Inside the rusted gates, and through a large wooden front door dripping with sun-kissed flowers, Callie can’t decide if she’s more astonished by her new home or her first encounter with the mysterious young groundskeeper, Tommaso. Wandering the villa barefoot at night, Callie finds a diary belonging to a woman named Elisa, wrapped in faded blue ribbon and hidden in her birthmother’s antique wardrobe. Page by page, Callie is swept away by its story of love, passion, heartbreak and betrayal as she reads how Elisa married her childhood sweetheart in secret before fleeing to the woods to join the resistance. They vowed to find each other again when the war was over, but history had other plans. Callie is certain that her and Elisa’s lives are somehow connected, and that the truth about her family is hidden somewhere within the diary’s crinkled yellow pages. It gives her the courage to start asking questions around the close-knit village until, at long last, she feels her closed-off heart begin to open. Perhaps even enough to let someone in… But when a devastating betrayal in the final pages of the diary unlocks a heart-breaking secret about who Callie’s mother really is, the chance for a new life shatters in front of her. Can she persuade the locals to forgive her past and accept the truth about her identity? This unforgettable story of love, loss and secrets by the author of million-copy Amazon No 1. bestseller, Watch Over Me, is perfect for anyone who loves Fiona Valpy, Lily Graham, or The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. Readers adore The Italian Villa: ‘Mesmerising! I was totally hooked… absolutely perfect and just flowed endlessly with such ease. I really can't praise this OUTSTANDING book enough!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I fell in love with this book! It was beautiful and captivating from start to finish. I loved Callie right from the beginning, she is such a relatable character. You laughed with her and cried for her throughout… Absolutely loved this entire book!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘From the moment I opened this book I was hooked. This is a beautifully written story with characters that tug at your heartstrings from the second they’re introduced. You can’t help but fall in love with them and the tiny village in Italy where it takes place… you feel as though you’re really there... I devoured this book in no time… you can’t wait to turn the page to find out what happens next...which is why I finished this book at 3 in the morning!... I was so enthralled from the very first page!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I really loved it… makes you want to curl up in a chair with a warm drink and read this slowly. I found myself not wanting to devour this, but to savour every page.

    With a sly and affectionate delicacy, Jane Turner Rylands, an American expatriate who has lived in Venice for thirty years, portrays a dozen Venetians– a construction foreman, a countess, a gondolier, a postman, an architect, a Baronessa, an English lord – as they pursue their respective interests. And in turn, through the perspective of those who live and work in this most alluring of cities, Venetian Stories illuminates canals and palazzos, churches and gondolas, large concerns and small rituals, with an uncommon intimacy.

    Three stories of love, war, and destiny in medieval Byzantium.A young empress defies her powerful father for love and her rightful place on the throne.A charismatic commander takes the gamble of a lifetime to save the lives of thousands of innocents.An exiled princess finds a new sense of purpose and creates a legacy that will stand through the ages.These stories provide a glimpse of the dynamic and proud Byzantines who lived during the height of the empire's splendor.

    Flying in the face of her husband’s and father’s attempts to protect her, rebelling against the constraints imposed upon her sex, she is drawn ever deeper into the corrupt underworld that lurks in the shadows cast by the city’s all-powerful elite. When fires begin to rage in the slums and more key witnesses are silenced, only one man can save Hortensia from becoming the next victim of a conspiracy to destroy the Republic: Lucrio, the damaged ex-gladiator to whom she already owes her life. Then the secrets of his own tragic past threaten to subsume them both…

    It is an isolated Cornish fishing community, largely untouched by the modern, developing Victorian world, hanging onto its old traditions, superstitions and beliefs – a community that lives with a disturbing secret. So too does Denning. He is a reluctant visitor, and though he is supposedly joining his one-time artist friend Terrance Wilkinson to form an artists’ colony it is circumstances that force him there. Denning is still haunted by the brutal death of a young woman in Brittany, and shouldering guilt for the fact that he covered up for Wilkinson when he suspects the man of having been been involved with the murder. But Porthgarrow is haunted by its own demons and secrets. He learns about the savage murder of a woman by her husband Jowan Connoch thirteen years previously, and of Jowan’s son who has returned to Porthgarrow to uncover the truth and to clear his father’s name. Yet it is far from over. Before long three more people are destined to die in Porthgarrow before the village gives up its sinister secrets, and Stephen Denning will learn of his own family’s mysterious involvement. The house of the Wicked is peopled with larger than life characters – the powerful businessman Gerran Hendra and his beautiful daughter Jenna; the Reverend Biddle who collects photographs of the dead; Benjamin Croker, the journalist; and Tunny, the village wise man and healer. From its atmospheric Gothic undertones to its shocking and unexpected end, ‘The House of the Wicked’ is D. M. Mitchell at his darkest and most imaginative best. Some secrets will not stay buried...

