Ancient Women

Nationally bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of the great hero Perseus, told through the voices of three women who are sidelined in the traditional version—his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda—but whose viewpoints reveal a man who is not, in fact, a hero at all.

For nearly three thousand years, Helen of Troy has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that it can wield. Held responsible for both the Trojan War and enduring the enmity between East and West, for millennia she has been viewed as an exquisite agent of extermination. But who was she really? Focusing on the 'real' Helen, bestselling historian Bettany Hughes reconstructs the true life for this elusive Green Bronze age princess and places her alongside the heroes and heroines of myth and history.

Ever felt as if God had forgotten you? Or that He just didn't care? Naomi had every reason to feel that way.Moved from her home in God's "House of Bread" to His “scrub bucket,” she lived for years in a foreign and idolatrous land. God seemed to take from her everything that she cared about. She experienced several devastating losses before she made the first of a number of huge decisions.If you’ve faced tragedy, felt afraid for the future, or been faced with decisions that seemed overpowering, this is the book for you. Just as this lady of old faced life-changing decisions, so we too ...

She was born Athenian and raised an Amazon warrior. But betrayal and heartbreak will force her to choose who she is. “…a powerful tale…”-Novels Alive “…an amazing story of courage, strength, and fighting back…”-The Faerie Review This is the tale of Kassandra, born in Athens, Greece, in the 4th century BC, and her transition from a frightened but determined girl into a formidable warrior—a path of trust and betrayal, love and loss, joy and heartbreak—the story of a woman who challenges the very gods of Greece to find happiness. Kassandra was just ten years old when her ...

A jealous Egyptian queen. A lascivious Galilean governor. How can one servant girl possibly make a difference? An orphan since birth, Lydia lives in the palace at the demand of Cleopatra and her royal child, the son of Julius Caesar. But Lydia’s beauty is becoming a liability to the aging queen, and the visiting Herod’s undisguised interest in Lydia only makes matters worse. When Lydia’s mentor is murdered, the handmaid inherits a daunting task. An ancient set of sealed scrolls, the secret writings of the prophet Daniel, must be returned to Jerusalem–before those who killed her ...

She fled through time to save her son. Falling for a king was never part of the plan. When Bethany escapes her dangerous ex-husband by traveling back to ancient Scotland, she never expects to be mistaken for a runaway princess—or to find herself drawn into a world of warriors, secrets, and magic. All she wants is to keep her little boy safe. But in a kingdom full of political enemies and a priest who knows too much, keeping her secret might cost her everything. King Comgall knows he must marry to secure peace. His bride seems perfect: fierce, loyal, and willing to risk everything for her ...

Julius Caesar is dead. The Republic has fallen. Rivals vie for power. Who will emerge the victor? And who will die trying? When Julius Caesar is stabbed to death in Rome, 19-year-old Gaius Octavius is on the other side of the Adriatic Sea. Despite his youth and illness-riddled past, Octavius dreams of glory, and Caesar’s death might just be the answer. Determined to write his own fate, Octavius sails to Rome with his close friend, Marcus Agrippa, who has followed the rich, charming, and ambitious Octavius since they were young. Meanwhile in Rome, Marcus Antonius has seized power, though ...

Princess of Mycenae, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, sister of the sacrificed Iphigenia and the cursed Orestes. Electra is forced to flee her home after witnessing the shocking revenge-murder of her father, by her mother, on his return from the Trojan War. Life beyond the palace is frightening, and the scandalous behaviour of her foreign companions disturbs her, but she needs the help of the Trojan Cassandra, and her two lovers, to survive. Driven by her own desire for vengeance, Electra's life becomes one of adventure, peril, pleasure, tragedy and love.

There are many paths to power. They all come with a price. Neferura, princess and high priestess of Kemet, knows her duty is to her people. When your mother is the great Pharaoh, it is hard to forget. But Neferura's unique position at court comes with high stakes for her country, especially when she's forced to serve her vile half-brother, a man determined to stop Neferura's potential rise.

