They were the men who came to your father in his hour of need. They were the men who fought with him. They were men, and that is the highest that can be written of them…”Ittai of Gath, a Philistine, has been the enemy of the Hebrews for many years and among their most capable opponents. But now he has been defeated by the fearsome warriors of the Hebrew king David’s army. While a storm rolls in to settle over the central hill country, Ittai escapes his capture and wrestles with his fate until he finds himself at the city of the Jebusites…which David intends to capture.A companion piece to the Lion of War series about the battles of King David, “Ittai” is a short story in the collection known as The Hall of the Mighty Men, set between the events of “Covenant of War” and the upcoming “Song of War.”Narrated by Jehoshaphat, the historian of King Solomon, this collection of origin tales expands the Lion of War literary universe and contains character origins, epic battles, and feats of bravery unable to be included in the novels and upcoming movies.Thrilling and passionate, The Hall of the Mighty Men is another chapter in the epic Lion of War series that fans will enjoy for years to come.

    England rules the waves and Wellington is taking on the French in the Spanish Peninsula, but the French Navy yet remains a potent threat, especially their fast, well-armed frigates. Also, another threat is creeping Northward; slaver/pirates in fast galleys from the North African coast, are raiding North, taking advantage of the warring Navies preoccupation with each other, to capture for slavery the highly valuable women and children of Northern Europe. Into this, Captain Reuben Argent sails his first command, HMS Ariadne, a fast, 32 gun, Spanish built frigate. He has moulded both his ship and crew into a tight fighting unit, which he immediately uses to capture La Mouette, a French 42 gun frigate. A brilliant start, but all is not well at home. The Enclosures movement could force his family from their farm, and his Admiral is their immediate neighbour, who hates the Argent family and will use any means available to force them from their home and gain their land. On top is Argent’s rivalry with “Flogger Cheveley” the Captain of the Herodotus, who has a very different concept of how to run a ship of the Royal Navy. Also, as Captain, Argent has to contend with the machinations within the community that is his own crew. The day comes when Argent has to make a career threatening choice, either, as ordered, to take a vital despatch to Wellington at the fastest possible speed or to search for the slaver that has just captured Cornish women and children, including members of his own family. In the background is the smuggling of linen from Ireland to France and his relations with the feisty Sinead Malley and the society beauty Charlotte Willoughby

    

    Meanwhile, Ailith is forced to disguise herself as a man and become a troubadour, and Fauston contemplates losing the love of his life, Bonjute, when she returns to England. Roger commands an undermanned city against the army of Saladin, Henry of Deraa comes face to face with Qaymaz, and Richard rides into legend as the Third Crusade comes to a close.

    She was promptly sent away by her philandering father, the colliery owner Robert Harvey, to become an educated and accomplished young woman - and to escape the beatings at the cruel hand of her vengeful stepmother, Hannah. As Bess finishes boarding school, a tragic accident strikes Robert Harvey, almost killing him, and the decline of the family's fortunes means Bess and her siblings must find spouses to provide for them. After a series of doomed arranged encounters with potential suitors, Bess's stepmother is forced to take drastic action against her to protect herself and her family. Who is the mystery fiancé Hannah Harvey has in mind? And how will Bess feel knowing the decision means she will never be free to marry her childhood sweetheart?

    Out of desperation, she posts an ad and begins a correspondence with a widowed farmer, Thomas. Desperate to escape her grim situation, she accepts his marriage of convenience proposal, looking forward to a fresh start in Nebraska. As her heart fills with hope, she journeys to Nebraska, looking forward to a fresh start and new life. But when she arrives, it is not Thomas who meets her but his brother, Jay. And when Emma learns a terrible secret, she realizes that her life in Nebraska will be just as grim as it was in Chicago. Too late, she realizes that she has made the biggest mistake of her life; a mistake that will cost her dearly.

    Amongst his few possessions is a dagger which bears an unknown heraldic symbol. He joins a band of mercenaries heading for Venice where the Christians are assembling for the Crusade. On his journey from boy to manhood, discovering a surprisingly natural aptitude for combat, he encounters a secret Brotherhood and their avowed enemy The Order of the Blooded Cross. “The Crusader’s Blade” is the first of three novels that draw heavily on historical detail, intermingling real and fictitious characters and events to give an enthralling portrait of the religious battles of the age.

    The Brewer children have all grown up and started families of their own and Dovie Pearce is content. She’s married to a wonderful man, Gabe, and her adoptive daughter, Ellie, is a wonderful companion. But one cold March night, the peace is broken with a midnight knock at the door that ends with the cries of an abandoned baby by sunrise. Joy Smith has fallen into her own quiet life. At sixteen, she has little to worry about, until she finds the marriage certificate of her parents that doesn’t make sense. She questions her family members, trying to figure out the mysterious document, but once she discovers the truth, her life is shattered.Jaded by her parent’s lack of trust, Joy finds a kinship with baby Jeffery. When she finds out who the abandoned baby belongs to, she vows to make things right for him. Will her actions give Jeffery the life he deserves or is she putting him in the hands of the very person who will destroy him?

