|
Twin Time by Olga Werby and Christopher Werby Alex and Sasha are twin sisters, physically identical down to their freckles. But the resemblance is only skin deep—Sasha is profoundly autistic, while Alex is not. Sasha can’t communicate and acts bizarrely, and the family revolves around her and her intense needs. Yet the aged, wealthy, and mysterious Aunt Nana seems to have a particular interest in both girls. Offering a helping hand, she encourages the family to move to San Francisco to be near her. And when the young twins discover a tunnel in Nana’s tool shed, it leads them on a journey across the world and back 100 years in time. The tunnel is a pathway to the Firebird Estate, the home of their ancestors, located in rural Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Even more remarkable, through the effect that twisting time has on cognition, Sasha is not autistic when she’s at the Firebird Estate. Now, growing up in two strikingly different times and places, the twins must face their separate destinies among the ravages of the incipient Russian Revolution. Can they save their families on both sides of the tunnel? Can they simultaneously stay true to their own hearts, to each other, and to the people they left behind? Each sister must face her own personal challenge—but only together can they discover their own future within their family’s past. |
|
The Wildflowers at the Edge of the World by Shaylin Gandhi Yukon Territories, 1898. When circus sharpshooter Sophia Bellerose flees from heartbreak in search of a new life, she doesn’t intend to find work in a Yukon brothel. But she's not the sort of woman to refuse that kind of cash—or the freedom that comes with it. ​ For Sophia, the remote wilds of Canada’s Far North provide the perfect setting to bury old heartbreaks. Up there, memories are short, days are long, and gold dust flows freely for any woman bold enough to make the trip. Even better? She gets to keep her guns. Yet when the warmth of her newfound sisterhood begins to thaw her icy heart, Sophia wonders if she’s stumbled across the perfect life—until she clashes with the local Reverend, whose angel face hides a dangerously devious mind. Not only is he conning the whole town, he’s after both the brothel and her, though she can't tell whether his interest is genuine or just another clever ploy to gain control of her earnings. Determined to preserve her newfound freedom—and ignore the Reverend’s devastating kissing in the process—Sophia unholsters her revolvers and takes aim, ready to do whatever it takes to keep her new life in one piece. |
|
The Cary Grant Sanatorium and Playhouse by Will Tinkham THE CARY GRANT SANATORIUM AND PLAYHOUSE is a screwball drama involving disgraced Hollywood starlet, Donna Darling, and two-time German Army deserter, Séamus von Funck. They meet in 1942 at an idyllic Ohio home for unwed mothers—or a Nazi abortion slaughterhouse, depending on whom you talk to. Their love endures despite the efforts of a power-hungry congressman, an overzealous religious tabloid, and Donna's Hollywood past—yes, including Cary Grant. They prevail despite Séamus being a suspected Nazi spy and America's first prisoner of the second World War—and also the first to escape. Donna returns to her chosen profession, nursing, and Séamus completes his medical training under an alias while still on the lam. Despite their early struggles, the couple raises three fine children: Frederick Douglass von Funck, Clara Barton von Funck and Walt Whitman von Funck. The family thrives until their bi-racial, eldest child runs smack into the civil rights turmoil of the 1960s. |
|
The Adventures of Hank Fenn by Will Tinkham For Hank, Sam never became Mark Twain. As a riverboat pilot, Sam saved young Hank from the crushing paddlewheels as the boy stowed away on the City of Memphis. Sam returned Hank to Minnesota when news reached downriver that Hank's mother was on trial for killing the father Hank had run away from. Years later, in a barber's chair prior to his mother's funeral, Hank reads a frog story that's awful close to a tall tale Sam once told. The magazine claims it's written by a fellow named Mark Twain. THE ADVENTURES OF HANK FENN (Americana #4) sends Hank searching the West—and then the East—for Mr. Twain. All along he and Sam exchange letters and make plans that never seem to get them together—Twain always on the road or abroad. Hank does find hatred and brutality while railroading and mining throughout this new frontier. He finds Calamity Jane in a Wyoming mining camp and Custer breaking treaties. He finds the Emperor of these United States. Ultimately Hank finds love, boys to raise and gold to unearth on a Black Hills mountaintop. |
