In 1790 the United States has a new Constitution. George Washington presides as the first elected president. Abroad, France and Britain are at war. And by 1795 seafaring Americans are accosted on the high seas by French privateers and British naval ships.

Tensions rise as American merchants continue to trade. Among them, Hasket Derby and Captain George Crowninshield busily build maritime empires while their sons seek a new way forward.

• Captain Elias Derby - Grew the Derby family business in Isle de France and India. Back in Salem, he's ready to enter his father's business. But Hasket Derby isn't a man to relinquish control.
• Edward Crowninshield - Seeks obscurity in Marblehead until his father forces him to return to the sea.
• Captain Geordie Crowninshield - Sails Crowninshield family ships to ports from the West Indies to East Asia until his father calls him back to shore.
• Captain Jacob Crowninshield - Brings the first elephant to America and makes his fortune.
• Captain Nathaniel Silsbee - Defies every obstacle to rise from obscurity to captain his own ship.

Meanwhile, women shape their roles in new ways.

• Eliza Derby - Builds the largest mansion in New England.
• Lizzie Rowell - Arrives in Salem with desperation, determination, and dreams.
• Sarah Gardner - Bakes a bride cake before she's a bride.

Inspired by real people and true events, this is a story about early America.

An invisible message from a dead man resurrects a decades-old mystery.

With her sharpened magical senses, Sylvia recognizes invisible writing while cataloging an obscure book for the library. She's shocked to discover the message, written many years earlier, pleaded for help. She's even more shocked to discover the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could there be a connection to Sylvia's father?

With a magical mystery on her hands, Sylvia engages the help of Gabe Glass, and together they follow the clues to the location of two hidden ledgers that implicate a very dangerous individual in an illegal bookmaking scheme. Although not named, Gabe is convinced he knows who the bookmaker is, and sets out to prove it.

The investigation draws them into the shady underbelly of the horseracing industry and uncovers a link to Gabe's parents that takes everyone by surprise. As they unravel the mystery's tangled threads, unexpected twists and turns lead them to the truth.

But the greatest twist of all is the danger no one saw coming.

A broken woman, New York, 2016.

A fearless rebel, Dublin 1916.

And a gripping story that spans a century.

During a time of great upheaval and unrest in Ireland, as men and women run to take up arms against the tyranny and occupation of the British Empire, the lives of three women are forever altered, and thereby inextricably linked over the span of a century.

Mary Doyle arrives in Dublin in 1913, doomed she fears, to a life of domestic service. Instead, however, she finds herself deeply affected by the social and political turmoil of a fledgling nation struggling for independence. Suddenly, all that was once inevitable is no longer a certainty as she is embroiled in the very heart of the Easter Rising.

Scarlett O'Hara has had many hurdles to cross in her life, not least her name. A successful political correspondent, she finds herself at a crossroads when one error of judgement jeopardises everything she has worked so hard to overcome and achieve. In the process of rebuilding her life, Scarlett faces the difficult and ultimate choice of starting all over again.

At ninety-three years old, Eileen Chiarello thought her time for adventure and wonder was over, before a chance meeting with Scarlett draws her back to Ireland, the land her parents fought for and loved so passionately. Now, at the end of her life, Eileen has the opportunity to fulfil a promise she never thought she could.

Historically sweeping and beautifully written, Shadow of a Century draws a circle around the Irish Rebellion and carefully traces the magnitude of its significance against the backdrop of three women's lives across history.

Described by reviewers as 'so much more than an Irish love story, ' and another said 'Jean Grainger's story telling is so enthralling I gave up sleep.'

Is there ever a sacrifice that is too great, when the stakes are so high?

"Kline keeps the pages turning...a lively interpretation that will win Oxfordian approval and may even convince Stratfordians to suspend disbelief and enjoy it." —Kirkus Reviews

FIRST PLACE WINNER 2014 CHAUCER AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION IN ELIZABETHAN/TUDOR CATEGORY

Charged in 1616 by the Earls of Pembroke and Montgomery to edit a folio of Shakespeare plays, writer Ben Jonson races against time to uncover the missing manuscripts by seeking out his former nemesis, the bedridden William Shaxper. But far more worrisome is that the Earl of Oxford's daughter, the Countess of Montgomery, wants the folio published as a tribute to her father. Could Lord Oxford's darkest secrets threaten the throne of King James?

Witty, intriguing and suspenseful, Syril Levin Kline's controversial novel calls into question everything you ever thought you knew about the Bard by exploring the irony of a creative genius forced to hide behind the identity of another. Kline proudly joins Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, James Joyce, Charles Dickens and other writers in their skepticism about the Shakespeare authorship. As fascinating as it is entertaining and deftly written, Shakespeare's Changeling:  A Controversial Literary Historical Novel offers the most reasonable solution to the authorship mystery ever presented.

