Best of
Victorian

2014

Beyond the Dark Veil: Post Mortem & Mourning Photography from the Thanatos Archive


Sue Henger - 2014
    Supplemented with original newspaper articles, clippings, funeral notices, memorial ephemera and more, the collection will take us on a journey through a fascinating, moving, and melancholically beautiful part of our past. The images in Beyond the Dark Veil speak to us: they speak of love, loss, lives cut short, brave final hours, shattered families, and the depths of the human spirit. Contains 194 images of hand-colored photographs, albumen prints, ambrotypes, cabinet cards, carte de viste, daguerreotypes, gelatin silver prints, opaltypes, real photo postcards, stereoviews, tintypes, and supplementary articles and related ephemera. Contributors include: Adam Arenson I, Jacqueline Ann Bunge Barger, Alex Jackson, Bess Lovejoy, Marion Peck, Joanna Roche, and Joe Smoke. ABOUT THE ARCHIVE: Located in Woodinville, Washington, The Thanatos Archive houses an extensive collection of early post-mortem, memorial, and mourning photographs dating as far back as the 1840s. The online version of the archive, hosted at Thanatos.net since 2002, offers a searchable database of over 2,300 scanned images, with scans of new acquisitions being added on a regular basis. In addition to the main online archive, hundreds of additional images and material can be found in the community discussion forum, including hi-resolution enlargements, genealogical information, and more.

The Fault in Our Stars: by John Green -- Sidekick


BookBuddy - 2014
    Meet Hazel, 16 years of age and dealing with thyroid cancer, and Augustus, a 17-year-old amputee and former basketball player in remission. After meeting at a support group for children living with cancer, they fall in love and together face the complex realities of their respective illnesses, fears, desires, and the ultimate questions of life and death. The Fault in Our Stars is an engaging, moving mix of romance, tragedy, and comedy that will have readers rethinking the question of what one leaves behind. This sidekick surveys the novel's universal themes of love and loss, sickness and health, life and death. John Green's artfully written saga is part poignant love story, part existential tragedy. As their relationship deepens, Hazel and Augustus travel to Amsterdam and meet Hazel's idol, author Peter van Houten, who challenges their ideas of what it means to live a life of purpose. Use the chapter-by-chapter analysis in this sidekick of The Fault in Our Stars to explore the story's deeper philosophical themes, as the relationship between Hazel and Augustus unfolds and veers to its inevitable resolution. Fans of John Green's previous works will find The Fault in Our Stars to be a mesmerizing and haunting read from the first page to the last.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (Gemma Doyle, #1-3)


Libba Bray - 2014
    It's the only way to get all three of Libba Bray's critically acclaimed novels in one bundle.A Great and Terrible Beauty: Gemma Doyle finds an icy reception at the Spence Academy in London, where she becomes entangled with the leader of the school's most powerful clique and discovers her own mother's connection to a shadowy group called the Order.Rebel Angels: Gemma is looking forward to spending time in London over Christmas, but her troubled visions of three girls dressed in white are intensifying and only the enchanted realms can give Gemma the answers she needs.The Sweet Far Thing: In a world where rules are everything, can a girl like Gemma survive? The conclusion to the bestselling series.

The Royal Lacemaker


Linda Finlay - 2014
    Hundreds of miles away, in London, Queen Victoria is preparing for her wedding. She will wear the most exquisite wedding dress in history, bearing the famous Honiton lace. When Lily is asked to be one of the select few to work on this top-secret commission it is the answer to her prayers.Lily quickly makes an impression, both as an expert seamstress and a natural leader of the women working day and night to ensure their families' survival. But there are others who want to see Lily fail, including Squire Clinsden who issues her with a terrible ultimatum - work for him, and be subject to his unwanted advances, or lose the family home.Torn between her duty and her dreams of a better life, Lily must remember where she came from or risk losing those most important to her.

Twelfth Night


Deanna Raybourn - 2014
    But before Lady Julia and her handsome sleuthing husband, Nicolas Brisbane, can take to the stage, a ruckus in the stable yard demands their attention. An abandoned infant is found nestled in the steel helm of St. George. What's more, their only lead is the local legend of a haunted cottage and its ghastly inhabitant—who seems to have returned.Once again, Lady Julia and Nicholas take up the challenge to investigate, and when the source of the mystery is revealed, they'll be faced with an impossible choice—one that will alter the course of their lives…forever.