|
Brinda Miracle (not her real name) steals out of Redding, Connecticut in the spring of 1911 in charge of an orphan train. Though an accredited nurse and teacher, Brinda is fleeing trumped-up allegations stemming from the crib death of a baby in her care as a nanny. An orphan herself, Brinda arrives at an orphaned orphanage in St. Paul, Minnesota with three children still in her care: Nicholas, twelve, with special needs and special talents—most notably those of a pickpocket; Maxine, eight, with seemingly no need for anyone and no discernible talent; and Zane, six, whose amber eyes instill fear in those who fail to look deeper. The Miracles (Americana #7) is a historical crime satire set in a gangster haven that welcomed criminals into St. Paul as long as they didn't commit crimes in St. Paul. The novel follows the four orphans as they are welcomed into a neighborhood featuring Nina Clifford's fashionable whorehouse on one side and the Bucket of Blood Saloon down the block. Brinda and the children grow into their own niches to survive amid Prohibition Era corruption while dabbling in a little bootlegging of their own through the early years of the Great Depression. |
|
Empire's Reckoning by Marian L Thorpe How many secrets does your family have? For 13 years, Sorley has taught music alongside the man he loves, war and betrayal nearly forgotten. But behind his calm and ordered life, there are hidden truths. When a young girl’s question demands an honest answer, should he lie, breaking the most important oath he has made – or tell the truth, risking the destruction of both his family and a fragile political alliance? Continuing the story begun in the Empire’s Legacy trilogy, Empire’s Reckoning asks if love – of country, of an individual, of family – can be enough to leave behind the expectations of history and culture, and provide an uncharted path to peace. Gold Medal, Historical Fantasy Book of the Year, 2020, Coffee Pot Book Club |
|
Can a musician heal, when a physician cannot? All scáeli’en know the tale of Oraiáphon: how his music tamed the wildest beasts and charmed the darkest god. Only a fable—until song becomes Sorley’s last supplication to bring Cillian back from certain death, for Lena, for their child, and for the country that so desperately needs him. |
|
Empire's Exile by Marian L Thorpe What price would you pay to save your land? Lena is exiled for treason, along with a man she barely knows - or likes. The need to survive builds a fragile trust, then a closer friendship, until violence shatters their peace. When news of brutal and devastating war in both their homelands reaches them, they join the search for the lost Empire of the East, their last hope for support. Only the small chance that legend is truth can save their countries, but this final, desperate quest could cost Lena everything - and everyone - she loves. Gold Medal, Historical Fantasy Book of the Year 2019, Silver Medal, Historical Fantasy Box Set of the Year 2019, Coffee Pot Book Club |
|
Empire's Hostage by Marian L Thorpe How do you trust an adversary who’s your only hope? After eighteen months of war, Lena’s Emperor asks her to stand as hostage to a truce. Sent north of the Wall to live among people who were the enemy only days before, Lena learns they had a reason to invade her land – one disturbing enough that challenging their leader over it might prove to be her worst decision yet. Far more than the success of a truce is now in Lena’s hands, but in a place she neither knows nor understands, she needs help. But how do you convince someone who hates you and everything you stand for that working together is the only way to save both your lands? Silver Medal, Historical Fantasy Box Set of the Year 2019, Coffee Pot Book Club |
|
A Song of Steel by J.C. Duncan A roaring Norse saga of war, honour, love and loss. Vikings face Crusaders in an epic battle for the soul of the North 'A gripping, well-executed story, with a fun, original premise.' - Angus Donald' A Song Of Steel is a rising light of Norse Mythology.' - Daniel Kelly It began with a single Viking raid, now their world will blaze with the fury of a pope's revenge. Alternate history - 1116 AD. Three hundred years of cruel Viking raids have finally united Christian Europe against the pagan Northlands. A great crusade has been called to pacify the wild Norse kingdoms. The banner of the cross has been raised against the north, and all the power and fury of the west rides under it. Ordulf, a talented young German swordsmith, is ripped from his comfortable life and cast into the bloody chaos of the crusade. As fate deals him a cruel blow in the lands of his enemies, he will have to forge a new path through the chaos, or be consumed by it. In the Northlands, three rival kingdoms must unite to survive the onslaught. But can any man, king or commoner, unite the bickering brotherhood of the Norse? Or is the time of the Vikings finally drawing to a violent end. Heroes will fail, kings will fall, and ordinary people will fight for the right to a future. An epic saga of war, love and politics sure to delight fans of Bernard Cornwell, Giles Krystian, Matthew Harffy, Christian Cameron and all lovers of historical fiction. |
