The Empress Irini Series

In the treacherous corridors of 8th-century Constantinople, where power is won through cunning and ambition, a young woman is destined to shape the fate of an empire. Seventeen-year-old Thekla, fierce and relentless, has been abandoned at the altar for the third time. Determined to reclaim her betrothed—or make him pay—she sets out for the imperial capital, armed only with her wits and her blade. But Constantinople is no place for the faint-hearted. Here, intrigue and betrayal lurk in every shadow, and survival demands more than mere determination.

In the ruthless world of 8th-century Constantinople, where alliances shift like the tides and betrayal lurks behind every gilded door, Irini of Athens fights to secure her place as Empress of the Byzantine Empire. But power comes at a deadly cost. Surrounded by enemies within her own palace—her scheming mother-in-law, five treacherous step-brothers, and a husband who sees her as a threat—Irini knows that survival is not guaranteed. With childbirth looming, she summons the only person she can trust: Abbess Thekla, the knife-wielding woman who owes her a life debt.

When Constantine’s father dies unexpectedly, the nine-year-old is thrust onto the imperial throne, with his mother, Irini, assuming the role of Regent. But as Irini consolidates power and ruthlessly blocks her son’s attempts to rule, Abbess Thekla finds herself torn between loyalty to the ambitious empress and a growing allegiance to the rightful emperor, Constantine.

After regaining the throne, Irini ensnares Constantine in a web of deceit, convincing him to divorce Maria and banishing his wife and daughters to Abbess Thekla’s island convent—where Maria slowly descends into madness. But Irini’s thirst for dominance knows no bounds. Manipulating Constantine into turning against the soldiers who once betrayed her, she ignites a brutal civil war, plunging the empire into chaos—army against army, mother against son. As the battle rages, Irini orchestrates a final, ruthless strike, capturing Constantine and leaving him blinded and powerless.