It is a dark and cruel place for the workers on this farm. The master, Archie McLachlan, causes fear to run through the hearts of the slaves, except for one woman who speaks up deliberately and without fear whenever she wishes. Her name is Soola, and she fast becomes leader of the slaves and friend to the master's wife Gertrude. The friendship forms a triangle of competition, love, and hatred as "Massa Archie" becomes more and more dangerous, even towards his own son Robert and Soola's son John, even to a point where Soola begins to understand the meaning of fear. But, together, the leaders of the second generation can look for a future where hope might overcome fear.Thus, this story, Part One of a four-part series, not only recounts the family's beginnings at the Inveraray/Dogwood Plantation, but also introduces the second generation, who will appear again in the ensuing volumes. Slavery, the corruption caused by slavery, its close companions, race bigotry and injustice, and the laws and bitter politics that result from them, are featured and discussed throughout. While, in the foreground, the unique relationship between mistress and slave and their respective descendants triggers a wide-sweeping story of love, conflict, heartbreak, and forgiveness.

    Pretty and outspoken, she often alarmed her best friend Amy by expressing doubts - about parents, teachers and, most of all, religion, which according to their strict 1950s Catholic upbringing in Rivington Cross seemed certain, Amy thought, to send them both to Hell. What, after all, was wrong with being a Protestant, Madeleine would ask? Or a Jew? The good-looking boy they both noticed on their way to school was, it was rumoured, Jewish - his family having fled from Poland at the beginning of the war.Father Sheahan, the whiskey-soaked priest from the local church, had discovered that his secret past was catching up with him, and went in fear of his life. Amy, too, had a secret - a secret which caused her to visit the Bell House, an ancient charnel house outside the village. As they grow up, this place of death becomes a meeting place for the friends, who have to learn that differences in religion can cause unexpected heartache.

    But in the midst of it all can lie trouble, gossip and the blackening of a reputation! Follow the stories of the Lords of London as they delve their way into the heart of society and lose their hearts along the way!' Featured Books in this Collection: The Viscount in Hiding The Reluctant Viscount The Viscount Forgotten A Viscount in Love Other Books in this Collection: A Heat’s Return, Lady of His Dreams, The Heart of a Lady, A Lady’s Melody, The Memories of Duke Authors Note: These are a clean, stand-alone romances with an HEA. If you love clean Regency-era romances you will love The Lords of London Regency Romance Collection

    The couple call the child Holly and welcome her into their home as their little Christmas miracle. As Holly grows into a lovely girl, full of joy and imagination as wild as her red hair, so too does Rose’s resentment of her. As the years pass and the Clements have a child of their own, Holly is relegated to nothing more than the family’s maid. Not even Silas, the man that Holly has come to know and love as her papa, seems able to save her from his wife’s cruel ways. Tragedy strikes the day after Holly’s sixteenth birthday and she cast from the Clement’s home to face Christmas on the cold London streets, alone and terrified. With her world ripped from under her feet, Holly climbs the stone wall of London Bridge and peers into the rabid waters below… but a voice from the dark offers her hope…all she has to do is follow him. Find out what happens to Holly in The Dressmaker’s Christmas.

    Unadopted and nearing the maximum age for the Foundling Home, Mary Catherine is given a choice by the mother superior, and decides to take the orphan train looking for a future. Trace Jennings is a shy young man who lost his father in the Civil War. Raised by his mother, he lives on a ranch in Helena, Montana. Raw from a disastrous mail order marriage, romance is not on his agenda. Faced with the obstacles life has dealt them, can Mary Catherine and Trace find romance and have a life together?

    

    

    This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    Still, she pretends to wear her reputation of a hoyden like a badge of honor.Cheated on and humiliated across every acre of the Ton, Oswald Bristol, the Earl of Tennesley, needs to find a timid wife this time. But relying on a matchmaker seems more than ridiculous to him.Except, an odd thing happens when the man who has spent his life being proper overhears a lady of loose morals calling him a bore. Determined not to let this slight pass, he takes it upon himself to prove her wrong. Even if that means putting her in greater danger than he realizes.

