His three freedmen, Narcissus, Pallas and Callistus, must find a way to manufacture a quick victory for Claudius - but how? Pallas has the answer: retrieve the Eagle of the Seventeenth, lost in Germania nearly 40 years before. Who but Vespasian could lead a dangerous mission into the gloomy forests of Germania? Masters of RomeRome, AD 51: After eight years of resistance Vespasian captures Rome's greatest enemy, the British warrior Caratacus. But even Vespasian's victory cannot remove him from politics. Emperor Claudius is a drunken fool, his wife Agrippina rules in his absence and Narcissus and Pallas, his freedmen, are battling for control of his throne. Separately, they decide to send Vespasian east to Armenia to defend Rome's interests. In Armenia, Vespasian is captured. Immured in the oldest city on earth, how can he escape? And is a Rome ruled by Agrippina any safer than a prison cell? Rome's Lost SonBritannia, 45 AD: Vespasian's brother is captured by druids, who want to offer a potent sacrifice to their gods - not just one Roman Legate, but two. They know that Vespasian will come after his brother and they plan to sacrifice the siblings on Midsummer's Day. Meanwhile in Rome, Claudius' three freedmen remain at the focus of power. As Messalina's time as Empress comes to a bloody end, the three freedmen each back a different mistress. Who will be victorious? And at what price for Vespasian? BOOKS 4-6 IN THE VESPASIAN SERIES

    

    The ground is littered with the dead, but he finds one survivor, a woman named Bridget Decker. Jack gets her to a doctor in Cheyenne. He discovers the Wyoming Raiders, a band of outlaws, are the ones who attacked the wagon, and they want to make sure there are no witnesses. And now the Raiders know about Jack, too.Who will survive the deadly showdown?This is the third novelette in the Tombstone Jack series. It's 15,300 words of traditional western action designed to be read in one sitting. Enjoy! Don't miss the other Tombstone Jack adventures: Tombstone Jack Tombstone Jack and the Redwing Saloon

    As the storm clouds of war gather over Europe, a chain of events is set in motion which will reach across the decades to haunt the neglected place once known as Oyster Shore.A lifetime of regrets…In the winter of 1964 one of the richest men in England lies dying. Alone and consumed by guilt, Gerald Snowe leaves behind the dark secrets which have driven him to despair and his last wish is that restitution might be made. But who will remain on Oyster Shore long enough to hear the past whispering?A lost story…Over fifty years later, broken-hearted writer Lowenna Scott seeks solace in a remote riverside hideaway. Swirling mists and ghostly tales soon draw her into a decades’ old mystery and the company of the enigmatic Noah Wilson. When a long-concealed betrayal unexpectedly comes to light, Lowenna and Noah must look to the past to uncover the truth behind a love affair that changed history, haunts Oyster Shore and possesses the power to alter their own future forever…Taking the reader on a captivating journey through time, place and war, Oyster Shore is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and most of all hope.

     When the German war machine rolled over the Netherlands in May 1940, Titia Wetselaar Bozuwa was an eight-year-old girl living in the southern city of Breda. She wrote about her family’s endurance of that five-year Occupation in her memoir, In the Shadow of the Cathedral. In Defiance, her first work of fiction, she pays tribute to the many who defied the German Occupation. Challenging the expectations of Dutch society, Anna Smits enrolls as a medical student at Utrecht University. But in a country occupied by Nazi Germany, student life is not what Anna expected. Social clubs are closed; Jews are forbidden from attending schools; and in 1943, students are ordered to sign a declaration of loyalty to the occupying German government. Anna and her seven closest friends—the Group of Eight—refuse to sign. Inspired by a sermon about the Good Samaritan—a sermon that got the minister thrown into prison—the Group of Eight vows to help the victims of Hitler’s brutal regime. They hide Jews and provide them with fake IDs; they keep desperately needed medicines out of the hands of the Nazis; they raise funds for orphaned Jewish children. But as the war drags on and the Nazis’ hold tightens, the Group of Eight shrinks. The few that remain defiantly resist the ever-onerous Occupying force. But how can they fight the lawlessness with which the Germans shoot first and don’t bother with questions? How can they fight the devastating Hunger Winter of 1945? Anna clings to her beliefs and mission, aided by her remarkable grandmother, Baroness van Haersolte, as the country waits for liberation. But will they all survive that long?

    

    Living near the docks in Liverpool with two other families under the same roof, money for rent is a constant struggle and food is scarce. Made even more difficult by a lecherous gambler who refuses to pay his share of the rent.When their father succumbs to the 1849 cholera epidemic that sweeps through Liverpool, the young orphan’s situation becomes even more perilous. They are forced to do whatever they can to make their share of the food and rent.Robert grew up in privileged circumstances. That all changes when his father dies suddenly, leaving his estate tied up for months in probate. Robert has no other option but to seek employment at a former competitor of his fathers. The same family that employs Verdie.Robert is overjoyed.But Verdie is blinded by the amorous attentions of the household's handsome son, Carson.Trouble ensues, for everyone.Robert, with limited resources and influence, rises to the challenge to defend Verdie’s honor. Will it be enough to stop Carson from pursuing her? Can Robert’s fledging love for Verdie prevail?“Girl From the Docks” and all Catharine Dobbs' novellas are wholesome Victorian Romances.