    Sean's recklessness and Ana's sense of entitlement create a family secret that comes home to roost in the following generation. Sean's trail of sins and Ana's deceit and thirst for revenge lead to disaster for each of them.It is 1936. Emotionally deserted by distraught parents after the death of his baby sister, Sean refuses to abandon his father's forsaken American dream. Left to his own devices, the young man travels a road strewn with bad choices and risky behavior. Trapped into marriage and unexpected parenthood at a young age, Sean begins down a path of destruction - first stop - Ana Lapinski.Ana Lapinski is born with the gift of beauty. Her old-world parents are incapable of reigning in their willful, wild child. Time and again, Ana effectively abuses her God-given gift as a means to whatever end she desires - with one exception - Sean Kinnarney.FALLING OFF THE FAMILY TREE is a three-generation saga told against the backdrop of the first 70 years of the 20th century. The story moves from southern New Jersey to the wealthy suburban enclaves of the Main Line outside Philadelphia. It ends in tragedy on the Chesapeake Bay.

    Faced with fear and few choices for what she can do, Rienne must act to evade capture by the Gestapo. When she decides to act, she discovers a strength within herself that helps her face tough trials and experiences. But will it be enough to get her through the war?

    At its heart is a cast of characters who draw us into their lives from the defeat of Dunkirk to final victory:Tony, a young man barely in his twenties who experiences the horror of Britain’s first defeat and offers his unique talents to the war effort, only to find that his secret work threatens his relationships with those he loves. David, Tony’s elder brother, fighter pilot and hero of the Battle of Britain. Sarah, whose work with the VAD’s brings her into contact with so many, forcing her to choose between a man with loyalty and honour or another with all the characteristics of a coward. Bobby, a young American GI for whom a posting to England brings love and hope. And at the centre of it all, Heronfield, the manor house set amongst the gentle rolling downs of southern England, one time home for Tony and his family and now a war-time hospital.Heronfield, witness to six long years of loyalty and love, anger and hatred, loss and betrayal.

    

    Many Southerners were losing everything they had, many more people than just those few who had held slaves. While most tried to stay and hang on to the decorum of Southern gentility, a few decided that rather then lose their family farms and businesses it would be better to build a new life elsewhere. This is the story of one such group, who determined that their future and the futures of their friends and families was to be found in Texas. Jed Simpson and his partner Roscoe Sartain are joined by families from both North and South, black and white, and on the advice of a fellow Confederate, they stop in Rusk. Finding an old, now vacant, plantation, they manage to buy it and start rebuilding it as a small ranch, The Chalice. All is going better than any of them expected, until Jed’s past comes calling. Aided by friends both new and old, blood flows freely as Jed tries to put that past behind him once and for all. But the toll it takes may be too much for him as he faces down the last of his tormentors.

    Beauregard Kearny be all that he seems? Will he find it in his heart to forgive her when he finds out the whole truth she’s been hiding? Can Summer rise above her misfortune and find true love and happiness?Will they survive what Mother Nature has in store for them?So come on down and hang out with the folks at Laramie including intimidating US Marshal Beauregard Kearny with a menacing smile, happy Mary, and of course beautiful petite feisty Miss Summer Percy from Pennsylvania.… “a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.” Rayne's Meadow ~ Book #2 Meet Rayne, she ain’t getting any younger, and its slim Pick'ens for eligible men in her tiny Wisconsin town of Taylor falls. What is it that Wyatt Earp’s brother told Rayne that shakes her trust in her fiancé and their love before it even starts? Will she find it in her heart to get over the secret about him that she discovered? Will Mr. Joseph Hunter be all that he seems? Can she find true love and happiness in these Montana Meadows?Mother Nature can be cruel, will they be able to survive what is coming their way? June's Choice ~ Book #3 Meet June Dennings her husband died she’s running out of money there is no good local man left to marry. Her generosity and kindness has her meet a stranger named Belle one fateful afternoon.What is it that she has in here power that can save her fiance’s cattle ranch and their lives? Will she find it in her heart to forgive him when she finds out the whole truth? Can June rise above her misfortune and find true love and happiness?Will they survive what some no good for nothing cattle rustlers have in store for them?So come on down and hang out with the folks at Amarillo including the tall handsome cattle farmer Mr. Jarrod Bedford that scares the heck out of our pretty miss June, the faithful friend foreman Yancey Williams and Belle the attractive strong woman who holds the key to their lives.… “a story of hope, fear, romance, suspense and true love.” April's Dilemma ~ Book 4 Meet April at 23 years old if she doesn’t find a husband soon it will be too late and her native town of Ohio holds no hope for a husband.she had no choice….… waiting for her future husband to appear. Despite her appearance of bravado, her heart thundered, her palms grew clammy, and if knees really could knock, hers would certainly be doing so. For a second she felt a wave of uncertainty passed through her….

    Over the years it was visited by a diverse hodge-podge of notables, including Davey Crockett and Charles Dickens, all who left aghast at the horrible living conditions, the poverty and the decadence of the people they found there. At their zenith, these vulgar, diseased and murderous streets housed 30,000 homeless children of all ages--the street urchins--who played, scavenged for food, fought the elements and each other, and tried to avoid the perpetual violence that routinely threatened their survival. Death was their constant competitor, and death often won. They were the discarded refuse of the great 19th century immigrant migrations to America, and they were an undesirable nuisance to the good citizens of New York. This is the story of two such children, Anna Murphy and Ben McDonald, abandoned to the streets and thrown together in a desperate attempt to achieve the impossible: to escape from Hell’s Kitchen in search of new beginnings in far and distant lands.