    Four complete novels. Each filled with intrigue, danger, and true love. “Confronting A Rake”A straight laced governess and a handsome rake. Opposites most definitely attract.Devlin Beaumont’s liked being a rake. Whiskey, women, and fun, what more could a man want? All that ends with an unexpected title, three young wards, and a beautiful governess. If that wasn't enough, there is the minor detail that someone is trying to kill him. Rebecca Jones has to be ever mindful of society’s expectations. As the governess to three young girls, she must set an example. A requirement that is sorely tested with the arrival of the new Duke.“Charming A Rake”Rich, powerful, and a rake, Nathanial Caldwell is every woman’s dream.Beautiful, disdained, and impoverished, Lady Alice Weston is desperate. When offered an opportunity to guide the sister of Nathanial Caldwell through her first season, Lady Alice feels as if her prayers have been answered. All she’s ever wanted was a chance for redemption.Of course, working so closely with a rich, handsome man can create a whole new set of problems. Can Lady Alice obtain her dream. And if so, at what price.“Catching A Rake”Olivia Caldwell always believed the man to be insufferable. Unfortunately, he was her brother’s best friend, therefore unavoidable. And while Lord Bradford might be opinionated, domineering, and a notorious rake. He was also the only man in England who was able to rescue her from kidnappers. A fact that was going to lead to her worse nightmare. A marriage of convenience to the one man who she could not control. Lord Bradford knew the woman was demanding, opinionated, and a thorn in his side since she was a little girl. Now, beautiful, charming, and with a tongue sharper than a Sheffield blade, she was a man’s worse nightmare. A woman who could capture his heart. But, society's rules demanded he wed this hellion. His only hope, have her surrender to him. If he failed, he would surely surrender his heart to her, and that way lay madness.“Challenging A Rake”Miss Amanda Waters knew full well that a rake should not be trusted. But when a severely wounded Lord Warwick crashed through her front door, bleeding, and asking her to keep his secret. What choice did she have?Heaven help her if anyone learned she was nursing a British Lord back to health in her upstairs bedroom. Her friends would disown her and most of the ton would think her a fool. But when she discovers Lord Warwick’s true mission, she has no choice but to help. Lord Warwick never expected to need the help of someone like Miss Waters. But his mission was too important. England’s very survival rested in the balanceThe fact that it might cost him his heart was immaterial. Somethings cannot be denied.

     1098. The crusader army still stands outside Antioch. Starving. Deserting. An enemy force, led by Kerbogha of Mosul, is days away from relieving the walled city. Bohemond of Taranto calls upon the English knight, Edward Kemp, to meet with an agent, who is willing to provide the Norman prince with access to Antioch. But Bohemond is not alone in wishing to capture and lay claim to the prize. Edward must contend with enemies in his own camp. Should the knight's mission fail, then so may the entire campaign. Antioch must fall. Recommended for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Michael Jecks and Conn Iggulden. Siege is the first book in a new series, set during the First Crusade, by bestselling historical novelist Richard Foreman. Author Bio: Richard Foreman is the bestselling author of numerous historical series set during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, including the Augustus Caesar books, Sword of Empire and Sword of Rome. He is also the author Warsaw, Raffles: The Complete Innings and Band of Brothers, a series charting the story of Henry V and the Agincourt campaign. Richard writes modern thrillers too, under the pseudonym of Thomas Waugh. He is a judge for the HWA Crowns and the founder of the London History Festival. He lives in London. Praise for Richard Foreman's Books. Spies of Rome. "A masterful and evocative depiction of a fledgling imperial Rome fraught with intrigue and at war with itself. The story and characters are as striking as the graffiti that adorns the violent city’s walls during Augustus' rise." Steven Veerapen, author of The Abbey Close. "An arresting opening that leads into a thoroughly gripping story. Impressive research and understanding of the period allows Richard Foreman to move so seamlessly and effectively from historical epic to historical detective thriller. A must read for fans of Steven Saylor." Peter Tonkin, author of The Ides. Augustus: Son of Rome ‘Augustus: Son of Rome forges action and adventure with politics and philosophy. This superb story is drenched in both blood and wisdom - and puts Foreman on the map as the coming man of historical fiction’. Saul David, Author of the Zulu Hart series. Raffles: The Complete Innings. ‘Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime.’ David Blackburn, The Spectator. Band of Brothers: The Complete Campaigns. 'Escapism at its best... A great read that tells much about the style of war and how the individuals fought.' Michael Jecks 'A rattling good yarn, requiring only the minimum of suspension of belief, and leaves one eagerly anticipating the next instalment of the adventures of the team as they accompany the King to Harfleur.' Major Gordon Corrigan, author of A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War. Warsaw.

