Paris, 1919. The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly. Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiance she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all. Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job - and also a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie. Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford. Views: 70
Into the Valley of Death is the first in A.L. Berridge's Crimean War series. 1854 - The Allied armies prepare to besiege the Russian stronghold in the Crimea Harry Ryder is a maverick hero. Resentful of the army that destroyed his father and his own career, he has no time for incompetent commanders. He clashes with his superiors as fiercely as he fights the Russians. Four men, one woman and a game of cards will change everything and alter the course of a war. Something evil has crept into the ranks of the British Army's own officers, an unknown enemy who plans lure men to ruin on the battlefields. The only path to victory lies in uncovering the truth, but to find it and confront his own destiny Ryder must charge with the Light Brigade into the Valley of Death itself... From A.L. Berridge, Top Ten Bestselling author of Honour and the Sword, comes Into the Valley of Death; the first in a sensational new series set to the bloody backdrop of the Crimean war. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, Into the Valley of Death is a masterpiece of exhilarating historical adventure. So begins a thrilling new series set in the midst of a brutal war that shifted the balance of power in Europe and set the stage for World War One. Praise for A.L. Berridge: 'Fast-moving, exciting historical fiction...bringing the Crimea back to life... It's pitch-perfect, breakneck writing' Conn Iggulden 'The novel opens at a cracking pace and accelerates... A. L. Berridge has done it again - quite simply superb.' The Historical Novel Society 'Explodes into life, drama and action on every page. This truly is an outstanding book.' Parmenion Books A.L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten bestseller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King, which are both available from Penguin.** Views: 70
Have you ever been so desperate that you would do literally anything for money? This is the tragic situation Giselda finds herself in, with no money for an operation her younger brother desperately needs to save his life, and no one to turn to. Ground down by poverty she plucks up her courage to offer the only thing she has of value – her purity. Choking back her pride and knowing that she is about to forfeit his respect, she approaches her wealthy employer, the handsome Earl of Lyndhurst, who is recovering from his injuries sustained in the Battle of Waterloo. Appalled that this frail and innocent young girl should be faced with such a terrible decision, he vows to find a way to help her without offending her dignity. He knows she would never accept his charity, and she refuses to confide in him the reasons for her family's poverty. Intrigued by the air of mystery about a girl of obvious quality reduced to the role of maidservant, the Earl decides to discover why a beautiful young woman of strong principles has been reduced to such extreme measures.Discovering her to have gentle hands and wonderful nursing skills he employs her as his private nurse and turns his sharp mind to uncovering her secrets – and learns his own lessons in love in the process. Views: 70
Laura left Jon for New York five years earlier to become a dancer. Jon told himself he was over Laura and he definitely no longer loved her.When Laura's horse is spooked by a siren, he falls in the neighbor's pool and Jon saves him.How far will this matchmaking Christmas horse have to go to bring Jon and Laura back together? Views: 70
"It's taken me almost a whole lifetime to become a decent liar."Award-winning author Sujata Massey is back with a delicious blend of mystery and contemporary women's fiction, and in Girl in a Box, Japanese-American sleuth Rei Shimura is on her most dangerous outing yet.Chronically underemployed Rei takes a freelance gig with a Washington, D.C., alphabet agency that just might have ties to the CIA. Her mission, should she choose to accept it, is to go undercover as a clerk in a big Tokyo department store. It's a tricky and risky assignment, but it also gives Rei the opportunity to check out all the latest fashions and use her store discount to indulge her shopping impulses.Meanwhile, she's listening in on conversations not meant for her and crashing a conference she's not invited to. She winds up fending off the advances of a couple of the store's executives who seem to be fascinated by her navel ring. When her cover is blown, Rei is in big trouble, and it will take all her resourcefulness and unorthodox methods to unmask a killer. Views: 70
This is the new Shardlake mystery from the No 1 bestselling author of "REVELATION". Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel. As the English fleet gathers at Portsmouth, the country raises the largest militia army it has ever seen. The King has debased the currency to pay for the war, and England is in the grip of soaring inflation and economic crisis. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. Asked to investigate claims of 'monstrous wrongs' committed against a young ward of the court, which have already involved one mysterious death, Shardlake and his assistant Barak journey to Portsmouth. Once arrived, Shardlake and Barak find themselves in a city preparing to become a war zone; and Shardlake takes the opportunity to also investigate the mysterious past of Ellen Fettipace, a young woman incarcerated in the Bedlam. The emerging mysteries around the young ward, and the events that destroyed Ellen's family nineteen years before, involve Shardlake in reunions both with an old friend and an old enemy close to the throne. Events will converge on board one of the King's great warships, primed for battle in Portsmouth harbour: the Mary Rose...From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Few contemporary authors are as adept as Sansom at blending a whodunit with a sweeping historical epic, as shown by his fifth mystery featuring English attorney Matthew Shardlake (after 2009's Revelation). In 1545, as a French fleet threatens invasion, the English queen, Catherine Parr, asks Shardlake to look into a matter for an old servant, whose son committed suicide shortly after filing a protest about the wardship of a boy the son had tutored. Soon after accepting this assignment, Shardlake is assaulted by a gang of thugs, who warn him to drop the matter. On his own, he also probes the past of a Bedlam inmate, Ellen Fettiplace, who was institutionalized 20 years earlier after being raped. Both cases turn out to be extremely complex, and Shardlake, who puts justice above his personal interests, ends up with several murders to solve as well. Strong prose makes Tudor England instantly accessible, and the clockwork plotting sustains deep interest throughout. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. From BooklistStarred Review In 1545, times are perilous for London counsel Matthew Shardlake and for his country. While the English, heavily taxed and with their coinage debased by Henry VIII, prepare for a naval attack from the French at Portsmouth, Shardlake takes on a case at the request of Catherine Parr on behalf of her former servant, whose son committed suicide after discovering “monstrous wrongs” against a teenage ward he once tutored. As the 43-year-old, hunchbacked Shardlake seeks to uncover secrets in the ward’s household, he also investigates the past of a presumably sane woman kept for years in Bedlam. Even with the queen’s patronage, the dogged Shardlake is threatened bodily while pursuing answers to both cases, which ultimately pit him against his old court nemesis, Sir Richard Rich. The heft of this fifth in the Shardlake series may be intimidating, but Sansom’s supple and action-packed prose should keep readers engaged. The novel vividly captures the Tudor scene, from its corrupt politics to the stench of its streets and the horror of battle. Historical mystery at its finest. --Michele Leber Views: 69
How to Find a Duke in Ten Days Views: 69
When her mother dies in childbirth, Jessica's father sends his infant daughter from his ranch in Kansas back to New York to be raised by an older aunt. But Aunt Helen only cares for social standing and proprieties. She tells Jessica nothing of her father's offers to take her back and instead pushes Jessica into an arranged marriage with a man who turns out to be abusive and unfaithful. When her aunt and husband die, Jessica is alone in the world except for her infant son. She learns of her father's death and determines to rebuild her life at Windridge, the ranch where her life began. But appearances are not always reliable, and Jessica doesn't know who she can trust. Will Windridge become the home she has always searched for, or will it be the scene of her final betrayal? Views: 69
It is Holy Week in Seville and the heat is rising. A murderer is on the loose and visiting academic Maria Gutierrez can see something in his ways that the police are missing. But her insight does nothing to help her popularity in the force – and draws her to the attention of the killer. The Angel Brothers, two controversial modern artists, are found dead in a killing that emulates a famous painting, and an old lady remembers the atrocities of the Civil War. Maria was supposed to be an observer to the police investigation. But her own past in the city soon puts her one step ahead of the cops . . . and in the killer's sights. First published as Semana Santa in 1996 by HarperCollins. Views: 69
Although she never thought of herself as one of the lucky ones, Caroline Devonshire's life could have been in a much dire state than it was at the age of 18.Orphaned when young, her older brother managed to secure her a home under the watchful eye of the widowed tavern owner, Ms. Beeson, before setting off for war in France.And while her brother's absence would prove to be a trial, Caroline managed to survive and thrive in her less than ideal surroundings.Although she tries to keep foolish dreams in check, Caroline secretly hopes to live an adventurous life beyond the Smithfield Market, beyond London, and even beyond England. That is, until her brother, Peter, finally returns home for good and shows himself to have become the type of rogue that a life of adventure can breed.Worse still is Peter's companion, a certain Lord Timothy Brandeis, who though cherishing a strong and special bond with Caroline's brother through the war, is also partially responsible for her brothers current standing as a scoundrel and a rogue.Even though this handsome and charming man proves to be little better than the louts Caroline deals with every day, she finds it hard to not look his way in a manner that doesn't escape the eyes of Ms. Beeson.Things become even more complex when Lord Bradeis' duties as the second son of a Marquis force him to make an appearance at his family home and Caroline is shocked to find that this roguish Lord has a rather adventurous request to make of her.Soon she'll need to collect all her wits to manage in a realm her active imagination had never dared to take her: the world of le bon ton in Regency Era England. Views: 69
The doctor and the firefighter! A&E doctor Heather Cooper isn't looking for love. She's got her career and her daughter to keep her busy. But when she crosses paths with a daring firefighter, she's frightened by the strength of her emotions—she doesn't want another hero in her life. As a firefighter, Ross Tanner isn't afraid of danger. Heather may be held back by her fears—but he is not. To Ross, life is too short not to live it to the fullest, and he's determined to prove to Heather that his love for her and her daughter is too precious to ignore. Views: 69