|
She's the One Who Gets in Fights by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Sulphur knows hers. This 13th-century woman has trained as a fighter all her life in hopes of joining the army. Then, within days, both of her older sisters announce plans and suddenly Sulphur is expected to find a man to marry instead. Is it her good fortune her homeland is gripped by fear of a pending invasion and the army now goes door to door encouraging recruits? Sulphur thinks it is. But once she’s forced to kill in a small skirmish, she’s ready to rethink her career decision. Too bad it’s too late. The invasion is coming, and Ilari needs every good soldier it has. Once Sulphur learns Ilari’s army has made the strategic decision to not defend certain parts of the realm, including the one where her family lives, she has to re-evaluate her loyalty. Is it with the military she’s always admired? Or is it with her sisters, who are hatching a plan to defend their homeland with magic? The problem with being a woman who fights for what’s right is that now, she has to figure out what is. The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters consists of seven short companion novels. Each tells the personal story and perspective of one of seven radically different sisters in the 1200s as they prepare for an invasion of their realm. While these historical fantasy/alternate history books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, together they tell the full story of how Ilari survived. Which sister do you think saved the realm? That will depend on whose story you are reading. |
|
She's the One Who Cares Too Much by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Coral knows hers. People have been telling this tenderhearted 13th-century woman for years. So when a heroic army officer proposes, she decides she’s stronger than people realize and her dreams have come true. Except, the perfect man turns out to be less than ideal. And she’s gotten pregnant. And her homeland is gripped with fear of a pending Mongol invasion and she cries about everything now that she’s with child. When a friend suggests the ever-caring Coral possesses a power well beyond what anyone imagines, Coral’s sister decides this formidable talent is what the realm needs. Can Coral raise a baby, placate an absent military husband who thinks he’s stopping the invasion, and help her sister save her homeland? This is just the sort of problem encountered by a woman who cares too much. The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters consists of seven short companion novels. Each tells the personal story and perspective of one of seven radically different sisters in the 1200s as they prepare for an invasion of their realm. While these historical fantasy/alternate history books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, together they tell the full story of how Ilari survived. Which sister do you think saved the realm? That will depend on whose story you are reading. |
|
She's the One Who Thinks Too Much by S. R. Cronin Do you know what your problem is? Ryalgar knows hers. People have been telling this over-educated 13th-century woman for years. So when an equally intellectual prince decides he loves her, it looks like everyone was wrong and her dreams have come true. Except, this prince is obligated to marry another. He is leading the army training to defend their tiny realm against an expected Mongol invasion. And he is considering sacrificing Ryalgar’s home nichna by abandoning it’s rich farmlands to their foes. If only he wasn’t such a nice guy. Another woman would ….. Ryalgar has no idea what another would do. All she knows is she has a multitude of university intellectuals and a family of tough farmers behind her, and a newfound connection with the witches in the forest. Why not devise her own strategy to keep the invaders from destroying her home? Then she can figure out what to do about this problem prince. It’s just the sort of thing that happens when a woman thinks too much. |
