Speesh Reads Review. The North: 937AD - Three years have passed since the English king Athelstan bribed treacherous jarls to take Erik’s half-brother as king in Norway. Forced from his kingdom, Erik Bloodaxe returns to the Viking ways of his youth. Warlords are driven from Danish lands, Saxony burns, and Dublin falls to a brutal assault before the prow beasts of Erik’s fleet turn south to stalk the seas off Al-Andalus. As Erik’s reputation as a battle winner spreads his sons grow to manhood, and together they carve a new kingdom to rule from the islands which gird Britain’s north-west. But Bloodaxe is not alone in suffering the Imperial ambitions of the southern English, and when a half-remembered figure leads a Northumbrian deputation to the king’s Orkney fastness, events are set in motion which will lure Erik south to face his greatest test. The Raven and the Cross continues the turbulent story of Erik Haraldsson, a legendary king of the Viking Age. PRAISE FOR BOOK ONE - BLOODAXE This is historical fiction as it’s meant to be written…a writer at the peak of his craft. THE REVIEW Splendidly impressive, confident, and rich in incident and historical detail. SPEESH READS Exhilarating. HOOVER BOOK REVIEWS

    He's my brother, not my conscience. How do I tell him that it seems my own name, Charlotte Randolph, has come to mean "liar" and "traitor"? I'm supposed to be a good Southern woman, spying for the Confederate cause, and yet ever since Union soldiers took over my home, it's been difficult to remember that they're the enemy. I know Captain Ben Chandler, the general's aide-de-camp, suspects that I have secrets. What if he discovers the truth about little Alexander? What if he finds out that I take information to the Rebels? And what if he realizes that my interest in him is more than polite? Now that I've written it down, it's impossible to deny --- I've fallen in love with a Union officer ...

    After King Henry forgets his promise to uphold the Provisions of Oxford, a young, powerful Marcher Earl, Talon Montgomery joins forces with Simon de Montfort leading an all out rebellion. Thanks to Montgomery's strategies, Montfort wins the day and takes Henry and his son, Edward Longshanks, hostage to ensure the Provisions are followed. Montgomery rejoices, knowing the Provisions will bring justice and law to a nation. It is only after the battle does Montgomery learn his precious eight year old daughter, Rose, has been abducted. Talon Montgomery now faces a terrible choice, turn against his allies and against everything he believes in or face the murder of his daughter.A widower, Talon's daughter is all he has. Desperate to counter their hold over him and certain his dead wife's curse is exacting her vengeance, Talon abducts the daughter of his Welsh enemy, Gwenillian ap Powys, only to discover he has brought into his home a fiery spirit of a young, beautiful woman who refuses to be cowed.But Talon's counter means naught. He has picked the wrong enemy and Gwen's father orders the assassination of his own daughter, placing Talon squarely in the middle and the risk of dying himself should he decide to protect her.Talon cannot bear to see such a strong spirit destroyed but neither can he find his missing daughter. His desire for Gwen grows daily. How can he protect the young woman with a death writ over her head when he cannot find his own daughter?

    Five years ago, a masked man bearing that same tattoo saved her and the six children of the Marquess and Marchioness of Brady from a band of thieves. Now, Ellie’s “hero”—better known as the notorious Earl of Tumbridge— appears to be no more than a common cad. When this master of seduction and corrupter of virtue dares to sabotage her marital opportunities, it’s more than Ellie can bear. What Ellie does not yet understand is that the inked scoundrel has a reason for ruining her chances for love: He wants her all to himself…

    After realizing that his last three serious girlfriends all dated him for his money, he’s determined to meet a woman who has no idea how rich he really is. In the meantime, though, he’ll keep dating Charlene Magill, a woman who comes from a wealthy family herself, but is about as sharp as a bowling ball.Lena Magill is the director of the local homeless shelter. Born to wealth, she turned her back on the life her father expected her to lead (i.e., marry rich man, have babies, join committees, drink self into oblivion out of boredom), and chose her own path, which includes her own job, her own apartment, and her neurotic dog, Winston. Lena still keeps one foot in the world of high society to appease her father, but it’s not out of any love for the company, the expectations, or the scintillating conversation. And for now, she’ll keep dating Chase, even though he’s as cold as stone, and thinks that she has the brains of a mouse. It keeps her father out of her hair, and prevents him from setting her up with yet another man who has a thick wallet, but no personality.When Chase hatches the idea of volunteering at a local charity to meet women, and when he shows up at a local homeless shelter, the last person he expects to run into is Charlene. Especially a feisty, dusty, and very dedicated Charlene, who is equally shocked to find the icy and formal Chase Hamilton standing in her shelter’s basement. And wearing jeans, no less.Enter two meddling grandfathers, Lena’s controlling father and frequently inebriated stepmother, an attempt at a blackmailed marriage, Chase’s gold-digger-dating baggage out the wazoo, and a doozy of a misunderstanding, and it’s a wonder that the shelter is still standing, that Winston doesn’t have a doggy stroke, or that these two crazy people finally have a chance at love.

