When Jennie Gilchrist fled from the Scottish Estate of Linnmore during the fiery violence of the infamous Highland Clearances, she planned to make her way to her sisters in England, but instead she found herself sailing on the brig Paul Revere, bound for the coast of Maine--the New World. Accompanying her is Alick Gilchrist, cousin to her late husband, now a fugitive. Jennie feels obligated to help Alick escape Scotland, as she is partly to blame for his outlaw status. SInce the sponsor of the trip requires that all immigrant men aboard the Paul Revere be married, Jennie sails as Alick's "wife", the pair traveling under an assumed name, with little aside from the clothes that they wear. They arrive at the small but thriving town of Maddox on the newly settled Maine coast, unlike any place they have known before. They immediately set to building a new life for themselves--Alick building boats, and Jennie teaching the well-to-do MacKenzie children--but while Alick is fixing to live out his days on American soil, Jennie is biding her time and saving money for the passage back to England. But unforeseen events derail her plans, not the least of which is her bond with the inscrutable Alick Glenroy.

'Exceptionally brilliant. Immersive, sensual, compelling' - Marian Keyes 'Intriguing, haunting . . . raw, beautiful' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne The gripping, historical novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies. Set in an era of superstition, hysteria, and extraordinary change, and inspired by the true events of a doomed summer, The Dance Tree is an impassioned story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge. Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency. Musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women. Just beyond the city's limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet's sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years' penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name. It is a secret that Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune . . . 'Extraordinary . . . An exceptionally atmospheric, original story' - The Sunday Times 'Spellbinding' - Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

Jennie and Alick Glenroy arrived in Maine with nothing, not even their names, starting anew in a different land, leaving the turmoil and violence of Scotland behind them. Almost twenty years later, the "Godless Glenroys" are a prosperous, though sometimes controversial, family. Alick is the proprietor of a successful shipyard, and Jennie has raised their five children to think for themselves, a trait that occasionally raises the ire of their staid neighbors. The Glenroys find themselves facing issues that they've long been sheltered from: slavery, enmity, and violence. Jennie and Alick must defend their children against malicious accusations and guide them through the trials of adolescence, but also allow them the independence and space to grow into intelligent and principled adults. When a figure from their fugitive past sails into town, everything they have worked to build over the past twenty years is in danger of being torn asunder; ultimately they must face these new challenges with the same courage and persevering spirit that carried them over Highland mountains so many years before.

HER FATHER'S DAUGHTER (1921) by Gene Stratton Porter is the story of Linda Strong, the titular heroine, a determined and opinionated young woman growing up in California in the 1920s.

What could have been a typically charming and heartfelt story of personal discovery, loves and relationships by the beloved naturalist author is unfortunately marred by the strongly pronounced racist and anti-immigrant mindset of the heroine and several other characters. It must be pointed out that the racial prejudice portrayed here is typical of its time and must be viewed in a socio-historical context. Nevertheless, it is something the modern reader will find offensive.

Despite the controversial nature of the material, the novel is an interesting, albeit disturbing study, both for students of the period and fans of the author.

Spanning four generations and an infinite range of human emotions, "When We Were Young" is the story of the Mitchell family, beginning in England at the outbreak of World War II and chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of those tumultuous times. Most of all, it is the story of Jim Mitchell, a young, ambitious English boy, hardened by his wartime experience. Eager to grasp life's opportunities, he embarks on an adventure peopled by a rich cast of characters he meets along the way. The raven-haired, charismatic, Maggie Bernadette O'Toole, rebellious daughter of his father's sister, and her Irish immigrant husband; James Thompson, marine engineer extraordinaire, friend, world traveler, and mentor. Nikolai Concalves Cavalantis, an older Brazilian playboy, who was heir to one of the world's leading hotel corporations and his young olive-skinned wife, the beautiful Maria; Lydia Louise Henning, a brilliant academic who served in the SAS during World War II and was captured by the German Gestapo and brutally tortured, leaving her with a fear of men; Jim Mitchell, his grandfather, a farmer, lay preacher, and mentor in his forma

1939 - American heiress Vivi Miles falls for naval officer Nathan as soon as she arrives in England. And, under the threat of war, they marry in a whirlwind before he leaves to join his ship. When Nathan returns from Dunkirk injured, he is distant, aloof, and no longer the man Vivi fell in love with. But it's not just because of his brutal experiences of war. Nathan has a secret and Vivi suspects it's linked to the mysterious evacuee at the secluded house in the woods on his Kent estate. As war continues to rage, Vivi battles her own grief and loneliness, and tries to find out the truth of the girl's identity, uncovering a scandal from the past. Is her love for Nathan strong enough to survive?

