An unconventional woman. A deadly enemy. A clash of intrigue, deception, and desire... 1525: Artist Susanna Horenbout is sent from Belgium to be Henry VIII’s personal illuminator inside the royal palace. But her new homeland greets her with an attempt on her life, and the King’s most lethal courtier, John Parker, is charged with keeping her safe. As further attacks are made, Susanna and Parker realize that she unknowingly carries the key to a bloody plot against the throne. For while Richard de la Pole amasses troops in France for a Yorkist invasion, a traitor prepares to trample the kingdom from within.Who is the mastermind? Why are men vying to kill the woman Parker protects with his life? With a motley gang of urchins, Susanna’s wits, and Parker’s fierce instincts, honed on the streets and in palace chambers, the two slash through deadly layers of deceit in a race against time. For in the court of Henry VIII, secrets are the last to die...Brilliantly revealing a little-known historical figure who lived among the Tudors, Michelle Diener makes a smashing historical fiction debut.

Artist Susanna Horenbout is commissioned by King Henry VIII to paint a picture of the ceremony in St. Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate the capture of the French king, Francis I, in battle. While working on a sketch before the ceremony begins, Susanna overhears a bitter nobleman hinting at violence to the King, and she realizes she might be the only one who can stop an attack on Henry. As the King makes his way to the cathedral though the cheering crowds, Susanna desperately tries to find a way to save his life—while saving the nobleman from the certain death his anger will bring down upon him. "Dangerous Sanctuary" is a short story set between In a Treacherous Court, the first novel featuring Susanna Horenbout and John Parker, the “King’s Blade,” and Keeper of the King’s Secrets, the second novel featuring Susanna and Parker.

The second elegant and gorgeously written historical novel from new author Michelle Diener, featuring King Henry VIII’s deadliest courtier and a royally commissioned artist caught in a web of Tudor court intrigue. A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high . . . The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond... With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prison—and then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.

An artist never betrays her patron . . . especially one of the world's most powerful kings. Susanna Horenbout has learned this lesson from the cradle. But when she receives a letter from her father telling her to do just that, she faces a dilemma. Betray Henry VIII, or carry out the request of her father’s employer, Margaret of Austria, and pass secret information to Henry’s queen, Katherine of Aragon. Caught between the machinations of her husband and her nephew, the Emperor Charles, Queen Katherine needs all the allies she can get. But what can Susanna really do to help her, and even if she does, will it be enough? Susanna and her betrothed, Parker——one of Henry's most trusted courtiers——balance on the knife’s edge of treason as they try to make sense of both international and domestic conspiracies. Sometimes, it's better the enemy you know . . .