|
The Murder Next Door by Sarah Bell July 1912 Leeds, England. A man is found dead on his study floor and his now-missing wife is the obvious suspect. To their neighbour, Louisa Knight, it's a shocking piece of news but nothing more. However, when she tells her 'companion' over breakfast, Ada Chapman nearly breaks their teapot and looks ready to run out the door. For Ada watched Mrs Pearce leave from the window of her painting studio. A moment's glance of a fearful face brings back old memories and gives her doubts. As far as the more pragmatic Louisa is concerned, Ada's determination to investigate is bound to lead them into trouble. Again. Yet Louisa's curiosity cannot be denied, and as the pair delve deeper into their neighbour's life what they uncover only clouds the issue further. The question soon becomes not just 'Who killed Mr Pearce?' but also 'Does that person deserve to hang for it?' Even if the couple can find the guilty party, will they be able to agree what should become of them? |
|
When Yseult Urquhart's magic finally manifests, she finds herself saving her own life and faced with a choice.Submitting to her family's demands that she returns to Scotland and joins Avalon Hall - a school for witches who come late into their magic - the youngest member of the powerful Urquhart clan enters a place of mysteries and secrets, where nothing is what it seems.Voices from the past, visions of long ago times, even a possible ghost, all materialise before Yseult's eyes and ears, driving her to a spiral of confusion and curiosity that has her delving into what lies behind Avalon Hall.And why does it carry that name? |
|
William Lucky stumbles into the chance of a lifetime when he meets racing car owner, Mr. Lovitz. Soon, he wins the most prestigious racing event of the year 1924, the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lucky's fame expands. There is no party without him and he no longer remembers a time when he raced sober. Barely surviving a racing accident Lucky must face the consequences of his actions. Mr. Lovitz's underage daughter, Nina, has issues of her own. A victim of a treacherous crime and unable to confide in her emotionally fragile mother, she runs away from home. She finds new friends who introduce her to a new and glittery party scene--but there is a catch. Old traumas resurface and Nina is haunted by her past worse than ever before. |
|
Reverend of Silence by Pamela Sparkman A coming of age story about faith, love, and overcoming society's prejudices during the American Antebellum period. In 1810, Lucy Hallison suffered from a severe illness at the age of three, and later recovered, a deaf-mute. Unable to relate to the world in which she lives, she’s often ignored and sometimes treated with cruelty. Until a boy, Samuel Burke, steps into her life at the tender age of seven, coloring her world and showing her what it means to be seen, to not be invisible, to be understood. The two become inseparable childhood friends, and as they grow and mature, there is the promise and hope of something more that also grows between them. But the hope of something more is put on hold so she can attend The American Asylum at Hartford for the Deaf and Dumb, the first of its kind, requiring her to leave the only home she’s ever known and the only boy she’s ever loved. But while she is away, tragedy strikes, and Samuel is now the one unable to relate to the world in which he lives, unable to find his own voice, and withdrawing from everyone and everything he’s ever known. When Lucy returns home from school, she has one goal in mind—to put color back into his world the way he had once put color into hers. Because Samuel Burke had been her voice when she had needed him most. Now, she is determined to be his. Note: Inspired by real people and true historical accounts. |
|
Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft: Book One of Marcus Grimm saga by Stas Borodin, Stanislav Borodin The steppes were always feared, for the steppe warlocks were cruel and ruthless. For centuries, the tiny kingdom of Lieh was a shield that protected civilization from the hordes of ferocious nomads. But one day, everything changed. The truce that had lasted for many years was broken and a powerful new warlock invaded the kingdom. Young Marcus Grimm must take up arms and join his father's army in his maiden battle. Adventurer, student at the Academy of Magic, pirate hunter, army scout and slayer of sorcerers – on the way he will find true friends and make some fearsome enemies. He will become the Hand of Destiny. The first book of the Marcus Grimm saga. Translated from Russian. Stas Borodin is the author of the popular fantasy series “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”, written in the genre of heroic fantasy. The series includes the novel of the same name “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”, novels “Black Hands” and “Funeral Pyres”. “Fists of clay” is a stand-alone novel and a sequel to “Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft”. The novel “Stars and Arrows” is written in the genre of alternative history and set in times of American Civil War. |