Gambling on a Scoundrel


Sheridan Jeane - 2014
    Lucien is about to inherit an earldom he never expected after both his uncles die childless. He’s obliged to sell his high-stakes gambling house in London so he can assume control of his extensive holdings. The last thing he wants is a fiery reporter complicating things. A woman with her entire future mapped out... Until her fiancé jilts her— via a letter. Temperance won’t take that lying down. She’s determined to win him back at the same time she continues to pursue her career. She’ll write the best article ever on the evils of gambling, and it will be published in Charles Dickens’s newspaper! To top it off, Ernest will come crawling back to her… Now, if she can just figure out how to make that happen…

The Memory Keeper


C.J. Archer - 2014
    The teacher at a London school for orphans is encouraged to have her memories blocked by hypnotist Samuel Gladstone, but when they experience visions with an unknown third person, they realize the past can never be truly erased. Now her past is returning to haunt Charity all over again. Samuel is determined to help her, but how can a woman who trusts no man trust a hypnotist? And what dark secrets changed the charming gentleman into a desperate man who'll do anything to keep those secrets buried?

Claire, After All


Karen J. Hasley - 2014
    Commissioned by her widowed father, she descends on the green Sussex hills with three assignments. Ready Loden Hall for her father's arrival as the new earl. Find the perfect husband for her gorgeous half-sister. Acquire a tutor for her rapscallion twin brothers. At twenty-eight Claire--now Lady Claire--has had years of experience running an orderly household in India and cannot imagine England will be any different. Older. Wiser. That's Claire.But England refuses to cooperate with Claire's well laid plans. How did beautiful Loden Hall become such a ruin and how will she make it right in time? Why is her usually cooperative sister so resistant to Claire's recommendation for a husband? Why are her brothers so unhappy that stowing away on a merchant ship holds more appeal than her loving care at home? Really, if it weren't for the unexpectedly practical advice of her neighbor the Marquis of Symonton, she would feel quite alone.For Claire, focused on the tangled knots of her own family, Symonton is the perfect ally. Who better to offer guidance than a man savvy enough to maneuver his way through society for six and thirty years without being trapped into matrimony? And how fortunate that the man is entertained by her family's exploits! But even with Symonton, Claire manages to get it wrong. It's not her family he's interested in and amusement is not what he feels. The man has other plans entirely. Maturity and experience are all well and good, but Claire will learn that neither is as valuable as love.Book I of The Penwarrens, a series of 3 light-hearted Victorian romances.Claire, After All   ~   Listening to Abby   ~   Jubilee Rose

Legacy of Darkness


Jane Godman - 2014
    Orphaned and penniless after her father’s death in India, Lucy Alleyne is forced to accept a post as companion to an elderly lady until a distant relative spirits her away to Castle Athal on the Cornish coast. But Lucy’s initial gratitude at Lady Demelza Jago’s benevolence soon gives way to unease. The ancient Cornish castle, known locally as Tenebris, is a dark monument to the family’s history and secrets. Within its embrace Lucy is drawn into friendship with Tynan Jago. The young Earl of Athal is handsome and poetic yet tortured, like his father before him. Tynan is utterly different from his uncle, Uther, whose seductive, leonine power radiates from his every word and gesture. Between them the two Jago men have innocent Lucy enthralled—mind, body and soul. If she remains within the bloodstained castle walls, with their history of ill-starred passion and madness, a mere broken heart will seem a blessing.

The Duke of St. Giles


Jillian Eaton - 2014
    West is an orphan, raised in London’s most nefarious rookery. Their paths never should have crossed, but as Emily and West are about to discover fate doesn’t always adhere to the rules of society… It should have been an easy plan. Kidnap the girl, collect the ransom. Just another day’s work for the Duke of St. Giles, a man whose ruthlessness is rumored to know no bounds. But from the first moment West meets Emily, a woman who is as infuriatingly stubborn as she is breathtakingly beautiful, he knows nothing is going to go according to plan. From the slums of London to the rolling hills of Southampton, join Emily and West as they partake in a journey of danger, passion, and love that will change both of their lives… forever.

Bonfire Night


Deanna Raybourn - 2014
    Just as the couple begins to adapt, a solicitor arrives with a strange bequest. Nicholas, it seems, has inherited a country house—but only if he and his family are in residence from All Hallows' Eve through Bonfire Night.Neither Lady Julia nor Nicholas is likely to be put off by local legends of ghosts and witches, and the eerie noises and strange lights that flit from room to room simply intrigue them. Until a new lady's maid disappears, igniting a caper that will have explosive results…The fourth in a series of Lady Julia Grey stories set during traditional English holidays, Bonfire Night follows Silent Night, Midsummer Night and Twelfth Night. Look for Deanna's newest 1920s novel, Night of a Thousand Stars, in October!

