The youngest son of a landowner offers her marriage but his brother seduces her little sister and then betrays her in the most brutal of ways. Susan faces losing everything.

    When his mentor suggested he find a wife, only one woman’s name came to mind. Lisbeth Stanfield cut herself off from the world when her husband passed away three years ago. She secluded herself on her farm, but her money ran out and she needed to find a new livelihood. Hours after she prayed for direction, Erich Samuelson appeared at her door and proposed a marriage of conveniences. As they come together for the sake of two young children, will love be the greatest gift this Christmas? In this heartwarming, historical Christmas novelette, USA Today Bestselling author Leah Atwood delivers an inspirational story of triumph over tragedy through faith, love, and Christmas joy. All Is Calm is a shorter story, just the right length to inject hope and cheer into your busy holiday schedule.

    They find somewhere to live in the industrial part of the city, full of glue and tanning factories, paint manufacturers and back-to-back housing along the river - the sky is filled with acrid smoke. For young wife and mother Ellen, it's the complete opposite of what she's used to . . . but at least here her husband finds a job in a seed-crushing mill to support them and their small children.But there are many others in search of a home too - in the late nineteenth century many refugees were escaping from Poland and Germany, landing in Hull and either settling there or moving on to other cities or ships bound for America. Ellen befriends one family and offers them shelter . . .Everyone is looking for a place to call home.Val Wood's wonderful historical sagas are perfect for readers of Dilly Court, Maggie Hope and Rosie Goodwin.

    The Normandy coastal village of Caillons is under German occupation, its villagers struggling to survive. With her husband forced into compulsory service for the German Reich, Jeanne Dupré, mother of two adolescent daughters, risks everything to lead the local Resistance cell.Life becomes even more dangerous with the arrival of British agent Daniel Benedict. He needs Jeanne's help to complete his mission, vital to Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings. But Jeanne is suspicious that they are not fighting for the same outcome. Their joint foe is Jürgen Graf, a Nazi oberleutnant set on wiping out the local Resistance. Aware that a spy is at large, Graf is on a ruthless mission to hunt Benedict down. With the help of a network of Catholic priests, Benedict penetrates the heart of the Nazis’ defences against Allied invasion, the Atlantic Wall. As the lives of Jeanne and Benedict become increasingly intertwined can they stay true to themselves? Will they have to sacrifice all in their fight for freedom..? ‘Villa Normandie’ is a moving historical novel, presenting an accurate picture of life under Nazi occupation. It is thoroughly detailed, meticulously researched and vividly authentic - depicting the turbulent world of the French resistance and the struggle of the French people for freedom.

    The map is worn at the folds--sometimes right through--and so place names are missing first letters or last or have a hole through the middle. We carry those maps with us always, and this map is mine--an island on the edge of the world and beyond it a place of dragons and sunken cities with bells that still ring a thousand years on... So begins Where Butterflies Dream, the fifth book in the award-winning Exit Unicorns series. The story opens in the winter of 1978 when Casey Riordan returns from three years in exile to find the world he left behind has changed. With little knowledge of his past, he fears the secrets which might well bring danger to his family, and the question he must answer for himself--whether a man can ever truly return home when he is no longer the man he once was. Pamela Riordan has grieved her lost husband for three long years but has forged a new life for herself in his absence. Still scarred from the violence which has so recently visited her, she wants only to keep her family safe and to find an oasis of peace in which to raise them. But in Northern Ireland peace always comes at a price. Jamie Kirkpatrick is forced to deal with the ghosts of his past in order to save his present, and the fragile happiness he has only just found. Casey's return forces all three to confront the ideas of what love means, what makes a family and how one copes with a history that weighs heavily upon the future. Even as they navigate the new territory of their personal lives, history keeps moving onward and all will be drawn into the the political maelstrom of the Irish Troubles. The storm will spread beyond the boundary of family to a new generation caught up in the tides of history, their fates rushing toward a merciless shore. Where Butterflies Dream is the story of a family, a people, a country and of that most mysterious territory of all--the geography of the human soul.

    But before she is ready to take her place, the unthinkable happens. Rhybac's king is dead; the kingdom is in chaos. War breaks out and their enemies out of the Sands are circling for the kill. She chooses to become a Qi'advisor, although still untried.As Qi'advisor to a duke, she must risk her life to negotiate with the greed, the treachery one of the dukes, and the desperation that fuels the war in order to reveal what others cannot or refuse to see. The fate of Rhybac, its people, and even its enemies are in her young hands.

