Purchasing Info: Author's Website, Publisher's Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Published by William Morrow on July 23, 2019 Genres: historical fiction, mystery, thriller This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England's past.Source: supplied by publisher via Edelweissįormats available: hardcover, paperback, large print, ebook, audiobook With Cromwell's troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. The crown's intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon's first husband, Arthur. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna's father alive. But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain. The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father's life she must find an ancient relic - a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Arrested for interfering with the king's justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin's side. Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake.

An aristocratic young nun must find a legendary crown in order to save her father - and preserve the Catholic faith from Cromwell's ruthless terror.

The crown by nancy bilyeau