Mourning Jewelry


Stephanie M. Wytovich - 2014
    Without photography, mementos of personal remembrance were used to honor the dead so that their loved ones could commemorate their memory and keep their spirits close. Ashes were placed within rings, and necklaces were made out of hair, and the concept of death photography, small portraitures of the deceased, were often encased behind glass. Mourning jewelry became a fashion statement as much as a way to cope with grief, and as their pain evolved over the years, so did their jewelry. But what about the sadness and the memories that they kept close to them at all times? The death-day visions and the reoccurring nightmares? Wytovich explores the horror that breeds inside of the lockets, the quiet terror that hides in the center of the rings. Her collection shows that mourning isn’t a temporary state of being, but rather a permanent sickness, an encompassing disease. Her women are alive and dead, lovers and ghosts. They live in worlds that we cannot see, but that we can feel at midnight, that we can explore at three a.m. Wytovich shows us that there are hearts to shadows and pulses beneath the grave. To her, Mourning Jewelry isn’t something that you wear around your neck. It’s not fashion or a trend. It’s something that you carry inside of you, something that no matter how much it screams, that you can just can’t seem to let out.

A Silent Canvas, Part 1


Melissa Ann - 2014
    It soon becomes clear that fate has brought them together for a reason, a chance for Sarah to find love and for James, finding someone to teach him how to forgive himself and to learn to love again. James moved to Black Rock, a small isolated town to escape his past, but a misunderstanding soon brings everything he is trying so hard to forget crashing in the present, opening Sarah’s eyes to some of his darkness. She knows she loves him but can she possibly entertain a future with a man that doesn’t possess the ability to trust?

Mirth and Mischief


Jane Austen - 2014
    The full-length novel, titled Mirth and Mischief, will be made available to all readers in fall of 2014. We could not be more thrilled to introduce the world to Abigail Branscombe, an irrepressible heroine to join the ranks of Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse, whose story of love, and yes, mischief will delight and perhaps shock Austen fans worldwide. Read more about this exciting discovery on our blog.

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat


Nikki McCormack - 2014
    What starts as a simple search ultimately reveals a conspiracy stretching across the entire city. And as Maeko and Chaff discover feelings for each other neither was prepared to admit, she’s forced to choose whether she’ll stay with him or finally escape the life of a street rat. But with danger closing in around them, the only way any of them will get out of this alive is if all of them work together.

Captured Shadows


Richard Rider - 2014
    When a new friendship leads to a secret opportunity, one more dangerous than ever before, Jim agrees to step in front of the camera but finds himself baring much more than his skin.A twisting historical romance set in the fog of Victorian London, Captured Shadows follows the path of love, blackmail and obsession to a devastating climax.

Lady Wild


Maire Claremont - 2014
    Condemned to an isolated country cottage after the death of her idealistic father, she and her mother are forsaken by family and all of society. Disappointed by those she once trusted, Lady Ophelia lovingly nurses her dying mother knowing that her own dreams of being an artist will never be realized. That is until she meets a devilish aristocrat who reawakens her desire to be wild. Viscount Stark has never known love. Reputed to be a rebel and a rake by all, at heart he is anything but. When he meets Lady Ophelia, he is struck by her haunting presence, dignity, and honor. Will he continue to play his wicked games and risk ruining the last of Lady Ophelia’s wounded heart? Or will he dare to be the gentleman he always wanted to be and unveil a love he never thought possible?

A Christmas in Bath


Cheryl Bolen - 2014
    Unbeknownst to scholarly Jonathan Blankenship, his sister-in-law Glee has decided this Christmas he needs a little push to make him see that his dear friend of four years, Miss Arbuckle, will make his perfect mate.

The Seance: A Gothic Tale of Horror and Misfortune


Jack Rollins - 2014
    A man of science and progress, when Albert is told that Sally attended a seance prior to her collapse and has been touched by otherworldly forces, he believes there must be another, more rational explanation. Albert learns of a man who claims mastery of the dark arts, who may hold the key to Sally's salvation. Albert sets off in search of answers, but can he emerge victorious without faith, or will he be forced to accept the existence of a realm beyond the world around him?

Fagin's Boy


Christina E. Pilz - 2014
    When Oliver loses his protector and guardian, he is able, with the help of Mr. Brownlow's friends, to find employment in a well-respected haberdashery in Soho.However, in the midst of these changes, Jack Dawkins, also known as the Artful Dodger, arrives in London, freshly returned from being deported. Olivers' own inability to let go of his past, as well as his renewed and intimate acquaintance with Jack, take him back to the life he thought he'd left behind.