Author Bio:
Syril Levin Kline is an educator, journalist, theater director, and performer who believes that challenging academic orthodoxy can lead to new insights and discoveries that enhance all fields of learning. She believes that writers create within the context of their experience and that by helping students connect an author with his or her work, we can enable them to see relationships between their own learning, thinking, and writing. For too long, Shakespeare's true identity has remained an intriguing mystery to students and teachers. In her novel, Syril breathes new life into the literary world of Elizabethan England, enlightening readers with the many connections between the life of the 17th Earl of Oxford and the Shakespeare canon.

“Set in Shanghai of 1936 this is as much an informative and well-researched historical novel as it is an intriguing murder mystery.” —Discovering Diamonds Review

A WWII saga in the heart of the world's most decadent city in 1936. Enter the Paris of the East, where one man and one woman strive to hold on to their dreams as the Communists rise and the shadow of Japan closes in.

His country stood on the verge of a new beginning and the gate of hell. The Kuomintang promises the dawn of democracy, but the Communists threaten civil war while Japan's unbridled ambitions loom.

All Clark Yuan wants is to see his fellow countrymen's lives improve. He joins the KMT, hoping to play his part to make China a better place. He vows to Eden, the beautiful Jewish girl he admires from afar, Shanghai would be her forever home.

But power and money are at stake. The line of good and evil shifts. To achieve his ends, he must bargain with the devils. How much of his soul would he sacrifice to reach the greater good?

*

Fleeing the rise of the Nazis, Eden Levine came with her family to Shanghai, hoping to build a new life.

The dazzling city made her swoon. From the pinnacle of luxury, big band jazz, to a safe haven for Jewish refugees, the country that turns no one away is the beacon of hope. But behind the glitz and glamour, the darkness of human nature lurks.

A heinous crime shocks the international community.

Would she defend an innocent Nazi soldier and risk the ire of her own people? With only her new friend Clark by her side, could she defy the clutch of racial strife to see justice prevail?

More Reviews:

Hidden Gems' Best Books of 2018

3rd Place, Asian Book Blog's Book of the Year of the Dog 2018

“The book description, although enticing, does not do justice as far as describing this story. Along with the macro events that took place in China in 1936, many of which I as a Westerner did not have a good knowledge, this story covers so much more.” —Rumours of Wars Blog 

Author Bio:

Alexa Kang is a USA Today bestselling author of WWII and 20th century historical fiction. Alexa grew up in New York City and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She has traveled to more than 150 cities, and she loves to explore new places and different cultures. Alexa loves larger-than-life love stories, and hopes to bring you many more.

The gruesome truth hung in the air, and none of us wanted to go near it. Not yet.

Ireland, 1848. Fourteen-year-old Rosaleen watches her mother die. Her country is reeling from the great potato famine, which will ultimately kill more than one million people. Driven by a promise and her will to survive, Rosaleen flees her small coastal town.

She eventually arrives in America at the birth of the industrial revolution and is filled with hope and a new sense of independence. Yet the more Rosaleen becomes a part of this new world, the more she longs for a community she lost and a young man she can't forget.

Through a series of both heartwarming and tragic events, Rosaleen learns that she can't outrun the problems that come along with being Irish. And maybe, she doesn't want to.

About the Author
Boyle, Lisa: - Lisa Boyle has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in Finksburg, Maryland, Lisa received a bachelor's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in international affairs from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. As part of her college program, Lisa traveled the Middle East and spent two months reporting on political and human-interest stories. She has been published in various online publications and magazines, and has held many different jobs over the years from cheesemonger, to educator at the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. Lisa and her husband Tim live in North Carolina with their daughter and a goofy-looking mutt named Lloyd. Signed, A Paddy is Lisa's first novel.

As the daughter of a duke, Lady Josephine has a long list of responsibilities, and an even longer list of things she must never do to dishonor the family name. Josephine knows exactly which side becoming an author falls upon, but she's determined to try her hand at it anyway. For months she has worked on her novel in secret, writing chapter after chapter of intrigue and romance. Unfortunately for Josephine, her sworn enemy stumbles upon her secret.

Sir Andrew Wycomb's close relationship to the Duke of Montfort's family and heir gives him more than one advantage in life. His loyalty to the family is absolute, even if he finds at least one of its members an annoyance. He and Lady Josephine have never seen eye-to-eye. But when he discovers that she's written a novel upon a subject she knows nothing about, he cannot help but sympathize with her dream. This creates an unlikely ceasefire between them.

