Best of
Roman

2017

L'Art de perdre


Alice Zeniter - 2017
    Naïma's father claims to remember nothing; he has made himself French. Her grandfather died before he could tell her his side of the story. But now Naïma will travel to Algeria to see for herself what was left behind--including their secrets.The Algerian War for Independence sent Naïma's grandfather on a journey of his own, from wealthy olive grove owner and respected veteran of the First World War, to refugee spurned as a harki by his fellow Algerians in the transit camps of southern France, to immigrant barely scratching out a living in the north. The long battle against colonial rule broke apart communities, opened deep rifts within families, and saw the whims of those in even temporary power instantly overturn the lives of ordinary people. Where does Naïma's family fit into this history? How do they fit into France's future?Alice Zeniter's The Art of Losing is a powerful, moving family novel that spans three generations across seventy years and two shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a resonant people's history of Algeria and its diaspora. It is a story of how we carry on in the face of loss: loss of country, identity, language, connection. Most of all, it is an immersive, riveting excavation of the inescapable legacies of colonialism, immigration, family, and war.

The Girls of Mulberry Lane


Rosie Clarke - 2017
    Maureen Jackson is a prisoner of her father's blackmail. Three years ago, she'd been hoping to marry Rory, the man of her dreams. However after her mother's death Maureen was left to care and work for the overbearing father who claimed he couldn't manage without her. Now Rory is back in London with a pregnant wife in tow and reminds Maureen of the life that should have been hers. Janet Ashley is the daughter of Peggy and Laurence, landlords of the local pub The Dog and Pheasant on Mulberry Lane. With the war looming, Janet hopes to marry her sweetheart Mike, but her father refuses to grant them his blessing. Going against his wishes Janet finds herself pregnant and Peggy is determined to hold her family together at all costs. The Girls of Mulberry Lane is the first in a series set in London's East End during WW2. Order the next book in the Series out JANUARY 2018 - A Wedding at Mulberry Lane.

Coming Home to Island House


Erica James - 2017
    But when Jack falls ill, his estranged family are called home and given seven days to find a way to bury their resentments and come together. With war now declared, each member of the family is reluctantly forced to accept their new stepmother and confront their own shortcomings. But can the habits of a lifetime be changed in one week? And can Romily, a woman who thrives on adventure, cope with the life that has been so unexpectedly thrust upon her?

The Forever House


Veronica Henry - 2017
    Nestled by a river in the Peasebrook valley, it has been the Willoughbys' home for over fifty years, and now estate agent Belinda Baxter is determined to find the perfect family to live there. But the sale of the house unlocks decades of family secrets - and brings Belinda face to face with her own troubled past. . .

Last Seen


Lucy Clarke - 2017
    The Sandbank, a remote stretch of coast dotted with beach huts, was scarred forever.Sarah’s son survived, but on the anniversary of the accident, he disappears without trace. As new secrets begin to surface, The Sandbank hums with tension and unanswered questions. Sarah’s search grows more desperate and she starts to mistrust everyone she knows – and she’s right to.Someone saw everything on that fateful day seven years ago. And they’ll do anything to keep the truth buried.

This Love


Dani Atkins - 2017
    This isn’t really the life she dreamed of, but then Sophie stopped believing in happy endings a very long time ago, when she was fifteen years old and tragedy struck her family. Her grief has left her scared of commitment and completely risk averse, so she plays it safe and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Sophie understands she has a problem, but recognising it and knowing how to fix it are two entirely different things.One night a serious fire breaks out in the flat below hers. Sophie is trapped in the burning building until a random passer-by, Ben, luckily happens to spot and rescue her. Suddenly her cocoon is shattered - what will be the consequences of this second life-changing event?

Calling Major Tom


David M. Barnett - 2017
     A man who has given up on the world. A family who show him how to live.Forty-something Thomas is very happy to be on his own, far away from other people and their problems. But beneath his grumpy exterior lies a story and a sadness that is familiar to us all. And he's about to encounter a family who will change his view of the world... for good.

Puppy Love


Kelly Moran - 2017
    All she wants is a little privacy and a quiet place to raise her autistic daughter, Hailey. Redwood Ridge, Oregon, seems to offer all the right ingredients.Except for the problem of the local sexy veterinarian. The last thing she needs in her life is to fall for his irresistible allure, even if he is a nice guy who keeps doing her favors. But the well-meaning patrons of her new hometown have other ideas, and it appears playing Cupid is one of them.Cade O'Grady has never met a woman he couldn't handle, but when Avery Stowe walks into his office late one night cradling an injured puppy, he's struck stupid. Which might explain her total lack of interest in him. But now that she's working for his family's clinic, he doesn't have to lust from a distance.He might just have a chance at convincing Avery--and her too-guarded heart--that falling for the right man isn't a mistake . . .

The Chocolate Chase


Geronimo Stilton - 2017
    This year, there was also a special exhibition of priceless jeweled Mousebergé eggs in town. Then one of the Mousebergé eggs was stolen... and it was up to me to find it! Squeak! Could I chase it down?

