Following the life of an abandoned 13 year old who by chance is instrumental in saving a family from robbery and worse. Taken in by the naval Captain Bowers he is placed as a midshipman in his benefactor’s ship. From that time onward with the increasing demands of the conflict with France, Martin Forrest grows up fast. The relationship with his benefactors family is formalized when he is adopted by them and has a home once more. Romance with Jennifer the Captain’s ward links him ever closer to the family. Meanwhile he serves in the West Indies where good fortune results in his gaining considerable wealth personally. With promotion and command he is able to marry and reclaim his birth-right, stolen from him by his step-mother and her lover. The mysterious (call me merely Mr. Smith) involves Martin in more activity in the shadowy world of spies and secret agents. Mainly a question of infiltrating and extricating agents, his involvement becomes more complex as time goes on. A cruise to India consolidates his position and rank with the successful capture of prizes when returning convoying East-Indiamen. His rise to Post rank is followed by a series of events, that sadly culminate in family tragedy. Though still young Martin Forrest-Bowers faces and empty future, yet the mysterious merely Mr. Smith has requested his service. Why does the spymaster require of him, and what lies ahead?

    A teenage girl disappears on her way home from Coatesville High School. A reputed witch turns up dead in Pottsville. A young woman seemingly helps solve her own murder after she dies in a Philadelphia park.True-crime author Tammy Mal digs up facts on four of Pennsylvania’s weirdest killings in her book Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania’s Most Bizarre—But Forgotten—Murders. These 1930s crimes have long fallen into obscurity, but Mal deftly revives them in stark detail, from discovery of the body and through the trial. Ghosts, witches, resentment, and sex factor into these crimes, giving them a chilling edge as Mal brings them back to life in her latest true-crime book. It’s a look into just what tortured minds can do, certain to convince you to lock your doors after dark.

    More than one.Some stories just have to be told and so it is with the Tuxhorn family. Murder Is A Family Affair follows August Tuxhorn to America in the mid 1850s where Charles was born in Illinois. The boy grew up with a beautiful face and a stone heart. Evil set in motion by his grandfather and then his father, Charles carries on the family’s violent temper and disregard for human life. Did he inherit these traits shared by others? More important, did he pass them on? Follow their lives and watch the carnage they leave behind. The lives lost or destroyed in their wake.Has the evil in this family been buried with them?Or is it just the beginning?

    

    She was a young slave girl. He was an African warrior purchased at a slave auction with the intent he would father a new breed of stronger slave. Despite all odds, a language barrier and the disapproval of her family and friends, the two fight for a life together.

    But, as a woman of true faith, she decides to move west and accept a position as a school teacher. When she arrives in Brown Ridge, a small town filled with faith and anger, Greta is soon cast into the middle of a family battle involving a bitter cowboy, a preacher, and an innocent newborn baby. It isn't long before Greta falls in love with the newborn baby as she slowly begins to understand that in order to save a lost soul, she must place her heart on the line. Depending on God, Greta decides to care for the bitter cowboy in order to lead his heart away from the anger eating him alive. But caring for an angry man with the hopes of changing him into a healed man isn't as easy as Greta hopes. Facing off against anger and pain, she steps into a battle that must be won for the sake of a newborn baby, a desperate preacher, and a bitter cowboy that is being destroyed by his own anger. Will Greta's faith overcome the dark clouds facing her? Or will the storm she is thrust into destroy all of her hope?

    But behind the closed doors was a story of drugs, orgies, physical and sexual assault, and constant fear...Book voyeurs who are able to tackle tough subject matter will love this tale." --Kim Cantrell True Crime Book Reviews~~~~~~~~~~BESTSELLING, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, SHERRIE LUEDER'S GRIPPING TRUE STORY OF A SON AND DAUGHTER'S PAINFUL MEMORIES AND FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL WHILE GROWING UP IN AN ABUSIVE HOME IN THE SUBURBS OF DENVER--THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION INTO THEIR MOTHER'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH--AND RELENTLESS QUEST FOR JUSTICE. This book is the first to explore the mysterious death of Janyce "Janny" Hansen, a former top model from Denver, Colorado. She, along with her husband and children, live in an upscale home in the suburbs. The community sees an affluent, glamorous family. The reality is far different. An abused wife who can't let go. A husband who beats and sexually assaults his adopted children--while running gambling and prostitution businesses from their home. In the early morning hours of September 21, 1984, her husband returns home to discover her lifeless body in his Mercedes convertible parked in the garage--or so he says. Her family is led to believe she committed suicide. Now, 25 years later, her son and daughter set out to prove their mother was killed by her husband, a successful real estate developer rumored to have strong ties to city officials and underworld crime. Many believe the investigation into Janny's death was a cover-up--starting with the coroner's office--and that her husband got away with murder. As their investigation continues, they are led to believe their suspicions are true. Especially, since evidence increases almost daily and points to only one killer--Janny's husband.