|
A Locket of No Particular Significance (Weskerlee #1) by Florien St. John "Are you suggesting Captain that a Faerie might have wings? Like a bird? That's preposterous. Why, think of all that effort flapping one's arms getting from point A to point B when with just a small amount of magic, one could achieve the very same result. Without the flapping. Next, you will have us in nests gathering worms and shiny things. I'd be very embarrassed for any Faerie so tiny it must fly about like an insect, building tiny houses in the exposed roots of trees, dressed in nothing but Butterbell trousers. Have you ever worn Butterbell trousers Ib? Of course you haven't. No one has. I am not sure who is responsible for creating such an idle fantasy. Perhaps one of your literature types? There is nothing worse than a writer, who when they have nothing to write of consequence, find themselves seduced by the temptation to expostulate on what could or might be, instead of what is!" - The Good Faerie Jasper Wintergreen. Can a GOOD Faerie turned BAD ever turn GOOD again? Higher Faerie has banished unworthy Lesser Faerie from The Other-Lands. Like it or not, the human realm of The Middle Counties and The Wild South is besieged.When bookish Alisanne Frochard, a Vigilant apprentice studying Faerie Lore at Weskerlee Folly is tasked to track down a mischievous Dark Faerie alongside her handsome Captain whom she may or may not admire more than she ought, she hopes to prove herself worthy, or at the very least, tolerably capable.Jasper Wintergreen and Faerydae Ib, two elite Nobles from Faerie, both hard-pressed to contain their natural proclivity for expressing excessive and elaborately ebullient expostulations, are unbeknown to the Vigilants, watching over them.There's a Half-Faerie orphan if we are to believe what she says and she is never ever where she is thought to be. There is a riddle, heartrending lost love, a prologue, an enchanted locket and a blue feather in a hat worn for luck. An almost Regency period historical fantasy of manners where the wit appears larger than the plot holes and where becoming lost in a fog in a bog somewhere east of Whirrel is only of concern during Autumn. |
|
Meet Jacob Williams. A survivor of the First World War, forever changed by his experience. Now he’s facing down the terrors that conflict unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Weak spots have always existed between our world and that of the Fae; stone circles help to keep the most dangerous sealed shut. But now Stonehenge is failing… It falls to the members of the Fae Defence Society to repair the ancient monument, protect humanity from the terrors it holds back and prevent another disastrous war. Jacob and his wartime comrade Harry are on the front lines in a supernatural battle which threatens everything. |
|
The Forbidden (The Ancestors Saga, #1) by Lori Holmes Alone. Hunted. Vulnerable. As the blood settles into the snow, Rebaa’s life lies in tatters. Her adopted tribe has been slaughtered, leaving her lost and isolated in a freezing and hostile world. Kidnapped from her own forest race years before, Rebaa must now find another people to protect her and quickly. But in daring to fall in love with a man not of her own species, she defied every lore set by the creators of human kind, the Sky Gods. Now damningly burdened with her murdered lover’s offspring, Rebaa knows that if anyone were to discover her baby’s heritage, the only sentence would be death. Driven by the love for her unborn, Rebaa sets out on a perilous journey to find a safe haven for them both. But what haven could possibly exist for one who bears…the Forbidden? The Ancestors Saga Exciting and compelling, the Ancestor's Saga takes readers on an epic journey 40,000 years into our own dark and forgotten past. As the world teeters on the brink of another glacial winter, homo sapiens are not the only human to walk the Earth. When the destiny of the entire human race hangs in the balance, the prize for the survivors will be the Earth itself. The Ancestors Saga is a prehistoric fantasy romance, combining history, mystery and legend to retell a lost chapter in humanity's dark and distant past. |