The Binder of Lost Stories


Cristina Caboni - 2017
    In this art she finds refuge from her crumbling marriage and the feeling that her once-vibrant life is slipping away. Then an antique German edition takes her breath away. Slipped covertly into the endpapers is an intriguing missive, the first part of a secret…from one bookbinder to another.Two hundred years ago, Clarice von Harmel defied the constraints of family and society to engage in a profession forbidden to women. Within three separate volumes, Clarice bound her own hidden story filled with pain, longing, and love beyond all reason. A confession that now crosses centuries to touch the heart of a stranger.With the help of book collector Tomaso Leoni, Sofia connects the threads of Clarice’s past, page by page, line by line, town by town. She’s determined to make Clarice’s voice heard. With each new revelation, Clarice is giving Sofia the courage to find her own voice and hope for the future she thought was lost.

The Man With Two Names


Vincent B. Davis II - 2017
    For the sake of his family, Quintus must leave his village for the Eternal City. If he succeeds, his people will be fed. If he fails, his people will starve. He begins his political career under the most influential men in Rome, but soon discovers that those in the Senate are less inclined to help him than he had hoped. His journey takes him from the corrupt and treacherous Forum to the deadly forests of Gaul, making powerful friends and enemies along the way. But it will take more than allies to succeed. He will have to decide what compromises he is willing to make, and what risks he is willing to take, if he is to secure a future for himself and his people.

My Mother's Shadow


Nikola Scott - 2017
    But when a stranger appears claiming to be her sister, she realises that her life so far has been a lie. But why? Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Santa Montefiore. Hartland House has always been a faithful keeper of secrets...1958. Sent to beautiful Hartland to be sheltered from her mother's illness, Liz spends the summer with the wealthy Shaw family. They treat Liz as one of their own, but their influence could be dangerous...Now. Addie believes she knows everything about her mother Elizabeth and their difficult relationship until her recent death. When a stranger appears claiming to be Addie's sister, she is stunned. Is everything she's been told about her early life a lie?How can you find the truth about the past if the one person who could tell you is gone? Addie must go back to that golden summer her mother never spoke of...and the one night that changed a young girl's life for ever.

The Last of the Stanfields


Marc Levy - 2017
    Two strangers unite in this novel of family secrets. When London journalist Eleanor-Rigby Donovan receives an anonymous letter alluding to a crime committed by her deceased mother, her life is turned upside down. It points her to a bar on the Baltimore Harbor, where she finds a stranger who has received the same mysterious letter about his own mother. Together, Eleanor-Rigby and this young man, George-Harrison Collins, embark on a quest through the shadowy past of the Stanfields, a moneyed Maryland family full of unimaginable secrets. These secrets will transport them back decades, across continents, and to a mysterious crime long buried…until now.

Vindolanda


Adrian Goldsworthy - 2017
    A fort on the edge of the roman world. The bustling army base at Vindolanda lies on the northern frontier of Britannia and the entire Roman world. In just over twenty years time, Emperor Hadrian will build his wall. But for now defences are weak as local tribes rebel against Rome. It falls to Flavius Ferox, Briton and Roman centurion, to keep the peace. But it will take more than just a soldier's courage to survive life in Roman Britain. This is a hugely authentic historical novel, written by one of Britain's leading historians.

24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There


Philip Matyszak - 2017
    In each hour of the day we meet a new character - from emperor to slave girl, gladiator to astrologer, medicine woman to water-clock maker - and discover the fascinating details of their daily lives.

A Dog Called Jack


Ivy Pembroke - 2017
    And every abandoned dog should find a new family like the residents of Christmas Street—a group of people who just might need Jack as much as he needs them . . . All day, he trots happily between the terraced houses, receiving treats and toys, offering a tail wag or lick in return. For Sam, a widower recently returned to London, Jack is Christmas Street’s unofficial welcoming committee. For Sam’s young son, Teddy, the small, scruffy mutt is much more than that—he’s a confidante and Teddy’s much-needed and so far only friend. But other neighbors also rely on Jack for company, including Bill, the street’s oldest, grumpiest resident. Bill remembers when everyone knew and looked out for each other. Now, people live side by side for years, scarcely interacting. Jack—with some help from Sam and Teddy—is starting to change all that. After a bumpy start, Jack helps forge a bond between Teddy and the girl next door, and he’s the unlikely connection between Bill and artist Max, who lives with his husband, Arthur. He’s also an approving witness to the secret relationship between two teenagers from very different backgrounds, and to Sam’s tentative flirtation with Teddy’s teacher. After all, Jack, with his willing and open heart, knows how much happier these humans could be if they, too, took the time to connect with one another. Warm, witty, and as irresistibly charming as its canine hero, A Dog Called Jack is the uplifting story of an ordinary street and the extraordinary dog bringing all its inhabitants together.

Do You Speak Chocolate?


Cas Lester - 2017
    and more than a little chocolate'Do you speak chocolate?' Jaz has found the best way to make friends with new girl Nadima, who doesn't speak any English - by offering her a chocolate bar. Nadima grins and offers back some Turkish Delight, the ice is broken, and a special friendship begins ... Jaz is outgoing, rebellious, gumptious and a little bit bolshy - but it doesn't stop her from finding it hard that she doesn't have a best friend at school any more. Not since Lily went off with Kara ... She's not one to get down about things, though - and things start to look up when Nadima comes into their classroom. Before long the girls are firm friends, even when Nadima, recently arrived from Syria, can't speak much English. The path of true friendship doesn't run smooth, though ... Jaz, ever the entrepreneur, cooks up a plan to sell Turkish Delight at school, with disastrous results. A drama project with Nadima about family history proves impossible to manage. And Charity Challenge Week puts the icing on the cake as Jaz puts every foot wrong possible. Can she find a way to put things right, and restore the wonderful and unique friendship that she has with Nadima? In a story of friendship, family and entrepreneurial wizardry, Cas Lester deftly navigates the trials and tribulations of girlhood, and examines with the lightest of touches and gentle humour the thorny and compelling issues of integration, belonging and identity.