But things at the castle are always changing, and when a determined suitor arrives to court Josephine, Andrew has to decide which secrets he's going to keep. Especially when he discovers the one he's kept even from himself - that perhaps he doesn't find Josephine an annoyance at all. In fact, she is quite charming. The more time they spend together, the more he hopes she will realize they aren't enemies, and they could be so much more...

As the third stand-alone novel in this sereis by author Sally Britton, this story continues the Clairvoir Castle romances. This is a light-hearted, sweet romance series set during the Regency era in England.

The Series:

Mr. Gardiner and the Governess

A Companion for the Count

Other books by Sally Britton include the Branches of Love regency series and the Inglewood Romances.

Three sisters. Two Great Lakes. One furious storm.

It's 1913 and Great Lakes galley cook Sunny Colvin has her hands full feeding a freighter crew seven days a week, nine months a year. She also has a dream-to open a restaurant back home-but knows she'd never convince her husband, the steward, to leave the seafaring life heloves.

In Sunny's Lake Huron hometown, her sister, Agnes Inby, mourns her husband, a U.S. Life-Saving Serviceman who died in an accident she believes she could have prevented. Burdened with regret and longing for more than her job at the dry goods store, she looks for comfort in a secret infatuation.

Two hundred miles away in Cleveland, the youngest sister, Cordelia Blythe, has pinned her hopes for adventure on her marriage to a lake freighter captain. Finding herself alone and restless in her new town, she joins him on the season's last trip up the lakes.

On November 8, 1913, a deadly storm descends on the Great Lakes, bringing hurricane-force winds, whiteout blizzard conditions, and mountainous thirty-five-foot waves that last for days. Amidst the chaos, the women are offered a glimpse of the clarity they seek, if only they dare to perceive it.

Inspired by actual events during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury is a meticulously researched and grippingly told debut novel.

About the Author
Bryan, Kinley: - Kinley Bryan was inspired by stories of her great-grandparents, a schooner captain and ship's cook, who survived the 1913 storm with their young children. Kinley lives with her husband and children on the Atlantic Coast, where she prefers not to lose sight of the shore. Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury is her first novel.

"[An] epic tale of love, betrayal and political intrigue." -InD'tale Magazine

"The requisite fantasy elements of magic and mystery abound...Tanner also does an admirable job weaving in the politics and mythology of a bygone people." -Kirkus

"Part fantasy, part historical fiction, Linnea Tanner has woven together a wonderful tale of romance, intrigue, mystery, and legend to create an entertaining and complex story." -The International Review of Books

"[A] captivating tale of triangles; love, lust and espionage, friend, foe, and spies., barbarians, civilized Rome and spiritual-supernatural beings." -2019 Pencraft Book of the Year Award

A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible-defeat her sorcerer half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike vengeance from her father's skull.

​​AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.

To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus-her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.

Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?

An Irish country doctor is sickened by all he saw in the First World War. His children are now determined to fight in World War 2. How far can you stretch the ties that bind a family?

In the turbulent and uncertain times of Ireland in 1919, the birth of two children revitalise a small town.

Dr. Richard Buckley returns home to his wife and beloved hometown of Dunderrig, weary and heart-sick over the horror and pointlessness of The Great War.

Soon, trouble is coming from all sides-Richard's unhappy wife leaves Dunderrig, and a Nazi occupied Europe marches steadily closer to home.

In the blink of an eye, the peace he'd craved and enjoyed since his days on the battlefield are gone.

Meantime, James and Juliet come of age in a world on the brink of chaos, where the remnants of rebellion at home have snowballed into the horrors of yet another world war.

Their father doesn't see the twins choosing different paths-dangerous paths-that will test everything, including their love for their country, their family, and each other.

Historically rich and moving, the tale of two children from the Irish countryside caught in the throes of wartime Europe is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and its willingness to endure.

Experience this critical time in history like never before in So Much Owed.

One reviewer said 'Move over Maeve Binchy, this book is unputdownable.'

Another wrote 'I loved this book, meticulously researched, yet accessibly written, you'll be enthralled for the first page to the last.'

Winner of Best Historical Fiction 2016 -Author's Circle Award.

SOLDIERS OF FREEDOM is the true story of the 1944-1945 War in Western Europe and the final Allied struggle to conquer Nazi Germany. The story is told through the eyes of William McBurney, a tank gunner in the 761st Tank Battalion, the first African-American tank unit in U.S. history; dynamic General George S. Patton, Jr., commander of the U.S. Third Army; and Angela Lange, a sixteen-year-old German resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi Edelweiss Pirates in Cologne. While Patton's forces liberate France and Belgium, fight in the grueling Battle of the Bulge, and cross the Rhine to conquer Germany, U.S. tanker William McBurney and his Black Panthers must fight two wars at once: one against the German army, the other against the racism of their fellow white soldiers. Meanwhile, as the Allies drive into Germany, Edelweiss Pirate Angela Lange must survive the Allied bombing of Cologne while she engages in fierce resistance against the Hitler Youth and Nazis and is hunted down by the Gestapo.

