Book picks similar to
Moonshine by Johanna Craven


18th-century
historical-fiction
freebies
prequel

Lord of the Atlas


Colin Falconer - 2021
    Purely an advisory role, they are told.Harry Delhaze is on a lonely path to self-destruction; George Marriott has promises to keep. It seems to them like the easiest money they’ll ever make.They couldn’t be more wrong.They are forced to battle frostbite in the Atlas Mountains and endure the baking deserts of the sub-Sahara; they are traded, kidnapped, and used as pawns in high-stakes political rivalries; they encounter women who worship cannons for fertility and magician-warlords who talk to the dead and play bloody games of chess with living slaves; and the three muzzle-loading cannon the Sultan has hired them to command are antiques that could explode in their faces at any moment.Then there is the Lord of the Atlas himself, Amastan el-Karim, who harbors a shocking secret that could cost them both their lives – or give one of them a reason to live again.An epic historical adventure that evokes the beautiful and the barbaric of nineteenth century Morocco that transports the reader to a now-lost world of ancient medinas, crumbling palaces, and wild mountain passes.

Drums Along the Khyber


Philip McCutchan - 1969
    James Ogilvie is the third generation.Pitchforked with mixed feelings into imperial Britain’s elite military academy, Sandhurst, and then into the family regiment, he finds himself in 1894 a subaltern en route to India – a torrid journey out that teaches him the first lessons of military life and the command of men.His initiation is made more difficult by the vindictive attentions of the adjutant, Captain Black, and by the high expectations placed on him by his own irascible father, his Divisional Commander on the North West Frontier of India.Ogilvie gets his first taste of action when the Royal Strathspeys are sent through the Khyber Pass to contain the rebel Ahmed Khan outside Jalalabad. Fighting the border tribesmen brings brushes with death, but also many opportunities for the kind of glory that can forge a distinguished military career. But as the campaign goes on, Ogilvie also starts to doubt the entire Imperial project.‘Drums Along the Khyber’ is a thrilling historical adventure story, rich in period detail. It is the first in the Ogilvie series of novels by Philip McCutchan. ‘The adventure-writer succeeds who makes you read faster than you really can…Drums Along the Khyber has something of this quality’ – The Sunday Times Philip McCutchan (1920-1996) grew up in the naval atmosphere of Portsmouth Dockyard and developed a lifetime's interest in the sea. Military history was an early interest resulting in several fiction books, from amongst his large output, about the British Army and its campaigns, especially in the last 150 years.Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

The Eight-Shilling Girl


Faye Godwin - 2021
    

The Traveler


Don Coldsmith - 1991
    Now he is the Storyteller, weaving long-ago tales and trading as he traverses the lands of the People. Married to the beautiful Plum Leaf, the Storyteller sets out on the great adventure that will be his own life. He witnesses the changes the white men have brought--the taking of scalps, the preying of brother upon brother, the knives made of shiny, smooth metal. He journeys far and wide, to the land of the buffalo and to the heart of an enchanting young captive named Pale Star, who will be his shinning light and destiny in the dark days ahead. He is known by many names to those he meets in the wilderness: Storyteller, trader, Traveler--and one day he will become a legend as the half-man, half-spirit called the Watcher.

Fargo


John Benteen - 1969
    Fargo lives with a gun in his fist. Guns and killing are all he knows. And Fargo likes what he knows. Want to start a revolution? Want to stop one? Send for Fargo. Want to blow a bridge, stage a prison break, rob a bank? Fargo's your man. The Army taught Fargo how to kill with pistol, rifle, machine gun. He became an expert with knives, shotguns and women on his own time. Fargo hates the quiet life. He knows he's going to get it sooner or later. He hopes it won't be too much later because he wouldn't know how to be old and comfortable. So while it lasts, Fargo plans to grab the world by the throat and take what he wants. If the world doesn't like that, it can try to stop him ... if it can.

