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Closer to the Heart by Mercedes Lackey

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Closer to the Heart by Mercedes Lackey

New York Times-bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy series, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar

Herald Mags, Valdemar's first official Herald Spy, is well on his way to establishing a coterie of young informants, not only on the streets of Haven, but in the kitchens and Great Halls of the highborn and wealthy as well.

The newly appointed King's Own Herald, Amily, although still unsure of her own capability in that office, is doing fine work to support the efforts of Mags, her betrothed. She has even found a way to build an army of informants herself, a group of highly trained but impoverished young noblewomen groomed to serve the highborn ladies who live at Court, to be called "The Queens's Handmaidens."

And King Kyril has come up with the grand plan of turning Mags and Amily's wedding into a low-key diplomatic event that will simultaneously entertain everyone on the Hill and allow him to negotiate behind the scenes with all the attending ambassadors―something which had not been possible at his son Prince Sedric's wedding.

What could possibly go wrong?

The answer, of course, is "everything."

For all is not well in the neighboring Kingdom of Menmellith. The new king is a child, and a pretender to the throne has raised a rebel army. And this army is―purportedly―being supplied with arms by Valdemar. The Menmellith Regency Council threatens war. With the help of a ragtag band of their unlikely associates, Mags and Amily will have to determine the real culprit, amass the evidence to convince the Council, and prevent a war nobody wants―

―and, somewhere along the way, get married.
Praise for The Collegium Chronicles:

“Thanks to court intrigues and an attempt by foreign infiltrators to trick Valdemar to its disadvantage, Lackey makes a real page-turner out of Mags’ and the collegia’s development” ―Booklist

“For fans of her work, the return to the land of Valdemar and the continued tale of treasured characters will not disappoint―and new readers are likely to become devoted fans. Lackey has a playful writing style that is easy to become engrossed in.” ―RT Book Reviews

“Returning to her beloved Valdemar universe, Lackey opens her new series at a pivotal time in the history of Valdemar.... Series fans will enjoy the variations on a familiar theme, while enough information is presented for first-timers to discover a world of high adventure and individual courage. Highly recommended.” ―Library Journal

“Lackey has effortlessly returned us to the wondrous realm of Valdemar.” ―Night Owl Reviews

“As always, she tells an entertaining and enjoyable tale of Valdemar with characters we love and a world we’ll always want to visit.” ―Pop Culture Beast

Closer to the Heart has the two things that have always made me love these books: a richly detailed history of the world, and beautiful writing.” —The Arched Doorway
Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times best-selling author of the Bardic Voices series and the Serrated Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series, and many more. She's the coauthor of the contemporary meta-hero SF series The Secret World Chronicle. Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose, The Lark and the Wren, and also The Shadow of the Lion and Burdens of the Dead with Eric Flint and Dave Freer. She lives in Oklahoma.

Cody Martin is a coauthor with Mercedes Lackey of three other books in the metahero saga, The Secret World Chronicle including entries Invasion, World Divided, Revolution, and Collision. He is an avid gamer, but spends his extra time chained to a computer, writing. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, he currently resides in Florida.

Dennis Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Canada. He has a degree in pharmacology and is a cell biologist when not writing.

Veronica Giguere started off as the voice artist for the Secret World Chronicle podcasts then quickly proved her writing chops and was taken on as a series coauthor. Veronica remains active as a voice talent. An educator with a background in mathematics and ocean engineering, she has lent her voice to various research and campus promotional endeavors. She makes her home in Florida.

SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780756411299
ISBN 10 0756411297
Title Closer to the Heart
Author Mercedes Lackey
Series Valdemar: The Herald Spy
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Astra Publishing House
Year published 2016-10-04
Number of pages 368
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.