|
Enlightened (Enlightened #1) by Billie Kowalewski "Winner 2017 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD Distinguished Favorites" "Enlightened is exactly the sort of book that remains in your mind long after you've read it, for all the best reasons." authorstalkaboutit.com" "Enlightened is such a fascinating read and is not mindless by any stretch of the imagination." lisaluvstoread.blogspot.com When Veronica lost the love of her life in a horrible accident she wassure he was gone forever, and she would never love again. Then, fiveyears later she meets her own tragic demise leading her back to the manshe loves, but, with an unexpected twist... Imagine waking up to discover that the life you thought was real never was. That your real life is actually lived somewhere else, and the love you thought was lost will go on forever |
|
Prisoner at Heart (Daughters of the Seven Seas Book 2) by Grace A. Johnson Atlantic Ocean 1684 Five months have passed since Captain Rina Blackstone lowered her Jolly Roger. Five months since she had last heard word of her greatest enemy, Timothy Wilde. For once in her life, she feels as thought she may actually be out of the storm. She has found her parents, found love, found her Savior. And a boatload of trouble when Wilde comes sailing up beside her, prepared to finally finish the job. Julius Blackstone has survived over ten hard, grueling years on board Wilde’s pirate ship, the Rogue Maiden. During those ten years, he has continually wondered when his storm would at long last pass and he would be returned to his home and his only family. The time has come. Crimson Wilde has awaited this day for over a decade. Her father has finally found Rina Blackstone, and now her torture has come to an end. Both Rina and Julius will be put out of their misery. But neither Crimson, Rina, or Julius are prepared for the onslaught of joy, peace, anger, and hatred that follows with Wilde’s death sentence. |
|
Lost Souls: A Servant of Death by Shane Martin Executed, widowed, and robbed of his entire crew of pirates, Captain Ander Frost makes a desperate attempt to recover what he’s lost: a deal with Death. Because those always go so well. Tasked to kill a usurper of the Roman emperorship, he must ally himself with the man that had him, his wife and crew murdered in the first place ‒ High King of the entire human population ‒ Rian Forge. Set in ancient Imperial Rome, where the likes of dwarves and elves live side by side with humans under Roman rule, Captain Frost must make unlikely alliances, work with enemies, bargain with Death, and fight anyone who would dare prevent him from reuniting with his wife. |
|
Held Captive by Grace A. Johnson Captain Rina Blackstone is the most notorious female pirate to ever plunder the Seven Seas and the fiercest captain to ever sail the Atlantic. But one thing she has never been able to handle well is change. When one merchant ship raid takes a wrong turn and results in her capture, Rina has to escape before all the control she’s worked so hard to obtain falters. Xavier Bennet was commissioned seven years ago to find the Duke of Rothsford’s long lost daughter. Those seven years have past without a trace of the woman except for the one letter he believes will lead him to her. When Xavier’s ship, the Jessica, finally crosses paths with the Rina, it’s all he can do to hope that somehow, someway, he’ll be able to find Lady Catherina and return her to her parents. Except the pirate captain he finds certainly surpasses his expectations and brings the one thing he cannot afford: trouble. Lies. That’s all that spews from Xavier Bennet’s lips. Lies. And Rina is determined not to listen, not to believe. Only to wiggle her way out of his clutches before all the pieces come together and reveal exactly what she doesn’t want… the truth. |
|
Murder Under a Blue Moon by Abigail Keam Mona Moon is not your typical young lady. She is a cartographer by trade, explorer by nature, and adventurer by heart. But there’s a problem. Miss Mona is broke. It’s during the Depression, and National Geographic has just turned down her application to join an expedition to the Amazon. What’s she to do? Perhaps get a job as a department store salesgirl. Anything to tide her over until a next assignment. There’s a knock on the door. Who could this be in the middle of the night? Holding a revolver, Mona reluctantly opens her door to a man wearing a Homburg hat and holding a briefcase. “I bring glad tidings. Your Uncle Manfred Moon has died and left you as his heir to the Moon fortune. You are now one of the richest women in the country!” he says. Mona’s response is to point her revolver in his face. If the stranger is telling the truth, she will apologize. If he is a fraud, she will shoot him. That’s how Mona does things in 1933. |
