Renaissance Brothers

Abused and orphaned at thirteen, red-haired Rosso flees his Venetian village with only the clothes on his back and his brother's bitter threats in his ears. He becomes one of the hundreds of shadowy figures roaming the medieval Italian countryside, threatened by warring kingdoms, deadly plagues, and often one another. But Rosso is not one to give in to suffering or fear, and his new, independent life takes a turn for the better when he meets two fellow travelers who offer him the kind of family he never had. Rosso and his friends set out on a series of adventures that will test and bind them. The abused son of a butcher becomes a shepherd, a soldier, a monk, and even a spy. With each new adventure, this unlikely hero finds himself more deeply enmeshed in the intrigues that will define the future of the continent. Rosso is a delightful debut that reminds us that hope endures in every time and for every person who seeks it, even for those who seem invisible.

Italy at the turn of the 15th-century is a dangerous place to be away from home. Rosso's brief career as a mercenary left him longing for peace. He's settled into a quiet, contemplative life in Rome as a novice monk. Or is he? On the eve of taking his final vows, Rosso disappears. None of his friends know where he's gone, or why. And he's not the only one who's missing. There's a rumor that Rosso's friend Marco and his family were carted away by sinister strangers in the dead of night. The intrigues of Cesare Borgias and his sister, Lucrezia, reach into the farthest corners of the countryside. They have the power of their father, Pope Alexander VI, and the Vatican behind them. But, what would a power-hungry dynasty want with an Augustinian scholar or a Roman blacksmith's family? Does Rosso hold the secret to what happened? Priests, tavern owners, shepherds, and street urchins must band together to find out. In the process they'll discover that heroism comes in many forms, and often from those who least expect it.

On the death of an Italian Cardinal, a young woman comes into an unexpected yet fabulous inheritance and her life promises to change forever. An ancient title, a vast estate and a fortune equal to a King's ransom seem a glittering prize but it's all far, far away from her simple life as a blacksmith's daughter in medieval Rome. Clare's inheritance sees her become the Duchess of Villeprieux near Paris in France, but she must get to her estates as fast as she can before her cousin usurps her title. Once there, she finds herself alone facing the intrigues of the hostile French court of Louis XIV. The King threatens her with a forced marriage if she is to keep her title and her lands, and behind her back, her conniving cousin Philippe constantly plots her downfall. Deceit, kidnaping, betrayal, greed all seem a natural part of life at the Royal Court, how can one woman survive against such powerful men? When all seems lost, help arrives from an unexpected quarter whilst a phantom figure from her childhood days brings both joy and despair. With her whole life in the balance, Clare tries to plot a road to freedom, but dangers lurks everywhere.