Kidnapped. Blackmailed. Now, she must choose the future of the empire.

18th century Kashgar. Hidligh has only ever wanted safety and a full belly. On the street and living hand-to-mouth, the beautiful young woman is rapidly running out of any option but prostitution. So when she’s abducted by a Muslim noblewoman, she has little choice but to agree to the deal she’s offered: pose as a concubine to the Emperor of China and act as a spy.

Reaching the Forbidden City and working hard to win over her eunuchs and the other concubines, she succeeds in gaining the monarch’s affections. But as her shadowy “benefactor” loses patience, Hidligh finds herself entangled in a deadly web of vengeance and assassination.

With the fate of the Qing Dynasty hanging in the balance, is the Emperor right to fall in love with Hidligh? Or is his life in danger? And with secrets piling up around her and growing feelings for the Emperor, is Hidligh in too deep?

The Fragrant Concubine is the enthralling second book in the Forbidden City historical fiction series. Inspired by the mythology that grew up around a real woman, if you enjoy romance, suspense and a chance to see inside an extraordinary imperial court, you’ll be gripped by Melissa Addey’s absorbing novel.

Meet one of China’s most famous concubines. Buy The Fragrant Concubine today.

Lonely. Used as a pawn. One last bid for love.

18th century China. Imperial concubine Qing yearns for love and friendship. Neglected by the Emperor, passed over for more ambitious women, Qing lives a lonely existence. But when a new concubine comes to court, friendship blooms, bringing with it a taste of happiness.

For the first time in her life, Qing has a friend and perhaps even a chance at loving and being loved. But when the Empress’ throne suddenly becomes available, Qing finds herself being used as a pawn by the highest ranked women of the court. Caught up in their power games, on one devastating night everything she holds dear is put at risk.

As the power players of the Forbidden City make their moves, can Qing find the courage to make one last bid for love? Can an insignificant pawn snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

The Consorts is the captivating prequel novella to the Forbidden City historical fiction series. If you enjoy slow-burn romance, courtly intrigues and the intricately researched legends of real women, then you’ll be swept away by Melissa Addey’s enchanting novella.

Enter the exquisite and stifling world of China’s Forbidden City. Download The Consorts for free today.

China’s most beautiful garden. The man who built it. The woman who had to leave it.

18th century China. Giuseppe Castiglione, a promising and ambitious Italian painter, is recruited by the Jesuits to serve the Emperor of China. Tasked with turning a country estate into an imperial wonderland, Giuseppe enters the Garden of Perfect Brightness and meets Niuhuru, concubine to a minor prince.

Drawn together, yet always kept apart, each has no choice but to follow the path fate has laid out for them. But as the Garden changes and Niuhuru is swept upwards to ever-greater importance, is something precious being lost? And will either of them ever find a way to express their feelings?

A delicately told story of unspoken love and art forming a bridge between two cultures, The Garden of Perfect Brightness is the irresistible third book in the Forbidden City historical fiction series. If you enjoy exploring the extraordinary destinies of real historical characters, then you’ll be touched by Melissa Addey’s novel of love and longing.

Step into the most beautiful garden the world has ever seen. Buy The Garden of Perfect Brightness today.

Chosen against her will. Elevated to Empress. Accused of madness.

18th century China. Ula Nara is a happy sixteen-year-old, in love and betrothed. But before she can be married, she must attend the Imperial Daughters’ Draft. Chosen as a bride to the heir to the throne, Ula Nara now faces a lifetime of regret inside the walls of the Forbidden City.
Determined to make her pain worth something, she aims for the pinnacle of success: to become Empress. But at what cost?

As grief for her lost love spirals down towards something darker, Ula Nara finds herself teetering on the brink of madness. Perhaps her only chance of sanity lies in the Cold Palace and what she will find there.

The Cold Palace is the poignant finale to the Forbidden City historical fiction series. If you enjoy tales of bittersweet love and dark rivalries, as well as discovering the lives behind history’s unexplained events, then you’ll be gripped by Melissa Addey’s emotionally wrenching but ultimately uplifting novel.

