The First Bloodline

The Mother of Kings: A Historical Fiction Novel of Katherine Swynford, Royal Scandal, and the Origins of the Wars of the Roses

She was never meant to rule…
But her blood would shape a kingdom.
At the heart of the royal court, where power is whispered and loyalty is never certain, one woman will change the course of history forever.
Katherine Swynford arrives in a world governed by kings, bound by duty, and ruled by appearances. She is not a queen. She is not meant to matter.
But when she becomes entangled with one of the most powerful men in England, everything begins to shift.
Told through the eyes of Mary, a young and impressionable lady-in-waiting, this is a story of ambition, survival, and the quiet cost of standing too close to power. As scandal spreads and reputations fall, Mary is forced to confront a truth she was never meant to see—that the court does not protect the innocent, and that some legacies are born in silence.
Because Katherine is not just a woman judged by her time.
She is the beginning of something far greater.
From her bloodline will come kings and queens.
From her legacy will come war.
And from her story…
A nation will be changed forever.
Perfect for readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, The First Bloodline is a gripping historical fiction novel that reveals the hidden origins of the Wars of the Roses and the woman history almost forgot.