The Centurion's Son


Adam Lofthouse - 2017
    But Silus’ has darker ambitions, for Albinus to follow in his footsteps in the army. But, as the conflicts between father and son come to a head, a growing threat comes down from the vengeful Germanic tribes to the north. Just as Albinus and Licina are about to marry, their settlement is raided by barbarians and Silus and his veteran comrades are brutally killed, while Licina is kidnapped by the raiders and taken to their king as a gift. Believing her to be alive, Albinus sets out on a quest to find Licina, finally fulfilling his father’s wishes as training as a soldier, even as he is spurred to avenge his father’s death. As the barbarian hordes gather and plan major rebellion against the Romans, Albinus finds a new fighting spirit within him and grows in stature among the legionaries. Licina meanwhile has a fight of her own, to escape from slavery and find Albinus. Time is running out, as the northern tribes head for Rome, decimating everything in their path… With historically accurate details and including characters from legend, Adam Lofthouse’s novel recounts the brutal battles between the Romans and the Germanic tribes, while also telling the heart-wrenching coming-of-age narrative of one young soldier within the Roman camp. Adam Lofthouse has for many years held a passion for the ancient world. As a teenager he picked up Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden, and has been obsessed with all things Rome ever since. After ten years of immersing himself in stories of the Roman world, he decided to have a go at writing one for himself. The Centurion’s Son is Adam’s first novel. He lives in Kent, with his wife and three sons.

Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape


Dermot O'Leary - 2017
    Toto is almost totally blind, and learned to trust her senses from a ninja cat-master who taught her back in Italy where they were born. By day, Toto and Silver seem to be ordinary cats, but by night, they love to have adventures!One evening, news reaches Toto that a king cobra has escaped from London Zoo! Together with help from a very posh cat and two hungry tigers, Toto and Silver must investigate. Can they find the giant snake, before it's too late?

Blood Forest


Geraint Jones - 2017
    A lost soldier without a memory and now a brutal battle to win. For fans of Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden, a spectacular debut where honour and duty, legions and tribes clash in bloody, heart-breaking glory . . . AD 9. Fifteen thousand battle-hardened Roman legionaries strike deep into dense forest. Awaiting them are deadly, hostile Germanic tribes. In a clearing they find twelve massacred and strung-up legionaries.Is this a threat, or a warning?There is just one bloodied, broken survivor. He has no idea who he is. Only that he is a soldier.And now he must fight. As the legions are mercilessly cut down, the nameless soldier joins a small band of survivors trapped in the forest. If they fight together they have a slim chance of staying alive. But whose side is the soldier on? And is it the right one? 'Gives Rome's legionaries a contemporary voice - brutal, audacious and fast paced' Anthony Riches, author of Empire series'Historical fiction written by a real war veteran who knows all there is to know about blood and bonding in battle. An earthy and powerful read' Sport'Blood and guts, but also a clever exploration of the moral ambiguity of war and loyalty to a flag' Mail on Sunday

Betrayal


Anthony Riches - 2017
    Nero has committed suicide. One hundred years of imperial rule by the descendants of Julius Caesar has ended, and chaos rules. His successor Galba dismisses the incorruptible Germans of the Imperial Bodyguard for the crime of loyalty to the dead emperor. Ordering them back to their homeland he releases a Batavi officer from a Roman prison to be their prefect. But Julius Civilis is not the loyal servant of empire that he seems. Four centurions, two Batavi and two Roman, will be caught up in the intrigues and the battles that follow - as friends, as victims, as leaders and as enemies. Hramn is First Spear of the Bodyguard. Fiercely proud of his men's honour, and furious at their disgrace, he leads them back to the Batavi homeland to face an uncertain future. Alcaeus is a centurion with the tribe's cohorts serving Rome on the northern frontier - men whose fighting skills prove crucial as Roman vies with Roman for the throne. A wolf-priest of Hercules, he wields the authority of his god and his own fighting prowess. Marius is a Roman, first spear of the Fifth Legion: a self-made man who hates politics, but cannot avoid them in a year of murderous intrigue. Aquillius, former first spear of the Eighth Augustan, like Hramn, is in disgrace for refusing to dishonour his oath of loyalty.But their paths will lead them to opposite sides of an unforgiving war. And Civilis, Kivilaz to his countrymen, heroic leader, Roman citizen and patriotic Batavi, will change both the course of the Empire's destiny and that of the centurions.

Under the Almond Tree


Laura McVeigh - 2017
    Forced to flee Kabul as the Russians, then the Taliban, turn their lives inside out, the children and their parents face the loss of their world and their place in it.Throughout, our storyteller Samar bravely holds onto family and hope, often when all survival seems impossible. With the true strength that comes from love, learning and imagination, Samar reveals her extraordinary resilience and the discovery that anything may be possible - if you can just hold on to hope and love.

Vesuvius by Night


Lindsey Davis - 2017
    Two of them have a room share arrangement: Nonius, scrounger, thief and failed pimp works by night and sleeps by day; Larius, the fresco painter with dreams of artistic greatness, does the opposite. When just after midday the summit of Vesuvius disappears in a vast volcanic ash cloud, their lives will change forever. While one sets about looting rapidly emptying homes the other desperately tries to save his family from destruction.Lindsey Davis brings alive one the greatest catastrophes in human history in this gripping novella, poignantly evoking the struggle for life in the cities beneath the volcano.

