Love-at-arms being a narrative excerpted from the chronicles of Urbino, during the dominion of the high and mighty Messer Guidobaldo da Montefeltro

About the book

In Renaissance Italy, the Count of Aquila is approached by nobles dissatisfied with the rule of Gian Maria Sforza. His reluctance to betray an existing loyalty becomes entangled with another conflict: Valentina della Rovere's resistance to a marriage designed for political advantage. Disguise, misunderstanding, and the competing ambitions of supposed allies carry the struggle toward the fortress of Roccaleone. Sabatini makes courtship inseparable from questions of command, trust, and the right to choose one's own course. The count must interpret motives as carefully as he handles weapons, while Valentina refuses to be merely a prize in other people's negotiations. The result is a historical adventure driven by strategic reversals and a romance under military pressure.

• Choice and arranged marriage
• Loyalty and intrigue
• Courage under siege

Why read it

Enjoy Sabatini's combination of agile plotting, disguised intentions, and a heroine resisting political convenience.

English historical romance by Rafael Sabatini