Scandalous Summer Nights


Grace Callaway - 2014
    When desire rekindles between them, they both hope desperately that they can mend their broken marriage ... But some wounds go deeper than the concussion Rob suffered on the Waterloo battlefield. And some wounds can never be healed.The Widow Vanishes (Prequel to the Heart of Enquiry Series) by Grace CallawayA disastrous marriage leaves Annabel Foster buried in her deceased husband's debt and at the mercy of a cutthroat. Faced with death or selling her body, she makes an unthinkable choice ... Haunted by his past, former soldier William McLeod seeks forgetfulness in the arms of a tempting wench. What begins as a night of lust, however, transforms into desire beyond his wildest fantasies ... Attraction flares between the pair even as an evil enemy seeks to destroy them both. Can one night of passion lead to love forevermore?Lord Lucifer's Disciple (Haberdashers Nights, Book 1) by Sue LondonAn heiress turns away every suitor until she meets a mysterious foreigner at a masque ball. His kiss ignites her in ways that nothing else has, but he refuses her pleas to elope. Has she lost her heart to a man who doesn't exist?Miss Amelia Lands a Duke (A Prequel to the Caversham Chronicles) by Sandy RavenCaught kissing a man she believes within her reach socially, Amelia discovers he isn't. Not only that, he is same man her widowed aunt has been stalking all season. When the Duke of Caversham realizes who Amelia is, he does the honorable thing and offers for her. Only Amelia's pride will not allow her to be forced onto any man in marriage. Cav must then convince Amelia that she is the only woman he wants for the rest of his life.How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days (What Happens in Scotland, Book 1) by Kate McKinleyLucas Alexander, the ninth Duke of Arlington, is a man who gets what he wants. So when he sees the alluring Miss Pippa Welby from across a crowded ballroom, he vows to make her his. But the bold and spirited Pippa has sworn never to marry into the haute ton. Now Lucas must win her the only way he knows how--one wicked kiss at a time.Lady Northam's Wicked Surrender (Wicked Liaisons, Book 1) by Vivienne WestlakeA midnight encounter between two estranged lovers rekindles a passion beyond their wildest dreams... Rowena, Countess of Northam, is surprised to find her former suitor has returned from India and is on his way to the very house where she is staying. When he appears in her room late at night, she can only believe it is a dream. Her fantasy soon becomes reality when Simon makes every effort to seduce her.

The Victorian Book of the Dead


Chris Woodyard - 2014
    The Victorian Book of the Dead unearths extraordinary tales of Victorian funeral fads and fancies, ghost stories, bizarre deaths, mourning novelties, gallows humor, premature burial, post-mortem photographs, death omens, and funeral disasters. Resurrected from original sources, these accounts reveal the oddities and eccentricities of Victorian mourning. Packed with macabre anecdotes, this diverting, yet gruesome collection presents tales ranging from the paranormal and shocking to the heartbreaking.

Albert, Prince Consort


Hector Bolitho - 2014
    Indeed, it is difficult to guess which of the two would be more averse to the other’s speeches. It may also occur to the reader that, whereas Prince Philip has acted as a modernising and almost dashing influence on the Queen, Albert appears to have been a staid and restraining one on Victoria. For it must be remembered that Queen Elizabeth had been Heiress Apparent for far longer than Victoria, who was, when she married, a gay young girl by the standards of her age. Although it is fairly certain that Albert and Prince Philip would have disliked each other on sight, they have both been guided by the highest sense of duty. It is this sense of duty, in spite of considerable hostility and dislike of the ‘foreign ways’, that make Albert’s life of such interest. If he had accomplished nothing else, his influence on the dealings with the Union States of America, just before his death, would ensure him an important place in British History. In ‘Albert, Prince Consort’, Hector Bolitho explores the life and personality of Prince Albert, from his birth in Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, his marriage and restraining influence on Queen Victoria and his early death from typhoid. Hector Bolitho is deservedly renowned for his Royal Biographies. ‘Flowing and lively biography’ - Cobden Sanderson (Henry) Hector Bolitho (28 May 1897 – 12 September 1974) was a prolific author, novelist and biographer. In total, he had 59 books published. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

Beauty and the Spymaster


Moriah Densley - 2014
    Enjoying herself makes it easier to hide a dark reality. A tragic turn of events forces her to take refuge in the last place on earth she belongs: a church. Julian Grey wants everyone to believe he's a quiet country vicar, but Helena discovers his secret. He never expected her to help catch a traitor to the crown, and he's even more shocked to discover she has quite a talent for it. But he's not the only one with a claim on Helena...

The Covered Deep


Brandy Vallance - 2014
    Finding a man that meets the requirements of her “must-have” list in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains has proven impossible. Bianca’s mama insists that there’s no such thing as a perfect true love, and that Bianca’s ideal man is pure fiction. On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Bianca discovers a devastating statistic: her chance of marrying is now only eighteen percent. Unwilling to accept spinsterhood, Bianca enters an essay contest that propels her into a whirlwind search for her soulmate. Via the opulence of London and the mysteries of the Holy Land, Bianca’s true love will be revealed, but not without a heavy price.

