Empire's Legacy Series

A B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree; Eric Hoffer Finalist, 2021; BBNYA 2021 Semi-Finalist An Emperor's request. A lover's refusal. And a young woman who must choose between them. Many generations past, the great empire from the east left Lena's country to its own defences. Now invasion threatens...and to save their land, women must learn the skills of war. But in a world reminiscent of Britain after the fall of Rome, only men fight; women farm and fish. Lena's choice to answer her leader's call to arms separates her from her lover Maya, beginning her journey of exploration: a journey of body, mind and heart. Winner of multiple awards, both individually and as part of the first Empire's Legacy trilogy, Empire's Daughter is neither magical fantasy nor historical fiction, but a unique world both familiar and unfamiliar - an empire on the edge of history. Silver Medal, Historical Fantasy Box Set (2019), Coffee Pot Book Club Awards; Readers' Favorite 5-Star Award, 2021 (as part of Empire's Legacy: The First Trilogy)  

A boy of the night-time streets. A girl of libraries and learning. Druisius, the son of a merchant, is sixteen when his father's cruel order drives him from home and into the danger and intrigue of the military. Eudekia, a scholar's daughter, educated and dutiful, is not meant to be a prince's bride. In an empire at war, and in a city beset by famine and unrest, she must prove herself worthy of its throne. A decade after a first, brief meeting, their lives intersect again. When a delegation arrives from the lost West, Druisius is assigned to guard them. In the span of a few weeks, a young captain will capture the hearts of both Empress and soldier in very different ways, offering a future neither could have foreseen.   A stand-alone novel that can also serve as a second entry point into the Empire series. No previous knowledge of my fictional world is needed.

A task she cannot refuse. A land that holds secrets. And a man Lena doesn't know if she can trust. Now a soldier, Lena is sent to stand hostage to a truce with a country that holds knowledge long forgotten in her own. Kidnapped by the fierce Marai, she faces a future she cannot accept. When she learns of immediate danger to her land, Lena must cooperate with a man she neither knows nor likes. But when their actions have consequences neither could foresee, will the outcome be worse than the Marai threat? Silver Medal, Historical Fiction Box Set (2019), Coffee Pot Book Club Awards

A reprieve from death. A city of legend. And a gamble to save everything – and everyone – Lena loves. Exiled for treason, Lena has few chances of survival in the mountains she must cross. Her companion is of little help. But the fabled city of Casil may lay somewhere to the east – and reaching it is their last, desperate hope for help against the enemy who is overrunning their lands. But does the Eastern Empire still exist – and if it does, will it come to the help of its long-forgotten province? Gold Medal, Historical Fantasy (2019); Silver Medal, Historical Fantasy Box Set (2019), Coffee Pot Book Club Awards

Can a musician heal, when a physician cannot?   In the aftermath of war, Sorley - Lord Sorley of Gundarstorp - is called upon to be many things: translator, diplomat, advisor to two leaders. The treaty that won peace has brought new danger: a corrupt official with enormous power. The only man whose subtle mind could counter this threat – the man Sorley loves – is dying. His death will leave a woman bereaved, a child fatherless, and a country defenceless. Can Sorley's music convince the gods to spare a life – and if so, at what cost?

Finalist: 2022 Eric Hoffer Award; 2022/23 IndieInk Awards: Bisexual Representation   Some games are played for mortal stakes.   Gwenna, heir to Ésparias, is summoned by the Empress of Casil to compete for the hand of her son. Offered power and influence far beyond what her own small land can give her, Gwenna's strategy seems clear – except she loves someone else. Nineteen years earlier, the Empress outplayed Cillian in diplomacy and intrigue. Alone, his only living daughter has little chance to counter the Empress's experience and skill. Aging and torn by grief and worry, Cillian insists on accompanying Gwenna to Casil. Risking a charge of treason, faced with a choice he does not want to make, Cillian must convince Gwenna her future is more important than his – while Gwenna plans her moves to keep her father safe. Both are playing a dangerous game. Which one will concede – or sacrifice?

Book of the Year, Historical Fantasy 2020, The Coffee Pot Book Club Historical Fiction Awards   How many secrets does your family have?    For 13 years, Sorley has taught music alongside the man he loves, war and betrayal nearly forgotten. But behind their calm and ordered life, there are hidden truths. When a young girl's question demands an answer, does he break the most important oath he has ever sworn by lying – or tell the truth, risking the destruction of both his family and a fragile political alliance?   Empire's Reckoning asks if love – of country, of an individual, of family – can be enough to leave behind the expectations of history and culture, and to chart a way to peace.

When empires fall, daughters rise.   As the Eastern Empire falls, Gwenna wrestles with a precarious legacy: her father's vision of an alliance among Ésparias, Linrathe and Varsland. Rumours of rebellion against her leadership spread, forcing her to confront not just external threats but treachery from those she loves the most. Haunted by grief and the echoes of war, Lena embarks alone on a dangerous journey to fulfil one of Cillian's last wishes. Each step forces her to confront the ghosts of her past and forge a new path, one that may bring answers—or ignite retribution that could destroy them all. Bound by love, divided by duty, fighting to find new lives beyond loss, mother and daughter must shape not only their own futures, but that of their land too.

Empire's Bard contains the text of the previously published Oraiáphon and Empire's Reckoning, under one title.   Courage comes in many forms. The northern invaders are defeated, but the price is high. The Eastern Empire, gone from these lands for generations, now rules. For Sorley, the young lord of Gundarstorp, the war and the treaty he signed have stripped him of both his lands and the chance to be a scáeli, a bard. Now it threatens to take Cillian, the man he loves. Reluctantly accepting a diplomatic role, desperate to stay at Cillian's side, Sorley is torn between promises: to his country's leader; to his oath as an envoy; to his closest friend. Taking refuge in his music and the arms of another man, he finds a fragile peace – only to have it shattered by secrets revealed. But there is more than one side to a story, more than one song to be sung – if Sorley is brave enough to listen to his heart.