When young Cecile wakes up in the hollow of a large tree, she can't remember who she is and how she got there. She bravely journeys through the thick and unfamiliar forest searching for clues to her identity. Lost and alone, Cecile stumbles upon Emma, a woman in the woods who not only feeds her and keeps her safe, but tells her an amazing story. Cecile discovers that she is, indeed, a princess, who has been bewitched by Queen Griselda, the Spider Queen. Not only is her beautiful kingdom of Belamor in danger, but the evil Spider Queen is searching for her. Cecile is the only one who can unlock the doorway to the treasury by appearing before the Mirror of Truth. Cecile must hurry to save her kingdom and its people from the Spider Queen's web. With its cast of colorful characters and its classic illustrations, Cecile and the Spider Queen tells a spellbinding tale of beauty, enchantment, and deception. Cecile proves that it takes more than beauty to be the princess of Belamor.

Cecile awakens in a beautiful garden with no memory of her past. She has fallen under the beautiful Spider Queen's spell, and is unaware that the queen's henchmen are now looking for her! Cecile soon discovers that she is, indeed, the princess of a kingdom that is in desperate need of her help. She takes heroic action! Confronting the Spider Queen, and all her deceptions, she learns what it really takes to be the princess of Belamor.

Earthquakes shake Castle Belamor and repairs are costing Princess Cecile a fortune in gold. A neighboring king offers financial support in exchange for her hand in marriage. But Cecile is determined to find her own solutions. Deep in the caves of Belamor she discovers the heart of the problem. A dragon is waking from five hundred years of slumber. Cecile and her friends must decide whether to put the dragon back to sleep or lead him through three doors to freedom. The mysterious caves hide suspicious dwarves and secretive fairies. And an ancient rivalry between two powerful wizards has been rekindled. Even her trustworthy friends have opposing agendas. But friend or foe, they all play surprising roles in the many twists and turns of this fast-paced adventure. This is the second book in the Mystic Heroine Adventures series that began with Cecile and The Spider Queen.

Two rival queens. An infamous playwright. And a deadly plot for the crown. London, 1600. With no legitimate heir to Queen Elizabeth's throne, and no clear successor with her modern vision of a civilization that thrives in peace and diversity, England is in a supremely perilous moment. Elizabeth's foes understand the power of a poet's voice to shape popular opinion, and force esteemed playwright William Shakespeare to write a script detailing the history of Queen Elizabeth and the catholic Mary Queen of Scots that will tumble the nation into civil war. Faced with a terrible dilemma, Will must navigate a dangerous path through the corridors of the wealthy, the refuse-filled warrens of London and the byzantine world of Elizabethan politics as he tries to save both his family and his own legacy.

This Whitbread Award–winning biography and basis for the film Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie “reads like Shakespearean drama” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “A triumph . . . A masterpiece full of fire and tragedy.” —Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than thirty years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history’s greatest women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady—achieving her ends through feminine wiles—and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I. Through Guy’s pioneering research and superbly readable prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. Queen of Scots is an enthralling, myth-shattering look at a complex woman and ruler and her time. “The definitive biography . . . Gripping . . . A pure pleasure to read.” —The Washington Post Book World “Reads like Shakespearean drama, with all the delicious plotting and fresh writing to go with it.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When a brutal murder threatens the sanctity of the Elizabethan court, it’s up to a hot-tempered spy to save the day. The court of Elizabeth I is no stranger to plotting and intrigue, but the royal retinue is thrown into chaos when the Queen’s youngest and sweetest lady-in-waiting is murdered, her body left on the high altar of the Chapel Royal in Whitehall Palace. Solving the murder will require the cunning and savvy possessed by only one man. Enter Nicholas Holt, younger brother of the Earl of Blackwell—spy, rake, and owner of the infamous Black Sheep tavern in the seedy district of Bankside. Nick quickly learns that working for the Queen is a mixed blessing. Elizabeth—salty-tongued, vain, and fiercely intelligent—can, with a glance, either reward Nick with a purse of gold or have his head forcibly removed. When a second lady-in-waiting is slain at Whitehall, the court once again reels with shock and dismay. On the trail of a diabolical killer, Nick and his faithful sidekick—an enormous Irish Wolfhound named Hector—are treading on treacherous ground, and only the killer’s head on a platter can keep them in the Queen’s good graces.