    Imperial Valley’s biggest crime is detailed through volumes of official records and interviews with witnesses, relatives and investigators.Serial killer Robert Eugene Pennington not only murdered Sayers, but was a suspect in killing Dorothy Minor-Hindman in Fresno and possibly fifteen other innocent victims from coast to coast including one victim attributed to the Boston Strangler.Extensive research provides the reader with details of Pennington’s life before and after his encounter with Brenda.

    

     Livy Prescott is a young wife dependent upon,beholden to, and manipulated by Celene, a slave. In 1860, Edward Prescott gallops into Livy Taylor’s life racing his carriage down the main street of her tiny Pennsylvania town, winning a bet and her heart. After they wed, Livy is swept away to Merrywood, Edward’s home in the hills of North Carolina. There Livy faces the daunting task of adjusting to her new life as Mistress of Merrywood and slave-owner. And there Livy encounters Celene, the beautiful slave cook of Merrywood, skilled in the healing arts and privy to the deepest secrets of the Prescotts. Gradually Livy learns the extent of Celene’s influence and the hold she maintains over her master, causing Livy to question who is the real mistress of Merrywood.

    He only stops travelling when he reaches Kent and there his life is dramatically altered, when he is adopted by a loving old lady and her roguish son Tom.

    But a young German soon helps her to forget her sorrows. Until, with war looming, he must return home and Gaynor is left heartbroken once more. And when her parents discover she's pregnant and insist she cannot keep the child, Gaynor runs away to Cardiff. Penniless and alone in a strange city she is forced to give birth in the workhouse. But shortly afterwards she is taken in by a friendly Spanish family who care for her and little Sara. And she quickly falls for the charms of the eldest son. But just when she thought she'd found love and a chance of happiness at last, a telegram shatters her dreams...

    Kate Bratton dreams of more. It’s 1914, and her life is mapped out ahead of her: continue working as a maid in the beautiful Woodicombe House, settle down with Luke the gardener and, of course, start a family.Desperate to run away in search of adventure, Kate’s plans are curtailed by the arrival of the Russell family at Woodicombe House. Tasked with becoming a ladies-maid for their daughter, Naomi, Kate gets a glimpse of the other side of life. Little does she know that all families have secrets, no matter their standing.Will Kate return to the safety of her life before the Russell’s departure? Or will the handsome Ned Russell turn her head? The Woodicombe House Sagas The Housekeer’s Daughter A Wife’s War (Coming March 2019) Praise for The Housekeeper's Daughter: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found the story to flow well. There were many twists and turns that built up to the final conclusion. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended’ 5* Reader review

    This collection of five full novellas presents some very different heroes and heroines, but the common theme is that they all find love, despite trials and tribulations along the way, in some way related to Christmas.This collection contains:The Duke’s Christmas Vow by Arietta RichmondA Lady with unexpected interests and few prospects, a Duke with a vow to keep, a Christmas House Party, an accidental meeting, a plot to compromise, a trail of feathers, a love born of defiance.The Countess’ Christmas Miracle by Clara KensingtonA widowed Countess determinedly settled in her ways, yet hiding loneliness, a man returned from war, already in love with the impression of a woman gained from letters, a son determined to bring them together, a Christmas which changes everything.The Duke’s Christmas Masquerade by Grace AustenA Lady in love with the wrong man – at least as far as her mother is concerned, a Masquerade Ball, a deception with unintended results, a last minute reprieve achieved through the courage of love.Christmas Love for the Duke by Lydia PembrokeA Duke caught in past grief, a commoner born Companion who hopes for more out of life, the meddling of a well-meaning aunt, a love condemned by society, decisions which change both of their lives.The Christmas Letter by Regina DarcyA Viscount’s heir, estranged from his parents because he wants a life different from his heritage, a lawyer’s daughter who finds joy in everything, especially family and Christmas, a letter never meant to be sent, written with only love in mind, the interference of a friend, the transformation of two lives.

    She was taken in by the Choctaw and treated as one of their own, even though she failed at the simplest of tasks. Eight years later, when two white men came into the village to claim her as their relative offering herds of cattle and horses in trade, she did what she thought was best for her Choctaw family. Bliss left her village in hopes she would find herself a better fit in the white world. Before the day was out, she learned the men were not who they said and had no intention of treating her like family. In the end, she was faced with an unforeseeable choice and an unwinnable battle. Two Feathers was a young Native learning the ways of the Choctaw. However, he was not like the other men in his village who lived off of the land, farming and raising livestock. He enjoyed spilling the blood of the invaders and was absent, fighting, more than he was home. Still, he had fallen for the little white girl who couldn’t farm, couldn’t make baskets, and was generally a failure at Native life. Returning from a battle, he discovered the white men had taken Bliss, the woman with whom he expected to share his life. Her unexpected departure changed everything. Gone were his desires to do anything other than locate the girl; she consumed his every thought and he vowed to bring her back. Learning that the men had nefarious intentions, only reinforced his resolve. Will he find her before she makes the dreadful decision she knows must be made? Will she be able to face her adopted, Native family after all that has happened? Will Two Feathers’ love be enough to vanquish the horrors she endured at the hands of her own people?