{"title":"Historical \u0026 Mythic Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003eJourney through ancient civilizations, medieval legends, and pivotal moments in history. These novels blend historical research with imaginative storytelling to bring remarkable eras and unforgettable characters vividly to life.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"asset-pack-68151803906-example-product-2","title":"Aurelia of Rome: Aurelia of Rome","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the twilight of the Roman Empire, where ambition rules and emperors fear their own shadows, a single love story reshapes the fate of a civilization. Aurelia Vespasiana—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e“the beauty Rome could not keep”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—is the youngest daughter of the Empire’s greatest general, Marius Antonius Vespasiano. Raised in peace far from the intrigues of the capital, she finds her heart bound to Romanus Octavian, a rising commander whose honor and courage make him beloved by soldiers and feared by the Emperor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen Emperor Severianus Draconius becomes obsessed with Aurelia, desire turns to tyranny. Romanus is recalled to Rome under false pretenses, framed for treason, and condemned in a trial designed to destroy him. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e“When innocence stands accused, it is not the man who is judged, but the nation that condemns him.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e His execution shatters Aurelia, who gives birth to their son before taking her own life rather than submit to the Emperor’s will.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe news reaches Marius in Alexandria. The unconquered general—who has never lost a war—marches on Rome with five legions and an unexpected ally: King Froiland, whose life Romanus once spared. Their combined armies topple Severianus, and Marius ascends the throne not for glory, but to protect the last living piece of his daughter: Marcus Aurelius.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYears later, the Empire heals under Marius’s rule, and the boy grows into the leader his parents never lived to see. Through war, betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption, the story becomes not merely the fall of an emperor, but the rise of a legacy born from love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAurelia of Rome\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an epic tale of devotion stronger than empire, of a father’s vengeance, a soldier’s honor, and a love that outlives death.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eA forbidden love. A jealous emperor. A tragedy that reshaped an empire.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn a world of marble palaces, ruthless politics, and the thunder of marching legions, Aurelia Vespasiana shines as the one beauty Rome could not possess. When she falls in love with the heroic commander Romanus Octavian, their bond becomes a threat to the most powerful man in the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat follows is a sweeping saga of passion, betrayal, and destiny:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA hero framed for treason\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA love defying the will of an emperor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA daughter’s death that awakens a father’s wrath\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA march on Rome that changes history\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the gardens of the Vespasiano estate to the blood‑stained courts of the Imperial Palace, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAurelia of Rome\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e delivers a cinematic, emotionally charged epic where the greatest battles are fought not with swords—but with the heart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor readers of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eGladiator\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Song of Achilles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eI, Claudius\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this is a story of love powerful enough to topple emperors and shape the destiny of a world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710027772136,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/AureliaofRome.jpg?v=1783390187"},{"product_id":"the-last-luthier-where-every-violin-carried-a-kingdoms-secret","title":"The Last Luthier: Where Every Violin Carried a Kingdom's Secret","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the autumn of 1548, Master Giovanni Bellandi - the greatest luthier in Cremona - is murdered for a violin that carries no song, only a secret capable of reshaping the fate of kingdoms. His apprentice, Lorenzo Bellandi, inherits not only the workshop but a hidden journal, a coded instrument, and a legacy of silence stretching back two centuries. As ruthless factions close in, Lorenzo discovers that the Bellandi family was never merely a line of craftsmen. They were the unseen couriers of Europe's most dangerous truths - a brotherhood that carved messages into wood and varnish, hiding intelligence inside instruments played in royal courts.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eForced to flee Cremona, Lorenzo follows a cryptic compass toward Venice, where conspirators, spies, and rival luthiers hunt the same secret he now carries. What begins as a search for answers becomes a race for survival across Renaissance Italy. Every violin may hide a message. Every ally may be an enemy. Every silence may be a warning.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo protect the journal and the legacy entrusted to him, Lorenzo must confront the truth behind the Brotherhood - and decide whether the world is ready for the knowledge it tried to bury.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Last Luthier is a gripping historical thriller where craftsmanship becomes code, music becomes message, and a single violin holds the power to topple empires. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Renaissance Italy, Milton Rothbard delivers a tale of conspiracies, hidden chambers, and a secret brotherhood that shaped history from the shadows. Perfect for readers of The Da Vinci Code, The Name of the Rose, and The Shadow of the Wind, this novel blends mystery, artistry, and danger into a story that resonates long after the final note fades.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710154518760,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/Thelastluthier.jpg?v=1783391209"},{"product_id":"the-chronicles-of-the-iron-crusade-book-one-of-the-iron-crusade-saga","title":"The Chronicles of the Iron Crusade: Book One of the Iron Crusade Saga","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChristendom stands on the brink of annihilation. Kingdoms feud, crowns quarrel, and ancient rivalries fracture the continent—until a threat unlike any before begins erasing entire cities, monasteries, and peoples without leaving a single body behind. What begins as whispers of vanished villages soon becomes a continental crisis, as “the silence grows” and the sky itself fractures in wounds of white fire.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the frozen North, the sunlit South, the embattled East, and the noble courts of the West, four legendary commanders are summoned by Providence: Sir Archibald Dunhill, Cavaliere Amedeo Ansalone, Janos Viewreski, and François du Rochambord. Once rivals, they are bound by a divine vision into a sacred brotherhood known as the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFour Swords of Christendom\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Their oath is simple: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e“Five swords bound by faith may preserve a civilization.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut destiny has other plans. A fifth warrior arrives unbidden—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003ePercival Lochlot\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, last survivor of the erased kingdom of Bannockburn. A lord without a banner, he becomes the unexpected heart of the Iron Crusade, the only man whose blade can wound the faceless shadows consuming the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs kingdoms fall, councils fracture, and the heavens themselves break open, the Five uncover a forgotten prophecy: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e“When the heavens break, the Five must seek the Crown That Was Never Worn.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir quest leads them through erased cities, forbidden archives, ancient sanctums, and the ruins of civilizations older than Christendom. They discover that the enemy does not seek conquest—it seeks \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eerasure\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, unmaking creation itself. And only the fragments of an ancient, living Crown—once forged for a Guardian who never rose—can stand against the coming darkness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEpic in scale, intimate in emotion, and mythic in tone, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Chronicles of the Iron Crusade\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e blends medieval warfare, divine prophecy, political intrigue, and cosmic horror into a sweeping saga of brotherhood, sacrifice, and the cost of courage when the world itself begins to disappear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA kingdom erased. A prophecy awakened. Five warriors chosen to stand against the end of creation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen entire cities vanish without a trace and the sky splits open in wounds of blinding light, Christendom faces a threat no army has ever fought—and no king is prepared to face. From the ashes of fallen realms rises an unlikely brotherhood: four legendary commanders and a lone exile whose kingdom was swallowed by silence.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTogether, they must uncover the truth behind an ancient prophecy, battle an enemy that cannot be killed by steel, and seek the fragments of a forgotten Crown forged to defend creation itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePerfect for fans of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Witcher\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Wheel of Time\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Song of Roland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this first volume of the Iron Crusade Saga delivers breathtaking battles, haunting mysteries, and a brotherhood forged in the fires of destiny.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eThe darkness does not conquer. It erases.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eAnd only the chosen can stop the unmaking of the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710166937832,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/ironcrusade.jpg?v=1783392020"},{"product_id":"the-andalusian-courtship-a-novel-of-music-skirmishes-romance-and-intrigue","title":"The Andalusian Courtship: A Novel of Music, Skirmishes, Romance, and Intrigue","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Andalusian Courtship\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e unfolds in the sun‑drenched streets of Cádiz, where music, rumor, and destiny move faster than the tides. Don Jacinto López del Peñazco — a brilliant, battle‑tested commoner with a noble heart and a talent for attracting trouble — arrives in the city just in time to save a runaway carriage. The act thrusts him into the orbit of Andalusia’s most powerful families… and into the gaze of Eloísa de León y Asturias, a woman raised on duty, propriety, and the belief that love should never be reckless.