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  • Published: 20 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9781786332684
  • Imprint: Hutchinson
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99

The Dangerous Kingdom of Love




The author of THE INTOXICATING MR LAVELLE returns with more scandal, sex and intrigue, but set in the court of King James I - with added philosophers, murderers and playwrights.

The kingdom of love is a frightening place. A dangerous place. What kind of fool wants to live there?

How have I, Francis Bacon, well-known as the cleverest man in England, been caught in this trap? For years I survived the brutal games of the English court, driven by the whims of the idiot King James I - and finally, I was winning. Forget what my friends Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare say about love. I had that which men truly crave above all else: power.

But now, at the moment of my greatest success, a deadly alliance of my enemies has begun closing in on me. Led by the King's beautiful and poisonous lover Carr, this new alliance threatens to turn our foolish King against me, so that I may rot in the Tower.

I refuse to go down without a fight. I have concocted a brilliant new plan: I will find my own beguiling young man and supplant Carr in the King's bed, and take power for myself. All I need to do is find him, my beautiful and mysterious creature, my perfect chess move.

In the dangerous kingdom of love, those who understand desire win. And I intend to win, at all costs.

  • Published: 20 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9781786332684
  • Imprint: Hutchinson
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99

About the author

Neil Blackmore

Neil Blackmore never had any intention of becoming a writer. He wrote his first novel at work to fill time at a boring job. He published his first novel in his twenties but then spent most of his thirties travelling the world. THE INTOXICATING MR LAVELLE is his third novel. He lives in London.

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Praise for The Dangerous Kingdom of Love

Expect gritty language and much enjoyment from this clever and unusual novel.

The Times

An entertaining and often very funny read with something to say about both the love of power and the power of love.

The Sunday Times

Witty, original and clever, this tale of Jacobean power and lust is a blast.

The Times, Best Historical Fiction Novels