Artist Laura Matthews finds her new home in the Welsh mountains to be a place so charged with tales and legends that she is able to reach through the gossamer-fine veil that separates her own world from that of myth and fable. She and her husband, Dan, have given up their city life and moved to Blaencwm, an ancient longhouse high in the hills. Here, she hopes that the wild beauty will inspire her to produce her best art and will give her the baby they have longed for.

One of Italy’s most revered cultural figures reconstructs the extraordinary life of the legendary Cleopatra at the height of her power in this epic story of passion, intrigue, betrayal, and war.

Ireland, AD 671. When a curious deputation of religieux arrive in Cashel, death follows close behind. Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, seem unable to stem the bloodshed. Is one of the deputation responsible? What was the Venerable Verax, the scholar from Rome, hiding? Was there an evil secret behind the austere Bishop Arwald? Indeed, what was the real reason behind Eadulf's brother Egric's unexpected appearance at Cashel - could he be the culprit?

What if the secret to a man’s heart wasn’t in his mind—but in his ancient instincts? Welcome to The Caveman Effect, the ultimate self-help book for women who want to crack the code of male psychology and use it to build deeper love, stronger attraction, and a relationship that lasts. Men may have traded clubs and caves for suits and smartphones, but their brains? Still wired like it’s the Stone Age. This self-help book dives into the primal instincts that drive men to pursue, protect, and commit—and shows you exactly how to tap into them. No games. No manipulation. Just science-...

An Epic Quest Across the Sands of Arabia... In Part 3 of this sweeping historical adventure, Kamillah finds herself caught between warring powers and her own heart. Traveling to Jerusalem with her band of Persian magi to find a prophesied king, Kamillah must finally confront her nemesis Zahir, a dangerous sorcerer intent on acquiring an artifact of immense power. But Kamillah and her companions soon find themselves imprisoned by Roman soldiers and facing accusations of espionage. As Kamillah works to secure their release, drawing on her royal Egyptian heritage and reputation as a sorceress,...

It was a normal day in high school, until one of my instructors began to lecture. That day, he used an inane theory to teach classrooms of students, most of whom were white, to believe that people of African descent were intellectually inferior. I didn’t believe him...Why, I wondered, were lies told about their intellectualism? I realized that these were the culprits and forerunners to intellectual colonialism which still exists in today’s academic environments and subsequent social cultures.

Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today - and how we trivialize her power at our peril.

In December of 666 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel and her companion Brother Eadulf, having completed their business with the Archbishop of Canterbury, make one final journey before returning to Ireland. At the insistence of Brother Botulf, a childhood friend of Eadulf, they detour from their trip to Eadulf's home village and make their way to Aldred's Abbey. Arriving at midnight on the night of the old pagan festival of Yule, as requested, they find Botulf's dead body - his head caved in by a blunt instrument.

The ancient hungry stones of Coptos in Upper Egypt have soaked up the stories of the inhabitants along with their blood. When archaeologists unearth a magician's box in the rubble of an ancient Egyptian tomb, it propels Jay into a supernatural journey across space and time. She merges with the mysterious Zenobia, a native of ancient Coptos. Zenobia and her family are fleeing from the advancing Roman armies that are returning to their Egyptian frontier bent on punishing its rebellious citizens. The only escape from the frying pan of Coptos is into the fire of the Eastern desert. Their ...

Traditionally, the Orthodox Church has appointed forty days of rest and seclusion after childbirth for mothers to recover from the rigors of birth and get to know their new babies. In the modern world, it can be difficult to understand how to use this time to the fullest in the way it was intended. The authors of A Sacred Beginning—a therapist and a pediatrician who are both mothers themselves—come to the rescue with a resource that addresses the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of a mother's recovery from birth and embarkation on her new life.

In the late autumn of AD 666, Fidelma of Cashel - an advocate of the Brehon courts, sister to the king of Cashel, and religieuse of the Celtic Church - is at a crossroads. Needing to reflect upon her commitment to the religious life and her relationship to the Saxon monk Eadulf, she leaves Eadulf behind and joins a small band sailing from Ireland on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in modern-day Spain.