In 1663 Lidia Wardell walked naked through the Newbury meetinghouse in protest of Puritan treatment of Quaker women. For this crime she was publicly whipped. As Lidia endures 20-30 stripes to her back, she recalls the events that led her to the whipping post—“a detailed, fascinating read”; “riveting historical fiction…a remarkable story of one woman’s courage, strength, and determination…that will make you think, and even question, just how much our society has really learned”; “a truly compelling read out of limited historical records”; “you almost feel every single lash right along with Lidia”.

The year is 1508. Louis XII, King of France, wants to stamp France’s footprint upon Italy.

Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, and ruler of neighboring realm Brittany, wants to produce a son and heir for Louis and to save the independence of Brittany from France.

Louise of Savoy, the mother of the king’s intended successor, the future Francis I, wants to see her son on the throne of France.

All three have suffered the twisting of their fates by Anne de Beaujeu, the spider king’s daughter, who ruled France from 1483-1491. Two shake off her shadow; one does not.

One sees their dreams come true; two do not. But in this game of thrones, winners lose and losers win the greatest prize of all.

Anne and Louis Forever Bound is the standalone final novel of the award-winning Anne of Brittany Series.

“A royal historical romance of the highest caliber… alive in vivid, rich detail.”—The Historical Book Company

IN THE WINTER OF 1535, young Kate Carey accepts the invitation of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, to join her household in London. Unhappy living with her mother and her new family, far from the royal court, Kate believes her life will be far better with Anne Boleyn, the aunt she idolises.

Swept into the dangerous world of the Tudors, Kate witnesses Anne Boleyn's darkest days.

As Anne Boleyn steps towards her tragic end, Kate discovers a secret that changes her life forever.

All things must end—all things but love.

Castile, 1490.
Doña Beatriz Galindo is an uneasy witness to the Holy War of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband, Ferdinand, King of Aragon. A holy war pushing the Moors out of territories ruled by them for centuries. Beatriz does not want a life like other women. She desires power over her own destiny. Even if this means walking a far harder road.

A passionate and respected scholar, Beatriz serves her friend Queen Isabel of Castile as her advisor. She also tutors the queen's youngest child, Catalina of Aragon. Dedicated to Queen Isabel and her children, Beatriz guides the young Catalina of Aragon to walk her own hard life road.

But can she prepare Catalina to be England's queen?

Finalist in the 2020 CHAUCER Book Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction.

Winter, 1539: María de Salinas is dying. Too ill to travel from her London home, she writes a letter to her daughter Katherine, the young duchess of Suffolk. A letter telling of her life: a life intertwined with her friend and cousin Katherine of Aragon (Catalina), the youngest child of Isabel of Castile.

It is a letter to help her daughter understand the choices she has made in her life, beginning from the time she keeps her vow to Catalina to share her life of exile when she goes to England to become its queen.

Friendship.
Betrayal.
Hatred.
Forgiveness.

Will love win out in the end?

1536, Allington Castle

Sir Thomas Wyatt is in his father's custody after witnessing the deaths of Anne and George Boleyn during his imprisonment at the Tower of London.

Tom had secretly loved Anne his entire life. Told he is not highly born enough to pursue her, he learns to hide his feelings, especially after Anne catches the eye of Henry VIII.

Despite his deepening disquiet about Anne's growing relationship with the king, Tom remains at Anne's side as one of her staunchest friends and supporters.

Then Anne takes her place as the king's second consort, and the unthinkable happens.
Tom watches helplessly as the woman he loves and his closest friends go on trial for their lives...

Grieving for Anne and his friends, Tom remembers Anne's tumultuous journey to become Henry's queen.

What is the cost of love?

Winner of 2003 Glyph Award for Publishing Excellence.

A 2018 TopShelf Indie Book Awards Finalist for Women's Issues and 2017 RONE Book Award Finalist.

Fifteen-year-old Nicole serves Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, at the French royal court. Bestowed with a gift of healing, she awaits an arranged marriage to a noble suitor.

But when she meets Phillipe, a young horse trainer breaking in one of the queen’s stallions, sparks ignite. When the horse’s ankle becomes infected, Nicole uses her healing skills to restore it to health as she and Philippe fall deeply in love. But duty calls – and her loyalty to Queen Anne prevents her from escaping her coming marriage.

