Just a Matter of Time


T. Michelle - 2012
    Rebecca is certain that she’s just become turned around in the brush by the highway and Elias is just as sure that she’s 45 miles away from the nearest town. Convinced to return with him to the family farm, Rebecca encounters Elias’ all-seeing but completely blind grandmother, Aurora, and a scene right out of an old western. But her first assumptions that the family is part of a strange society of re-enactors are wiped clean when Elias adamantly assures her that the year is 1843. Rebecca knows this can’t be true; when she parked her car to stretch her legs it was 1999. But just because their birthdays are separated by 165 years doesn’t mean it can’t work, especially with a couple of ethereal beings on their side.

The Brethren Prince: Piracy, Revenge, and the Culture Clash of the Old Caribbean


Ira Smith - 2012
    But when his passage is interrupted by a terrible battle at sea, he is washed ashore and taken in by an international band of the underclass: English, French, Hollanders, Native Americans, and runaway black slaves.However, as he builds a life with these castaways of humanity, the Empire of Holy Spain launches a campaign to purge all “heretics” from its imperial lands: a campaign that will take from James all that he loves. He abandons his humble ambitions, taking up sword and sail to avenge the atrocities committed by the Spanish crown and inquisition, unaware that he would one day become the most feared pirate on the Spanish Main, a hero to his countrymen, and the Brethren Prince.The Brethren Prince is the real story of buccaneers in the New World. It is a thoroughly researched, historically accurate portrayal of life in the mid-17th Century Caribbean, nested in authentic historical events of the time. It captures the cruelty, nationalistic fervor, and religious virulence of the Imperial powers of the day, but also the pirates who preyed on them.

The Hawaiians: by Steve Stelle


Steve Stelle - 2014
    When a group of young Americans jump ship and start the first surf camp in a downtrodden and practically deserted Waikiki, Head Missionary Hiram Bingham becomes apoplectic with rage. A cast of memorable characters fill this novel with many plot twists and ideas that are as relevant today as they were almost two hundred years ago. In 1824 sixteen year old, orphaned William Goode was put aboard ship in New Orleans as an apprentice seaman against his will. A young man with unique abilites, he began an adventure that took him to Hawaii, forging friendships and making enemies along the way. Spanning more than a decade, this fast paced narrative is written in a blend of James Michener and James Patterson, full of accurate history and a rousing ensemble of characters presented in a page turning style. The Calvinist missionaries want to make sure no one is having any fun while William and his friends just want to work their little farm of taro patches and fish ponds and go surfing free from religious oppression. From the beaches of early Waikiki to the chilly winters of Boston, this novel moves back and forth, around the Horn and across the vast Pacific, with enterprising surfers, a beautiful Hawaiian princess, runaway slaves, and a renegade priest. You will fall in love with Hawaii, fall in love with the characters, and see Hawaiian history in a whole new way.

Summons to the Chateau D'Arc


Kay Cornelius - 2005
    She finds herself falling for the attractive estate manager, who carries secrets of his own. As the tension grows more unbearable, Ellen will have to risk everything she holds dear to discover the secrets that lurk in the shadows of the Chateau D'Arc.

Mom Con


Karl Fields - 2014
    To top it all off, her ex-employer is suing her for stealing company secrets. Corporate espionage? Please. Her single greatest offense was a high school fashion felony. But when a shady court ruling forces Anita to cease and desist, she's determined to get revenge. There are two ways to get money: you can take it or someone can give it to you. Thanks to an elaborate nightclub scam, Anita’s old boss is about to hand over a small fortune. That is, if Anita’s lazy brother, her deadbeat ex-husband and a sketchy music manager don’t bring the whole thing down first.

The Other Side of the Fence


Julie Dewey - 2015
    This story begins and ends in Carville, Louisiana where in 1894, the town was transformed from an abandoned Plantation into a refuge for lepers. Children were forcibly isolated from their families and put under strict quarantine inside the confines of a twelve foot barbed wire fence. Once inside, they were stripped of their rights, their dignity, and often even their identity. Eighteen year old Frances was smack in the middle of the debutante ball season in Baton Rouge, when pale patches of skin were discovered on her arm during a dress fitting. Diagnosed with leprosy, she was seen as a blight on her family and was sent away at once. Restless and overwhelmed by her family’s abandonment, she set out on a journey through the confines of the plantation that led her to the bend in the Mississippi River. Here she discovers a hole dug under the fence; this is her chance to escape and reclaim her life, or start a new one. When Jenny, a spirited ten year old girl, and her four year old brother, Danny test positive for leprosy they also become reluctant residents of Carville. They are met with the open and compassionate arms of the Sisters of Charity who do their best to help them live normal lives among the suffering. This sweeping historical novel gracefully details the depth, strength, and stamina of the human spirit during extreme times. When lives unfold and intertwine, Faith and Jenny find one another. Together, they develop a deep affinity and unlock the key to surviving by opening their hearts and letting love in once again. This is a love story about the deep bonds of friendship, the effects of love, and the ability to overcome and thrive.

The Heirloom


Evie Gaughan - 2013
    When a long lost aunt bequeaths an unusual gift, it unlocks a doorway to the past and a timeless love story.Xavier de la Cruz is a man sailing away from his problems and setting course Ireland. There, he will find a woman he has never met, but knows by heart. With a cast of characters that will both warm the heart and challenge beliefs, The Heirloom is perfect for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.