|
Quitting The Grave by Decater Collins Eugene, Oregon. October, 1999. After three graves robberies--in each instance, the abducted corpse was a John Doe--the police have few leads and little interest in the case. Caya Blumenshine, a reporter for the local newspaper, canvasses Eugene, questioning anarchists, wyccans, and politicians, until her search hits upon a secluded house on the outskirts of the city. Its owner, Alexander Hilyard, a history-writing hermit who hasn't been seen in years, may be involved in the grave robberies, or may have been the most recent victim. Fort Vancouver, the 1830’s. A trading outpost on the Columbia river is charged with harvesting as many furs as possible for the Hudson Bay Company, while at the same time discouraging American pioneers from settling in the region. Dr. McLoughlin, the chief factor, and his three adopted sons find the undertaking challenged by the arrival of Jason Lee and his Methodist missionaries. A blood feud begins that will shape the course of Oregon history for the next two centuries. Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1846. After the murder of her father, Helen Hunsaker wants nothing more than to escape the strictures of a society that views women as second-class citizens. She sets out on the Oregon Trail hoping to find a measure of freedom not afforded to her by her family circumstances or gender. Unfortunately, a spurned suitor chases after her and will apparently stop at nothing to win her hand in marriage. Three stories that span more than 150 years of American history, united by a shocking mystery. How far will those responsible go to keep their secrets buried? |
|
Maggie: A Journey of Love, Loss and Survival by Vicki Tapia Mt. Clemens, Michigan, 1887. Seventeen and headstrong, with marriage on her mind, Maggie is sure she has found her one true love. But when she collides head-on with betrayal, overwhelming loss and ill-treatment, her life unravels. In a time when women had few rights, Maggie rises above adversity through rare determination and grit, becoming an independent woman ahead of her time. Yet before she can truly find peace, one heartbreaking, life-altering decision remains. Inspired by her great-grandmother's life, the author weaves a timeless story of survival and courage set against the backdrop of Mt. Clemens, Michigan and the prairies of eastern Montana at the turn of the twentieth century. |
|
Ashes by Sharon Gloger Friedman A Jewish Family’s Epic of Hope, Tragedy, and Survival Easter Sunday, 1903 ushered in three days of government-sanctioned brutality on the Jews of Kishinev, Russia. In the aftermath of slaughter, rape, and destruction, Meyer and Sadie Raisky escape to New York City with their thirteen-year-old daughter, Miriam. Their home and business gone, reeling from devastating personal tragedy, the Raiskys cling to the promise of a better life in America. But upon arriving in New York City, Miriam and her parents quickly learn that promises are easily broken in the tenements of the Lower East Side. When circumstances force Miriam to abandon the schooling she loves to help support her family, she goes to work at the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, joining other immigrant girls who work long hours for low wages in shocking conditions. Against the backdrop of emerging workers’ rights and women’s rights, Miriam’s social conscience and young womanhood both blossom when she falls in love with a union organizer. Meticulously researched and rich with beautifully drawn characters that bring 20th-century New York City to life, Ashes is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and a haunting elegy to the young women whose suffering inspired changes to the working conditions in the garment industry. |
|
I am Mrs. Jesse James by Pat Wahler She captured his heart, but at what price? The long, bloody Civil War is finally at an end when Zee Mimms, the daughter of a Missouri preacher, is tasked with nursing her cousin, Jesse James, back to health after he suffers a near-fatal wound. During Jesse's long convalescence, the couple falls in love, but Jesse's resentment against the Federals runs deep. He has scores to settle. For him, the war will never be over. Zee is torn between deferring to her parents' wishes and marrying for security or marrying for love and accepting the hard realities of life with an outlaw--living under an assumed name and forever on the run. For her, the choice she makes means the war is only beginning. Discover why readers describe this richly imagined story of the woman who wed Jesse James as powerful, compelling, and emotional. |