    Over twelve hundred years ago, Cynethryth ruled with Offa to become one of the most powerful couples in English history. And although she's the only Anglo-Saxon queen to have coinage issued in her name, she is remembered today only for her purported murder of a fellow king. Was she an infamous monster, or is this only how she appeared to the (male) chroniclers of her day? Read her story and you decide, but remember: his-story is not always the same as her-story. (Warning: this book deals with adult topics and situations.)

    

     The Duke of Ruin When Lord Greene wagers his daughter's hand in marriage in a card game, no one is less surprised the woman herself. The only thing that shocks Olive is that the man that he has gambled her away to is none other than The Duke of Ruin. Rumours abound that the Sixth Duke of Everleigh callously murdered his late wife and killed her lover in a duel --and now Olive is to become his bride. Ruan Ashford took one look at Olive Greene and knew that he had to have her in his bed. The beautiful, auburn-haired temptress will make a perfect Duchess; there's only one problem - his new wife despises him. When a chance arises for Olive to disappear she readily grabs hold of it, and soon the Duke of Ruin is hunting the Cornish countryside for his runaway bride. When he finds her can he convince her that he's not the dreadful villain the world thinks him to be and that his love for her is real? The Lord of Heartbreak Miss Jane Deveraux is in a bind; her brother, Viscount Jarvis, has married and his new wife does not want her bookish sister-in-law encroaching on their wedded bliss. The Viscountess makes it very clear that Jane must find a husband, but at five and twenty the confirmed spinster doesn’t have many suitors lining up to claim her hand. What Jane needs is a large sum of money, so that she can buy the local boarding house, and live out her days holding intellectual saloons for the egalitarian set. Though where she’ll find this money is anyone’s guess… James Fairweather, Lord Payne is the heir to the Ducal seat of Hawkfield. Tall, handsome and with a roguish charm that has women falling at his feet, he should be living the easy life of an entitled bachelor. The only problem is that his father has tired of his rakish ways and declares that unless Payne cleans up his act he will be disinherited. What Payne needs is a respectable —dare he say boring— woman whom he can parade around for a season to convince his father that he has changed his ways. The only person who fits the bill is his friend’s sister Jane, who reluctantly agrees to go along with the charade —for a price, of course. The Marquess of Temptation Since her father’s death, Miss Hestia B. Stockbow has been living a lie. Working as a companion, under an assumed name, all she wants to do is keep her head down and forget about the scandalous tragedy that haunts her past. There’s only one problem… After two delicious, stolen kisses, the usually icy and aloof Alexander Delaney, Marquess of Falconbridge, finds himself entranced by Belinda Bowstock, a lowly paid companion. When he discovers that she is, in fact, his missing ward, Alex realises there's only one thing he can do: Marry the chit and help her solve the mystery of her father's suspicious death. The Captain of Betrayal At the age of eight and twenty, Polly Jenkins has happily resigned herself to the life of a spinster. Many years ago, a young man broke her heart, and she has guarded it fiercely ever since. Polly's life, on the coast of Cornwall, is one of peaceful happiness--until, that is, Captain James Black arrives at her door. The young man she once knew is gone, replaced by a dashing Captain--one who is determined to marry her, and who won't take no for an answer...