    When she is offered the opportunity to move to Texas as a mail-order bride, she jumps at the chance, hoping to be able to start a new life. Her new husband, and her new home, aren’t everything she dreamed they would be, and she must learn to adjust to life as a married woman. Abner Phelps has wanted a wife for years, but none of the women in Nowhere, Texas will give him the time of day. When he approaches Edna Petunia Sanders about finding him a bride, she immediately agrees to send away for a mail-order bride for him. When his new bride arrives, she’s everything he dreamed she could be. Will he be able to convince her that he is her one and only love? Or will she spend the rest of her life pining for what she doesn’t have?

    Her clothing suggests she comes from a wealthy family, but Lottie's back bears the scars of a severe beating, and how she came to be on a cargo ship in the first place remains a mystery . . . Arnie and his wife already have two young children, Matt and Tom, but are desperate to keep Lottie. They decide to foster her, despite outcries from the local community, and though Matt appears hesitant to get close to Lottie, Tom quickly warms to the new sister in his life. But when tragedy strikes the very heart of the Lanroska family, the repercussions could change the lives of everyone close to them . . .A nostalgic and heart-warming family saga, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Margaret Dickinson

    Her destination, the famous Scotland Road, was noisome and terrifying and a far cry from the clean air and flowing rivers of the only country she had known, Ireland. When she met her middle-aged bridegroom, Sam Bell, whose twin sons were older than she was, her sense of isolation only increased. Anthony, one of her so-called stepsons, also held out the strong hand of friendship, but Liam, the favourite of his father, had the power to terrify her. Liam was cold, compelling, mysterious and antagonistic. He was also a priest.

    If Angela sings—even speaks—she could ruin her voice for good, but she faces another threat: falling hard for Rudy, her first love, the man she abandoned to follow her career. Over the next few days the three will meet again in Winkler, the small town where the Ridgetop festival takes place. All three will be forever changed. All three will run for their lives

    First, a mysterious woman from Swansea, Wales seeks Holmes' help finding her husband who has disappeared in the middle of the night. As soon as she leaves, Holmes receives word that there has been a prison riot with several dead and a few inmates missing. Lestrade is asking for his services. Holmes believes the two cases are not a coincidence, but he has no idea who is behind it and to what end. They go to Swansea in what could be either a wild goose chase or a setup. Will Holmes unravel the mystery before they get to Swansea? If not what will be in store for them when they step off the train?

    Their first day out reveals how wrong he is and the perilous dangers of the Santa Fe Trail.It would have been a massacre but for Trent and Pat MacLeod.Trent favors a Sharps .50 caliber buffalo rifle, while his younger brother Pat packs two Texas Navy Colts. They both prove deadly and a force to be reckoned with.The Cowans and the McLeod brothers’ forge a bond those first few days, sustained in part by Trent’s attraction to the eighteen-year-old Becky Cowan. His overtures are not returned.The brothers join the Cowans on their hazardous journey west as they face harsh conditions, bandits and Indian attacks. Will their oxen survive the trip? Will the man Bruce Cowan is fleeing catch up with them? Should they take the Cimarron Cutoff through the desert or stick with the Santa Fe Trail through the mountains?Even with the help of Trent and Pat, the Cowans are forced to learn quickly to survive the rigorous demands of the Wild West.

    Poor Sylvie blames herself for the accident and Millie needs all her strength to comfort her children and overcome her grief. Then Pete's will is read and further heartache lies in store...Meanwhile, Pete's younger brother and his good-for-nothing sons try to take control of the family business, but they've underestimated Millie's indomitable spirit. She's worked in Maynard's perfume laboratory for eighteen years and is determined to protect her husband's legacy no matter what obstacles are thrown in her way...

    The appearance and contents of this proof may not resemble the finished book and under no circumstances may it or any of its contents be reproduced before publication of the finished book without the publisher's consent.'Comes with a set of five artwork postcards introducing the reader to four of the main characters.

     For more Information please visit: http://1888novel.blogspot.co.uk/PLEASE NOTE: As of January 2nd, 2013, this book has been comprehensively edited and proofread to address some of the concerns that have been raised in the reviews below.