SHORTLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY FIRST CHAPTER AWARD (2026)For a woman, holding power in a man’s world is dangerous; holding fast to her faith in an intolerant one can be deadly.

England, 1185. Nicola de la Haye, constable of Lincoln Castle, commands her fortress with hard-won authority. Determined to protect her family from a kingdom fracturing around her, she discovers the hardest battle is the one inside her own walls.

When the king’s chancellor marches an army to her gates and her husband stands accused of treason, Nicola must hold her castle against a siege

—and hold her family together against something far harder to fight. As her marriage buckles under the weight of loss, jealousy, and the ghosts of their pasts, Nicola must choose between the walls she has built around herself and the man she has never fully let in.

Miles away, Nicola’s Jewish childhood friend Bella has built her world on different foundations: a husband she adores, a strong, vibrant community, and a faith and traditions kept alive despite centuries of persecution. When crusading fervour sweeps the nation, Bella’s family is stripped of its fortune and forced to flee to York—only to find themselves trapped in a castle tower by a mob demanding baptism or death.

As Richard the Lionheart departs for the Holy Land, leaving England to turn on itself, both women face the same impossible question: what do you love enough to sacrifice everything for?

Based on the true story of a medieval heroine history nearly erased, Lady of the Castle is an immersive, deeply moving epic of love, loyalty, and betrayal in a kingdom torn apart by violence, prejudice, and the ambitions of powerful men.

For listeners who love sweeping medieval epics, political intrigue, forbidden love, and emotionally charged second-chance romance—buy Lady of the Castle today.

Please note: this novel contains mature themes and some intimate scenes.