Nigel Tranter 
James, By the Grace of God 
James V Trilogy 2

In the wake of the Battle of Flodden, Scotland was ruled in name only. The boy king, James V was at the mercy of ambitous rival factions, and beyond them, the ever-watchful, looming presence of Henry VIII of England. Escaping from the clutches of the power-hungry Earl of Angus, his most effective guides were to be two old friends, David Lindsay and David Beaton. But, impetuous and hot-blooded, James was more interested in wine and women than affairs of state, and his royal advisers faced a mighty task as they helped the king attain his regal status in a land full of treachery and danger. ‘Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland’s heroes’ Scotland on Sunday