{"title":"Renaissance","description":"\u003cp\u003eRenaissance historical fiction immerses readers in one of history’s most transformative periods, where art, science, and new ideas reshaped Europe. These novels blend meticulously researched settings with compelling narratives, introducing fictional and historical characters navigating political intrigue, artistic rivalries, and societal upheaval typical of the Renaissance era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo find works focused on specific themes or geographies, consider narrowing by recurrent subgenres like court intrigue, artistic innovation, or religious conflict. Comparing Renaissance historical fiction to other historical categories reveals a unique emphasis on cultural flourishing and major shifts in thought, distinguishing it from medieval or early modern settings.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"last-witchfinder-9780060821807-new","title":"The Last Witchfinder","description":"Jennet Stearne's father hangs witches for a living in Restoration England. But when she witnesses the unjust and horrifying execution of her beloved aunt Isobel, the precocious child decides to make it her life's mission to bring down the Parliamentary Witchcraft Act. 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As authorities outlaw rights, and difference becomes dangerous, a man of unbreakable spirit, a mystic healer, and a hidden network of rebels search for freedom and light in the darkest of times.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis timely, epic adventure is based on a true story of resistance and divided loyalties, echoing our present times in a testament to the enduring human spirit that refuses to be silenced. In the shadows, communities defied the odds, guided by courage and solidarity, resisting the growing darkness of oppression with resilience, secrecy, and hope.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLouis XIV's oppressive absolutist rule demands \"One King, One Law, One Faith\" with no room for tolerance. He orders his Intendants to persecute Huguenots for their Protestant beliefs, destroying their temples and driving them to clandestine worship in caves, barns, and basements. Their faith, culture, and even language are targeted in a systematic campaign to suppress dissent and extinguish their identity. The brutal regime issues edicts to ban books, strip rights, separate children from parents, and send troops, known as dragoons, to enforce the King's wishes using fear tactics and torture. With many imprisoned, deported, or killed, resistance to the oppression becomes a moral imperative.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut an uprising is festering in the rugged Cevennes mountains of Languedoc, when a young nobleman, abducted as a child from Huguenot parents and held in a Dominican prieure, comes of age and is released to begin training as an apothecary. Burdened by the weight of his past, he unravels a dangerous legacy of secrets, and with every uncovered truth, is thrust further into the burgeoning underground resistance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe is drawn to a mysterious mystic healer who offers not only refuge, but revelation. United in their quest for peace and spiritual freedom, they aid the oppressed, joining a secret network that defies their powerful monarch. They risk everything to uphold dignity and truth, until a spy betrays them and the King's dragoons are sent after them in a relentless pursuit. Their liberty requires a hard choice: live out their days hiding in a remote wilderness, take part in a violent rebellion, or flee their beloved homeland in a perilous escape with thousands of other refugees. What choice will each of them make to protect their freedom?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspired by the true story of Jean Pierre Bondurant dit Cougoussac, distilled and blended with C\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"INDEPENDENT CAT","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51543186014498,"sku":"9798986448800-new","price":20.17,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9798986448800.jpg?v=1776373392"},{"product_id":"beheading-game-9798217086481-new","title":"The Beheading Game","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDisgraced. Beheaded. And out for revenge . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWe all know what happened to Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. But what if she woke up the day after her execution and took it upon herself to seek justice?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fabulous! A marvelously inventive and mythic reworking of the story of Anne Boleyn. I loved it.\"--Kelly Link, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Nobody was surprised at Anne's conviction. The world loves to put a woman in her place.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Beheading Game\u003c\/i\u003e begins in the hours after Anne Boleyn's beheading, when she wakes to find herself unceremoniously laid to rest in a makeshift coffin, her head wrapped in linen at her knees. 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Traveling the streets of London in the guise of a commoner, with the help of a prostitute who becomes a trusted friend (and perhaps something more), Anne soon realizes how little she knew about life in the real world. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fantastical journey through the wilds of England and Tudor history, filled with danger and magic and steeped in Arthurian legend, \u003ci\u003eThe Beheading Game\u003c\/i\u003e is a prescient reminder that \"mouthy\" women have always been punished. Now, thanks to debut novelist Rebecca Lehmann, nearly five hundred years after Anne Boleyn's death, one of history's most maligned women finally has the chance to tell her story.","brand":"CROWN PUB INC","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51573458927906,"sku":"9798217086481-new","price":23.27,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9798217086481.jpg?v=1777339208"},{"product_id":"wolf-hall-9781250806710-new","title":"Wolf Hall","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE\u003cbr\u003eWINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn inimitable style, Hilary Mantel's \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWolf Hall \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eis \"a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII. . . . 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