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir first glance ignites a spark neither of them is prepared for — especially Eloísa’s formidable sister, Antoinette, who sees Jacinto as a threat to family honor. Meanwhile, the Duquesa of Sevilla, Lucía Rearte de Alcántara, delights in fanning the flames of scandal, while Jacinto’s poetic, chaotic friend Ramón Tinto Castellano turns every moment into a spectacle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs Cádiz prepares for lavish banquets, political negotiations, and whispered alliances, Jacinto finds himself entangled in a web of noble intrigue. Foreign envoys plot in shadows, old enemies resurface, and Andalusia’s fragile balance trembles. Amid the music of guitars, the perfume of orange blossoms, and the ever‑present hum of gossip, Jacinto and Eloísa must navigate a world where every smile hides a strategy and every dance carries consequences.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLove in Andalusia is never gentle — it is bold, dangerous, and destined to change the fate of houses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eA runaway carriage. A forbidden glance. A courtship that could topple noble houses.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Andalusian Courtship\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a sweeping romantic adventure set in a world of music, mischief, and political intrigue. Follow Don Jacinto López del Peñazco — the commoner who outshines nobles — as he collides with Eloísa de León y Asturias, a woman torn between duty and desire. Surrounded by scheming duchesses, poetic troublemakers, and enemies lurking in candlelit halls, their story unfolds with humor, passion, and the irresistible charm of Andalusia itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePerfect for readers who crave \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eromance with wit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003ehistorical atmosphere\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003echaracters who leap off the page\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this novel blends flirtation, danger, and destiny into a tale as intoxicating as Andalusian wine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eIn a land where every whisper carries power, one courtship will set Cádiz ablaze.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710171820264,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/theandalusiancourtship.jpg?v=1783392269"},{"product_id":"viri-templari-the-relic-of-the-broken-cross","title":"VIRI TEMPLARI: The Relic of the Broken Cross","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eVIRI TEMPLARI: The Relic of the Broken Cross\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows the rise of a hidden brotherhood in the year 1185, when strange accents, foreign customs, and unseen enemies begin infiltrating the quiet Italian town of Frontiera Maggiore. Father Aurelius — once a soldier, now a priest — senses the danger first as he hears “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eLatin, yes… but broken. Bent. Twisted by tongues that had not been raised in Christendom\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” . What begins as unease becomes certainty when he witnesses a foreign ritual of violence in the town square, realizing “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003ethe enemy was already here… wearing borrowed faces\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” .\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen the Marquese di Cesena arrives with news of Baldwin’s death and rising Eastern shadows, Aurelius joins him — and soon the two are joined by legendary warriors: Roger McAndrews, the giant of Malta; Allan of Chesterfield, a Welsh archer whose arrows strike like fate; and Giovanni di Mantova, a disgraced knight seeking redemption. Together they uncover a growing infiltration across Italy, exposing impostors, rescuing towns, and gathering forgotten heroes into a single force.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir journey leads them to the ruined chapel of San Galgano Vecchio, where an ancient monk reveals the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eProphecy of the Thirteen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — a divine foretelling naming each of them as guardians chosen to stand against the rising Crescent. “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eA priest with the heart of a soldier… a noble whose mind sees beyond crowns… a giant whose strength defies death… an archer whose arrows silence the night\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” .\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs the brotherhood grows, they confront an invading shadow army whose retreat becomes legend — fleeing in panic across the Mediterranean after facing the Thirteen. With prophecy awakened and war in the shadows ignited, the Guardians of the Holy Cross rise to defend Christendom from an enemy that moves unseen.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEpic, mythic, and spiritually charged, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eVIRI TEMPLARI\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e blends medieval warfare, prophecy, and brotherhood into a cinematic tale of faith, destiny, and the warriors chosen to carry the last light before the dawn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eIn 1185, an unseen enemy infiltrates Italy in borrowed faces — until a priest‑soldier, a noble commander, a giant warrior, and a Welsh archer unite to expose the rising darkness. When an ancient prophecy reveals they are the Thirteen chosen to defend Christendom, a hidden brotherhood rises to wage war in the shadows. Epic, mythic, and fiercely cinematic,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eVIRI TEMPLARI\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis the birth of a legendary order destined to stand as the last light before the dawn.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710172082408,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/viritemplari.jpg?v=1783392360"}],"url":"https:\/\/readmiltonrothbard.com\/collections\/historical-mythic-fiction.oembed","provider":"Read Milton Rothbard","version":"1.0","type":"link"}