In the Shadow of the Crown — Susan Bowden

DAYS OF GLORY, NIGHTS OF LOVE

Torn from her family's Yorkshire estate by the death of her father, heiress Joisse Radcliffe flees by night to sanctuary in a nearby abbey. Beset by robbers, she is rescued by a brave horseman who serves Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and taken to Middleham Castle.

Once Richard makes her his ward, Joisse is swept up in the tapestry of history that will place the Duke on the throne of England. But her destiny will lie with Tom Thomson, the man who will defy danger to save her. Though the world considers Tom beneath her, Joisse knows he is the only man she will ever love. Then fate forces her to choose -- between the man she cherishes above all else, and the ancestral home she cannot bear to lose.

Set amid the clash of dynasties in 15th-century England, this thrilling saga of love and honor spans the tumultuous years of Richard III's reign, culminating in the shattering battle at Bosworth Field, and the ascension of the Tudors. Rich with the pageantry of court and the fierce splendor of the battlefield, IN THE SHADOW OF THE CROWN is an unforgettable tale of a time when the kingdom was in danger, and loving is the greatest risk of all.