Victorian Fairy Tales


Michael Newton - 2014
    They offer the shortest path to the age's dreams, desires, and wishes. Authors central to the nineteenth-century canon such as Thackeray, Oscar Wilde, Ford Madox Ford, and Rudyard Kipling wrote fairy tales, and authors primarily famous for their work in the genre include George MacDonald, Juliana Ewing, Mary De Morgan, and Andrew Lang. This anthology brings together fourteen of the best stories, by these and other outstanding practitioners, to show the vibrancy and variety of the form and its ability to reflect our deepest concerns.The stories in this selection range from pure whimsy and romance to witty satire and darker, uncanny mystery. Paradox proves central to a form offered equally to children and adults. Fairyland is a dynamic and beguiling place, one that permits the most striking explorations of gender, suffering, love, family, and the travails of identity. Michael Newton's introduction and notes explore the literary marketplace in which these tales appeared, as well as the role they played in contemporary debates on scepticism and belief. The book also includes a selection of original illustrations by some of the masters of the field such as Richard Doyle, Arthur Hughes, and Walter Crane.

Larken


S.G. Rogers - 2014
    Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take. Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for. Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?

The Duke's Shadow


Louise Charles - 2014
    When his older brother, Henry dies in a freak racing accident, William inherits a legacy and title he has not been groomed for nor wants. TWO LIVES… Bullied by his domineering mother and rejected by love, William falls into a deep depression. His saviour is his sister, Lottie, who helps him to create a second identity as Reuben Chambers, a London business man. SHADOWS FROM THE PAST. As Reuben, he finds true happiness which helps him to fulfil his duties as William, heir to the Dukedom. But a secret from the past threatens his family and the delicate balance he has created for his double identity. Can he continue to keep his two lives separate?

A Gathering of Ghosts


David Haynes - 2014
    Prepare to have your blood chilled by six tales of fear and phantasmagoria…The Silent Bell: A doctor’s invention to prevent people being accidentally buried alive backfires on him with horrific results.The Stonegate Manor Collection: Lord Feltham’s paintings are worth a fortune, but also conceal a gruesome tragedy that has yet more lives to claim.The Haunting of Reverend Carson: The charlatan Musgrave makes a living pretending to talk to the dead, until he discovers his new client’s demons are more than merely spiritual.The Last Waltz: Through that miracle of technology, the Zoopraxiscope, a lonely man’s long-lost love is brought back to life before his very eyes.The Speaking Tube: John Barker is consumed with hatred for his malicious father and torments him with voices from hell, unaware of how close to the abyss he is himself.The Ghost Train: Alone aboard an empty train running along a dead track, Godfrey witnesses the grotesque secret that is entombed beneath Paddington Station.Go deeper into David Haynes’s world of the macabre…

Seductive Starts


Courtney Milan - 2014
    This set contains two full-length books and a novella.The Governess Affair: Three months ago, governess Serena Barton was sacked, and now she's demanding compensation from the man responsible: a petty, selfish duke. But it's not the duke she fears. Hugo Marshall handles all the duke's dirty business, and he's been ordered to get rid of her by fair means or foul. Now if only Hugo didn't find her so compelling..Unveiled: When Ash Turner heads to Parford Manor to survey the dukedom he believes he has won from an old enemy, he's not counting on Lady Margaret, the duke's daughter, who has sworn to foil him at every turn.Proof by Seduction: When Gareth Carhart discovers that his vulnerable young cousin is seeing a fortune teller, he vows to prove her a fraud. But he soon discovers that Jenny Keeble is far more than she appears to be, and before he knows it, he's caught in her spell…This is an enhanced ebook. In addition to the text of the book itself, it contains pictures, audio, and author commentary. You can read this enhanced ebook on any device, but the audio content may not be accessible on all ereaders. That content has been made available on the web, so you won't miss anything if your device doesn't support audio.

Silk


Chris Karlsen - 2014
    The whole of London is on edge wondering when or where Jack will kill next. The Palace, Parliament, and the press are demanding the police do more to find him. In another part of London, rough-around-the-edges war hero, Metropolitan Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone has his own serial killer to find. Inter departmental rivalries, politics, and little evidence to go on hamper the investigation at every turn. In a battle of wills, Bloodstone presses forward following his instincts in spite of the obstacles. Adding to those problems, away from the strains of the investigation, he is engaged in the ups and downs of a new relationship with a lovely hat maker.

Dear Papa, Beloved Mama: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert as Parents (1840-1861)


Christina Croft - 2014
    These were no mere words and it was a sentiment shared by many of her siblings. Far from being the tyrannical or neglectful parents presented so often by the sensational press, Albert and Victoria devoted themselves to their children, doing their utmost to secure their happiness while preparing them for a future of personal fulfilment and service to their people in a rapidly-changing world. “Dear Papa, Beloved Mama” covers the period from 1840 to the death of Prince Albert in 1861, considering the far-reaching influence of the Queen and Prince in the lives of their children in wide-ranging areas from science and farming to music, art and marriage. Flying in the face of the current trend to condemn and criticise their parenting skills, this book penetrates the motives of Victoria and Albert and their sincere and loving efforts to create for their children a happy, constructive and memorable childhood.