The Dragon Grammar Book: Grammar for Kids, Dragons and the Whole Kingdom


Diane Mae Robinson - 2017
    An excellent education reference for classroom and homeschool grammar lessons.The Dragon Grammar Book is the perfect grammar study guide to help readers learn the rules of grammar and improve language art skills with ease and enjoyment. From multi-award-winning children's fantasy author, Diane Mae Robinson, The Dragon Grammar Book provides a fun and engaging approach to learning English grammar through easy-to-follow lessons, humorous example sentences, and chapter quizzes to conquer all those tricky grammar rules.- Easy-To-Understand Lessons organized to gradually build on the basic grammar rules toward an intermediate level.- Engaging Examples Sentences explain each grammar rule through a humorous and creative writing style.- An Expansive Resource of grammar terminology, confusing words, punctuation rules, types of sentences and proper structure, parts of speech, verb agreement, and more.- Quizzes with Answer Keys reinforce each lesson before proceeding to the next lesson.Featuring the zany fantasy characters in the author's international-award-winning The Pen Pieyu Adventures series, The Dragon Grammar Book is sure to be enjoyed by kids, teens, young adults, and the whole kingdom.2018 Book Excellence Awards, Winner, Education & Academics2018 Readers' Favorite Book Awards, Gold Medal, Children-Education2018 Literary Classics International Book Awards, Gold Medal, Educational Books2018 Lumen Award for Literary Excellence"Oriented toward pragmatic, real-world usage,The Dragon Grammar Book is a great resource for kids, their teachers, and anyone else who'd like to know more about language and how to use it. Most highly recommended."--Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite."With clear examples and fun activities, this book is a must-have for readers and aspiring writers."-Peter Takach, English Teacher and Grammarian"Having a useful resource that engages students and includes a wide variety of grammar rules with short, fun examples is difficult to find. Robinson has produced a winner with this easy-to-navigate, all-inclusive, grammar book for kids."-Literary Titan"I've rarely come across as well presented and entertaining an approach to what can be an intimidating subject, particularly for a young audience or for adults learning English as a second language. Robinson gets to the heart of the really puzzling aspects of grammar and offers them up in a format designed to make learning grammar more fun."-Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite"As a homeschool mom, I love using this book to teach my kids homeschool grammar because it is fun and engaging and helps them actually understand grammar while having fun! "-Christine Suarez

Arminius: The Limits of Empire


Robert Fabbri - 2017
    9: In the depths of the Teutoburg Wald, in a landscape riven by ravines, darkened by ancient oak and bisected by fast-flowing streams, Arminius of the Cherusci led a confederation of six Germanic tribes in the annihilation of three Roman legions. Deep in the forest almost twenty thousand men were massacred without mercy; fewer than two hundred of them ever made it back across the Rhine. To Rome's shame, three sacred Eagles were lost that day.But Arminius wasn't brought up in Germania Magna - he had been raised as a Roman. This is the story of how Arminius came to turn his back on the people who raised him and went on to commit a betrayal so great and so deep, it echoed through the ages.

Love in an English Garden


Victoria Connelly - 2017
    But when Vanessa Jacobs’s husband dies and leaves the property to her, she finds costs spiralling out of control. In order to stay in their beloved home, she and her daughters will have to sell part of it off—a decision that drives a wedge between Vanessa and her live-in mother-in-law.The new owners of the north wing are Laurence Sturridge and his father, Marcus. Laurence wants to escape the constant pressure of his corporate job in London, while Marcus longs to heal from the grief of losing his wife. Could the beauty of Orley Court offer them a fresh outlook on life?As the two families embark on a challenging new chapter over the course of a glorious English summer, secrets are revealed and relationships tested. But as Orley Court begins to weave its magic over them, will it be love, above all, that brings the two families together?

Love Me Tinder


Nicola May - 2017
     Using room 102 in the hotel where she works as her dating 'lair', she opens herself up to a world of sex, lies, deception, as well as personal discovery and passionate love. With a charming F1 engineer, a handsome army officer and her adulterous ex all on the scene, a predictable love match is far from on the cards.

My Sweet Revenge


Jane Fallon - 2017
    This isn't an exercise in 1950s wifeydom. I haven't been reading articles in old women's magazines. 'Twenty ways to keep your man'. That couldn't be further from the truth.I want him to fall back in love with me so that when I tell him to get the hell out of my life he'll care. He won't just think, 'Oh good'.I want it to hurt.Paula has had Robert's back since they got together as drama students. She gave up her dreams so he could make it. Now he's one of the nation's most popular actors. And Paula's just discovered he's having an affair.She's going to remind Robert just what he's sacrificing. And then she's going to break his heart like he broke hers. It will be her greatest acting role ever.Revenge is sweet. Isn't it?

Romeo


Ruby Rowe - 2017
    I was taught that blood is thicker than water, but I’ll defy that belief for a future only Griffin can give me.GriffinI’m a man with dark secrets, the black sheep of my notorious family, and a bodyguard to the rich and famous.Ava Lane is my client, a goddess, and a woman who consumes every ounce of my being.I was taught that blood is thicker than water, but I’ll strike any deal necessary to keep her. I won’t give Ava up.ROMEO contains explicit language and graphic sex, including aspects of BDSM.