    But because he is only thirteen years of age the throne is given instead to the experienced warrior Harold Godwinson, a man who appears best fitted to defeat the forces preparing to invade the kingdom. When Harold is killed at the Battle of Hastings the great council of England ignore more experienced claimants and proclaim Edgar King. He marches out to meet the Norman army but his advisers desert him and he is captured. On Christmas Day 1066, William the Conqueror is crowned King. Eighteen months later, when a bitter nation rises up in resistance to the Norman conquerors, Edgar escapes captivity to lead the last armies of England in their fight for freedom. The hopes of a nation are placed on a youngster with little experience of life. His weapons are a fierce intelligence, dauntless courage and the loyalty of a handful of friends. Burdened with overwhelming hopes and expectations, mired in fear and treachery, Edgar begins a life-time of resistance to the Norman invaders. The Battle of Hastings is over. The Battle for England is about to begin.

    She was happily married and she had her future all planned out. They would have two adorable children, while she made award winning programmes for television. Until the day her husband announced he was being sent to live and work in an African country she had never heard of. When she came to the notice of a Colonel in the Government, it made life very complicated, and from there things started to escalate from bad to worse. If Amie could have seen that one day she would be totally lost, fighting for her life, and enduring untold horrors, she would never have stepped foot on that plane

    They exist under the sufferance of their brutal overlords. When a mysterious stranger saves a miller’s son from cruel punishment, the Sheriff of Nottingham sends the ruthless Sir Guy of Gisborne to hunt him down. His past life destroyed, Robin of Loxley must face his greatest challenge yet. Deadly with a longbow and a sword, he will fight tyranny and injustice, encounter allies and enemies old and new. The vast Sherwood Forest with its hidden glades and ancient pathways is the last refuge of wolfsheads. Here their bloody battles will be fought, friendships forged and loyalties tested. Loxley will become Robin Hood. Notorious leader of outlaws. Their daring deeds will become legend. This is the first in a four-part series "The Chronicles of Robin Hood", and includes an historical note on the origins of the famous outlaw.

    He had recently graduated from the Teachers College and now he was returning home. The first goal completed, his next step was to find a position and then he could get married. ˃˃˃ He Was a Christian Pacifist With Little Care For The Outside World Samuel was a quiet man, some would say a pacifist. He believed in God, family and education. He was not concerned with the happenings outside his home town. ˃˃˃ When His Country Fell Into Civil War He Was Forced To Question His Most Core Beliefs Outside events, however, were about to drag him from his beloved Elmira. It was the spring of 1861 and Confederate forces had recently attacked Fort Sumter. Against every moral belief, he enlisted in the Union Army and with his first step toward the south, he changed his life forever. ˃˃˃ Law of Moses is the AWARD WINNING, first book in the Sam and Laura series. It will captivate and inspire readers from all walks of life! Scroll Up And Grab Your Copy Today!

    Entrenched in a terrible war with the Turks and caught in a political struggle between power-hungry Pope Alexander VI and the newly elected Doge Loredan, the people of Venice fear that a demon has come to exact divine punishment for their sins.Doge Loredan is determined to find the real culprit before the Pope can turn the people against him. To do so, he hires unorthodox German monk Mathias to investigate the murders. Soon Lorenzo Scarpa, a young printer and nephew to one of the victims, joins in the search. The mystery leads them into Venice’s underground printing industry, where they learn of a dangerous book hidden somewhere in the city, a book whose secrets could determine the destiny of the Republic—a book that others are more than willing to kill for.

