Book picks similar to
The Rose of Lancaster County, The Complete Series by Murray Pura
clean-reads
clean-romances
culture-society
historical-fiction
Aztec Odyssey: Historical Action Adventure
Jay C. LaBarge - 2020
Wracked by plague and war, the majestic Aztec empire begins to crumble. As their beloved capital city falls to the ruthless Spaniards and hordes of vengeful tribes, the Aztecs make a last-ditch attempt to secretly save their heritage before it’s lost to the sands of time forever.Meanwhile in the modern day, a string of high-profile robberies lays waste to archaeological sites and museums across Mesoamerica, overshadowed by a brewing nationalistic fervor which threatens to topple already fragile countries. Rumors say the artifacts hold the secret to a legendary myth—The Seven Cities of Cibola—which has concealed countless treasures for centuries.Faced with unraveling the mysteries of both the present and the past, aspiring archaeologist Nick LaBounty embarks on a dangerous mission to solve a long-held family mystery and discover the truth behind the stolen artifacts.He soon finds his fate irreversibly entangled with a civilization from over five hundred years ago. But time is running out, and the future of both a fabulous treasure—and all Central America—teeters precariously in the balance.
UNHOLY INNOCENCE
Stephen Wheeler - 2010
Richard the Lionheart is dead and his brother John has just been crowned King of England. John travels to St Edmund’s abbey in Suffolk to give thanks for his accession. His visit coincides with the murder of a twelve-year-old boy whose mutilated body bears the marks of ritual sacrifice and martyrdom. This isn’t the first time such a thing has happened. Eighteen years earlier another child was murdered in the town in similar circumstances. Abbot Samson needs to find out if this is indeed another martyrdom or just an ordinary murder and appoints the abbey’s physician, Master Walter, to investigate. Walter discovers a web of intrigue and corruption involving some of the highest in the land but unbeknown to him his own past holds a secret which will put his life in danger before the final terrible solution is revealed.
Monday's Child
Linda Finlay - 2016
But when she was summoned to help out at Red Cliffs - a haven for poverty-stricken children from the cities - by her godfather Samuel she also found her own second chance within its walls. Now she will do anything to help the mischievous, loveable children there. Especially Monday whose continued silence tears at her heart.But with Samuel's health failing and his grasping nephew Christian eager to inherit, Red Cliffs is under threat. Sarah needs to fight - the children need her, and surprisingly she find she needs them. Will she be able to save the school and protect the little girl she's come to love so much, the one she's named Monday's Child?Monday's Child is the first in the Red Cliff Ragged School series, soon to be followed by Orphans and Angels.
Praise for Linda Finlay
'Warm and atmospheric, you can practically taste the sea breeze' The Express'Take time out for a page-turner about family mysteries and betrayal' Take-a-Break'A compelling saga . . . with a surprising and emotional ending which weaves together the storylines in a most satisfying way. Strongly recommended and a great read on a Cornish holiday' cjbrownecrimewriter.com'A captivating and emotional novel about a strong woman struggling to find her own way in the world when others wish to see her fail' Winstone Books
The Useful Idiot: A Chilling New Thriller set in Stalin's Soviet Union
John Sweeney - 2020
a gem of a novel' Robert Dinsdale Moscow, 1932. Gareth Jones, a young Welsh reporter, arrives in the Soviet Union excited to see for himself how Josef Stalin is forging a new civilisation. He meets American and British journalists who acclaim Stalin’s great experiment – but when Jones witnesses people starving to death in Ukraine, his belief in the Soviet revolution is shattered. He must decide whether to report the truth or become just another useful idiot, saying only what the Communist secret police allow and smothering the evidence of his own eyes. In this special kind of hell, anyone could be an informer, and Jones knows his life will be at risk if he is even thought to be defying Stalin. And when the woman he loves falls under the suspicion of the secret police, everything Jones values is in danger. Can he reveal the terrible truth about the Ukrainian famine to the world, or will he be silenced forever? THE USEFUL IDIOT is the secret history of the first great Soviet lie – wrapped up in an electrifying novel perfect for readers of Robert Harris, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth, John le Carré and Kate Atkinson. As Vladimir Putin rewrites the Nazi-Soviet pact and with the horrors of Chernobyl and the Cold War so recent, this thriller of fake news in 1932 is real storytelling of enormous significance. *** John Sweeney is an award-winning journalist and a former long-serving BBC reporter. He is the author of eleven books, including three novels: the 200,000-copy bestseller ELEPHANT MOON, another historical thriller based on true events, two modern-day political thrillers, COLD and ROAD, an investigation into the Church of Scientology, THE CHURCH OF FEAR, an account of his time spent undercover in North Korea, NORTH KOREA UNDERCOVER. He tweets from @johnsweeneyroar.
