About the Book

 Queen Teuta of Illyria was not only a famous Warrior Queen that lived almost two hundred years before Cleopatra, but her love for King Agron was one of the most legendary love stories in history. BESA PO is inspired by the true story of love, loss, betrayal, victory and defeat.  

         BESA is a code of honor, a promise to protect someone or a Kingdom even with their life. PO is the word YES in Illyrian. Queen Teuta gave her BESA PO to King Agron and the people of Illyria. During the years of 231 BC to 227 BC, in order to fulfill her promise after the Kings tragic death, she challenged the mighty Roman Army and Navy. The Romans learned of her fierceness and skill in battle suffering humiliating defeats. They feared her, turned her own flesh and blood against her, captured her Kingdom but never captured her. 

         Venture back into ancient times and discover Queen Teuta’s story, a love so deep it spans the ages, leadership so compelling that Rome was put to shame.  One of the first women to rise to power in the Kingdom of men.

About the Author

Hana Noka is an international model, actress, filmmaker, and author of Albanian descent.

Hana started her career in modeling and acting at a young age. Despite her busy life as a child model and actress, Hana always took her education seriously. She graduated from Griffith College Dublin, in Ireland with a BA (Hons) Degree in Journalism and Visual Media. Hana relocated to America to pursue acting, filmmaking, and writing.

As an admirer of strong women in history, Hana was drawn to the stories of the Ancient Illyrian women. She felt compelled to tell the story of the great leader Queen Teuta who ruled Illyria, which encompassed the modern day nations of the Balkans from 231 BC to 227 BC. It is her hope that the story of Queen Teuta will inspire women around the world just as it has inspired her. Hana lives in Los Angeles and  speaks several languages, including Albanian, English, Croatian, and Turkish.

www.hannanoka.com

5 Star Review by Readers’ Favorite

Reviewed by A. L. Peevey for Readers' Favorite

Besa Po by Hana Noka takes us readers back in time to the age of the Roman Empire. But, this book follows the life of Queen Teuta of fabled Illyria and recounts the love she has for King Agron. However, she is a warrior in her own right and is driven by a “besa po”, a strong oath or promise to defend her homeland against the Roman invaders. Queen Teuta suffers great personal loss at the hands of the Romans, the military superpower of their times, and faces betrayal by members of her own family. Will she be able to battle the Romans on equal terms and save her people?

Besa Po by Hana Noka is based on ancient history, and the author has done her homework in transporting us so far into the past that it predates the Christian era. She also has a stake in this story in that she comes from the Balkan region where ancient Illyria lay. The characters are vividly drawn in such a way that we can hear their distinct voices. Her descriptions of the day-to-day sights and sounds of ancient Illyria and the war to keep the Romans at bay help us to see and hear and almost touch the stones of King Agron’s castle and the other places in this book. Noka also urgently reminds us of the paradox of Queen Teuta, who is a woman ahead of her time, a powerful female leader at a time in world history when men dominated as the rulers of the common people. Readers who love books based in historical fact will find this an intriguing, eye-opening read.

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