    "Take some water," one of them said. Catherine shoved the cup aside, afraid she'd be sick. The floor rocked. The air smelled of the sea. She clambered to her feet, staggering, and fought the panic threatening to overwhelm her. He'd put her aboard a ship. Unlike the other women aboard ship, Catherine de Villeroy had assumed Fate intended her to live an aristocratic life of ease and luxury. Instead she is transported to a fetid jungle to be tied to a secretive stranger who reeks of pigs. Catherine's shipmate Marie Claude has had few expectations in life, and even they have been disappointed. When her only options become prostitution or starvation, Fate decrees she will become the wife of a stranger in a strange land. Even if her new husband is a cruel man, how can life not be better in this rough paradise of alligators and wild orchids? Agnes expected a life spent in her father's bookstore, perhaps married to a gentle, scholarly man. Betrayed and ruined, Agnes retreats into herself and hardly notices when she is transported to Louisiana. Married to a stranger who desires only an amenable bed partner, Agnes strives to stay present in her new life and to explore what more Fate allows a ruined woman.

     He rides into Bowie County to take over the ranch, hoping to leave his grim past behind him and find some sort of future for himself. But Jory soon discovers that taking over his uncle's path is no easy assignment. Land grabbing greed has overwhelmed the local ranchers, and Bowie County is rife with trouble. Jory's arrival brings things to a head and in no time at all, he finds himself up against Ben Sharkey – an expansionist rancher who is used to getting what he wants. But while the townsfolk lay the blame for recent troubles on Sharkey’s doorstep, Jory has suspicions about deeper undercurrents to the range war that threatens to erupt. Jory must get to the bottom of the mess amidst a quickly growing body count and in the face of mounting mortal perils. If Jory proves quick on the draw, he stands to find himself a sizeable homestead and a beautiful wife. But who amongst his friends can he depend upon? Will he end up losing everything that he holds dear? Bullets at Sunset is a classic western thriller – a captivating tale of gunslingers and cattle rustlers, of taciturn heroes and ruthless outlaws. Praise for Alan David ‘A classic of the genre’ - Tom Casey, bestselling author of Trade Off Alan David is a prolific writer of over 500 novels in a wide range of genres, from classic westerns, to historical thrillers. His other western novels include Fight or Die, Gun Hell, Gun Wages and Draw or Die.

    PERFECT FOR FANS OF 'CALL THE MIDWIFE', Jodi Picoult, Katie Flynn, Nadine Dorries & Rosie Goodwin it's about TWO WOMEN CAUGHT UP IN A PHARMACEUTICAL DISASTER . . Sandy an aspiring model has a one-night stand with a journalist that results in pregnancy. Shunned by her family, she quietly checks herself into a maternity home to wait out her pregnancy and prepare to have the baby adopted. Rona and her husband have been trying for a baby for years, but Rona is unable to conceive. When Sandy delivers a child disabled by thalidomide, Rona commits a terrible crime and makes a life-changing decision that will have dramatic consequences.Meanwhile, Sandy’s journalist lover stumbles upon the scoop of a century. As he investigates corruption entrenched in the company that developed thalidomide, he is surprised to reconnect with Sandy. He and Sandy feel drawn to each other, but both will have to confront old wounds if they want to be together. An interesting slice of social history which will stir every emotion within you.

     The Napoleonic wars are brought to life with grit and gunpowder in this trilogy of hugely popular novels: Strike the Red Flag, The Normandy Privateer and Dead Man's Island. With a clear knowledge of the period, McDine skillfully uses actual events in the Royal Navy’s history as the backdrop to Anson's swashbuckling adventures. For fans of Hornblower, Bolitho, Ramage or Aubrey, Oliver Anson will be your next naval hero. David McDine, OBE, is a former Admiralty information officer, Royal Navy Reserve officer and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, and the author of Unconquered: The Story of Kent and its Lieutenancy.

    High-spirited Lydia expects a very dull visit, but her sojourn to the village of Diddlington is not as idyllic as she anticipates . . .A charred and bludgeoned corpse is found in the woods, and suspicion falls on Lydia’s aunt’s suitor, an intriguing Frenchman. Convinced of his innocence, Lydia enlists the help of her new friend, John Savidge, to catch the real killer. But before their dangerous adventure ends there will be more than one unexpected discovery.

    Here she steps out of the shadows to tell her story: from fleeing the terrors of the Reformation to becoming a trusted spy for Queen Anne, to her own dangerous tumble in the king’s bed. In the political maze of the Tudor court, she can trust only one other person: a seemingly timid country girl named Jane Seymour, whose demure exterior masks a deeper ambition. But when it becomes clear that Jane is playing her own ruthless game to win the king’s affection – and Anne’s crown – will the web of betrayal be severed by the axe?

    He only stops travelling when he reaches Kent and there his life is dramatically altered, when he is adopted by a loving old lady and her roguish son Tom.

    War, secrets and betrayal cast a shadow over the Maclarens from the battlefield to the drawing-room. Young Andrew Maclaren, a brave yet sensitive soldier, faces the danger of conflicts in India and China. He must choose between the regiment he serves and the woman he loves. Willie Bruce, Andrew's childhood friend and fellow soldier, discovers loyalty is not always rewarded. Maud Westburn, beautiful but damaged, is the woman who loves them both. Will this love tear a family, and a regiment, apart? A sweeping saga about passion and honour, and the senseless brutality of war.