• Home
  • Historical Fiction

Until Forever

From the shadows of the past. Prim and beautiful professor Roseleen White clutches her new prized possession - a thousand-year-old Scandinavian sword. And suddenly, a dream stands before her: a magnificent Viking warrior sworn to satisfy Roseleen's every desire. Until forever. Accursed for untold centuries, mighty Thorn is now enslaved to a woman. Yet it is Roseleen who is the true prisoner, held willing captive by a handsome barbarian who sweeps her back to the ancient past on a journey of sensual discovery. But only by banishing him from her life forever can Roseleen free Thorn from immortality's chains - forcing her to make a devastating choice that will either imperil their future or preserve a love more powerful than time.
Views: 718

Lady Thief

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.
Views: 718

Vittorio, the Vampire

With Pandora, Anne Rice began a magnificent new series of vampire novels. Now, in the second of her New Tales of the Vampires, she tells the mesmerizing story of Vittorio, a vampire in the Italian Age of Gold. Educated in the Florence of Cosimo de' Medici, trained in knighthood at his father's mountaintop castle, Vittorio inhabits a world of courtly splendor and country pleasures - a world suddenly threatened when his entire family is confronted by an unholy power. In the midst of this upheaval, Vittorio is seduced by the vampire Ursula, the most beautiful of his supernatural enemies. As he sets out in pursuit of vengeance, entering the nightmarish Court of the Ruby Grail, increasingly more enchanted (and confused) by his love for the mysterious Ursula, he finds himself facing demonic adversaries, war and political intrigue. Against a backdrop of the wonders - both sacred and profane - and the beauty and ferocity of Renaissance Italy, Anne Rice creates a passionate and tragic legend of doomed young love and lost innocence.
Views: 717

The Last Kind Words Saloon

Larry McMurtry has done more than any other living writer to shape our literary imagination of the American West. With The Last Kind Words Saloon he returns again to the vivid and unsparing portrait of the nineteenth-century and cowboy lifestyle made so memorable in his classic Lonesome Dove. Evoking the greatest characters and legends of the Old Wild West, here McMurtry tells the story of the closing of the American frontier through the travails of two of its most immortal figures: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Opening in the settlement of Long Grass, Texas—not quite in Kansas, and nearly New Mexico—we encounter the taciturn Wyatt, whiling away his time in between bottles, and the dentist-turned-gunslinger Doc, more adept at poker than extracting teeth. Now hailed as heroes for their days of subduing drunks in Abilene and Dodge—more often with a mean look than a pistol—Wyatt and Doc are living out the last days of a way of life that is passing into history, two men never more aware of the growing distance between their lives and their legends. Along with Wyatt's wife, Jessie, who runs the titular saloon, we meet Lord Ernle, an English baron; the exotic courtesan San Saba, "the most beautiful whore on the plains"; Charlie Goodnight, the Texas Ranger turned cattle driver last seen in McMurtry's Comanche Moon, and Nellie Courtright, the witty and irrepressible heroine of Telegraph Days. McMurtry traces the rich and varied friendship of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday from the town of Long Grass to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in Denver, then to Mobetie, Texas, and finally to Tombstone, Arizona, culminating with the famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral, rendered here in McMurtry's stark and peerless prose. With the buffalo herds gone, the Comanche defeated, and vast swaths of the Great Plains being enclosed by cattle ranches, Wyatt and Doc live on, even as the storied West that forged their myths disappears. As harsh and beautiful, and as brutal and captivating as the open range it depicts, The Last Kind Words Saloon celebrates the genius of one of our most original American writers.
Views: 717

Back Again (The Short Story)