Fans of Beneath A Scarlet Sky, Spearhead, and the WWII novels of Ken Follett (Winter of the World, Jackdaws, Eye of the Needle) will enjoy the real-life heroism of the 761st Black Panthers and legendary Patton to liberate Europe, and the Edelweiss Pirates to combat Nazism, in this historically accurate tale of the final epic struggle in WWII Western Europe.

One violin. One curse. One hundred years.

Germany, 1871. Hannah's husband, the violin maker, has produced the perfect violin. It will make their fortune. Hannah is told to look after the violin while her husband finds a buyer. She knows she's been entrusted with a great responsibility.

But a powerful and disreputable businessman betrays her and she loses the violin. Her dreams of a happier life lie shattered.

Distraught, Hannah predicts that all those who, for the following hundred years, play her husband's violin, will die an untimely death...

And so begins the journey of the violin. From the First World War to the rise of Nazism, the Second World War and the Holocaust, through Germany's post-war guilt and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, the curse of the violin descends on all those who dare touch its strings.

Who will survive the curse of the violin? Eight stories. Eight people scattered across the century, each cursed by a single violin and its everlasting Song of Sorrow.

Song of Sorrow by R.P.G. Colley.

Part of The Love and War Series, novels set during the 20th century's darkest years:

The Lost Daughter

The White Venus

The Woman on the Train

The Black Maria

My Brother the Enemy

Anastasia

Song of Sorrow

20th Century Historical fiction with heart and drama.

A powerful story of race, family, and small town life in the South in the 1950s.

When the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis sends shock waves across the nation in 1957, widower Sam Tate, a white merchant and councilman with two young children, faces new questions of conscience, belief, and child-rearing in tiny Unionville, Arkansas. Becky Reeves, an unmarried northerner who has come south to teach while hiding a secret past, must decide how to approach current events in her seventh-grade class without getting fired. Gran Tate, a strong-willed woman who likes quilting and helping raise her grandchildren, dislikes blacks and Yankees and fears she may lose everything she holds dear.

Life gets more complicated for all of them when Governor Faubus calls out the National Guard to stop the integration of Central High, President Eisenhower sends federal troops to enforce it, and Unionville editor Preston Upshaw fans the flames of hatred to sell newspapers.

Amid cross burnings, White Citizens' Council meetings, and fervent speculating and sermonizing by townsfolk, white and black, at home, work, and church, Sam questions old ways, Gran clings to tradition, and Becky angers parents and school officials. The unrest brings Sam and Becky together then combines with Becky's secret to stand between them in an emotional journey through a world where love and courage struggle against fear and hate.

Winner Independent Publisher Book Awards

SPIES OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN is the true story of legendary British safecracker and spy Eddie Chapman, theBritish Double Cross Spy System, and Norwegian female Resistance operatives Dagmar Lahlum and Annemarie Breien. Known as Agent Zigzag, the most remarkable double agent of WWII, the fearless and roguishly handsome Chapman fell in love with and spied alongside the stunning 20-year-old model Dagmar Lahlumin Occupied Norway. Based upon recently released historical records from British and Norwegian archives, this WWII adventure and romance tale illuminates for the first time the intimate relationship between the two spy-lovers as well as the wartime exploits of Lahlum, Breien, and the Norwegian Resistance to liberate Norway and combat theGestapo's bloodhound investigator, Siegfried Fehmer. The contributions of Dagmar Lahlum and Annemarie Breiento the Allied war effort are many and incontrovertible--and yet history has never properly recognized these courageous Resistance women for their achievements. Until now. This book is their story and the story of the colorful Eddie Chapmanin their efforts to defeat the Nazis.

Fans of Beneath A Scarlet Sky, author Ben Macintyre, and the WWII novels of Ken Follett (The Key to Rebecca, Jackdaws, Eye of the Needle) will enjoy this true story of WWII espionage, romance, and suspense in war-torn London and Occupied Norway.

In her new novel, Steel, Kathleen Novak returns with a tightly woven love story set against the turmoil of the 1920s-gun violence, urban crime, ethnic conflicts, and finally the Great Depression.

As the narrative moves from the edges of the world's largest iron ore mine to the gritty streets of Chicago, two lovers come together believing their destiny has no limits, that they can be and do whatever they choose. But when they make different choices and begin to fall away from one another, the young man sinks to a desperation that no one around him can predict or prevent. The stock market crashes. He loses his job. He loses himself.