Rachel's Loss (Rachel Miller Book 1)
Hannah Schrock - 2020
Rachel Miller lost her mother when she was only seven years old. At that young age she didn’t really understand why her mother had died or why God had taken her from this earth, but she did understand the sadness in her father’s eyes. Noah Miller loved his wife more than life itself, but left with a little girl to care for he feels lost. His daughter’s questions are questions he doesn’t have the answers to and no amount of prayer gives him the answers he needs. Feeling lost amidst a storm of heartache and grief, Noah knows he needs to find Rachel a new mother. At first Rachel is excited when her father announces she’ll have a new mother. But things aren’t as they seem and soon Rachel learns that not all women love children and some women can be deceitful without remorse. Feeling even more lost and unwelcome in her own home, Rachel is left with only one option, to run away. Will Noah realize that his new wife is driving his daughter away from home? Can Rachel cope with losing another parent? Find out now in this sweet Amish novel that deals with real emotions as Rachel and Noah try to find their way back to each other and their faith.
Capturing Sir Dunnicliffe
Rebecca King - 2013
The feelings Miss Harriett Ponsonby stirs in him are less than welcome, but when he is left battling for his life, he has no option but to seek the help of the one woman who stirs his soul. The very last thing he wants or needs is to feel any attraction toward the delightfully intriguing Miss Harriett Ponsonby, especially when it appears that her father is involved with the spy smugglers Hugo has been sent to arrest. Torn between his desire for Harriett, and his duties as a member of the Star Elite, decisions don't come more difficult for Hugo when someone tries to take her life, and he finds himself becoming her bodyguard! Can he really send his future father-in-law to jail if he is guilty of spy smuggling? Will his obligation to carry out his orders cost him the hand of the only woman who has ever come close to touching this battle-hardened warrior's heart? Can they identify not only one, but two murderers in time to prevent another death? Book one of the brand new Star Elite series introduces one of England's elite fighting units as they battle to protect England's borders from French spies, murderers, smugglers and thieves while they battle with the demons on the past, and the women who will change their lives forever. Book 2 - Smuggler's Glory released 20th November 2013. Book 3 - His Lady Spy released January 2014.
Rescued by a Wicked Lord
Emily Honeyfield - 2021
Her impetuous younger sister has run away with a wicked man, leaving all of their futures hanging in the balance. She must be found and brought home, at once. When Jenny’s father suggests working alongside the son of an old family friend, she is violently resistant. For she knows the alluring Harry Wycliff of old and he has always been her enemy. She cannot work with him, even for the sake of her beloved sister. Can she?A race through the dark streets of London to find a fallen lady begins...Lord Harry Wycliff is no happier to be saddled with the spirited and stubborn Jenny Rayment than she is to be saddled with him. He only agreed to help find her sister as a favour to her family. He has always teased and tormented the enthralling Jenny and he certainly doesn’t like her any more than she likes him. Working side by side to find her errant sister is going to be a complete nightmare... is it not?Hidden passion cannot be denied forever though...As Jenny and Harry traverse the seedy streets of London, they discover they perhaps don’t know each other as well as they thought they did. The strange, fiery attraction that has most inexplicably arisen between them is real... but could it ever last when they started out as enemies? Yet just when it seems like Jenny might finally trust Harry, the world is turned upside down, once again...
Catrina's Return: Victorian saga
AnneMarie Brear - 2012
A life altering event led Catrina Davies to hide from her family and society. Alone in The Highlands she exists in a lonely world cared for only by her savior, a kind old gentleman. When she receives a surprise visitor, Travis Millard, the man she used to love, her head and heart are thrown into turmoil. Travis is determined to save her from this poor life and return her to her family where she belongs. No one is more surprised than he when she agrees to marry him. When Catrina arrives back at her family estate, Davmoor Court in Yorkshire, she is stunned to see the changes. While her father clings to life, Davmoor is nearly ruined by her brother's gambling obsession, and there is something strange about his new wife. As Catrina adjusts to her regained position in society and being with Travis, her marriage comes under attack from Travis's grandmother, who has her own secrets and reason for loathing the Davies family. When one of her brother's adversaries comes to stake his claim on the estate, the resulting chaos threatens not only Catrina's home, but the very lives of those she loves the most. Can she find the strength to fight once more for the right to be happy?
Lady Catherine & the Black Sheep Duke
Charity McColl - 2017
Kate decides to become a governess and she and her sisters are delighted when she is hired by the Duke of Chelmsford, who agrees to let the Sawyer sisters live on the estate. But the Duke has his own motives for his decision. When he tries to force himself upon her younger sister, Kate threatens to kill him. Two days later, the Duke is dead and his grandmother wants a quick trial and hanging, with Catherine on the end of the rope. But the new Duke, Marcus Creighton, the black sheep of the family, is unconvinced that the lovely, gentle governess is a murderess and he’s determined to solve the murder and save Catherine from the gallows. As he delves deeper into past family secrets, his efforts to save the woman he has fallen in love with puts his own life in danger.
