Against a backdrop of racial tensions and spanning four decades, Joshua: A Brooklyn Tale explores the entanglements of three lives: Joshua Eubanks, a young black man struggling to overcome the crime, drugs, and despair of the streets; Rachel Weissman, daughter of a Hassidic rabbi, wrestling pangs of rebelliousness against the insular and restrictive practices of her religion; and Paul Sims, the product of a privileged Long Island Jewish family, yearning to escape his troubled past. Joshua first encounters Rachel in the local synagogue, where he works as an assistant to the custodian. Over the years their bond intensifies, though their lives diverge. Rachel aspires to be a doctor, but surrenders to a strict Hasidic life, thus leaving her unfulfilled. Paul leaves his home to find solace in the Hasidic enclave of Crown Heights. Views: 5
1794. Fresh from battle in the Gulf of Ambracia with the villainous Turk Mehmet Pasha, Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans arrive in the Italian port of Brindisi, with captures in tow and his wounded superior, Henry Digby, in a convalescent state. Their landing in the harbour is met by crowds and local dignitaries who insist Digby is attended to by their best physician. Free from authority, Pearce travels to Naples to track down his lover, Emily Barclay.But upon finding her, Emily reveals astonishing news that will send her back to her brutish husband and Pearce's longstanding enemy, Captain Ralph Barclay, to avoid further scandal. As Pearce sets out for Leghorn to challenge Barclay and persuade him to desist in his pursuit, Barclay hatches his own scheme to thwart the headstrong lieutenant.Faced with bloody sea battles, conspiracies to defeat him and utter chicanery, John Pearce must confront his most dangerous feud yet as his enemies will stop at... Views: 5
Seeking the pot of gold at California's end She married rich, but not well. Now, with the Civil War ended and her husband gone, Deirdre must make her own way in the world. The golden, untamed valleys of Sonoma County beckon, a land ripe with promise. But her dreams of building a home and starting a winery are thwarted by locals who don't want to sell to a spirited, independent woman—much less an Irish one. Two very different gentlemen aid in Deirdre's quest. Kin O'Leary is tall, dark, and oh-so-charming. Owner of Sonoma's most successful inn, Kin is one of the wealthiest men in the county, and Deirdre believes this makes him an ill-advised suitor. Complicating her circumstance is Dylan O'Reilly, the strapping young cattle hand who stirs her passion to life but hides some dangerous secrets. With Deirdre's dreams hanging in the balance, the forthright young widow faces a difficult choice. Will she have the luck of the Irish when it... Views: 5
Time spent messing about on the river isn't supposed to end with a brutal murder. The staff at Stoley's Boatyard were used to holidaymakers returning their pleasure cruisers a little late after a week or so exploring the network of waterways around Norchester. They were not used to finding their yachts burned almost beyond recognition with the charred remains of a client still aboard. Taking on the murder investigation, Chief Inspector George Gently faces an enquiry like no other he has ever handled. Somewhere beneath the lies of the victim's wife, somewhere obscured by the brittle edge of her daughter's fear, somewhere hidden by her son's hysteria, lies the truth. Gently's only hope is to sweep aside the litter of chaos and confusion to uncover the identity of the killer. Views: 5
In this new novel from the author of The Dressmaker's Dowry, two young women two generations apart discover the joy and heartbreak of following their dreams. Aspiring Hollywood actress Violet makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later, Mari sets out to discover what happened on that long ago summer.Santa Cruz, Summer 1940: When auburn-haired Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss California on the boardwalk of her hometown, she knows she is one step closer to her cherished dream: a Hollywood screen test. But Violet's victory comes with a price—discord in her seemingly perfect marriage—and she grapples with how much more she is willing to pay.Summer 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives with her parents in the charming beach cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to the town's local history and the quaint gazebo where her grandparents danced beneath the stars, Mari sells... Views: 5
Dick Hilton did not want this to happen. He did not want to believe it was happening. Judith Gale was the daughter of the beautiful, voluptuous woman who had seduced him and become his mistress...who had taught him every pleasure of the senses and made him the plaything of her own boundless appetite...while Judith had waited outside the bedroom door. Now Judith was no longer a child, but not yet a woman. Now Judith was fourteen years old... ...and in Dick Hilton's arms, her naked body moving with awesome expertise beneath his hands, her own hands so swift and skillful, first with his belt, then with his passion... Judith had been waiting so long for this moment -- and now it was Dick who was helpless as a child, who could not deny her what they both so fiercely wanted... Views: 5
Eliza Altairsky-Lointaine is the toast of Moscow society, a beautiful actress in an infamous theatre troupe. Views: 5