Prepare to experience the dark side of the Forbidden City. Buy The Cold Palace today.

A gifted healer. An impossible vow. An empire’s destiny.

11th century North Africa. Hela has powers too strong for a child – both to feel the pain of those around her and to heal them. But when she is given a mysterious cup by a slave woman, its powers overtake her life, forcing her into a vow she cannot hope to keep.

The Cup is the magical prequel novella to the Moroccan Empire historical fiction series. If you enjoy exploring forgotten histories, the interwoven stories of women and emotional destinies then you will be gripped by this dramatic novella.

Travel back to the beginnings of a legendary empire. Download your FREE copy of The Cup today at www.MelissaAddey.com

A woman seeking adventure. A bitter rivalry. The birth of an empire.

11th century North Africa. Kella is a Berber girl disguised as a boy, travelling the trade routes and beating all comers in the camel races. When her true identity is revealed, she is sent home to the family desert camp to be taught women’s skills.

Bored with her restrictive life, Kella yearns for her freedom and the excitement of life on the road. When a mighty army sets out on a holy mission, she risks marriage to its general, Yusuf, hoping to join him on a great adventure. But while Yusuf conquers the whole of North Africa, Kella finds herself an unexpected rival to his infamous queen consort, Zaynab.

Can Kella protect herself from a powerful and jealous rival? Can she secure a future for her son in this newborn empire? And will she ever find the freedom she craves?

A String of Silver Beads is the exciting second book in the Moroccan Empire historical fiction series. If you enjoy adventures, power struggles and journeys through history seen through a woman’s eyes, then you will be enthralled by this stirring novel.

Journey through North Africa as a new empire is born. Buy A String of Silver Beads today.

A false prophecy leads to the rise of a great empire… and a dangerous queen.

11th century North Africa. In an attempt to change her destiny, love-struck Zaynab makes a false prophecy: that she is destined to marry a man who will create an empire. Although her plan backfires, Zaynab’s intelligence, beauty and ambition leads to four marriages, each lifting her status higher.

When Zaynab becomes the queen of Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of the Almoravid army creating an empire stretching across North Africa and Spain, her status finally seems secured. But her desperate need to be loved turns her into a vicious rival to the other women in Yusuf’s life.

Can Zaynab find the love she craves? What will happen to the empire she has co-created? Is a great queen’s destiny about to be crushed by an insignificant Christian slave woman?

None Such as She is the unsettling third book in the Moroccan Empire historical fiction series. If you enjoy exploring the forgotten stories of history’s most significant women, then you will be gripped by this deeply emotional novel.

Meet Morocco’s greatest queen. Buy None Such as She today.

A Spanish nun. A Muslim warlord. The destiny of an empire held between them.

11th century Northern Spain. Isabella has been a nun in the Christian kingdom of Galicia since she was a child, a gifted herbalist leading a quiet and spiritual life, devoted to God. But on a rare journey outside of the convent, she is taken by Viking raiders and sold to Morocco as a slave.

Cruelly treated by her first owner, salvation comes from an unlikely source: Yusuf bin Tashfin, leader of a vast Muslim army intent on conquering North Africa and Spain. Isabella must struggle not only to survive her new life but to hold true to her faith, which is tested by great dangers… and by love.
Can Isabella keep to her holy vows? Will her actions alter the destiny of a rising empire? And when North Africa goes to war with Spain, where will her loyalties lie?

Do Not Awaken Love is the moving finale to the Moroccan Empire historical fiction series. If you enjoy exploring complex emotions and conflicting cultures, then you’ll find yourself immersed in the tenderness and difficulties of Melissa Addey’s captivating novel.

Set out on a stirring journey of love and faith. Buy Do Not Awaken Love today.

They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. Let the Games begin.

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen by themselves. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius.

Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

Can a motley crew comprising a retired centurion, slaves, a prostitute and an ex Vestal Virgin pull off the greatest gladiatorial Games ever seen? Or will they fail and find themselves in the arena as punishment? Time is running out to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.

From the Ashes is the first, fast-paced novel in the gripping new Colosseum series. Follow the quick-witted and fiercely loyal backstage team of the Colosseum through the devastation of Pompeii, plague and fire. This is historical fiction at its most captivating: both action-packed and tender.

Take a front row seat at the Colosseum’s inaugural gladiatorial Games. Buy From the Ashes today.

Flooding the Colosseum brings both hidden dangers and emotions to the surface.

Rome, 80AD. The Emperor orders the Colosseum to be flooded. There must be vast battles, astonishing props and epic storytelling to put on a spectacle no-one will ever forget. But water brings its own dangers, mistakes and emotions rushing to the surface and manager of the Games, Marcus, must face them head-on, even if his life is in danger.

Meanwhile his scribe Althea is facing a hidden danger of her own. Secrets and desires must be spoken out loud, but finding the right words is harder than it seems.

Will the backstage team survive the flooding of the Colosseum? Will Althea realise her own desires? And when all hope is lost, will the only solution be a sharp blade in the watery depths?

Beneath the Waves is the second novel in the engrossing Colosseum series. Grow to care more deeply for the members of the backstage team as they take on the daunting task of flooding the Colosseum and find their own lives growing ever more challenging.

Dive into a new adventure with Marcus and Althea. Buy Beneath the Waves today.

Below the Colosseum’s arena lies a dark labyrinth. And a darker secret.

Rome, 82AD. Domitian is the new Emperor. At his command, a vast labyrinth is being built below the arena floor. Lit only by burning torches, echoing with the roars of wild animals, this is a place for men, women and beasts with a taste for blood. But all scribe Althea wants is to win Marcus’ heart and leave the macabre life of the Games behind.

While Althea hopes for a romantic conclusion to the season, a new beast-hunter sparks a chain of events that brings a hidden danger close to the backstage team. Why are gladiators dying before they’ve even reached the arena? Can the new Emperor be trusted? Will Marcus declare his own feelings before it’s too late? Hearts beat faster as blood spills across the arena’s sand.

Third in the gripping Colosseum series, On Bloodied Ground follows the backstage team as they uncover dark secrets and bring long-held desires into the light. This enthralling historical fiction will capture your imagination… and your heart.

Enter the labyrinth to find out its secrets. Buy On Bloodied Ground today.

A dangerous emperor brings darkness close to home

Rome, 83 AD. Marcus and Althea are married at last and dreaming of a peaceful life in the country, far away from their jobs managing the gore of the gladiatorial Games. But before they can leave Emperor Domitian has three final tasks for them to complete and his erratic behaviour is beginning to frighten them. Is he just strange, or is he dangerous?

As the tasks grow ever darker and more and more lives are lost, perhaps it is time to take flight from Rome. But who will reach safety? And who will be left behind?

The compelling final novel in the Colosseum series, The Flight of Birdsfollows the backstage team of the Colosseum as they risk everything to escape the deadly Games.

Pick your way through Rome’s dark streets and darker history. Buy The Flight of Birds today.

A young duke declared mad.
His nurse masquerading as a lady.
One social season in which to marry him off.
What could possibly go wrong?

When foundling Maggie takes a job caring for Edward, she knows him only as a young man declared mad and kept privately under the care of a physician to avoid any scandal for his family.

But Edward is the heir to the Duke of Buckingham and when his father dies his family determine to marry him off to secure the title and the estate. Edward insists that Maggie stay by his side, so she must be passed off as a lady for one social season, during which time a marriage can be arranged.

When a midnight carriage comes for Maggie, is she ready for the makeover of a lifetime? Can she remember all the rules, keep the secrets of Atherton Park… and above all, avoid falling in love?

A delightful Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional choices, as two downtrodden characters come to know their true worth and what they mean to each other. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… and the clock is ticking for Maggie and Edward.