WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event. Bloggers can share news of books that they are eagerly awaiting.

I'm very excited about Sharon Kay Penman's new release, Lionheart. Penman is one of the authors who lured me to historical fiction long ago and her incredible trilogy Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning cemented my love for the genre. I can't wait for her book about Richard. Here's the goodreads blurb:

They were called "The Devil's Brood," though never to their faces. They were the four surviving sons of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. With two such extraordinary parents, much was expected of them.

But the eldest-charming yet mercurial-would turn on his father and, like his brother Geoffrey, meet an early death. When Henry died, Richard would take the throne and, almost immediately, set off for the Holy Land. This was the Third Crusade, and it would be characterized by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. And, back in England, by the conniving of Richard's youngest brother, John, to steal his crown.

In Lionheart, Sharon Kay Penman displays her remarkable mastery of historical detail and her acute understanding of human foibles. The result is a powerful story of intrigue, war, and- surprisingly-effective diplomacy, played out against the roiling conflicts of love and loyalty, passion and treachery, all set against the rich textures of the Holy Land.

The release day is October 4. I'm debating whether to pre-order it or whether to try to read it on my Nook. I'm not crazy about reading off the Nook -- I'm not used to it yet. But one way or another, I'll be getting my hands on this book!