Date with Death


Julia Chapman - 2017
    However, the people of Bruncliffe aren't that welcoming to a man they see as trouble.Delilah Metcalfe, meanwhile, is struggling to keep her business, the Dales Dating Agency, afloat - as well as trying to control her wayward Weimaraner dog, Tolpuddle. Then when Samson gets his first case, investigating the supposed suicide of a local man, things take an unexpected turn, and soon he discovers a trail of deaths that lead back to the door of Delilah's agency. With suspicion hanging over someone they both care for, the two feuding neighbours soon realize that they need to work together to solve the mystery of the dating deaths. But working together is easier said than done . . .

Arrius - Sacramentum (oath)


Preston Holtry - 2017
    Focused on duty and his men to the exclusion of all else, Arrius is a loyal, battle-tested soldier. Following Hadrian’s suppression of the second Jewish revolt in Judaea in 135 CE, his core belief in Rome begins to erode without understanding why. For his prowess in Judaea, he is highly decorated and given the opportunity for assignment in Rome to command the Praetorian Guard. Instead of accepting the prized command, he requests duty on Hadrian’s Wall. It will be Ilya, a beautiful native woman in Britannia, who will become the catalyst for understanding why he chose command of an obscure frontier fort instead of fame and fortune in Rome.

The Rise of Rome: From the Iron Age to the Punic Wars


Kathryn Lomas - 2017
    What transformed a humble city into the preeminent power of the region? In The Rise of Rome, the historian and archaeologist Kathryn Lomas reconstructs the diplomatic ploys, political stratagems, and cultural exchanges whereby Rome established itself as a dominant player in a region already brimming with competitors. The Latin world, she argues, was not so much subjugated by Rome as unified by it. This new type of society that emerged from Rome’s conquest and unification of Italy would serve as a political model for centuries to come.Archaic Italy was home to a vast range of ethnic communities, each with its own language and customs. Some such as the Etruscans, and later the Samnites, were major rivals of Rome. From the late Iron Age onward, these groups interacted in increasingly dynamic ways within Italy and beyond, expanding trade and influencing religion, dress, architecture, weaponry, and government throughout the region. Rome manipulated preexisting social and political structures in the conquered territories with great care, extending strategic invitations to citizenship and thereby allowing a degree of local independence while also fostering a sense of imperial belonging.In the story of Rome’s rise, Lomas identifies nascent political structures that unified the empire’s diverse populations, and finds the beginnings of Italian peoplehood.

The Year that Changed Everything


Cathy Kelly - 2017
    . . 30. 40. 50. But their milestone birthdays marks the start of a year that will change everything . . .Ginger isn't spending her 30th the way she would have planned. Tonight might be the first night of the rest of her life - or a total disaster.Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters break on the morning of her 40th birthday, she panics: forget labour, how is she going to be a mother?Callie is celebrating her 50th at a big party in her Dublin home. Then a knock at the door mid-party turns her perfect life upside down . . .Full of warmth and wisdom, this is a story about finding happiness on your own terms from international bestseller Cathy Kelly.

A Handful of Fire


Alexis Alvarez - 2017
    He’ll do anything, even hire award-winning child therapist Shai Bonaventura.Shai is drawn to brooding, sexy Gabriel, and while she falls in love with the little boy she’s hired to help, she loses her heart to his father. Their powerful chemistry is off the charts hot, and Shai thinks he might be the one to help heal her own demons, even if it means crossing professional boundaries. But when old secrets from Shai’s past are revealed, it’s not clear if their fragile relationship can survive the harsh reality of the real world…or whether they have the courage to fight for what they really need.This is an 80K word, stand-alone romance with no cliffhangers and a beautiful HEA. Warning: This book contains graphic language and sex scenes hot enough to melt your Kindle.

The Confessions of Young Nero


Margaret George - 2017
    In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman or child.As a boy, Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina's machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero's determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become, an Emperor who became legendary.With impeccable research and captivating prose, The Confessions of Young Nero is the story of a boy's ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.

The Lost Girl


Carol Drinkwater - 2017
    . . A heart-rending story of loss and enduring love, set between the darkest days of Paris and the sunshine of Provence.Her daughter disappeared four years ago. . .Since her daughter went missing four years earlier, celebrated photographer Kurtiz Ross has been a woman alone. Her only companion her camera. Since Lizzie disappeared, she has blamed and isolated herself, given up hope. Until, out of the blue, an unexpected sighting of Lizzie is made in Paris.Could this lead to the reconciliation she has dreamed of?Within hours of Kurtiz arriving in Paris, the City of Light is plunged into a night of hell when a series of terrorist attacks bring the city to a standstill. Amid the fear and chaos, a hand reaches out. A sympathetic stranger in a café offers to help Kurtiz find her daughter.A stranger's guiding lightNeither knows what this harrowing night will deliver, but the other woman's kindness - and her stories of her own love and loss in post-war Provence - shine light into the shadows, restoring hope, bringing the unexpected. Out of darkness and despair, new life rises. New beginnings unfold.Dare she believe in a miracle?Set during a time of bloodshed and chaos in one of the most beautiful cities on earth and along the warm fragrant shores of the Mediterranean, Kurtiz discovers that miracles really can happen . . . Praise for The Lost Girl: 'A story to savour, complete with wonderful settings stretching from Paris to the glorious countryside of southern France' Dinah Jefferies, Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife'A great and compassionate writer' Danuta Kean, Guardian 'Mesmerising, haunting and extraordinarily relevant' Lovereading 'A gripping tale' Sunday Post 'The perfect holiday read that manages to keep you guessing the whole way through' Living France 'A story of love and loss, of sadness and great joy' The Middle East

