The World, the Flesh and the Devil by Reay Tannahill

A sweeping historical novel set in 15th-century Scotland, where political ambition, religious conflict and personal loyalties collide during a turbulent period of the Stewart monarchy. At its centre is Gavin, the powerful Chancellor of Scotland, whose position places him close to the king and at the heart of struggles that could determine the country's future, while his personal life becomes complicated by forbidden love and competing loyalties. Against a richly detailed backdrop of Scottish castles, the royal court and Highland society, the novel explores power, faith, ambition, betrayal and desire.