Treasure of the Mayan King


Alex Zabala - 2012
    Chauncy Rollock is an amiable archaeologist with just the right knack for solving logic problems. And the Mexican Military captain Gustavo De Leon is tired of fighting corruption at all levels of government. All three men and their families become entangled in the secret of the Mayan Riddle found on the steps of a newly discovered pyramid. Those who would use the treasure for personal gain are never far from their goal and must be stopped at all costs.The Yucatan will never be the same.Treasure of the Mayan King is a clean action-adventure novel that is safe and enjoyable for the whole family to read. “If you like Indiana Jones, you’ll love this book!”From the back cover:A violent tropical storm has uncovered a previously unknown Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula. On the steps of this temple lies a riddle that leads to the hidden treasure of a great Mayan king. One man, the French linguist Dr. Sova, believes he knows the secrets of the riddle. But his efforts to find it are cut short and the information falls into the hands of unscrupulous people. The race is on to see who will be the first to find the treasure of the Mayan king!

Mahoney: A Novel


Andrew Joyce - 2019
    From the first page to the last, fans of Edward Rutherford and W. Michael Gear will enjoy this riveting, historically accurate tale of adventure, endurance, and hope. In the second year of an Gorta Mhór--the Great Famine--nineteen-year-old Devin Mahoney lies on the dirt floor of his small, dark cabin. He has not eaten in five days. His only hope of survival is to get to America, the land of milk and honey. After surviving disease and storms at sea that decimate crew and passengers alike, Devin's ship limps into New York Harbor three days before Christmas, 1849. Thus starts an epic journey that will take him and his descendants through one hundred and fourteen years of American history, including the Civil War, the Wild West, and the Great Depression. Mahoney is recommended for fans of Barbara Kingsolve, Herman Wouk, Cormac McCarthy, Ayse Kulin, Frank Delany, James Michener, William Kent Krueger, and Louis L'Amour's The Sacketts series.

The Magic of Starlight


Anita Stansfield - 2021
    With only her few possessions, she flees her former life with no thought of returning. What she discovers upon her arrival at Rookhaven Hall, however, is quite different from what she anticipated. When the enigmatic Lord Edmond Rookburne returns from his long travels in India, the handsome widower shocks the household with the addition of three young children. They are not his lordship’s own blood but are Indian orphans left in his care. As their nanny, all Elsie sees is the desperate need of the traumatized little ones. She sets to work enveloping them in love and concern, and Edmond is immediately drawn in by Elsie’s exceptional warmth. Working together as unlikely caretakers, they forge a genuine friendship. But when they find themselves spiraling toward a forbidden romance, both Edmond and Elsie know that a life together would be impossible. For Edmund, the constraints of Society are absolute. But for Elsie, it is the secret of her past that ensures their love can never be.

Callum's Compass: Journey to Love


Sara L. Foust - 2021
    She blames herself. Ryan Jenkins's fiancée was murdered. He couldn’t protect her. With the death of her brother, Kat believes she is unworthy of love from anyone—even God. When a good friend elicits a promise that she will stop living in the past, then leaves her clues to a real-life treasure hunt, Kat embarks on an adventure chock-full of danger. To find the treasure, Kat will have to survive wild animals—and even wilder men. Can she rely on Ryan, the handsome wildlife officer assigned to protect her … without falling in love? Ryan swore off love when his fiancée was murdered, but feelings long buried rise to the surface around Kat. He volunteers to help with her treasure hunt, vowing to keep her safe. Together they venture deep into caves and tunnels … and even deeper into the depths of their unplumbed hearts.

Bhima


Vikas Singh - 2015
    I am the mightiest warrior of mytime. I have violated my dharma and murdered a man in cold blood.I have, single-handed, wiped out a whole generation of my kinsmen.I have committed acts of unspeakable brutality on the battlefield.I have done it all for the love of one woman. A woman who lovesmy brother.I am Bhima, the second Pandava. This is my story.Possessed of amazing strength, fierce loyalty and greattenderness, Bhima as a character is almost always eclipsedby Yudhishtira and Arjuna. In spite of his many virtues,he is destined to be remembered as all brawn and biceps.Now, in Vikas Singh’s retelling of the Mahabharata,India’s greatest epic is narrated through the eyes of ahero who has never got his due. A fascinating accountof a fascinating character—his extraordinary courage,his obsessive love for Draupadi, his deeply conflictedemotions about his brother, Arjun—this stunning work,written in a racy, entertaining style, provides the definitiveanswer to the question: What was it like to be Bhima?