When Anne’s only child falls ill, she pleads with Nicole for help. Unable to stand the thought of losing another child, Anne promises one favor to anybody who can save her infant daughter.

Nicole sees her chance. If she can save Anne’s daughter, her greatest desire could be fulfilled. But with the queen’s only heir hanging in the balance, what will befall her if she fails?

The year is 1501. Europe’s fate rests in the hands of two monarchs at loggerheads.

Anne of Brittany orchestrates the perfect match for her only child by Louis XII, King of France. Her daughter will become the most powerful woman in Europe by marrying the future Holy Roman Emperor.

But when Louis abandons her wishes in favor of having their daughter marry his successor, Anne soon finds herself locked in a political struggle with the fate of Europe hanging between them. Things only get worse when Louis hatches a plan to conquer Italy.

Anne orders him to stay away from Italy, but Louis is determined to gain a foothold there for France. Joining Ferdinand of Spain in a secret pact to divide southern Italy between them, he plans to expand France's empire. But with rivals on all sides and allies he can’t trust, Louis soon discovers that the age of chivalry is over.

As lovers, Anne and Louis are alive with passion. As rulers, they are at each other's throats. Who will prevail?

Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is the love of King Louis XII of France’s life. Too bad he’s already married.While his annulment proceedings create Europe’s most sensational scandal of 1498, Anne returns to Brittany to take back control of her duchy that her late husband, Charles VIII, King of France, had wrested from her.

At age twenty-one, Anne is sovereign ruler of Brittany as well as Europe’s most wealthy widow. But can she maintain Brittany’s independence from France if she accepts Louis’ offer to make her Queen of France once more?

With Italian arrivals to the French court from Cesare Borgia to Niccolò Machiavelli, Anne and Louis’ story unfolds as the feudal era gives way to the dawn of the Renaissance. Their love for each other tested by conflicting duties to their respective countries, the two rulers struggle to navigate a collision course that will reshape the map of sixteenth-century Europe.

Book Two of the Anne of Brittany Series

It’s 1488, and eleven-year-old Anne of Brittany is thrust into a desperate situation when she becomes ruler of her duchy. Besieged on all sides, she eventually agrees to marry Charles VIII, King of France, to save Brittany from plunder.

A passionate relationship ensues as they unexpectedly fall in love. Yet Charles cannot shake the bad habits he brings to their marriage, and Anne cannot pull him out of his darkest depths of struggle.

Together, they usher the Italian Renaissance into France, building a glorious court at their royal residence in Amboise. But year after year, they fail to accomplish their most important aim: to secure the future of their kingdom.

As they pursue their shared dream, will an unexpected twist of fate change the fortunes of Anne and Charles, two of fifteenth-century Europe’s most star-crossed rulers?

From the vestiges of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe to the creation of Germany, the life of Anastasia Burkart reflects the momentous changes sweeping across her beloved Black Forest homeland. Based on Anastasia' purported diaries, this novel presents her life story, of a real woman who passed the family name down through the generations.

KIRKUS
“In this historical novel, Maynard uses stories passed down as family history to imagine the life of her great-great-grandmother Anastasia Burkart.

This first-person narrative focuses closely on Anastasia’s relationships and what it takes for her to survive. She is a compelling narrator, alert, practical, and shrewd.
Maynard touches on many relevant topics—religious divisions, smallpox inoculation, the guild system—within the context of the narrative, revealing substantial research and knowledge without burying readers in an excess of information. . . .

This engrossing and well-developed novel will appeal to fans of women’s fiction.

What would it have been like to live in the American Southwest during the great exodus out of the Four Corners area 800 years ago, long before European incursion? Set in the land of sage, sun, and sandstone, Soyala tells the story of the struggles of a woman and her family during a time of societal turmoil and personal tragedy.

"Soyala is a magnificent story, brilliantly imagined and skillfully executed on every level. The author’s intimate depiction of the lives of this small clan is immensely, both intellectually and emotionally." -Tom Hyman, author of Jupiter's Daughter" and "Seven Days to Petrograd."

“Soyala is an epic story spanning four generations, focusing on a woman enduring the historic exodus of the Ancient Puebloans from the land of cliff dwellings. The author’s lively, engaging, and plausible depiction of Soyala’s experiences provides insight into the most mysterious event in the pre-historic southwest.” -Jeffrey Mitton, Professor