|
Girl with a Gun: An Annie Oakley Mystery by Kari Bovée Fifteen-year-old Annie Oakley is the sole supporter of her widowed mother and two siblings. An expert markswoman and independent spirit, she hunts game to sell to the local mercantile to make ends meet instead of accepting a marriage proposal that could solve all her problems. After a stunning performance in a shooting contest against the handsome and famous sharpshooter Frank Butler, Annie is offered a position in the renowned Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Finally, she has a chance to save the nearly foreclosed family farm and make her dreams come true. But then her Indian assistant is found dead in her tent, and Annie is dubious when the local coroner claims the death was due to natural causes. When another innocent is murdered, Annie begins to fear the deaths are related to her. And to make matters worse, her prized horse, Buck, a major part of her act, is stolen. Annie soon discovers that the solution to her problems lies buried in a padlocked Civil War trunk belonging to the show’s manager, Derence LeFleur. And so, with the help of a sassy, blue-blooded reporter, Annie sets out to find her horse, solve the murders, and clear her name. |
|
Courage and Complicity by Claudette Languedoc In August 1947, Mary Brock boarded a train in Toronto. She was headed for the wilds of Northwestern Ontario and a teaching job at an Indian Residential School. Her family was horrified. At the end of her first day of teaching, Mary was horrified too. This was not the exciting adventure she had imagined. But Mary wasn't one to give up. Buoyed by her ideals and her pragmatism, she kept showing up.She lasted the academic year. When she boarded the train for home she knew she had failed—in every way that mattered.The ideals she had come with had shattered on her classroom floor, and her heart lay buried behind a small log cabin in the woods.Sixty years later, two unexpected gifts forced her to take a second look back and a more hopeful look forward. Maybe her ideals weren't so naive after all. |
|
The Paris Photo by Jane S Gabin The Paris Photo compassionately conveys the story of American soldier Ben Gordon and his relationship with a young mother and her son just after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944. Despite the strength of this relationship during the war, Ben's eventual return to America separates them. Decades later, Ben's daughter stitches the relationship back together when she discovers a photograph of her late father with an unknown woman and boy. Eager to uncover more of her father's past, she travels to Paris to learn about the people in the photograph. The Paris Photo lifts characters out of the pages of a history book, richly depicting the human emotion that pervades our memories. The Paris Photo will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, particularly those with an interest in WWII. Jane S. Gabin creates a vivid picture of life in Paris during the dark days of the Nazi occupation, as well as a depiction of the contemporary city that still carries scars from the war. Interweaving mystery, romance, and historical research, The Paris Photo demonstrates how the traumas of wartime loss persist into the present. |
|
Go Down the Mountain by Meredith Battle Their government painted them as ignorant hillbillies, then took their land. Now read the story of these Virginia mountain families, for the first time as historical fiction. Bee Livingston is a nervy, teenage beauty whose beloved father's sudden death in a snake charming accident has left her alone with her abusive mother. Her one salvation is Miles, the big-city photographer who promises escape and a life full of the adventure she craves. But when Bee is caught in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with a government man who takes her family's land and won't stop until he claims her too, it may be Torch, the boy she grew up with on the mountain, who becomes the man she needs. Based on the true story of the hundreds of families who were forced from their Blue Ridge Mountain homes to make way for Shenandoah National Park in the 1930s, Go Down the Mountain is a tale of dispossession, coming of age, and love. |