Parliament’s bastion in the West – Bristol.

The city walls are strong enough, but Bristol has precious few men and even fewer guns with which to defend them. And to make matters worse, rumour has it that Prince Rupert, the bane of Parliament's cause, is on his way from Oxford to reinforce Hopton.

But for William Sparrow, captured on Roundway, such fears are distant. His fight against the King seems to be over, and he is to be sold into slavery and shipped to the West Indies. Hugo Telling has fallen victim to confusing fighting and is a prisoner of Parliament. The war between the two men for Bella Morrison’s affections is at an impasse...

The second thrilling instalment of The Shadow on the Crown series, Storming Party, is perfect for David Gilman and Bernard Cornwell's fans.

Shadow on the Crown author Nicholas Carter is based in the West Country and has been working on his English Civil War series – on and off – for more than 30 years. A writer and journalist since leaving school, Nicholas says joining the Sealed Knot gave him priceless insights into the period – and says many of the events and characters in the books are inspired by his experiences re-enacting battles from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall.  In addition to his English Civil war series Nicholas has written two novels based on the Italian Wars and also penned a brace of steampunk fantasy novels. He is working on volume seven of the Shadow on the Crown – Forlorn Hope – plotting the New Model Army's siege of Bristol.