Dark Under the Cover of Night (The Kingdom of the East Angles Book 1) (23 page)

More Historical Romance from
Jayne Castel

Night Shadows

(Prequel – The Kingdom of the East
Angles)

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now from Amazon (Kindle)

A NOVELLA

"It
does not matter how much we distance ourselves, how far we run – the past
always shadows us."

In the spring
of 609 A.D., in the village of Went, a young man comes to ask for the hand of
the ealdorman's daughter.

Wilfrid is intense,
takes himself a little too seriously, and is in love with Cynewyn - a spoiled
young woman who has been promised to another. Spurned and humiliated, Wilfrid
leaves the ealdorman's hall, never to return.

Ten years
later, Cynewyn's life has not turned out as she had hoped. Her husband is dead,
her village is under siege - and to make matters worse - she has just been told
she has to abandon her village.

Among the men
escorting her and the surviving villagers back over the border is her former
suitor - Wilfrid.

The past decade
has changed, and embittered, them both. Wil no longer believes in love, and
Cynewyn no longer believes in happy endings. Yet neither are prepared for the
passion that ignites between them, or its consequences...

Night Shadows
is the novella that begins the KINGDOM OF
THE EAST ANGLES series: three kings, three unforgettable love stories. Immerse
yourself in the romance of Anglo-Saxon England - and step back into a world
when only the strong survived.

Nightfall till Daybreak

(Book #2 – The Kingdom of the East
Angles)

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now from Amazon (Kindle or in paperback)

A
young woman taken as a king’s slave, an ambitious warrior in search of a new
life in Britannia – and the will of one man who rules them both.

It
is the spring of 629 A.D. in Anglo-Saxon Britannia, and the Kingdom of the East
Angles is in turmoil. Ricberht the Usurper has killed the king and taken the
throne for his own. Meanwhile, Sigeberht, the exiled stepson of the late King
Raedwald of the East Angles, prepares to return to Britannia from Gaul.

Freya,
a flame-haired and spirited young woman, meets an arrogant stranger on the East
Anglian shore. Days later, she finds herself torn from her old life and forced
into slavery. When Sigeberht attacks Rendlaesham and takes back the throne for
his family, Freya discovers the man who stole a kiss from her on the shore is
the new king’s right-hand. Aidan of Connacht has followed Sigeberht since
boyhood. He owes the new king his life, and his freedom.

Sigeberht
has returned to Britannia for vengeance, but soon discovers that reckoning
comes at a price. In the shadow of approaching war between the East Angles and
the Mercians, the fates of Freya and Aidan are intertwined with that of their
king. With the warmongering Mercian King, Penda, marching on their borders and
a looming battle between the two armies, Sigeberht refuses to face the danger –
a decision that will change all of their lives forever.

Nightfall
till Daybreak
is a timeless tale of love in a world where only
the strong survived. Can Freya and Aidan’s blossoming passion endure duty,
treachery and war?

Is
courage enough?

The Deepening Night

(Book #3 – The Kingdom of the East
Angles)

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now from Amazon (Kindle or in paperback)

A
gritty, historical romance adventure set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon Britannia -
a time when only the strong survived.

Spring,
630 A.D...

Annan
of the Wuffingas is now King of the East Angles; following the kingdom's
humiliating defeat to Mercia six months earlier.

He
is attempting to make a new start for himself, and his people, when he receives
an order from Penda of Mercia - the king he has sworn to 'bend the knee' to.

He
must marry Penda's sister – the recently widowed, Saewara of Tamworth. Saewara,
free of one bullying husband, only to be promised to another, is filled with
despair at the news.

Both
Annan and Saewara are embittered by the sacrifice they must make for their
kingdoms: Annan had been planning to wed another, a maid now promised to his
brother; while Saewara, numbed by life, had planned to become a nun.

But
life does not work out as expected for Annan and Saewara.

What
begins as a forced marriage, develops into a slow-burning passion between Annan
and Saewara; two proud individuals, who must come to terms with more than an
unwanted marriage.
The Deepening Night
is a tale of adventure, love and
courage that will change, not just their lives, but the course of history.

The Breaking Dawn

(Book #1 – The Kingdom of Mercia)

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now from Amazon (Kindle or in paperback)

You cannot fight fate

A
Mercian village girl and a Welsh prince. When two worlds collide, an
unforgettable love story unfolds.

It
is the summer of 641 A.D., and the Kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria are about
to do battle.

Merwenna
of Weyham accepts the hand of a young warrior who is about to march to war. But
when her betrothed does not return, she takes matters into her own hands and
goes in search of him.

Welsh
battle lord, Prince Cynddylan, leads a host of warriors to help Mercia fight
Northumbria. In doing so, he forms a fragile alliance with one of Britannia's
most ruthless warlords - King Penda of Mercia.

In
the wake of the Battle of Maes Cogwy, the lives of many will change.

Merwenna
travels to Tamworth, the seat of the Mercian King, in search of Beorn, her
betrothed - only to discover the bitter truth.

Cynddylan
and Penda return to Tamworth from battle, victorious - but fall out in its
aftermath.

From
the moment Merwenna and Cynddylan meet in the Great Tower of Tamworth, their
paths are entwined.

In
a journey from Tamworth, through the green heart of Mercia, and into the woods
and mountains of Wales - Merwenna struggles between grief for the man she has
lost, and her powerful attraction to this battle lord who appears to love only
power and glory.

Cynddylan
is also torn. With each passing day, he finds himself increasingly captivated
by this courageous young woman. Merwenna makes him question the world, and his
place in it. Suddenly, he is not so sure what is worth living, or dying, for.

Can
two lovers from such different worlds, ever be together?

The
Breaking Dawn is the first novel in the Kingdom of Mercia series, following the
ground-breaking Kingdom of the East Angles novels: Dark Under the Cover of
Night, Nightfall till Daybreak and The Deepening Night. Set in 7th Century
Anglo-Saxon England, these novels blend epic romance, adventure and rich
historical detail.

Darkest before Dawn

Book #2 – The Kingdom of Mercia

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now from Amazon (kindle and paperback editions)

BRITAIN
- 655 A.D.

Princess
Alchflaed of Northumbria is a spirited young woman who wishes to choose her own
path. Unfortunately, highborn women in Anglo-Saxon England have no say in their
choice of husband, and her father promises his daughter to the son of his
bitterest enemy.

This
attempt at 'peace weaving' is not what is seems. Alchflaed's father orders her
to murder her new husband. Charged with this treacherous task, she journeys
south to her new home in Mercia.

Maric
- a seasoned warrior with a dark past - leads her escort. Princess and warrior
find themselves strongly drawn to each other, but they must deny their
feelings. Both bound by loyalty, neither can choose their own fates.

Alchflaed's
father has given her a terrible choice: to earn her freedom, she must kill a
king.