    Struggling to survive, Genevieve dances on the street for coins saving every coin she can to bring the family home.Frail and earning barely enough to stay alive, a fortuitous meeting brings Genevieve to the Mowbray’s Music Hall. Now with more earnings and regular employment, Genevieve puts her plan into action to deliver her siblings from the workhouse, yet soon discovers a jealous and bitter enemy set on her ruin. Now alone and fighting for her life, Genevieve is evicted from her humble home for a wrong she never committed and thrown onto the streets.Guy Chambers, a handsome and kind violinist, suspects Genevieve has seen more trouble in her life than she reveals. Careful never to frighten her, he gradually gains her trust and a fledgling love begins to bloom. When Genevieve disappears without a word, Guy is desperate to find her, and searches the streets and alleyways, but what he discovers brings him to the brink of despair.Will Genevieve be able to survive and bring her family home? Will Guy find her in time to save her? Or is all hope lost for their love, her family, and a future together?If you enjoy clean historical romance, you will love Nell Harte books.

    Her heart races whenever the handsome nobleman is near, but his overbearing wife is constantly playing the matchmaker with their foppish son. Kate and Christopher try to resist the temptation of their mutual attraction while striving to solve a perplexing mystery: who wanted the Lancasters dead- and why? Set in 18th century England, this historical mystery is laden with romantic tension and will keep readers guessing until the dramatic end.

    He killed them…. in the name of justice.” From Robert Hanlon, the bestselling author of “Texas Bounty Hunter,” “Bounty For The Preacher” and “Pecos Bounty Hunter” comes his best Western… “Clint Cain – Texan Avenger.” Vengeance, repentance and justice come in many forms. For Clint Cain, it comes in the form of his gun—a gun he knows how to use better than almost anyone else. Filled to the brim with action, adventure, plot twists and gunsight justice—Clint Cain is not a man to be crossed. This is a book filled with the dead, the dying and those who don’t get in his way—because those who do cross Clint Cain end up dead. Real dead. If you like your Westerns written in the style of A.H. Holt, Bruce G. Bennett and Paul L. Thompson—you will love “Clint Cain – Texan Avenger!” Download your copy today and start a read filled with action, adventure and drama—and the bodies of dead bad guys.

    ~Long and Short Reviews JENNY'S PASSION It was November 1863, and Captain David Reynolds of the Seventeenth Pennsylvania Cavalry was fully prepared to die. Someone had once told him that dying was quite painless. He didn’t believe it, though he secretly hoped it was true as he and his men prepared to ride into chaos and horror. The battle of Mine Run had begun. Jennifer Winston could hear the booming sounds of cannon fire miles away from her Virginia home. She knew that the war had begun two years ago but had been insulated from it all by her father. Little did she know that her life was about to irrevocably change, and she would be tested to the limits of her courage and endurance for a man—a man who was the enemy. LILA'S VOW Schoolteacher Lila Sutton finds her one true love when cavalryman Captain Jack Montgomery rides into Gettysburg. But their promises to be together mean nothing to the enemy, and when Lila receives word of Jack's death, she wants revenge. Imprisoned and desolate, Jack's only thoughts are of the love he left behind. With a future filled with turmoil and uncertainty, he can't see a way out. But he's a solider, and soldiers don't give up. In the midst of a brutal war, can a shattered love be restored?

    A ship he didn't want to join, on his way to a place he thought he'd never see...driven on by a vicious captain and sadistic first mate. By the time they reach the Pacific, Sam is no longer a boy but a young man hardened by ice, sea, and lash. A California that seemed a peaceful land becomes a caldron boiling over with danger and resentment. And Sam McCreed, now an expert with blade, musket, and reata, is a man on the prowl for vengeance...and he'll send any man who stands in his way straight to hell.

    But the Kansas territories are a difficult place, and Letty has to do what it takes to survive. Now, she’s the last saloon girl in the rough-and-tumble town of Lizard Flats, a place where happily ever after’s are nothing but a dream.

    The German army is rampant, and Lieutenant Scottsdale and the British Expeditionary Force are trapped. Yet amid the chaos, Scottsdale must rescue two French scientists trapped behind enemy lines. What they know will tilt the balance of war towards the Allies.The brilliant and mercurial Helene Dubois is in hiding with her frail uncle, as they flee the advancing German armies. They must be found, but pursuing them is Schiller, a ruthless SS Officer, who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape.As they are caught up in the bloody rearguard at Dunkirk, Scottsdale and Dubois will find love, tragedy, and triumph as they fight to escape Schiller, in a story perfect for fans of Ken Follett, Rory Clements and Robert Harris.

    

    The Nazis unleash their U-boats against the east coast and sink American ships. Young men overwhelm the recruiting offices and James Brand is determined to serve in the U.S. Navy and not in some research laboratory. He plans to become just another recruit, but his talents are known to most of the scientific community, including Einstein. The newly appointed Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet, Admiral King, needs all the help he can get, even when it comes in the form of an eighteen-year-old Professor of Physics. Join Brand and his team as they work to defeat the Nazis and help organize the war effort by using science, cunning and courage. The war will be long and deadly, but Brand and his team will help make victory possible.

    The Clans have made it to the Rock of the Ancients. Surrounded by the green abundance of their new world, they should feel safe now… But Attu and Rika are dreaming again. Fire surrounds Attu and he must paddle through it. And who is the mourning woman Rika sees? All the wisdom of the Seers can't stop Attu’s people from feeling that something very bad is about to happen. Have they reached the safety of land only to be threatened by something even more dangerous than ice bears and melting ocean? Blooded Ground is book two of the Clan of the Ice Mountains series, set in the prehistoric exciting world of Breakaway: Clan of the Ice Mountains.