It is 1109 and the Welsh warrior and firebrand, Owain ap Cadwgan abducts Princess Nest from the
castle she shares with her children and her husband, Gerald of Windsor. King Henry of England,
furious that Nest, who is also his lover and mother of his son, begins a manhunt to find Owain and
return Nest to her husband. In Gwynydd Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife risk everything to hide them
and get them to safety in Ireland despite the efforts of Gronwy ap Owain, Angharad’s vicious brother
who would like to see Gruffydd and Owain dead.
Gronwy is thwarted in his attempt to expose Gruffydd and Owain but uses some information his
own bastard son, Rhys, has given him to start rumours that his sister Angharad is having an affair
with Hywel, Gruffydd’s warband chief. Gruffydd himself is feeling his age and his jealousy of an
innocent friendship between Angharad and Hywel leads to a climax when Gronwy’s spies almost kill
his son. Hywel leaves for Ireland where he finds an unexpected love. Owain returns from Ireland and
incurs the wrath of King Henry by killing a bishop. He flees to Ireland again but learns that his lover
Nest, who bore him a son, has returned to her husband realizing that his actions will not allow them
to be together.
Meanwhile, King Henry uses Bishop Richard to start kinship warfare in Wales. Madog ap Ithel is the
Bishop’s pawn and kills both Owain ap Cadwgan’s father and Uncle. Another of Owain’s uncles,
Maredudd pleads with the king for Owain’s return and is successful but Owain continues to harass
the Normans as does Gronwy in the North. Finally, Henry declares war against the Welsh
determining to exterminate them all. Owain goes to Gruffydd to form an alliance and falls in love
with Gwenllian Gruffydd’s daughter. Angharad pleads with Hywel to return and he puts his own love
relationship in jeopardy. As the Welsh hide in the mountains away from the Norman invasion Owain
learns from his scheming Uncle Maredudd that Gwenllian has formed an alliance of her own with
Griffith ap Rhys, his old lover Nest’s brother. Owain turns traitor and Gronwy moves in ready to be
the new king of Gwynedd. Can Gruffydd and his family survive the greatest army ever led against
Wales?

 

About the Author

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Arianwen Nunn was born in Carmarthen, Dyfed to Welsh-speaking parents. She has a BA (Hons) from The University of Wales, a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from Bristol University and a MA in Literary and Cultural Theory from Monash University, Australia.

 

Arianwen has lived in South Wales, North Wales, England, Switzerland, Greece, Papua New Guinea, and Australia where she now moved with her husband Chris, and brought up two exceptionally wonderful children. Yes, she is biased! She is now the besotted Nanna of two lively and adorable grandchildren.

 

Arianwen’s career has included teaching, including teaching policemen in Papua New Guinea and setting up a catering company which she had to give up when her pregnancy meant that she couldn’t look at food. She has written some histories and for the last twenty-six years has been involved in relocation and setting up her own business. She is now an executive director of an international relocation company.  When she is not writing, Arianwen loves nature, walking, paddleboarding, and playing bridge.

 

Since she was a child, Arianwen has had a passion for history, and she has been fascinated by the Middle Ages in Wales. Arianwen loves researching and writing. Her novel, ''The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance'' is the second in a series on the history of Wales at the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th centuries.

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Learn more at www.arianwennunn.com