Between life and death lies fate.COULD YOU WATCH A LOVED ONE DIE TO SAVE THEIR LIFE?"Dawn had lost count of the number of times she’d lived through this. Every time it hurt as much as the time before. Eventually, she thought that she must become immune to the events, and that her heart wouldn’t shatter into a thousand, million pieces—But it always did.""Between life and death lies Fate"What would you do if the thing most precious is taken from you in a terrible moment? What would you do to change fate?A tragic accident takes Dawn's only child Tommy right before her eyes. The following surreal days are filled with soul-destroying grief and moments she never wants to live again until, inexplicably, Dawn finds herself back again, living that day. It's a second chance. But changing fate is not as simple as it first appears. Time is not Dawn's ally.Kylie's life hasn't turned out quite as she'd planned. At twenty, she's over her dead-end supermarket job and her life is a mess. Her boss is on her case, her ex-boyfriend won't stop harassing her, and all she wants today is to drive across town and cry on her best friend's shoulder. As she leaves the supermarket parking lot, she picks up her cell to send a message. It's a decision that will change her life forever.A thrilling story of hope, forgiveness, and the mysterious journey of two people whom Fate has destined should meet. Another dark tale with a twist from award winning author Susan May, Back Again (the short story) will delight fans of Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and lovers of psychological thrillers. By the author readers are naming the next Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and the female Stephen King.BACK AGAIN IS A 45 PAGE DARK THRILLER SHORT STORYPRAISE FOR BACK AGAIN"Compelling and masterfully written." Anne Frasier NY Times bestselling author"From the very first chapter you know you're in the hands of a real writer." Sarah Kernochan, Best selling author & Academy Award Winning Screenwriter"Compelling off the first page. You can feel the pulse!" Caroline Kepnes, NY Times Best Selling author of 'YOU'"Well-written. Thought-provoking. Highly recommended." Peg McDaniel-Amazon"I recommend this book to fans of time travel, parents, and those who think texting and driving are okay. Please, read this story!" Chris Mentzer, author of the Askinar Towers"It is a story not easily forgotten." L. Frier-Amazon"A MUST READ novella that will tug at your heart!" Ana Medina-Amazon"A well written and haunting story that the reader will not soon forget." Evie-Amazon"Heartbreaking and, yet, wonderfully told." Tamara-Amazon
Views: 717

Everything Precious

This story is a unique collaboration between Paspaley, acclaimed author Anna Funder, photographer Derek Henderson and award-winning actress Teresa Palmer.It's an original story of love, self and all things precious, featuring the most beautiful pearls in the world.Nora-May grew up hearing tales from her grandfather of the half-human, half-fish creatures that terrorize sailors on Creek Island. After her grandfather's death, Nora-May joins her father on a fishing trip down at Creek Mountain. What she witnesses will change her life forever.
Views: 717

The Secret Woman

To all appearances, Anna Brett was a quiet, capable young woman whose only ambition was to carry on the profitable antiques business bequeathed her by a spinster aunt. And so she was--until the memory of a cherished moment with a blue-eyed stranger suddenly returned to haunt her with savage intensity. It was then Anna discovered the secret woman who waited within her-- impetuous, daring...and dangerous.
Views: 717

Queen of Someday

Before she can become empress, Sophia has to survive her mother's quest to put her on the throne of Russia. Betrothed to one man, but falling for another, Imperial Court holds unimaginable danger. When surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her cruel nephew, she will need her wit and strength to make it to coronation day alive.Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?
Views: 717

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave

The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield's father promised he wouldn't go away to fight - but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn't know where his father might be, other than that he's away on a special, secret mission. Then, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father's name - on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realises his father is in a hospital close by - a hospital treating soldiers with an unusual condition. Alfie is determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place . . .
Views: 717

Who Brings Forth the Wind

Tanner Richardson, the volatile duke of Cambridge, sees his wife with another man. Misinterpreting the situation, he erupts in rage and throws her and their unborn baby out. Tanner’s anger smolders—until the night he is shot….
Views: 717

The Mad, Bad Duke

London, 1820 Miss Meagan Tavistock doesn’t believe the talisman her friend purchases from a so-called witch is truly a love spell—that is, until the love spell backfires, catching her in it with the handsome, ruthless Grand Duke Alexander, ambassador to England from the far-off kingdom of Nvengaria. The last thing Alexander needs is to be swept into a wild love-spelled frenzy with an innocent miss. He has problems of his own—memory losses, strange and terrible dreams, and a shape-shifting logosh called Myn following him around. Alexander is honorable enough to ensure Meagan is not ruined by their love-spell induced encounter. He thinks to marry her, conquer his seeming madness, and carry on with his task of intimidating King George of England for the good of his beloved Nvengaria. What he doesn’t figure into the equation is Meagan—a very determined and lovely young woman who seeps into his every thought. Meagan is resolved to have a real marriage and a real family, and to see that Alexander does too. She will ensure Alexander takes up his duties as her husband and father to his nine-year-old son, even if she has to resort to some very Nvengarian intrigue to accomplish it. Alexander admires her resilience, but the secret he harbors about himself and his past is sure to endanger her and his son, two people he swears to protect and love even at the cost of his own happiness and quite probably his life. Welcome back to Nvengaria, a land of intense beauty and wild magic, where shape-shifters are real and fairy tales might just come true. Each Nvengarian story is based loosely on a well-known fairy tale: Penelope and Prince Charming—Cinderella The Mad, Bad Duke—Beauty and the Beast Highlander Ever After—Snow White and the Seven Highlanders The Longest Night—Little Red Riding Hood (and the Big, Bad Wolf)
Views: 716