And then there is his father's gun, always hanging on the wall near the door.

Suspenseful and poetic, Steel takes you from the gang shootings of Chicago and the beautiful anguish of first love, forward to the present day and an aging man's reflections on family and want-and truth.

Susan is a Jane Austen Prequel (or Pride and Prejudice Variation) brilliantly capturing Austen's own Lady Susan as a young girl.

As the BookLife review put it for Publishers Weekly: "McVeigh's prose and plotting are pitch-perfect. Emma mingles with Pride and Prejudice in a delightful confrontation between the two books' worlds... This Austen-inspired novel echoes the master herself."

Familiar characters abound - Frank Churchill, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy himself - but Susan - mischievous and manipulative - is the star. This is Austen that even Austen might have loved, with a touch of Georgette Heyer in the romantic sections. Fans of Bridgerton will also relish this classic regency romance, the first in a six-book series.

Sixteen-year-old Susan Smithson - pretty but poor, clever but capricious - has just been expelled from a school for young ladies in London.

At the mansion of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she attracts a raffish young nobleman. But, at the first hint of scandal, her guardian dispatches her to her uncle Collins' rectory in Kent, where her sensible cousin Alicia lives and "where nothing ever happens."

Here Susan mischievously inspires the local squire to put on a play, with consequences no one could possibly have foreseen. What with the unexpected arrival of Frank Churchill, Alicia's falling in love and a tumultuous elopement, rural Kent will surely never seem safe again...

About the Author
McVeigh, Alice: - Alice McVeigh is a London-based ghost writer previously published by Orion Publishing in contemporary fiction (While the Music Lasts and Ghost Music). A professional cellist, who performed for over fifteen years with orchestras including the BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic, she is married with one daughter, is addicted to tennis, and spends part of every year in Crete.

When a newspaper report of a medical miracle catches Matt's eye, he and India go in search of Dr. Hale in the hope he is more magical doctor than miracle worker and can lead them to Chronos. But Hale turns out to be an apothecary magician keen to educate the public about magic.

Their disappointment at not finding Chronos is soon forgotten when Hale is murdered, and Matt becomes a suspect. With Matt's nemesis Sheriff Payne influencing the investigating detective, India and Matt know they must find the real killer, or risk his freedom, and ultimately his life. Time is running out as they hunt for a killer capable of turning medicine into poison with a magic spell, as well as continue the search for Chronos. A search that must end in success before Matt's malfunctioning watch stops altogether.

About the Author
Archer, C. J.: - C.J. Archer is the USA Today bestselling author of historical fantasy novels including THE EMILY CHAMBERS SPIRIT MEDIUM TRILOGY, the FREAK HOUSE series, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series and the GLASS AND STEELE books. She has also written historical romances set in Elizabethan England. C.J. has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat. Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter through her website CJARCHER.COM to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways.

About the Author
Fitzpatrick, Joanna: - JOANNA FITZPATRICK was raised in Hollywood. She started her writing habit by applying her orange fountain pen and a wild imagination to screenplays, which led her early on to produce the film White Lilacs and Pink Champagne. Accepted at Sarah Lawrence College, she wrote her MFA thesis Sha La La: Live for Today about her life as a rock 'n' roll star's wife. Her more recent work includes two novels, Katherine Mansfield, Bronze Winner of the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) in Historical Fiction, and The Drummer's Widow. The Artist Colony is her third book. Presently, FitzPatrick divides her time between a mountaintop cottage in Northern California and a small hameau in Southern France where she begins all her book projects.

They chanted. 'Release Mandela'. But for three young individuals, their motives are their own...

During a London Anti-Apartheid march, Daily Mirror reporter, Harry, meets the impassioned Petronella, a communist activist. Alongside her is Josiah Makoni, a man spearheading his own cause to free his people from colonial Rhodesia. A country threatening to declare unilateral independence from Britain...

Enamoured after his brief encounter, Harry wants more. Why is this woman so intriguing? Her political agenda is in direct contrast to her family background. The granddaughter of an English magnate and daughter of a privileged white Rhodesian farmer. Playing with Harry, it becomes clear that Petronella and Josiah are lovers, driving Harry to utter distraction.

But for Josiah, his desire and passion are for his land. To break free of white oppression. To recruit freedom fighters and take back the power of his country, Zimbabwe. No matter the unthinkable...

The Best of Times is the ninth episode in the Brigandshaw Chronicles. It's the best of times for some, but the start of a bitter war to come.

Book 2 in The Heathcliff Lennox series

Who killed Sir Crispin Gibbons? A wedding invitation and news of mischief that could be murder, takes Lennox to the Earl of Bloxford's country pile. He soon finds himself in a world of purloined artworks, forgeries and a priceless Bloxford Beauty. But who are the Bloxford Beauties? And why are they the focal point around which swirls death?

