First published 2009
Nicholas Hook carries a cursed past when he flees England as a wanted man. He becomes a mercenary archer in France, where he discovers his gift for warfare and falls for a woman caught in danger. They both survive the brutal massacre at Soissons that horrifies all of Christendom. With nowhere else to turn, Hook returns to England where capture means death. Instead, young King Henry V finds him and commands him to take up the longbow again under the cross of Saint George. Hook joins Henry's army as they march into France to claim the French crown. After devastating early losses leave the English campaign in ruins, Hook and his fellow archers become their king's final hope. They face a French army determined to protect their crown from Henry's grasp. On October 25, 1415, at Agincourt, the undermanned English forces must prove their worth against overwhelming odds. Hook fights alongside his king and countrymen in this improbable test of will and divine favor.
Genres: historical-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: England, France, Soissons
Period: 1415, Agincourt
451 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins
Content warnings: violence, war