The Raven Hovers: An unmissable novel of war and family secrets
Teresa Crane - 1997
An extraordinary novel from Teresa Crane, author of the bestselling The Italian House Stefan and Marik Anderson: two men bound together by blood and divided by a hatred sown since birth... Stefan, the illegitimate outcast, has lived a tough and difficult life on the wild Essex marshes: Marek, diffident and intelligent, has been brought up in easy and affluent London.It is only with the outbreak of the Second World War that their lives change. As the conflict rages around them Stefan, a hero of the Polish partisan movement, and Marek reluctantly embark on a secret mission to support the cause and uncover the Nazi’s ‘retailiation weapon’. Yet still the bitter past is a source of discord.Danusia, Stefan's lover and fellow freedom-fighter is startled and intrigued by their enmity. And it is to Marek she confides a secret that she knows will cost her her life if Stefan should discover it...
A novel of war, love and desperate secrets, The Raven Hovers will keep you gripped until the very end. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Katie Fforde
and
Nicola Cornick.
The Anchoress of Chesterfield (Chesterfield 04)
Chris Nickson - 2020
An Amish Schoolroom: Three Stories
Amy Clipston - 2021
She stays with handsome Glen Troyer’s family, and they become close. However, she never intended to stay in Colorado, and his family worries Glen may choose to follow her back to Pennsylvania or be left with a broken heart. Now she can’t bear to think of leaving Glen and her beloved students, but she’s beginning to feel like she’s out of options. Will Laurel and Glen push through the obstacles and fight for love?
A Lesson on Love
by Kathleen Fuller Priscilla Helmuth left her Amish community twelve years ago to pursue her dream of being a country singer, but she’s missed her faith and her family. Now, she’s moving to Birch Creek to be a schoolteacher. Micah Wagler recently moved there as well to put the past behind him. As the community comes together to build a new schoolhouse, Priscilla and Micah are thrown together. They bond over their love of music, but soon it appears that Priscilla’s dreams of fame just might be coming true. She has to give up something, and Micah worries that it will be their faith . . . and his heart.
Wendy’s Twenty Reasons
by Shelley Shepard Gray Wendy Schwartz is used to people underestimating her, but she’s sure she can be a great teacher. Unfortunately, it’s a disaster not long after she starts, and soon her job is in jeopardy. To make matters more complicated, she worries that she’s falling for the son of the older couple she’s boarding with. Lewis Weaver knows he shouldn’t have a romantic relationship with a tenant, but he can’t help but be drawn to Wendy. When a dangerous ice storm traps Wendy in the schoolroom with her students, uncomfortable truths will have to be faced by the town that just might change the future for everyone. Sweet Amish novellas with happily-ever-aftersBook length: 75,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
Holy Shroud
J.A. Bouma - 2018
A sacred relic. A religious belief under siege.
Silas Grey—ex-Army Ranger, professor of religious studies, and leading relics expert—is on the verge of rocking the religious and nonreligious alike with scientific proof of the Church’s central belief: Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Proof he believes has been hidden all along within the Shroud of Turin, the Christian relic purported to be the burial cloth of Jesus.But a series of suspicious deaths and devastating attacks not only threaten Silas’s shocking announcement and those close to him. They are a sign of an even greater threat reemerging from the shadows of history.Coming to his aid is the Order of Thaddeus, a religious order that has been battling for the very survival of the Church since its birth. Soon it becomes clear that an ancient cultic enemy has risen to once again wage war against the Church and destroy the Christian faith—beginning with its most sacred relic and teaching. Spanning the globe from Washington to Paris to Jerusalem, Silas and the Order combine forces to plunge into a desperate mission for the very survival of the Church and all it holds dear.
Can they preserve the memory of its central belief before its archenemy erases it forever?
Holy Shroud is the first book in the inventive bestselling Order of Thaddeus action-adventure thriller series leveraging the familiar conspiracy suspense and special-ops thrill of James Rollins, wrapped in the historical insight of Steve Berry and inspiration of Ted Dekker.Embark on this new action-packed adventure by emerging author J. A. Bouma that combines faith, fact, and fiction like few religious writers—delivering a “highly entertaining” and “compelling” page-turner people have all agreed “you won't want to put it down!”
For Want of a Penny
Fenella J. Miller - 2016
A family tragedy means Sarah is forced to go into service at Grey Friars House as an under nursery-maid. Meanwhile her younger brother Alfie, to avoid being taken into the workhouse, runs away to London to seek his fortune. Although the situation wasn’t of her making Sarah thrives, but just as she is becoming established in the household her past returns to shatter her happy life and she is dismissed without references. Alfie arrives in London but is tricked and sold to work as a slave on a coal barge. However, eventually he prospers and begins to make himself a better life. 'One Good Turn' the second and final part of this series will be published in July.
Death by Dancing: a 1930s Cozy Murder Mystery (A Higgins & Hawke Mystery Book 4)
Lee Strauss - 2021
Haley Higgins is surprised to discover the deceased is the widow of a man whose body still lay in the cold cabinets of her morgue. She has reasons to believe the man’s death wasn’t natural, and now, with his wife having succumbed to the same symptoms, her convictions of foul play are stronger than ever.With the help of investigative reporter Samantha Hawke, Haley works to determine which contestants in the dancing contest had means, motive, and opportunity. And most of all, how to keep the killer from striking again.