Lennox must confront life-long friends, unscrupulous artists and dealers to finally unravel a plot so complex that even his old adversary, Chief Inspector Swift of Scotland Yard, is befuddled.

Major Heathcliff Lennox, ex-WW1 war pilot, six feet 3 inches, tousled, dark blond hair, age around 30 - named after the hero of Wuthering Heights by his romantically minded mother - much to his great annoyance.

When love becomes your greatest enemy

Moscow, 1935. Stalin is in power. People live in constant fear - fear of each other, fear of being denounced, and fear of Stalin's secret police, the NKVD. Ordinary citizens live behind a mask - a public face that enables them to toe the Party line and conceal their true feelings and personal thoughts.

One such citizen is thirty-year-old Maria. She has a past - the sort that, if known, would cost her her freedom. So monstrous her crime, she is forced to live a lie. Maria marries Petrov, a Party activist, not out of love, but as a means of forming a new identity, to escape her past. Her existence is safe - but dull. Until the day she meets Dmitry.

Dmitry is an artist, whose work allows him a standard of living above the average Muscovite. But Dmitry feels straitjacketed by what he's allowed to paint. Instead of the state approved rural idyll of his latest commission, he aspires to paint the female form. But when Maria offers to pose for him, he refuses - until he falls in love with her.

Dmitry's artistic aspirations and Maria's yearning for a new life force them to risk everything in the name of love and freedom.

The Black Maria is a novel about truth - the distortion of it, and the fear of it. And at the heart of the novel, is Maria's brutal past. When love comes unexpectedly, it threatens to expose the truth and destroy her.

"I'm seriously in awe. It's a remarkable piece of historical fiction. It's dark, gritty, and really quite disturbing. And heartbreaking at the same time. A brilliant achievement "

"A disquieting, well-told tale in which the author delves deeply and effectively into the minds of his characters. Is it entertaining? Yes. You'll be glad you read this novel."

"Hard-hitting, dark and, at times, unpalatable. It is also honest."

"I don't recall being quite as thoroughly chilled by Solzhenitsyn's works as I was with Rupert Colley's The Black Maria."

"Wonderfully written, this is a novel that lives long in the memory. Highly recommended."

"An absorbing if confronting read, and stayed with me long after I'd finished it."

Rupert Colley is the founder, editor and writer of the highly successful History In An Hour series of ebooks and audio, published by HarperCollins.

Historical fiction with heart and drama.

About the Author
Colley, Rupert: - "Rupert Colley was born one Christmas Day, which means, as a child, he lost out on presents. Nonetheless, looking back on it, he lived a childhood with a "silver spoon in my mouth" - brought up in a rambling manor house in the beautiful Devon countryside. It's been downhill ever since. He was a librarian for a long time, a noble profession. Then he started a series called History In An Hour, "history for busy people", which he sold to HarperCollins UK. He now lives in London with his wife, two children and dog (a fluffy cockapoo) and writes historical fiction, mainly 20th century war and misery. Historical fiction with heart."

“This vital, sweeping story is delivered in Harnisch's silky, upscale prose. Much like a fine glass of wine, The California Wife is a highbrow indulgence that is tasteful, captivating, and heady.” ―The Globe and Mail

In the sweeping, poignant internationally bestselling sequel to The Vintner’s Daughter, the Lemieux family’s ambition to establish an American winemaking dynasty takes Sara and Philippe from pastoral Napa to the Paris World’s Fair and into the colorful heart of early 20th-century San Francisco.

It is 1897, and Sara and Philippe Lemieux, newly married and full of hope for the future, are determined to make Eagle’s Run, their Napa vineyard, into a world-renowned winemaking operation. But the swift arrival of the 20th century brings a host of obstacles they never dreamed of: price wars and the twin threats of phylloxera and Prohibition endanger the success of their business, and the fiercely independent Sara is reluctant to leave the fields behind for the new and strange role of wife and mother.

An invitation to the World’s Fair in 1900 comes just in time to revive the vineyard's prospects, and amid the jewel-colored wonders of Belle Époque Paris, Sara and Philippe’s passion is rekindled as well. But then family tragedy strikes, and, upon their return to California, a secret from Philippe’s past threatens to derail their hard-won happiness in one stroke.

Sara gains an ally when Marie Chevreau, her dear friend, arrives in San Francisco as the first female surgery student to be admitted to prestigious Cooper Medical College. Through Marie, Sara gets a glimpse of the glittering world of San Francisco’s high society, and she also forges friendships with local women’s rights advocates, inciting new tensions in her marriage. Philippe issues Sara an ultimatum: will she abandon the struggle for freedom to protect her family’s winemaking business, or will she ignore Philippe and campaign for a woman’s right to vote and earn a fair wage?