The Long Shadow


Loretta Proctor - 2013
    As the sun rose we began to see the sprawl of little Turkish houses clambering the steep slopes, painted in rosy pink, mauve, white, yellow, blue. The white domes of the Greek churches glistened in the fresh morning sunshine. The Long Shadow is compelling historical novel which tells the human story of the Eastern campaign in Salonika and will appeal to readers of The Island and The Thread. Fourteen-year-old Andrew discovers his mother's hidden diary at his grandmother's house during a Christmas holiday. His eyes are opened to a family secret when he reads about her time as a nurse on Salonika during the First World War, and the tragic love affair she had with his father, a Greek officer, who died in battle. Four years later Andrew is compelled to visit his father's country and trace his roots. What - and whom - he meets there will change his life forever. The Long Shadow is filled with descriptions of Greece and its people, dramatic images of battles and the terrible conditions endured by the allied armies fighting around Salonika. The Long Shadow illuminates a period of history not often featured in fiction and is highly topical as we approach the centenary of WW1 in 2014.

The Ka


Mary Deal - 2006
    After the founder of the Institute of Archaeology learns that Chione’s dreams might be connected to events in Egypt, he accepts an offer to examine a mysterious site in Valley of the Queens. After they discover an ancient burial site, spells encoded into the hieroglyphs on the tomb’s walls transport Chione and her former boyfriend, archaeologist Aaron Ashby, 3,500 years into the past: to ancient Egypt. There, they learn of Tutankhamon and Tauret, a priestess in Pharaoh's Court. Meanwhile, the other team members are affected in unfathomable ways by the Ka: the spirit of the entombed. Chione and Aaron learn that Tauret plans to provide Tutankhamon with a living heir... and that they have been chosen to play a crucial part in completing their destiny.

The Titanic Plan


Michael Bockman - 2011
    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

Lyla


Sean Dietrich - 2015
    Quinn must learn how to exist in his mother's troubled world, without being consumed by her selfishness. Written with fervor and affection for a wounded past, Lyla is an intense and personal epic about a restless woman, and the children caught in her spurring draft. Set during the Great Depression, on the upper coast of Florida, this touching story is about growing up in an achingly anguished household, and finding a way to survive. A stirring memoir that delivers the reader to a sepia-tinted world that is heartbreaking, at times shocking, and triumphant.

The Temporal Knights


Richard D. Parker - 2013
    Five billion people in all. In the wake of the tragedy came unbridled grief, disease and chaos…and finally Martial Law. Extinction was staring Mankind in the face. It took over a year to stabilize what was left of society, and then another full year before the first test tube baby girl was born. The entire world rejoiced! The Laws of Nature bent to the brilliance of the human mind. Mankind, that bizarre species of primate, had somehow managed to cheat death and endure…and then the aliens fell upon the planet in force. Countless hordes of enemy soldiers poured down from the heavens. The invaders attacked and killed without hesitation, but they also died by the millions. The remaining human beings fought back desperately, but the enemy came in endless waves, relentlessly killing and destroying everything that was human. For five long years the battle raged on, until once again humanity was threatened with extinction. All appeared to be lost. Less than a thousand human beings lingered on earth, when a strange and bizarre solution presented itself. Discovered deep within the alien technology was the key to life, the key to time and the key to victory. The last of Mankind would move back through the ages to the year 893, to England, during the reign of King Alfred the Great. There, they would drag the dark ages into the light, speed up the process of enlightenment, and prepare Mankind for the coming battle. With luck, they would truly be ready when the alien invaders finally came again. Those still alive would risk everything and cross over; it was that, or oblivion. “We’re like Twain’s Yankee,” Major Thane commented. “Who?” “You know, Twain’s Yankee, ‘The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.’ If we succeed in going back, our situation will be very similar.” Thane explained. Colonel Lemay grunted. “Yes, but this time we’ll be bringing along machine guns and hand grenades.” “And don’t forget the flamethrowers,” Moore added with a laugh.

Swansea Girls


Catrin Collier - 2001
    As the girls and boys gather, we are introduced to Lily, an evacuee unclaimed by her family at the end of the war; to Judy, taught independence by her war widow mother; for Katie, the product of a marriage between a drunken, violent father and a coward, beaten mother; and for the spoiled, willful Helen. It is an evening that fuels jealousies and sows the seeds for friendships, confidences, and romance.

Riverbreeze: Part 1 (Riverbreeze Trilogy)


Ellen E. Johnson - 2012
     After their father, the Earl of Pennington, dies and their older brother inherits the title and estate, English born Robert and James Bassett escape to the New World. The adventures and difficulties they encounter in the untamed colony of Virginia begin at the Tyler plantation where they meet and marry twin brides, Elizabeth and Evelyn. Follow their saga in Parts 1,2,&3 as they face life's challenges, family betrayal and the torment of an Indian attack and war. Full of drama, excitement, humor, romance and details of early American life, Riverbreeze will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Roses Have Thorns


Beverley A. Hughesdon - 1992
    But it is there she is given a chance: for a brief, magical interlude in her otherwise harsh existence Amy finds joy in her new position as a lady’s maid. It seems as though her future might finally be assured. But Amy's introduction to the glittering Warminster family comes with its price: it's not long before Amy loses her innocence, and in the most cruel way imaginable. Subsequently caught in a horrid feud between a father and son, she is trapped between the pull of love and duty.Betrayed and alone, Amy is left facing a heartbreaking choice… A poignant and passionate love story from the author of Song of Songs, this is perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe and Margaret Dickinson. Praise for Roses Have Thorns “Good, long, satisfying… full of detail and good characterisation” Bella