WHO IS THE GOLDEN LYNX?Russia, 1534: elite clans battle for control of the toddler who will become their first tsar, Ivan the Terrible. Amid the chaos and upheaval, a masked man mysteriously appears night after night to aid the desperate people.Or is he a man?Sixteen-year-old Nasan Kolychev is trapped in a loveless marriage. To escape her misery, she dons boys’ clothes and slips away under cover of darkness to help those in need. She never intends to do more than assist a few souls and give her life purpose. But before long, Nasan finds herself caught up in events that will decide the future of Russia.And so, a girl who has become the greatest hero of her time must decide whether to save a baby destined to become the greatest villain of his. " The Vermilion Bird vividly envisions the culture clash between Russians and Tatars in the sixteenth century. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into a seldom explored corner of history, while fans of romance will delight in the unlikely love that blooms between a bluff Tatar prince and his scheming Russian bride--who is also the stepdaughter of his former lover."--Linnea Hartsuyker, author of The Half-Drowned King "Lyrical and compelling, The Swan Princess draws the reader into the world of sixteenth-century Russia, a world unfamiliar to many readers, which becomes vividly real in the hands of this master storyteller. The characters of Nasan, Daniil, and the others leap off the page. Perhaps most intriguing is the portrayal of the clash between the two vibrant but alien cultures of the Russians and the Tatars--frequently at war, occasionally bound by an uneasy and watchful peace."--Ann Swinfen, author of Voyage to Muscovy "An action and suspense-infused historical adventure that kept me turning the pages right to the end. The characters are so well-drawn, the historical facts so cleverly woven into the narrative, time and place so brilliantly evoked, I felt I was experiencing sixteenth-century Russia firsthand."--Liza Perrat, author of the Bone Angel Trilogy "C. P. Lesley directs her cast of fictional and historical characters with an authority that can only come from a fervent understanding of the cultures and values of the times. With deft strokes she brings the characters fully to life--revealing their psyches and the depths of their motivations--without ever impeding the pace of the story. The Swan Princess is a beautifully written, perfectly balanced historical novel by an author who knows her stuff and has mastered her craft."--Joan Schweighardt, author of The Last Wife of Attila the Hun "A richly depicted, exciting adventure set amongst the Tatars of 16th-century Central Russia. Fans of historical romance will find this a delight."--Yangsze Choo, author of The Ghost Bride "A 'ripping good yarn, ' as adventure stories have always been. Enter the exotic, cut-throat world of sixteenth-century Muscovy in the company of a Tatar princess whose skills would have made her equally a heroine on the American frontier. The Kremlin court of the not-yet-Terrible toddler Ivan and his mother-regent Elena Glinskaya, boyar intrigue, arranged political marriages, spirit animals and ancestors pointing the way to restoring balance and order in the universe--what more could a reader want except further adventures, which are heralded by the advent of another animal messenger?"--Ann M. Kleimola, professor emerita of history, University of Nebraska-Lincoln "Swiftly paced, with compelling characters and vivid scenes evoking distant Muscovy, The Golden Lynx is a find for lovers of historical fiction."-- Russian Life C. P. Lesley, a historian, is the author of The Not Exactly Scarlet Pimpernel, and three series: Legends of the Five Directions, Songs of Steppe & Forest, and the Tarkei Chronicles.