Fate has other plans in store in the spring of 1906, which brings with it a challenge unlike any other that the Lemieux family or their fellow Northern Californians have ever faced. Will the shadow of history overwhelm Sara and Philippe’s future, despite their love for each other? In The California Wife, Kristen Harnisch delivers a rich, romantic tale of wine, love, new beginnings, and a family’s determination to fight for what really matters.

More Reviews:

“Harnisch’s lyrical descriptions underscore the beauty of winemaking, political activism, and even surgery. Combined with her first novel, The California Wife feels like the second season of a period miniseries, best enjoyed with a glass of zinfandel.” ―Booklist

“Fans of historical fiction, heart-pounding romance, and remarkable women look no further. Kristen Harnisch…transports you back in time through engaging dialogue, complex characters, and vivid description.... An exquisite read from start to finish.” ―Alexandria Brown, Napa County Historical Society Research Librarian

“The California Wife is a vivid, fine-tuned novel about two fiercely ambitious and determined people who face obstacles that would bring most of us to our knees. Harnisch’s skillful blend of 19th-century societal norms and details about wine-making practices never overwhelm the characters but enrich them, captivating the heart. You'll long remember this beautiful story about redemption, forgiveness, love, and family bonds.” —Ann Weisgarber, author of The Promise and The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

“The California Wife is not only an accurate and nostalgic account of the early history of our wine industry in California, it’s a lovely novel with characters you want join in a harvest, a meal, and a glass of wine. I recommend this book to wine lovers and historical fiction fans alike!” —Tina Vierra, Associate Publisher, Wines & Vines

Author Bio:

Kristen Harnisch is the author of the award-winning, internationally bestselling novels The Vintner’s Daughter, The California Wife and The Vintner’s Legacy. She drew upon her extensive research and experiences living in the San Francisco Bay Area and visiting the Loire Valley to create the stories for the three historical novels in the series. Ms. Harnisch earned a degree in economics from Villanova University and currently resides in Connecticut.

Independently published with She Writes Press

Shop The Vintner’s Daughter series

The arrival of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in London brings trouble. When the sharpshooter who beats Willie at poker is murdered, Matt and India investigate. Willie is convinced the victim cheated, but no one knows how until India discovers his secret - he was a paper magician.

When their list of suspects grows to include a member of the mysterious magic Collector's Club, they uncover a spy. But who is he working for? And what does his employer want?

As danger circles, secrets are revealed, and India struggles to keep her own secret hidden from Matt. But when her grandfather introduces her to a man who can change her life, India must decide if she wants her life to change at all.

Sometimes Dreams Come True...

And so do nightmares.

When Naomi's daughter, Perle, starts to have nightmares about smokestacks and creepy doctors, Naomi is struck with terror - the terror of a mother who fears her daughter is in mortal danger. Naomi believes dreams are glimpses into the future. She, too, has had dreams of foreign soldiers with a strange flag invading her tiny village. She knows in her heart that evil is brewing.

Real-life has already been a living hell for Noami. She must navigate the treacherous path of her unhappy arranged marriage with Hershel while keeping a scandalous love affair secret. And now something is coming. Her dreams - the dreams Hershel laughs at - tell her so. And the thing that is coming will make the hell she has been living seem ordinary and almost peaceful.

The noose is tightening, and not even her nightmares can prepare Naomi, or her sleepy little village, from the sweeping scythe of the Nazi death machine.

“Jan Moran is the new queen of the epic romance.” —USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Forster

A young widow. A husband she thought she knew. On the picturesque Italian coast of Amalfi lies a chocolatier's destiny...

San Francisco, 1953: Heartbroken over the mysterious death of her husband, Celina Savoia, a second-generation chocolatière, resolves to take their young son to Italy's shimmering Amalfi coast to introduce him to his father's family. Just as she embarks on a magical, romantic life of making chocolate by the sea surrounded by a loving family, she begins to suspect that her husband had a dark secret—forged in the final days of WWII—that could destroy the relationships she's come to cherish.

While a second chance at love is tempting, the mystery of her husband's true identity thwarts her efforts. Challenged to pursue the truth or lose the life she's come to love, Celina and her late husband's brother, Lauro, must trace the past to a remote, Peruvian cocoa region to face the deceit that threatens to shatter their lives—or lose the life and those she has come to love.

