Katherine would never guess that she was ever on Matt's radar until one day, during a boardroom meeting, when he comes to her rescue. And that one simple gesture sets the pace for a flurry of give & take, in a dangerous game of submission. Views: 61
Ingrid Larsen, a young Swedish immigrant, arrives in Michigan in 1871 to search for her brother who has disappeared into the woods to work the dangerous lumber camps. Destitute and barely hanging on to hope, she encounters a newly-widowed farmer who is struggling to raise five children on his own. Marriage would solve both of their problems, and so Ingrid proposes to a man she barely knows. She will fight to protect her new family--but the hardest battle of all will be winning the heart of her new husband.Readers who loved The Measure of Katie Calloway will be pleased to find more of Miller's emotive and descriptive writing here--and to discover that love is more than words. Views: 61
March 1938. The Germans take Vienna without a shot being fired. Covering Austria for the English press is a young journalist named Rod Troy. Back home his younger brother joins the CID as a detective constable. November 1938. Kristallnacht. The Jews leave Vienna - Sigmund Freud with an American escort on a sleeper train, the tailor Josef Hummel tied to the underside of a boxcar. June 1940. Tensions are rising and 'enemy aliens' are rounded up in London for internment, including Troy's own brother. In the midst of the chaos London's most prominent rabbis are being picked off one by one and Troy must race to stop the killer. Views: 61
Hailed by Gary Shteyngart as "a thing of wonder" O, Africa! is a rollicking, ambitious, and ultimately moving novel about old Hollywood, two brothers, forbidden love, and the timeless allure of the movies In the summer of 1928, twin brothers Micah and Izzy Grand are at the pinnacle of their movie-making careers. With the brash, bloviating Micah directing and Izzy working wonders behind the lens, they have risen from their roots as sons of Brooklyn Jewish immigrants to become kings of silent comedy. But when Micah's vices-- a penchant for gambling and an interracial affair-- begin to threaten his livelihood, he finds himself in need of a quick escape.As danger looms on the horizon, the brothers' producer offers a perfectly-timed opportunity: travel to Africa to compile stock footage of the exotic flora and fauna, as well as filming a new comedy in the jungle. Together with an unlikely crew, the Grands set out for Malwiki, where among the tribesmen... Views: 61
Charles Todd’s critically acclaimed novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge have been hailed by The Washington Post Book World as “one of the best historical series being written today.” The New York Times Book Review calls Todd’s mysteries “meticulously wrought...harrowing psychological drama.” Now he stakes out new territory in this mesmerizing stand-alone novel of one woman’s dark journey through family obsession, wartime secrets, and a chilling legacy....The Murder StoneThe Great War is still raging in the autumn of 1916, when Francesca Hatton’s beloved grandfather dies on the family estate in England’s isolated Exe Valley. Grieving for the man who raised her, Francesca is stunned to find an unsigned letter among his effects, cursing the Hattons and their descendants. Now a stranger has shown up on her doorstep, accusing her grandfather of being a murderer.Ex-soldier Richard Leighton blames Francis Hatton for the death of his mother, who vanished nearly a quarter of a century earlier. Her body was never found, only a shawl stained with her blood. And Leighton is not the only one with a claim on Francesca’s grandfather. On the day of his funeral, unexpected visitors arrive with the mourners, and Francesca is besieged by charges of Hatton’s vicious dealings. Yet there is also a shy young woman who praises his secret generosity.At the center of the intrigue is an unusual white stone that lies hidden in a secluded garden where Francesca once played with her five male cousins, all of them dead now on the battlefields of France. According to the terms of Hatton’s will, the Murder Stone must be dug up and transported to Scotland, where it is to be buried forever. But before Francesca can begin the journey, a series of ominous “accidents” occur, culminating in the discovery of a bleeding body on the Murder Stone itself.Was Hatton the loving, caring protector his granddaughter always believed him to be? Or a vindictive, secretive man who cultivated dangerous enemies? Francesca sets out in pursuit of the truth—and into the sights of someone determined to exact a revenge long overdue. From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com ReviewHow well do we really know the people we love? Maybe never well enough, to judge by the example of Francesca Hatton, the young British heiress around whom Charles Todd constructs his first standalone historical suspense tale, The Murder Stone. Leaving London and her volunteer work with wounded World War I soldiers, Francesca--"the last of the Hattons ... [a] long and distinguished line"--returns in 1916 to River's End, the rural estate where her powerful and beloved grandfather is dying of a stroke. Francis Hatton's passing hits Francesca hard, especially