Crime and Punishment in Victorian London: A Street-Level View of the City's Underworld


Ross Gilfillan - 2014
    All over the city, watches, purses and handkerchiefs disappear from pockets; goods migrate from warehouses, off docks and out of shop windows. Burglaries are rife, shoplifting is carried on in West End stores and people fall victim to all kinds of ingenious swindles.'Pornographers proliferate and an estimated 80,000 prostitutes operate on London's streets. The vulnerable are robbed in dark alleys or garroted, a new kind of mugging in which the victim is half-strangled from behind while being stripped of his possessions...'Discover Victorian London's grimy rookeries, home to thousands of the city's poorest and most desperate residents. Explore the crime-ridden slums, flash houses and gin palaces from a unique street-level view and meet the people who inhabited them. Ross Gilfillan uncovers London's lost criminal past in this fascinating account of nineteenth century low-life. Come face to face with pickpockets snatching pocket watches; pornographers peddling guides to lewd London; swindlers deluding the unwary and murderers whose deeds made the headlines and shocked their readers; right through to the consequences of their crimes prison, transportation, or the gallows!

Patron Saint of Prostitutes: Josephine Butler and a Victorian Scandal


Helen Mathers - 2014
    In Victorian England, police forces were granted powers to force any woman they suspected of being a "common prostitute" to undergo compulsory medical examinations. Women who refused to submit willingly, some as young as 13, could be arrested and incarcerated. The scandal was exposed by Josephine Butler, a beautiful, evangelical campaigner who did not rest until she had ended the violation and helped repeal the Act that governed it. She went on to campaign against child prostitution and the trafficking of frightened girls to government-planned brothels in India, and was instrumental in raising the age of consent from 13 to 16. She challenged taboos and conventions in order to campaign for the rights of women. Her story is compelling and unforgettable.

Love's Sorrow


Terri Rochenski - 2014
    The children are a dream, but London society is a world of its own, one where a displaced farm girl has no business being. But, wealthy rake, Gavin MacKay, helps her to see associating with the upper class might not be as horrid as she first assumed.Like all things worthwhile, love comes at a price, and the cost soon bestows more anguish than joy. Lost, but not undone, Anne must find the courage to begin life anew, or succumb to sorrow's unrelenting waves of grief.

The Bloody Century


Robert Wilhelm - 2014
    Lurid murder stories dominated newspaper headlines, and as if responding to the need for sensational copy, Americans everywhere began to see murder as a solution to their problems. The Bloody Century retells their stories; some still famous, some long buried, all endlessly fascinating. The Bloody Century is a collection of true stories of ordinary Americans, driven by desperation, greed, jealousy or an irrational bloodlust, to take the life of someone around them. The book includes facts, motives, circumstances and outcomes, narrating fifty of the most intriguing murder cases of nineteenth century America. Richly illustrated with scenes and portraits originally published at the time of the murders, and including songs and poems written to commemorate the crimes, The Bloody Century invokes a fitting atmosphere for Victorian homicide. The days of America’s distant past, the time of gaslights and horse drawn carriages, are often viewed as quaint and sentimental, but a closer look reveals passions, fears, and motives that are timeless and universal, and a population inured to violence, capable of monstrous acts. A visit to The Bloody Century may well give us insight into our own.

The Real Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Story of Jerome Caminada


Angela Buckley - 2014
    He hails a hansom cab unaware that a detective has been trailing him as he crisscrossed the city. As the cab pulls away, the detective slips inside and arrests the infamous ‘Birmingham Forger’. The detective is Jerome Caminada, legendary policeman and a true Victorian super-sleuth.Known as a ‘terror to evil-doers’, Caminada is at the top of his game as he stalks nefarious criminals through the seedy streets of Manchester’s underworld. Born in the slums, he has an intimate knowledge of the labyrinth of dark alleyways and the shady characters that inhabit them. Caminada’s compelling story bears all the hallmarks of Arthur Conan Doyle and establishes this indefatigable investigator as one of the most formidable detectives of the 19th century and a real-life Sherlock Holmes.