Carina


Alison Morton - 2017
    Disgraced and smarting from a period in the cells for a disciplinary offence, she is sent out of everybody's way on a seemingly straightforward mission overseas. All she and her comrade-in-arms, Flavius, have to do is bring back a traitor from the Republic of Quebec. Under no circumstances will she risk entering the Eastern United States where she is still wanted under her old name Karen Brown. But when she investigates further she discovers a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of Roma Nova. What price is personal danger against fulfilling the mission?This part mystery, part detective story is Roman fiction brought up to the present through alternate history. Set in the time after INCEPTIO but before PERFIDITAS in the Roma Nova series, this short military adventure reveals hidden parts of Carina's early life in Roma Nova. And North America isn't quite the continent we know in our timeline.A gripping thriller with a difference and a dip into the Roman historical fiction world. If you enjoy reading mystery books for women featuring a female protagonist with heart and courage, this could be for you!

Eden


Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg - 2017
    . . until she discovers her recently deceased husband squandered their nest egg. As she struggles to accept that this is likely her last season in Long Harbor, Becca is inspired by her granddaughter's boldness in the face of impending single-motherhood, and summons the courage to reveal a secret she was forced to bury long ago: the existence of a daughter she gave up fifty years ago. The question now is how her other daughter, Rachel--with whom Becca has always had a strained relationship--will react. Eden is the account of the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, as Becca prepares to disclose her secret and her son and brothers conspire to put the estate on the market, interwoven with the century-old history of Becca's family--her parents' beginnings and ascent into affluence, and her mother's own secret struggles in the grand home her father named "Eden."

The Thousand Lights Hotel


Emylia Hall - 2017
    Set in idyllic Italy, it's the perfect holiday read, for fans of Louise Douglas and Hannah Richell.When Kit loses her mother in tragic circumstances, she feels drawn to finally connect with the father she has never met. That search brings her to the Thousand Lights Hotel, the perfect holiday escape perched upon a cliff on the island of Elba. Within this idyllic setting a devastating truth is brought to light: shaking the foundations upon which the hotel is built, and shattering the lives of the people within it.A heartbreaking story of loss, betrayal, and redemption, told with all the warmth and beauty of an Italian summer.

The Empire Collection Volume I: Wounds of Honour, Arrows of Fury, Fortress of Spears


Anthony Riches - 2017
    The plan is to take a new name, serve in an obscure regiment on Hadrian's Wall and lie low until he can hope for justice. Then a rebel army sweeps down from north of the Wall, and Marcus has to prove he's tough enough to lead a century in the front line of a brutal war. Arrows of Fury The new Roman governor of Britannia must stamp out the northern rebellion or risk losing the province. For Marcus - Centurion Corvus of the 1st Tungrians - the campaign has become doubly dangerous. As reinforcements flood into Britannia he is surrounded by new officers with no reason to protect him. Death could result from a careless word as easily as from an enemy spear. Worse, one of them is close on his heels. The prefect of the 2nd Tungrians has discovered his secret. Only a miracle can save Marcus from disgrace and death . . . Fortress of Spears Marcus Aquila - burning for revenge on an enemy that has killed one of his best friends - rides north with the Petriana cavalry. He believes his disguise as Centurion Corvus of the 2nd Tungrians is still holding. But he is just a few days ahead of two of the emperor's agents, sent from Rome to kill him. Pitiless assassins who know his real name, and too much about his friends.

EPICURUS and THE PLEASANT LIFE: A Philosophy of Nature


Haris Dimitriadis - 2017
    Few know this better than Haris Dimitriadis, an ex-corporate climber who one day realized that, although he had all the hallmarks of success—money, a good job, the respect of his peers—he wasn’t happy. In fact, he felt hollow, dissatisfied, and anxious. Thankfully, he discovered Epicurus. In this pioneering thinker, Dimitriadis found a teacher whose ideas seemed specifically designed to cure our uniquely modern ache. Indeed, few classical philosophers remain as relevant and practical today; Epicurus’ worldview is rooted in our senses, feelings, and natural dispositions. Sweeping aside our modern assumption that the acquisition of happiness is necessarily painful and regimented—think of our love for strict workouts, diets, hard work, and other ascetic practices—Epicurus declared that finding happiness is easy: we simply need to embrace our natural desires. With wit, rigor, and in simple, easy-to-understand language, Epicurus and the Pleasant Life joyfully brings Epicurus singing into the twenty-first century. Leading the reader through the worlds of philosophy, religion, neuroscience, psychology, and astrophysics, Dimitriadis and Epicurus present a great, self-affirming truth: that you too can lead a blissfully happy life, if you only learn how to reach out and take it.

Pocket Museum: Ancient Rome


Virginia Campbell - 2017
    These objects tell the story of the origin of the Roman state (Latium) from the Early Iron Age cultures of Etruria and the pseudo-historical “period of the kings” (753–509 BCE), through to the end of the Late Empire in the West in 476 CE. Over a period of more than 1,000 years, Roman culture evolved administratively, socially, and politically, with many elements still recognizable in the sociopolitical infrastructure of the modern Western world.Richly illustrated with detailed photographs of every object, the informative text reveals how each artifact is a key object in its own right—a creation that commemorates a great event or heralds the start of a new era in creativity or politics. From coins of the fifth century BCE to pottery made at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, all the objects reveal an important insight into this highly influential ancient civilization.