coming so soon after the demise of her five male cousins, all of them "mown down with their dreams of glory" in battle. But her mourning is interrupted by multiple mysteries. Why did Francis insist in his will that the Murder Stone, a large and cryptically named white rock in his garden, be moved to the farthest corner of Scotland? Why had he concealed his ownership of two other, distant estates? And could there be any truth in the charge, leveled by an invalided soldier, that Francis long ago "abducted and killed his mother, then buried the body where it couldn't be found"? Forced by new revelations to rebalance her faith in the man who'd taken her in as an orphaned child, while simultaneously contending with a random sniper who's invaded the neighborhood of River's End, Francesca struggles to build a new future, even as her trust in the "facts" of her past crumbles.Over the course of six previous novels, beginning with A Test of Wills--all featuring shell-shocked soldier-turned-inspector Ian Rutledge--Todd (the nom de plume of a mother-son writing team) has shown considerable skill in formulating criminal conundrums against the backdrop of post-World War I Britain. The Murder Stone vividly recaptures the nation in the very midst of that international violence, a painful period of untimely deaths and stunning Zeppelin raids. However, this yarn is as much a Gothic romance as an abstruse puzzler. Most of the secrets here can be figured out faster by the average reader than by the incredibly naïve Francesca. And with the exception of that vexed protagonist, whose investigations paint her into ever tighter moral corners, none of this novel's characters achieve much dimension. They're mechanical players in a drama that is surprising mostly for its failure to surprise. --J. Kingston PierceFrom Publishers WeeklyAfter six superb historicals (A Fearsome Doubt, etc.) featuring Inspector Rutledge, a man haunted by his WWI experiences, Todd misses the mark in his first stand-alone, a predictable, unengaging story of family secrets. Francesca Hatton, an unworldly young woman who's been volunteering for the Red Cross in London since the start of the Great War, returns in 1916 to her family home in the isolated Exe Valley, where her beloved grandfather, Francis Hatton, is on his death bed. After Francis dies, she finds that he kept many things from her, ranging from large properties he owned and maintained to his personal relationships. Her confusion is only compounded when a wounded ex-soldier, whose days are numbered, appears and accuses the older Hatton of having murdered his mother decades earlier. Despite her adoration of the man who reared her and her five orphaned male cousins, she begins to question her faith in him. Those doubts lead her to reexamine the mysterious deaths of her parents and numerous other relatives, though her sleuthing is little more sophisticated than that of Nancy Drew. Given the masterful way Todd's Rutledge novels capture the horrors of trench warfare and the brutal slaughter's effect on those returning to civilian life, it's all the more surprising that his portrayal of the war and its scars here is superficial. Todd's many admirers would be advised to give this a pass and wait for the next entry in the Rutledge series. FYI: Todd is the pseudonym of a mother-son writing team.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 61
Baron de la Warren returned from the war a hero, a sky captain lauded for his brilliant strategies and swashbuckling boldness. Savagely beautiful, he is far too masculine to be pretty, but he is certainly magnificent. And irresistibly sexy. Annabelle Waters is startled when his lordship commissions mechanized lovebirds, wondering at the private man who lives beneath the public personage. What manner of warrior thinks of such a lover’s gift? She is more than a little eager to see for herself... Views: 61
Discover a story that reveals how to risk everything to be true to yourself. Trapped on a desolate arctic island, Liana is pushed to the edge and must face her elemental fears. It is a haunting tale of the biting physical toil survival often requires. Graham Wilson simultaneously strips down the American adventure novel while broadening its concerns to encompass themes of compassion and belonging. It is a universal tale told with a simplicity and directness rarely seen today. An Island Between Two Shores is an unforgettable story of hope and possibility.Review" An Island Between Two Shores will stay with me a long time. In a profound way, I identified with this young woman, who just wanted to survive the cruel, indifferent wilderness that preys on both the strong and the weak."Danielle Hill, "The Hope Chest Reviews," October 19, 2012"This was a book that I could not put down. I managed to read it all in a few hours and love it! Liana is a splendid character and her voyage to get off the island and back to civilization kept me on the edge of my seat. She is the woman I hope I could manage to be if I was in the same situation." Rita Reviews, October 1, 2012"The story is so well told, by turns poetic and brutal, that it has huge emotional impact, gripping the reader from start to finish. I was very impressed at the depth of emotion that the author could lead me to feel for