More Reviews:

“A solid pick for fans of historical romances combined with a heartbreaking mystery.” —Library Journal

“A novel that gives fans of romantic sagas a compelling voice to follow.” —Booklist

Author Bio:

Jan Moran is a USA Today bestselling author of women's fiction. She writes stylish, uplifting, and emotionally rich contemporary and 20th-century historical fiction. Midwest Book Review and Kirkus have recommended her books, calling her heroines strong, complex, and resourceful. Her books are also translated into German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, and other languages. Jan studied writing at the UCLA Writers Program, sailed on Semester at Sea, and graduated from the University of Texas and Harvard Business School. She lives near the beach in southern California.

Shop the Heartwarming Family Sagas Standalone Fiction series

WINNER BEVERLY HILLS BOOK AWARDS

AWARD-WINNING FINALIST: USA BEST BOOK AWARDS AND COLORADO BOOK AWARDS

"The Coalition has a lot of good action and suspense, an unusual female assassin, and the potential to be another The Day After Tomorrow."--James Patterson, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

"Reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal...with a high level of authentic detail. Skyler is a convincing sniper, and also a nicely conflicted one."--Donald Maass, Author of Writing 21st Century Fiction

In this second thriller in the Nick Lassiter-Skyler International Espionage Series, the beautiful female assassin Skyler takes center stage and continues on in Book 3 of the series, The Fourth Pularchek. As the book opens, she calmly watches a procession of black Lincolns from the fiftieth floor of an office building in Denver, Colorado. When the motorcade pulls to the curb in Civic Center Plaza, a prominent leader steps from one of the vehicles and takes the stage to make an important speech. Moments later, a loud BOOM echoes through the Plaza and the man slumps to the platform like a stringless marionette. The mysterious sniper Skyler, whose very existence is unknown to the international law enforcement community, has just assassinated U.S. President-elect William Ambrose Kieger.

In the aftermath of the shocking political crime, she escapes and a Task Force is swiftly assembled, headed up by Special Agent Kenneth Patton of the FBI's Denver Field Office. A ten year vet in Domestic Terrorism, the unconventional Ken is driven to solve the crime by both professional and personal motives. His search leads him to not only the elusive female assassin who is a master of disguise and impersonation, but a secret society whose diabolical and far-reaching plot threatens the very highest levels of the U.S. government. Yet the group's motives, secret membership, and ambitious plans remain elusive. Can Ken and his team uncover the plot in time to save the day? Can they beat the countdown on the clock and catch Skyler and the shadowy group in the background pulling the strings? Or will time run out?

After years of trying to break into New York City's literary scene, Madeline Slaughter is emotionally and physically exhausted. When a friend offers her a safe haven as the live-in companion to reclusive, bestselling novelist Victor Hallowell she jumps at the chance to escape the city. Madeline expects to find rest and quiet in the forests of Upstate New York. Instead, she finds Victor, handsome and intensely passionate, and Audrey Coffin, Victor's mysterious and beautiful neighbor. When Victor offers her a kiss and the promise of more Madeline allows herself to become entangled even as Audrey is also claiming her heart. The only problem is that Audrey and Victor are ex-lovers with plenty of baggage between them. As Madeline finds herself opening up and falling in love with both she starts to wonder, can there be a future for all three?

To find the one man who can fix the magic in Matt's watch, he and India are led to a convent where the nuns will do anything to keep their secrets private. Including murder? Matt and India must uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the mother superior and two babies given to her care many years ago. But sometimes, the truth is painful and its exposure can have deadly consequences.

With his magic watch slowing down, Matt needs all the help India and his friends can offer before time runs out. But his nemesis will do anything to bring about his downfall, including rock Matt's family with a scandal that can ruin them, and Matt and India's chance of happiness.

"...a sophisticated and fantastical twist to the beloved Cinderella fairy tale." -- A. G. Howard, author of the Splintered Series

When Eleanor Brice loses a glass slipper, she unexpectedly gains a royal fianc and a way out of her abusive stepmother's house. Unfortunately, eight years of mistreatment, isolation, and clandestine book learning hardly prepared Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor's eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matters worse, Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring spree.

Before the ink dries on her marriage proclamation, Eleanor realizes she loves her husband's best friend, the intellectual, surprisingly sensitive former soldier, Dorian Finley. As Gregory's mercurial nature comes to light, Eleanor wrestles with her feelings for Dorian, flounders in her new role, and makes powerful enemies--foes who use Eleanor as a scapegoat in a magical plot to unseat the royal family.

Eleanor Brice is a princess. She lives in an enchanted castle. She even has her own unicorn. But she's lived through childhood trauma, she has insecurities and anxieties, and she makes dreadful relationship choices. In short, she's a real woman in a fairy tale world, and this is her happily-ever-after.

About the Author
Alexander, Stephanie: - Stephanie Alexander is a writer and a family law attorney. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, their blended family of five children, and their miniature dachshund, Trinket.