Nan is a young novelist who has a large family. Her grandmother lives with her widowed mother (a woman who doesn't know what to do with herself now that her children are grown). Her sister, Neville, is similarly in the same predicament (her children having grown and are attending University), except that her husband is too busy pursuing his career to pay any attention to her. She returns to college to spend her copious spare time, only to discover that her brain was not as brilliant as it was in her earlier years.

So Nan, having to deal with all her family members, decides that she is ready for commitment. The only problem is, she's waited too long! Her boyfriend has fallen in love with Neville's daughter, her own niece. And now she must put her life back together in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds her.

Rose Macaulay was an English novelist who published more than thirty-five novels. Her works are best known for dealing with women's social stature and problems. Her most noted and final work, "The Towers of Trebizod," is considered her masterpiece.

Sadie Jones, the award winning, bestselling author of The Uninvited Guests and The Outcast, explores the theater of love, the politics of theater, and the love of writing in this deeply romantic story about a young playwright in 1970s London.

Leaving behind an emotionally disastrous childhood in a provincial northern town, budding playwright Luke Kanowski begins a new life in London that includes Paul Driscoll, an aspiring producer who will become his best friend, and Leigh Radley, Paul's girlfriend. Talented and ambitious, the trio found a small theater company that enjoys unexpected early success. Then, one fateful evening, Luke meets Nina Jacobs, a dynamic and emotionally damaged actress he cannot forget, even after she drifts into a marriage with a manipulative theater producer.

As Luke becomes a highly sought after playwright, he stumbles in love, caught in two triangles where love requited and unrequited, friendship, and art will clash with terrible consequences for all involved.

Fallout is an elegantly crafted novel whose characters struggle to escape the various cataclysms of their respective pasts. Falling in love convinces us we are the pawns of the gods; Fallout brings us firmly into the psyche of romantic love--its sickness and its ecstasy.

The adventures of young Katrina, living in Hairy Hill, on the prairies of Alberta, Canada. We will follow her adventures as she explores the mysterious hairy hill, an open gulch where the buffalo would wonder off to die, her friendships with the local Indians, and her first romance.

The Past

France, 1640. In a French coastal village during the Thirty Years War, Altheia de Savoir waits for her Scottish sailor love, Matthew, to return from the sea. But when marauders descend upon her village, Altheia barely escapes with her life. Matthew rescues her and takes her to Ireland, where she will be safe with his family. Though Matthew wishes to officially wed his lady love, he must honor his military obligations and return to Scotland.

Then the unthinkable happens. Matthew is captured and left alone to die innocently in a dark and frozen Scottish dungeon, unable to communicate to Altheia. But Altheia and Matthew's love story is far from over ...

The Present

Southern California, present day. After she is summoned to jury duty, Collette Peters encounters Matthew McDonnell, a handsome and successful criminal defense attorney. The trial inspires her to become a forensic DNA investigator; a few years later, she meets Matthew again when his legal defense team contracts her to complete an investigation.

Working together, Collette and Matthew find they share an intense attraction, but they are unaware of why they are so strangely drawn to each other. When they begin to piece together the clues, they realize the answer lies in the past and may very well lead to the love of their lives.

Three impossible crimes

Two unlikely detectives

One deadly voyage

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam, where he is set to face trial for a crime that no one dares speak of.

But no sooner is the ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. Strange symbols appear on the sails. A figure stalks the decks. Livestock are slaughtered. Passengers are plagued with ominous threats, promising them three unholy miracles. First: an impossible pursuit. Second: an impossible theft.

Then: an impossible murder.

With Pipps imprisoned in the depths of the ship, can his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes solve the mystery before the ship descends into anarchy?

A beguiling historical mystery from the award-winning author of the dazzling The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.