Little Lady Jane


Breanna Hayse - 2014
    - David Viscot Little Lady Jane is a unique tale of love, pain, discipline, and trust that extends across the globe. From the hard, gray lines of Victorian England to the colorful magic and mystery of India, this story unfolds with the opening of the ancient Indian book of sex - the Kama Sutra Jane Foster, the ward and fiancee of Marquis Philip de Courtier, never knew how the forbidden book stolen from Philip’s library would change both of their lives. For hours, she would sit on the garden swing and secretly study the pictures illustrating the ancient text. She longed to be like the beautiful, sensual women who twisted their bodies into works of art; anything other than Philip’s Little girl who needed guidance, rules, and discipline demanded by high society.It was easy for Jane to call him ‘Papa’. She had teasingly done so for years; but as an adult, she discovered that the term came with a price- bare bottom spankings for breaking his rules. And Jane made certain to break plenty! Her rebellion grew every time he left her alone in the cold, dark manor. Rebellion that turned to resentment. But, neither knew that the words in the Kama Sutra had taken root in their hearts- Philip through the teachings of his friend, the Raja; and Jane, through the stolen moments with her book. When he returned from latest trip to India, Jane found the confidence to express her needs. The cries of her heart were heard and, on that fateful night, Philip’s Little Janie was (temporarily) transformed into his Lady Jane. But Jane had a secret. One she was afraid would repel Philip and make him change his mind about making her his wife. She found new friends within the Palace walls of the Raja and his family, and they helped her accept her secret with pride. She learned quickly that as much as Little Janie was loved by ‘Papa’, Lady Jane was the center of his heart and the desire of his body. She also discovered that as painful as his loving discipline was, the sexual satisfaction was even greater. Like the positions on the Kama Sutra, nothing was left for the imagination. The fictional story of Little Lady Jane encompasses the essence of the Kama Sutra in a real life scenario, and shows how possible true transformation (in the heart, mind, spirit and body) can be achieved, even the stringent society of Victorian England. The sensuality and sexuality of India replaces the rigid rules and uncompromising dictates of Victorian society, and a story of passion, pain, adventure, and sexual awakening blooms from the depths, like the lotus flower arises out of the darkness of a muddy pond.

Guardian of Paradise


W.E. Lawrence - 2014
    Orphaned at the age of twelve, Kira Wall had obtained a limited yet intensely skeptical view of the world outside this exotic tropical paradise. Her resolve to defend this land would be tested when a majestic tall ship arrived led by the ruthless Captain Darcy Coleman and his crew of cunning merchant marines. But, the ship also carries one interloper, the handsome and charismatic British physician, Dr. Trevor Marshall who is determined on wooing the beautiful island girl.At first, Kira is suspicious and uncertain, but Trevor’s flamboyant side gives way to tenderly reveal erotic pleasures they will soon share. As they explore magnificent and mysterious parts of the island never seen before as well as each other. Kira finds herself falling in love. But would fate and the evil intentions of the coldhearted invaders set on stealing the island’s considerable treasures tear them apart---and take away the love that came to mean more to her than she ever dreamed.

Years & an Ocean


Jo Noelle - 2014
    Since that day, she has been plagued by fainting spells, while her consciousness visits Elle Thomas more than a century in the future. In modern-day New York, Elle has kept secret the dream-like memories of Delia’s life. As the visits have become more frequent, Elle is confused about what is her life and what is not. Back in England, Delia’s father is determined to marry her off to any marginally suitable man before her illness becomes known to society. But will Delia consent, now that she’s had a taste of Elle’s independence?Part contemporary, part Victorian; part romance, part tragedy; part young adult, part new adult. This time travel novel is set in London, England and New York City. It is a clean romance packed with suspense and humor and just enough kissing. Science fiction meets sweet romance in Years & and Ocean.Clean RomanceIntended Audience 14-18 years old +

Safe Haven


Margaret McGaffey Fisk - 2014
    Lily Crill hides her Natural sister from cruel laws designed to protect property over people while she figures out their escape to rumored safe havens on the Continent. Falling in love, especially with a dedicated police officer, is not in her plans.Henry Stapleton commits his life to helping commoners, remaining an officer of the law even after inheriting a title. His life seems incomplete, though, until he discovers a caring bakery girl. Then he catches a glimpse of terror in her eyes, and he's determined to use his skills to ferret out the cause even though Lily spurns his help.Unjust laws and sworn duties threaten to deny what both their hearts and principles would bring together. Can Henry see beyond the rules, and can Lily take the chance with her sister's life in the balance?

In Consequence: A Retelling of North and South


Trudy Brasure - 2014
    How can she ever find peace and happiness in such a place? Mr. Thornton longs for the chance to show this newcomer from the South that beneath his strict adherence to business principles he possesses a heart. Captivated from the first by her beauty, strength, and independent spirit, the lonely Master finds himself increasingly tantalized by her presence and stirred by her words. When a riot breaks out at Marlborough Mills, events take a decidedly different turn from the novel, spinning a story of attraction and developing love in a whole new direction…. From the author of "A Heart for Milton" comes another tale of the burgeoning love and longing between John Thornton and Margaret Hale, those exquisitely drawn characters from Elizabeth Gaskell's masterpiece "North and South."

