The Scourge of God: A Romance of Religious Persecution

Paris, 16th century. The Wars of Religion bleed across the city, and Martin Ashurst arrives from England to claim his inheritance from his formidable aunt, the Princesse de Rochebazon only to discover he's inherited her secrets too. His aunt's death reveals a hidden faith, a forbidden romance, and a web of danger that threatens to consume him. As Martin digs into his family's past, he must navigate a world where a wrong word about religion can mean imprisonment, torture, or death and where the line between Catholic and Protestant determines who will help him and who will betray him. Bloundelle-Burton renders the terror of religious persecution with visceral clarity: the informant at the door, the secret chamber, the midnight flight across the city. But at its heart, this is a novel about identity and belonging in a world that demands you choose between your soul and your survival. Martin must decide what he's willing to risk for the truth of who he really is.