    Accused of witchcraft, she prefers to risk the unknown than face the terrifying charge. Starving and cold, she wanders the streets in search of honest work but her efforts are fruitless. She eventually finds temporary respite in the sordid world of prostitution, but the sobering reality of human cruelty destroys her innocence. Determined to secure her financial and social future, she aids the Veronese warlord, Cangrande I della Scala, in committing vile acts that will earn her a place in Hell. Although she is handsomely compensated, she wants more—and she'll do whatever it takes to get it. This riveting novel features Cangrande ("Big Dog"), a fascinating historical character seldom seen in literature. Brimming with suspense and sensuality, RUTHLESS offers readers a glimpse into the intriguing yet brutal world of fourteenth century Italian life.

    As their world is torn apart by the jealous fury of kings, their only duty is to a sacred oath of allegiance to the Order and to each other. Step-by-step they eradicate their footsteps, knowing that only their own obliteration will guarantee that their duty will be fulfilled. Eight hundred years later and an international expert in disaster management sets out to prove that the Templars had a last ditch Doomsday plan. Peter Sparke aims at nothing less than to uncover the last refuge of the Order and the secrets they took to their graves.

    And at last she has her chance. But strange and sinister things are afoot in the beautiful floating city.Teo is quickly subsumed into a secret world in which salty-tongued mermaids run subversive printing presses, ghosts good and bad patrol the streets, statues speak, rats read and librarians turn fluidly into cats. And where a book, The Key to the Secret City, leads Teo straight into the heart of the danger that threatens to destroy the city to which she feels she belongs.An ancient proverb seems to unite Teo with a Venetian boy, Renzo, and with the Traitor who has returned from the dark past to wreak revenge…. But who is the undrowned child destined to save Venice?

    Pierpont Morgan and a group of Wall Street bankers took direct control of the American economy.100 years ago radical firebrands were conspiring to create a workers revolution.100 years ago the American government was paralyzed by a bitter political struggle.100 years ago a great ship sank on her maiden voyage.They said it was an accident. They said it was an error of judgment.They were wrong.---------------------------------------------------------------On October 16, 1907, the American financial system stood on the brink of collapse after one of the largest investment firms failed because of speculative trading. There was no Federal Reserve to help, no government agencies to prop up the failing institutions. Seeing this as a defining crisis, J. Pierpont Morgan stepped in and organized a consortium of bankers and financiers to support the ailing system until the crisis passed. When it finally did, Morgan vowed that he would do everything in his power to make sure such a calamity never happen again.Set between the years of 1907 to 1912 and inspired by true events, The Titanic Plan tells the story of the many factions of American society as they struggled for power in one of the most dynamic times in the country’s history. The major characters are the giants of that era: capitalists J. Pierpont Morgan, John Astor, William Vanderbilt; labor leaders Big Bill Haywood and Emma Goldman; and Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.At the center of it all is Captain Archibald Butt, the Military Aide and close confidant to both Roosevelt and Taft. Captain Butt becomes involved in a deepening intrigue that leads him from the White House, to the anarchist circles in Greenwich Village, to the shadowy halls of the newly created FBI, and finally, to the parlors of the rich and powerful. Amid double-crosses and shifting alliances, Archie Butt witnesses the formulation of a brilliant and dangerous power grab that will lead to the first great disaster of the 20th Century

     At a time when thousands are fleeing tyranny to find a home in the New World, seventeen-year-old Kate Elyot witnesses a tragic accident that orphans a little girl named Emily. Suddenly the sole guardian of a child she's never met, Kate's only guide to the girl's surviving family is a signet ring and a letter sewn into Emily's dress addressed "To Kate." Unsure of whether she has walked into a fateful calling or a fatal coincidence, Kate is determine to get Emily home but is unprepared for the journey awaiting her. Captain Anthony Scot will not rest until his enemy Simon Cephas is punished for a crime long forgotten. The signet ring that Emily carries is the evidence Scot needs to convict his rival. He is willing to obtain the ring at any cost in order to destroy Cephas. Can Kate fight to free Emily from those who would use her to destroy her Puritan family? Will her courage sustain her as she is brought face to face with her worst fears, deepest regrets, and a God she cannot bring herself to trust?