In a world where power is seized through bloodshed and betrayal, one woman refuses to be erased.

The Byzantine Empire is no place for a female ruler-yet Irini of Athens will stop at nothing to claim her rightful place. Unlike the emperors before her, she is forced to fight traitors and backstabbers as well as the relentless grip of a world that refuses to see a woman as sovereign. As empress, she must outmaneuver the church, defy the army generals who refuse her commands, and be sharper than any blade.

Now, in this explosive final installment of the Empress Irini Series, she faces her greatest battle yet. After reclaiming the throne, she ensnares her son, Constantine, in a web of deception, forcing 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 power is insatiable.

Manipulating Constantine into striking against the very soldiers who once imprisoned her, she plunges the empire into a brutal civil war-army against army, mother against son.

As the conflict reaches its bloody climax, Irini makes her final, ruthless move-capturing Constantine and leaving him blinded, his power shattered. At last, she stands alone as the first woman to rule the empire.

As the throne is finally hers, one question remains: will Abbess Thekla, her former ally and closest confidante, help Irini hold on to power-or become the force that destroys her?

In a world built by men, Irini dared to rule. But at what cost?

Cambridge English Readers is an award-winning series of original fiction readers for learners of English, offering exciting reading from Starter to Advanced levels. On a hot August night in Milwaukee in the USA, a young artist and a gang leader's girlfriend are shot in the street, a woman dies mysteriously in the Mercy Hospital emergency room, and a famous artist is killed at the opening of an exhibition of his work. Dr Maxine Cassidy feels sure there must be a connection between these events and sets out to find it. Paperback-only version. Also available with Audio CDs including complete text recordings from the book.

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.

Amidst the dazzling splendor of the Byzantine court, Thekla crosses paths with Irini of Athens-a strikingly beautiful orphan plucked from obscurity to wed Co-Emperor Leon, son of the ruthless Constantine. But Irini is no mere pawn. Beneath her delicate exterior lies an unyielding will and an insatiable hunger for power.

As Thekla and Irini forge an uneasy alliance, the city erupts with unrest, torn apart by religious conflict and political machinations. In this volatile world of shifting loyalties, ambition can be a weapon, and trust can be fatal. Will Thekla become Irini's greatest ally-or her most dangerous rival?

The rise of an empress begins ...

Cambridge English Readers is an award-winning series of original fiction readers for learners of English, offering exciting reading from Starter to Advanced levels. When the wife of a prominent surgeon dies suddenly in the hospital emergency room of Mercy Hospital in Milwaukee, USA, Dr Maxine Cassidy suspects murder. Maxine is determined to find the killer and starts an investigation of her own. However, when someone tries to kill her, she begins to wonder which of her medical colleagues she can trust. Paperback-only version. Also available with Audio CDs including complete text recordings from the book.

This gripping third installment of the Empress Irini Series is set in the cutthroat world of 8th-century Byzantium, where power, betrayal, and ambition collide in a deadly game for the throne.

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.

Irini forces Constantine into an unwanted marriage to the unpopular Maria, prevents him from gaining his full authority at eighteen, and has him imprisoned when he dares to challenge her dominance. But Constantine's loyal army rallies to his side, freeing him and overthrowing Irini's reign. Now, the battle for the throne intensifies as a resourceful and relentless Irini vows to stop at nothing to reclaim her power.

Thekla must navigate a dangerous web of deception and intrigue-can she prevent the mother and son from destroying each other, or will Irini's savage ambition tear the empire apart?

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. But Thekla soon realizes that Irini's ambitions reach far beyond being a dutiful wife and mother-she craves absolute power, and she will stop at nothing to seize it.

As blood stains the marble halls of the Great Palace, Thekla must navigate a web of intrigue, deception, and vengeance. Can she survive Irini's unrelenting thirst for dominance, or will she become just another casualty in the empress's ruthless ascent? Loyalties will be tested. Betrayals will be paid in blood. The empire will never be the same.

Poison is a Woman's Weapon is the second book in the thrilling Empress Irini Serie that chronicles the dramatic ascent of Irini of Athens to become Empress of the Byzantine Empire.