The House at Ladywell


Nicola Slade - 2017
    Unknown to Freya, these women, over centuries, fought with whatever weapons came to hand – deception, endurance, even murder – to preserve their home and family.Freya falls in love with the house, but her inheritance includes an enigmatic letter telling her to ‘restore the balance’ of the Lady’s Well. Besides this, the house seems to be haunted by the scent of flowers.In the past, the Lady’s Well was a place of healing, and Freya soon feels safe and at home, but she has demons of her own to conquer before she can accept the happiness that beckons.

A Last Goodbye


Dee Yates - 2018
    In time they're joined by rugged farmhand Tom, come to lend some muscle to Ellen's ageing father, who has begun to find sheep farming hard to manage alone. Almost inevitably romance grows between Ellen and the new arrival but once married however, Ellen discovers that Tom has a brutish side to his character. As war in Europe spreads, she begins to dream of him leaving for the trenches as a way for her to escape.Even with Tom fighting abroad however, the family can not hide from the realities of war as a group of POWs are brought to their valley to build a reservoir. And amongst the men, sworn enemies and shunned by all the locals, Ellen finds a gentler heart that she finds difficult to resist...

A Rift in Time (Time Loop Book 3)


Clark Graham - 2019
    No sooner had she asked than a light from the outside of the house illuminated the bedroom. Dalton stood up and grabbed his pistol from the drawer. “It’s bad news. It’s the time machine.” Senator James has sent the time machine back to rescue Adalwolf Dalton, only, he doesn't want to be rescued. Now, he must figure out how to stop them from building the time machine in the future so they won’t irreparably damage the timeline and destroy all their lives. “It doesn’t work. Without Hitler, the communists come to power. The United States is attacked on all sides. The timeline is a nightmare. No, Hitler must stay alive.” “What about stopping the holocaust?” Dalton shook his head. “Far worse things happen to the Jews under the communists.” “I don’t believe that. Listen, come back with me and you can explain everything to them.” Dalton felt Mary come up behind him. He swallowed hard. Senator James had the time machine, he had to stop him, one way or another. “No, this ends here. I can’t let you go back.” He pointed the gun at Phillip.

Fortune's Soldier


Alex Rutherford - 2018
    On board, he meets the spirited and mercurial Robert Clive, determined – at whatever cost – to make a fortune in a land of opportunity.Over the years that follow, their friendship sees many twists and turns as Clive’s restless hunger for wealth and power takes him from being a clerk to a commander in the Company’s forces, masterminding plans to snuff out rival French interests in Hindustan and eventually leading the company forces to victory at Plassey, the prelude to nearly two centuries of foreign rule in Hindustan.Brilliantly crafted, and bringing to life the momentous events that shook India in the mid-eighteenth century, Fortune’s Soldier is an epic tale of a fascinating era by a master storyteller.

The Hill


Ray Rigby - 1965
     A new batch of prisoners have just arrived in British detention camp 3599. Among them is Stevens, puny, effeminate and psychologically weak. The prisoners are both entertained and repulsed by his bizarre outbursts and cries for help; his frailty initially disgusts them but soon becomes an alarming call for help. Stevens shares Cell 8 with fellow new arrivals Bartlett, the old lag, Bokumbo, tough West African, McGrath, hardened Scottish fighter and Roberts, a warrant officer who refused to go into a suicidal action. The clash of personalities beneath the brutal lust for power of a staff sergeant generates a savage tension. The mental torture Stevens is forced to endure leaves the other cell members speechless and full of hatred for a military system that they had once been part of. Eventually, they put their differences to one side and decide there is something else worth fighting for. The hot sun of Egypt permeates every thought and action, and the steep hill - over which prisoners have to run at the double with full kit - burns into the consciousness of every man. Finally, the pitiless indifference shown by the authorities leads to a shocking denouement. This is a brutal story of British detention camp and one man’s sadistic lust for power. Praise for Ray Rigby: ‘The most spectacularly powerful novel since Bridge over the River Kwai…a crescendo of excitement’ – The New York Times Ray Rigby was an English novelist and playwright. ‘The Hill’ was turned into a blockbuster film starring Sean Connery and Michael Redgrave. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.