The Bear and the Wolf


Ruth Downie - 2017
    Her husband Brigius, a Briton who now serves Rome, is torn when the imperial prince Caracalla arrives in northern Britannia with his unit of vicious, dangerous Numidian cavalry, causing trouble and endangering the couple's once peaceful life. Heedless of the danger to both them and their world, the pair see only one way to ensure the continuation of peace in the north, and it carries a horrifying risk.From two acclaimed authors of Historical Fiction set in the world of Rome, The Bear and the Wolf is a tale for all ages sure to enthrall. Originally penned for the Alderney Literary Festival, this short story is available at this time only in eBook form.

The Bridge


Leo Petracci - 2017
    Now, hundreds of years later, the inhabitants must learn to survive deep space without technology or perish. With the ship split in two and the citizens fragmented, disaster is imminent. Join princess Airomem and Horatius the historian on their adventures- from fighting cannibals, to preventing starvation, to discovering long hidden secrets of the ship. Can they survive? Or will the thousand year journey end in failure?

Alien Stolen


Rena Marks - 2017
    Years ago, aliens came to live among us. They claim to be the good guys, and yet every day, humans go missing—never to be heard from again. Sian and her family resist the leadership of the new regime, along with dozens of other factions across the world. However, without electricity, they’re at a loss as to how to communicate with each other to band together for strength in numbers. For that reason, they fight alone. When her father and best friend are captured by the military, she pretends to be a pleasure worker to infiltrate the base. Unbeknownst to her, a pleasure worker has been summoned to service a new breed of alien—one with a known weakness. Sex drains his strength. None of the militia realizes that when a Nisibian comes across his mate, he doesn’t lose his power…but instead transfers it to her. Drunk on the power of being a female Rambo, Sian decides to steal the massive alien for herself. This much power at her fingertips could tip the scales in the resistance fight for humans.

Boudica


Tristan Bernays - 2017
    On the furthest outreaches of the Roman Empire – at the very edge of the known world – rebellion is brewing.The King of the Iceni has died and his widow, Boudica, has tried to claim her rightful throne. For her insolence in defying Rome, the queen has been flogged, her daughters have been raped, and they have been banished from their homeland. But now, Queen Boudica has returned. And this time she has an army.She will have revenge. She will have blood. She will make Rome quake in fear.

The Roman Mysteries Collection Caroline Lawrence 6 Books Box Set (The Thieves of Ostia, The Secrets of Vesuvius, The Pirates of Pompeii, The Assassins of Rome, The Dolphins of Laurentum, The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemini)


Caroline Lawrence - 2017
    Perfect for children studying the Romans or Roman Britains. Titles in the Set are The Thieves of Ostia, The Secrets of Vesuvius, The Pirates of Pompeii, The Assassins of Rome, The Dolphins of Laurentum, The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemini.

Tending the Bull: A Tradition of Dionysian Devotion


H. Jeremiah Lewis - 2017
    At its heart lies passionate devotion for Dionysos, God of drunkenness, madness, ecstasy and deliverance. Within the pages of Tending the Bull, readers will discover how to pray, tend a shrine, make offerings and a myriad of practices to deepen one's awareness and connection with this powerfully intoxicating and liberating deity. Additionally, author H. Jeremiah Lewis weaves in threads of history, philosophy, cosmology and eschatology so that readers will understand not just how to worship correctly, but why. Although written for adherents of the Starry Bull tradition, especially those who wish to become boukoloi, there's plenty that will appeal to Hellenic polytheists, neopagans and other curious outsiders.

Shared by the Billionaires 3: A MFM Menage Romance


L.N. Pearl - 2017
    However, we’ve never followed the rules and we’re about to cross the line-together. Kiara: Being treated like an object is the last thing I need as I land this job in one of the biggest companies in the country. I’m a qualified analyst and I got where I am in life thanks to my brain, not my looks. But the two men owning the company see something else in me... something more. They’re intimidating and powerful, clearly used to get what they want. And it’s obvious they want more from me than my financial predictions. I should be offended and leave, but the more I try, the harder it gets. They are demanding and irresistible, and I’m deeply disturbed by what they trigger within me. They stir a dark and forbidden desire in my belly, and I shouldn’t be turned on so much... Angelo/Luciano: We’ve been brothers in arms for years and have always shared everything. Everything. We just hired Kiara as our new analyst, and we have a huge problem. Not only is she smart and can increase the bottom line of the company, but she’s f*ing hot. We both want her more than any other woman we’ve ever seen-and we’ve seen a lot. But there’s something about this smart, fiery and gorgeous woman that triggers me and my brother. The only way for us to get what we want without destroying our brotherhood is to claim her... together. Warning: last part in the series, should be read in order. This is a quick and filthy book with two alpha heroes obsessed with our heroine. If you love insta-love and attraction, slightly unrealistic, over the top and dirty love scenes, then this is definitely for you. HEA and no cheating.

The Rancher and the City Girl


Joya Ryan - 2017
    He’s also the most eligible bachelor in Cheyenne, Wyoming. So when he stumbles upon a flashy, sexy city girl, he knows two things: 1) she’s a walking disaster, and 2) he needs to stay far, far away. But she needs him more than he wants to admit… Charlotte Gram knows what it’s like not to be wanted. She’s in Cheyenne for the summer to help her grandmother heal after surgery, but the farmhouse “chores” are proving much harder than she thought. If her day couldn’t get any worse, the sexiest man she’s ever seen strolls up to save the day......and he definitely doesn’t seem happy about it.