The Victorian Rogues MEGAPACK ™: 28 Classic Tales


Maurice Leblanc - 2014
    But I'll take a good old-fashioned rogue over the lot of 'em any day. Boston Blackie, A.J. Raffles, the Lone Wolf, Thubway Tham, Mr. Clackworthy, Arsene Lupin -- they all hold a curious fascination, dabbling as they do in crime and punishment! So take a walk on the seamy side of the Victorian era. (And yes, we are cheating with the dates a little bit. But we wanted to include a few latter-day rogues whose adventures are in the spirit of their Victorian compatriots.) All told, it's more than 1,900 pages of great reading!Included are: The Adventures of Colonel Clay, by Grant Allen THE EPISODE OF THE MEXICAN SEERTHE EPISODE OF THE DIAMOND LINKSTHE EPISODE OF THE OLD MASTERTHE EPISODE OF THE TYROLEAN CASTLETHE EPISODE OF THE DRAWN GAMETHE EPISODE OF THE GERMAN PROFESSORTHE EPISODE OF THE ARREST OF THE COLONELTHE EPISODE OF THE SELDON GOLD-MINETHE EPISODE OF THE JAPANNED DISPATCH-BOXTHE EPISODE OF THE GAME OF POKERTHE EPISODE OF THE BERTILLON METHODTHE EPISODE OF THE OLD BAILEYTHE COUNT'S CHAUFFEUR, by William Le QueuxBOSTON BLACKIE, by Jack BoyleTHE CHAIR OF PHILANTHROMATHEMATICS, by O. HenryTHUBWAY THAM, by Johnston McCulleyTHE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ARSÈNE LUPIN, GENTLEMAN-BURGLAR, by Maurice LeblancTHE LONE WOLF, by Louis Joseph VanceALIAS THE LONE WOLF, by Louis Joseph VanceA ROGUE'S LIFE, by Wilkie CollinsTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND SWAG, by Robert Barr JEFF PETERS AS A PERSONAL MAGNET, by O. HenryTHE ASSASSINS' CLUB, by Gelett BurgessMR. CLACKWORTHY TELLS THE TRUTH, by Christopher B. BoothTHE CLUE OF THE SILVER SPOONS, by Robert BarrJEM BINNEY AND THE SAFE AT LOCKWOOD HALL, by William Hope HodgsonA COSTUME PIECE, by E.W. HornungCONSTANCE DUNLAP, by Arthur B. ReeveIf you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 170+ entries in the MEGAPACK™ series, covering science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!

With This Curse


Amanda DeWees - 2014
    Alone in the world, Clara found a tenuous position as a seamstress, but she always blamed the Gravesend curse for the disaster that had befallen her--and for Richard's death soon after in the Crimean War. Now, more than eighteen years later, Richard's twin, Atticus, seeks out Clara with a strange proposal: if she will marry him and live with him as his wife in name only to ease the mind of his dying father, Atticus will then endow her with a comfortable income for the rest of her life. Clara knows that he is not disclosing his true motives, but when she runs out of options for an independent life, she has no choice but to become Atticus's wife. For Clara, returning to Gravesend as a bride brings some triumph... but also great unease. Not only must she pretend to be a wellborn lady and devoted wife to a man whose face is a constant reminder of the love she lost, but ominous portents whisper that her masquerade brings grave danger. "This house will take from you what you most treasure," her mother once warned her. But the curse has already taken the man Clara loved. Will it now demand her life?

A really useful guide to the Georgians


Tracy Borman - 2014
    A really useful guide to the Georgians is crammed full of really useful facts, from the absurd to the awful to the inspiring and important that changed the course of British history.Published by Historic Royal Palaces.

A Curl of Copper and Pearl


Kirsty Stonell Walker - 2014
    As his dumb muse, she witnesses infidelity, madness, forgery, lust, theft and death. A Curl of Copper and Pearl is a memoir of the lives of others in a world where truth is reliant on who is painting the picture.

The King of Elfland's Daughter and Other Fantasies by Lord Dunsany (Halcyon Classics)


Lord Dunsany - 2014
    The story follows the adventures of Alveric, the son of the lord of Erl who is dispatched to the magical realm of the elves, Elfland, where time passes far more slowly than in the rest of the world. There Alveric weds the daughter of the Elven king, and returns with her to the normal world where they have a son. She soon tires of the mortal world, returning to Elfland where her lovesick husband must seek her out in hopes of reuniting his family, as well as Elfland and Erl.• The King of Elfland's Daughter• Don Rodriguez• A Dreamer’s Tales• Fifty-One Tales• Tales of Three Hemispheres• Tales of War• Tales of Wonder• The Book of Wonder• The Gods of Pegana• The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories• Time and the Gods• Unhappy Far-Off ThingsEdward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (1878-1957) was a member of the Anglo-British nobility and held one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage. Lord Dunsany spent much of his life as a writer and dramatist, and was noted for his extensive writings in fantasy. More than eighty books of his work were published, including many hundreds of published short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Lord Dunsany's works influenced a number of later writers including Ursula Le Guin, Robert E. Howard, and J.R.R. Tolkien.