Mate Claimed

Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no Collar can contain… As a wildcat Shifter and leader of his Shiftertown, Eric Warden knows his own kind. When he sees Iona Duncan, he realizes that although she appears human, she is a half-Shifter wildcat living without a Collar—and that if she doesn't acknowledge her true nature and her mating hunger, it may kill her… Iona finds the mysterious and powerful Eric alluring, even though she has vowed never to reveal her Shifter side, lest her mother pay the price for hiding her all these years. But her mating hunger is rising, and with Eric so close, she may not be able to resist…and her desire may lead to the very doom they are fighting to deny…
Views: 716

Rising Moon

Denizens of The Big Easy know its steamy nights can hide any number of sins and secrets. Private-eye Anne Lockhart is counting on it. Her life has been in a holding pattern ever since her sister Katie disappeared without a trace…but when a clue leads Anne to a jazz club in the French Quarter, everything changes. Rising Moon's proprietor, John Rodolfo, is mysterious in his own right, a gifted musician who reaches deep into Anne's soul and whose mere presence taps into desires she can't afford to indulge. . .   By going undercover at the Rising Moon, Anne can get close to people who know what goes on after dark--people like John, whose nocturnal disappearances are more than a little suspicious. But unlocking John's secrets is harder than Anne had anticipated. What's far too easy is surrendering to him. And now someone--or something--is stalking the innocent and the guilty, and waiting for Anne's next move. . .
Views: 716

The Monster Novels: Stinger, the Wolf's Hour, and Mine

From a New York Times–bestselling and Bram Stoker Award–winning author: Three novels with monsters ranging from alien to werewolf to vengeful moms. Whether writing Southern Gothic horror or reinventing the monster genre, World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Award–winning author Robert R. McCammon proves himself a master of a wide spectrum of modern horror and dark fantasy. In these three novels, McCammon presents a terrifying predator from another world, a werewolf war hero, and two crazy moms you do not want to mess with. Stinger: In this New York Times bestseller, when Stinger, a monstrous alien bounty hunter, crash-lands in the West Texas hellhole of Inferno in search of a young fugitive, the relentless creature encloses the town in an impenetrable and inescapable dome to isolate and kill its prey. Now, the few remaining survivors must band together to save the fugitive—who’s taken the human form of a small girl—and themselves from annihilation. “The ultimate horror novel.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer “One of the best suspense novels of recent years.” —Science Fiction Chronicle The Wolf’s Hour: Michael Gallatin—master spy, Nazi hunter . . . and werewolf. As the Allies’ secret weapon, the lycanthrope parachutes into occupied France to subvert a Nazi plan to thwart the D-Day invasion, code-named Iron Fist. With the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s a race against time. The Nazis may have Iron Fist, but Gallatin comes with claws, in this New York Times bestseller. “Powerful . . . fuses WWII espionage thriller and dark fantasy. Richly detailed, intricately plotted, fast-paced historical suspense is enhanced by McCammon’s unique take on the werewolf myth.” —Publishers Weekly Mine: Suffering from psychotic delusions of motherhood, former sixties radical and FBI fugitive Mary Terrell sneaks into the maternity ward of an Atlanta hospital and snatches a newborn baby. Burning with primal maternal fury, the baby’s mother, Laura Clayborne, is going after Mary herself on a twisted and violent cross-country pursuit. In this Bram Stoker Award winner, to track a madwoman, Laura will have to think like one . . . “Feverishly exciting . . . a page-whipping thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews “An expertly constructed novel of suspense and horror.” —Publishers Weekly
Views: 715

The Conqueror

The true story of the bastard son who made himself a king and the woman who melted his heart. The stirring history of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who invaded England and became the King. His victory, concluded at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, is known as the Norman Conquest. Known for her exhaustive research and ability to bring past eras to life, bestselling author Georgette Heyer tells the story of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066, and his queen Matilda, the high-born noblewoman who at first scornfully spurned him. William was an illegitimate child of a nobleman, who won his dukedom through force of will, and went on to bring European feudalism to England, along with a program of building and fortification that included the building of the Tower of London. The historical novel includes Heyer's brilliant period language and her perfect grasp of the details of the day - clothing, armor, weapons, and food - making for a fascinating and blood-stirring read.Bonus reading group guide available inside."From the moment when the infant grasped his father's sword with a strength unusual in one so young, William showed himself a leader among men.The Conqueror grew out of an incredible amount of historical research into the way of life, the way of speech, the way of thought, and feeling, and praying in the Eleventh Century.
Views: 714