the central character in such a short, 148 page novel, and I know that I will not forget Liana and her struggle to survive whatever the cost for a long time.I think the ending is one that you'll either love or hate. I found it surprising but clever and undoubtedly the only one that could really finish the story to maintain the gritty realism it portrays from the very beginning.star rating : 5/5"Cheryl Pasquier, "Madhouse Family Reviews" September 14, 2012"At just 148 pages long, * An Island Between Two Shores* by Graham Wilson can be read in one sitting, in fact I think it really should be read like this as the story is compelling, often brutal but beautifully told."Anne Cater, "Random Things Through My Letterbox" August 30, 2012From the Author"I have lived in the Yukon since 1986. I like to paddle, ski and climb and have explored much of the north. My writing is influenced by these adventures." Graham Wilson Views: 61
SUMMARY:The Novel that Inspired the Now-Classic Film The Caine Mutiny and the Hit Broadway Play The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life-and mutiny-on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater was immediately embraced, upon its original publication in 1951, as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of World War II. In the intervening half century, The Caine Mutiny has become a perennial favorite of readers young and old, has sold millions of copies throughout the world, and has achieved the status of a modern classic. SUMMARY:Upon its original publication in 1951, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was immediately embraced as one of the first serious works of fiction to help readers grapple with the human consequences of World War II. In the intervening half-century, Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining story of life-and mutiny-on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater has achieved the status of a modern classic. Views: 61
In two classic tales of Regency-era romance from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh, the vagaries of love have a way of challenging the most convenient arrangements.THE TEMPORARY WIFEMiss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart's proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he wants: a wife who will enrage the father he despises and then disappear from his life. In exchange, Charity's family will receive the money they desperately need. But after Charity agrees to this mockery of matrimony, she soon discovers a startling fact: She has fallen for Anthony, and breaking their marriage vows may also break her heart.A PROMISE OF SPRINGGrace Howard has every reason to be devoted to Sir Peregrine Lampman. After all, the gallant gentleman rescued her from poverty by making her his bride. Even more nobly, he did not withdraw his affection after she confessed to a youthful folly that... Views: 61
His Family of Convenience For widower and ex-doctor Trace Warren, a fresh start in Whisper Creek comes with a catch: to save his home and apothecary shop, Trace must remarry. While making Katherine Fleming his wife is simple enough, he refuses to fall in love again. But keeping his distance from the kind, beautiful woman and the infant she brings with her is dangerously difficult... Katherine promised to protect the baby left in her care, and a marriage of convenience to Trace is the only way to do that. But all too soon, Trace possesses Katherine's heart, even as he still carefully guards his own. With hopes of turning their arrangement into a true love match, can Katherine convince Trace to forgive himself for his past mistakes and embrace his new family? Views: 61
A pretend wedding gives eight-year-old KodyAnne the assurance that even the Orphan Train cannot separate her from Michael forever. Their love transcends time until her father, a banker, and a sheriff change their lives.With her father dead and her brother a wanted man, KodyAnne brings her younger sister to Willow Springs where she discovers Michael is the pastor of the only church. She has never stopped loving him, but is convinced he doesn’t care the same for her and determines she will not allow him to give up his freedom for her a second time. She must get possession of her family’s lockbox, but the bank won’t give it to her. She has two choices, wait for the court system she believes is corrupt to get it for her or enter the bank after hours and take it. She decides there is only one choice.Michael, the local minister, has loved KodyAnne since before they rode the Orphan Train together years ago. He feels manipulated by her father’s deathbed request that he marry her, but sets his feelings aside only to have her reject his proposal. Now, he’s determined to change her mind, but outlaws threaten her family, and a treasure hunt threatens the very basis of their relationship until Michael wonders if their love is strong enough to endure.About the AuthorMildred Colvin is an award-winning author of twenty romance novels in both historical and contemporary themes, two compilations, and one audio book. Mildred is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is active in two critique groups. To keep up with her writings and activities, visit her at http://infinitecharacters.com. Views: 61
