MM Historical Fiction Sale – 14 Authors, 13 Great Buys

Get swept away to times long past.
Fourteen authors share their love of history through fiction.
Follow the website links after my post to read the authors’  articles
about their books and then go pick up a great read
for half-price or less from December 12 – 24!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Men of the Cross (Battle Scars I)
Era: Medieval – 12th century
Ebook – $.99/99p on Amazon

Historical Background
The Third Crusade forms the backdrop of Men of the Cross, a tale of two young knights who serve King Richard I, the Lionheart. The novel reflects actual events from 1190-1193. It is a story of war’s impact on the knights—part adventure, part romance, part coming-of-age for 20 year old Sir Henry de Grey.

Religion and the Church
The Catholic Church dominated the lives of Christians in medieval times. Taking the Cross—answering the Pope’s call to crusade to the Holy Land—offered a way for a man to wash away his sins and secure eternal salvation. The idea of Heaven and Hell were very real to medieval people. Religious fervor gripped their hearts and souls after Saladin took their most holy place Jerusalem.

Political alliances
King Richard I of England and King Philip of France agreed to put aside their territorial squabbles and, like many European rulers, began the arduous journey to the Holy Land in April 1190. The two kings had little love for each other, and as history would prove, Philip could not be trusted.

Within weeks of Richard’s arrival in the Holy Land in June 1191, Acre surrendered and Richard managed to insult the duke of Austria, who withdrew his forces. King Philip left for France in August, abandoning the pope’s call to re-take Jerusalem. King Richard reorganized the remaining forces (approximately 20,000 men from multiple countries) and began the ultimately unsuccessful campaign towards the Holy City.

Two interesting side notes:

1) Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was the 1st wife of Philip’s father, Louis VII. Their marriage was annulled in 1152 when Eleanor failed to provide a male heir. (Annulments were extremely uncommon, but as in Eleanor and Louis’ case, approved for reasons of consanguinity.) Two months after her annulment, Eleanor married Henry II and subsequently had five sons and three daughters.

2) Richard had been betrothed at age 12 in 1169 to Philip’s half-sister Alys. Poor Alys was sent to England at age 8 as a ward of Henry II. There were rumors he took her as his mistress. Richard jilted her to marry Berengaria of Navarre in 1191, and Alys, then age 31, was finally sent back to France where her brother married her off to the count of Ponthieu. (And rumors that Richard was homosexual are just that—rumors. For more on that, see my post on sex and sin in medieval times.)

My Book – Men of the Cross
Become part of Richard’s army through the eyes of the naive, inexperienced Sir Henry and the battle-hardened Sir Stephan—they observe King Richard’s struggles first-hand. Henry learns all too soon about the horrors of war and sees how political intrigue abounds as his king’s allies become enemies. Life in a medieval army is not filled with flowery chivalry. These men cross great distances over land and sea, survive the elements, and nearly lose their own lives in fights against the Saracen army and other enemies.

Henry struggles with his growing feelings for Stephan. Men cannot love each other—the Church teaches that this is a mortal sin!

Stephan makes no secret that he has enjoyed physical relationships with other men since he was a teenager. But he never expects that he might fall in love with another man. Men like him don’t love.

The two knights begin to question their beliefs about love. Can they have a happily-ever after? Buy Men of the Cross now on Amazon!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Visit all the authors participating in this
MM Historical Fiction Blowout.

Discover a new author. Find a new book to read.
Click on the “website” links to read the authors’ posts.

Alex Beecroft The Reluctant Berserker Era: Early Medieval/Dark Ages Saxon Amazon  All Other Formats $0.99 Website | Amazon author page | Facebook | Twitter

JP Kenwood February and December (Dominus Calendar Series 1) Era: Imperial Rome Amazon Worldwide $0.99/.99p Website | Facebook | Twitter | Archive of our Own

Brita Addams Beloved Unmasked Era: Early 20th Century New Orleans Dreamspinner | Amazon $3.00 Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee Simon and the Christmas Spirit  (Victorian Holiday Hearts series) Era: Victorian Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo | B&N | iTunes $0.99 Website | BD Facebook | BDTwitter | SD Facebook | SD Twitter

Anne Barwell On Wings of Song Era: WWI – 1920 Dreamspinner  $2.50 Website | Twitter | Queeromance Ink | Newsletter |Facebook

Joanna Chambers Unnatural  Era: Regency Amazon Amazon (UK)  Nook  iBooks  Kobo  GPlay $1.99 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Wendy Rathbone Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods Era: Bronze Age, fantasy, alternate myth Amazon $2.99 Website | Facebook | Newsletter (get a free copy of “Letters to an Android”)

Christina E. Pilz Fagin’s Boy: The Further Particulars of a Parish Boy’s Progress Era: Victorian Amazon | Kobo | Apple | Smashwords|B&N $0.99 Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Facebook

Silvia Violet Revolutionary Temptation Era: American Revolution Amazon Global | iBooks | Kobo | BN $2.99 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked  Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only Amazon | Google | Google Play | Nook | Kobo | iTunes $2.99 Website| Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads|Facebook

Michael Jensen Man & Monster  Era: 1799, America Amazon $1.99 Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Charlene Newcomb Men of the Cross (Battle Scars I) Era: Medieval – 12th century Amazon $0.99/99p Website | Twitter | Facebook

Ruby Moone Memories Era: Regency Amazon | JMS Books $2.99 Website | Twitter | Facebook