story and the lives of those who lived so many years ago.”
~ Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion, 5* Review
“Franny Apsley is a captivating heroine, confident and courageous...her puzzle-solving sleuth work is nothing short of intoxicating for a mystery fan like myself. As an intelligencer, she walks a tightrope of duplicity at great personal risk, and the stakes rise with every step she takes toward the novel's stunning conclusion.”
~ Amy Maroney, author of the award-winning Sea and Stone Chronicles
“Exquisitely, skilfully and often lyrically written, I also felt captivated by the threads St John weaved into this novel that connect to her previous works like The Godmother's Secret and The Lady of the Tower. This is a brilliant novel, and a must read for lovers of historical fiction.”
~ Wendy J. Dunn, author of award-winning Tudor fiction