Shakespeare’s Queens Series by 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 . . . Scotland, 1020 AD - King Malcolm II is fading fast. It is North vs South, for two families have a claim on the inheritance of his crown. Who will gain the Scottish throne? On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, a flushed and nervous Cora MacDuff waits to marry her sweetheart, Macbeth... moreCold. Ruthless. Deadly. The myth of Lady Macbeth looms large. But behind the villainous portrait stands a real woman. This is her story . . . Scotland, 1020 AD - King Malcolm II is fading fast. It is North vs South, for two families have a claim on the inheritance of his crown. Who will gain the Scottish throne? On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, a flushed and nervous Cora MacDuff waits to marry her sweetheart, Macbeth. But her dreams are about to be stolen from her as the night she was hoping for turns into a brutal slaughter. In order to reclaim the life she was promised, she will learn to use every weapon at her disposal - even her son. less

The world knows Ophelia as Hamlet's troubled lover; but behind Shakespeare's tragedy stands a real woman: this is her story . . .The second novel in the new historical fiction series from the bestselling author of the Queens of Conquest, Joanna Courtney's new trilogy unearths the real women behind Shakespeare's most infamous queens.

She is their youngest, sweetest sister, yet she is fated to become their strongest leader...The Coritani are a matriarchal line of great power, blessed with three princesses to carry the royal bloodline forward. Confident, fiery Goneril; fierce, earthy Regan; and gentle, water-blessed Cordelia. The future, the druids are certain, is secure... moreShe is their youngest, sweetest sister, yet she is fated to become their strongest leader...The Coritani are a matriarchal line of great power, blessed with three princesses to carry the royal bloodline forward. Confident, fiery Goneril; fierce, earthy Regan; and gentle, water-blessed Cordelia. The future, the druids are certain, is secure.But when Goneril decides she wants power on her own terms, even at the expense of her fragile father, the princesses' triple bond is threatened and then tragically broken. Quiet Cordelia finds herself cast adrift, forced to flee for her life across dark, stormy seas.Can Cordelia find the strength to challenge her sisters and their pet druids, and bring truth, right and justice back to the Coritani before it's too late for them all?This is Shakespeare's Cordelia as you've never seen her before: no longer at the beck and call of Lear, but a proud princess of the matriarchal society ruling England in the Bronze Age. Joanna Courtney's sweeping Historical trilogy is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Chadwick and Anne O'Brien less