Barely Legal: A Bad Boy Stripper Romance


Jessie Cooke - 2017
    He was working nights as a stripper in my club. He was young, hung and so pretty. I had to have him. Would he think I was too old? And what was it about him and Steve? Was Nick gay? I had to find out and see if I could get a piece of him before the other woman got what they were screaming for.

Into the Crossfire


Kathleen Hope - 2017
    It was a welcome respite. An intricate web of tactical planning had filled the recesses of his mind for the past 24 hours, but it was time. No more planning. It was another routine operation; go in, grab the bad guys and get out. He knew each move he was about to make, and every single step the seven men sitting next to him would take. He was sure of it; it was his job. He was responsible for the safety and well-being of every man in his squad, and simultaneously, for the success of the mission at hand.“Five minutes, Lieutenant,” the man seated in the pilot seat hollered back to him, breaking up the monotonous whir.Every man around him straightened his spine and their muscles grew taught. It wasn’t fear that had them at the ready, it was anticipation; the same anticipation that surged through his veins. In four minutes and 39 seconds, they’d be on the ground. In 15 minutes and nine seconds, they’d be in position, a mile and a half away from the landing zone. Within 30 minutes, their task would be complete: suspects apprehended, intel gathered and building secured. The 2,000 kilograms of cocaine housed in the building wasn’t his problem, only the men selling it and their list of buyers. “Just get those bastards, Caleb,” his S.O. had told him. “We’ll clean up their mess later.” In other words, another team would be deployed to round up the drugs once the area was secured...

Kpop Promise: 1-3


Love Journey - 2017
    When Lyric hopped on a plane to attend her favorite KPOP band

Ancient Civilizations: A Concise Guide to Ancient Rome, Egypt, and Greece (3-Books Box Set Book 1)


Hourly History - 2017
    The Eternal City, the city of the seven hills, the sacred city, the caput mundi, the center of the world, Roma, Rome, by any of her many names is a city built of history and blood, marble and water, war and conquest. Inside you will read about... - Legendary Beginnings - The Senate and the People - Ave Caesar - Empire - Rulers of the World - The Fall - Legacy From legendary beginnings, a city rose from the swamp surrounded by the seven hills and split by the Tiber River. Built and rebuilt, a sacred republic and a divine empire, blessed by a thousand gods and by One, the story of her rise and fall has been told and retold for a thousand years and is still relevant in today's world, as echoes of her ancient glory have shaped our culture, laws, lifestyle and beliefs in subtle and pervasive ways. Ancient Greece Ancient Greece was the birthplace of advances in government, art, philosophy, science, and architecture-all of which continue to influence the world today. Warriors and diplomats, scientists, artists, and the first comedians; the achievements of this ancient society have formed a strong foundation to be built upon by later cultures. Inside you will read about... - Mount Olympus - Polis - Athens and Sparta - Literature - Philosophy - Art and Architecture - Science From the ancient origins of the Olympic Games through to art, architecture, language, and even the very way we view and investigate the world around us, the legacy of the culture and civilization of ancient Greece still burns brightly in the modern world. Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was a highly developed civilization that lasted for thousands of years and left behind fascinating clues in the form of impressive structures and monuments. It was a culture balanced between the lush fertility of the Nile Valley and the barrenness of the surrounding vast deserts. The same balance holds true for our knowledge of the history of Egypt. In spite of the evidence we have, so much remains hidden and yet to be fully understood. Inside you will read about... - The Nile - The Gods and Goddesses - The Book and the Dead - The Pyramids - Magic, Plagues and Curses - Famous Pharaohs - Immortality New methods of scientific investigation reveal new ways of interpreting the ancient evidence. As the shifting desert sands overflowed and then disclosed the Great Sphinx, after thousands of years of study ancient Egypt still holds much that has yet to be revealed.

The Dancing Lares and the Serpent in the Garden: Religion at the Roman Street Corner


Harriet I. Flower - 2017
    Throughout the Roman world, neighborhood street corners, farm boundaries, and household hearths featured small shrines to the beloved lares, a pair of cheerful little dancing gods. These shrines were maintained primarily by ordinary Romans, and often by slaves and freedmen, for whom the lares cult provided a unique public leadership role. In this comprehensive and richly illustrated book, the first to focus on the lares, Harriet Flower offers a strikingly original account of these gods and a new way of understanding the lived experience of everyday Roman religion.Weaving together a wide range of evidence, Flower sets forth a new interpretation of the much-disputed nature of the lares. She makes the case that they are not spirits of the dead, as many have argued, but rather benevolent protectors--gods of place, especially the household and the neighborhood, and of travel. She examines the rituals honoring the lares, their cult sites, and their iconography, as well as the meaning of the snakes often depicted alongside lares in paintings of gardens. She also looks at Compitalia, a popular midwinter neighborhood festival in honor of the lares, and describes how its politics played a key role in Rome's increasing violence in the 60s and 50s BC, as well as in the efforts of Augustus to reach out to ordinary people living in the city's local neighborhoods.A reconsideration of seemingly humble gods that were central to the religious world of the Romans, this is also the first major account of the full range of lares worship in the homes, neighborhoods, and temples of ancient Rome.