Historical

Angel of Mercy by Melina Druga

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Angel of Mercy by Melina Druga

She had her entire life planned until the Great War began and everything changed.

April 1914. Barrie, Ontario. Hettie Steward is feisty, educated, ambitious and stubborn. Her fiancé, Geoffrey Bartlette, the love of her life since childhood, has been a patient man. He waited while she attended nursing school and worked a year, but now it is time to wed. While Hettie is thrilled to be starting her life with Geoffrey, she laments that marriage means sacrificing her beloved nursing career, and domestic life brings her nothing but drudgery and boredom.

When the Great War begins a few months into their marriage, Geoffrey enlists and persuades Hettie to join the Canadian Army Nursing Service and follow him overseas. After all, everyone says the war will be short, and it will be their opportunity to have a proper honeymoon. Returning to work is exactly what Hettie was craving, and she eager accepts.

The war, however, does not end quickly. Soon tragedy strikes, proving true the old adage “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” Geoffrey is killed at the Second Battle of Ypres, and Hettie is faced with a choice. Return home or stay in Europe and continue nursing? Moreover, will she discover the person she is meant to be now that her life has been steered onto a new path?

Angel of Mercy is the first in a trilogy following Hettie and her family as they navigate the challenges and heartbreak World War 1 brings. Each novel is a standalone story.

Also available: Those Left Behind, the home front story. Adjustment Year, the homecoming story.

The House of Marchesi by Patricia M. Muhammad

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In 18th century Milan, a duchessa is thrusted from her horse and into the estate of another esteemed member of the king’s court. Lilliana is unable to remember her accident or her identity. Duca Emmanuele notices that Duchessa Rosetta is complacent about their daughter’s absence from the House of Montanari. During the duchessa’s convalescence, she and the duca grow in affection towards one another. The maidservant, Noemi of the House of Montanari silently volunteers to help locate and retrieve the missing duchessa. Noemi enlists the help of her fellow maidservant, Gabriella. Noemi leaves the House of Montanari and encounters a proud vendor of pomegranates. He speaks of a tale of a fallen maiden taken into the care of a duca. He guides her to the House of Marchesi. The duchessa finally recalls her father’s identity. The duchessa wishes to learn more of the duca. He introduces her to various quarters of the Marchesi mansion. The king and queen gather evidence and secure it in the royal vault. Alessandro proposes to her. Lilliana accepts. The Crown decides to proceed with the planned royal ball. All of the esteemed of the Milanese king’s court are to attend.. The night of the royal grand affair arrives. Servants of the Houses of Montanari and Marchesi enter with the assistance of a royal servant. In separate royal chambers, the king and queen officiate Duca Alessandro and Duchessa Lilliana’s nuptials. Duca Emmanuele is right to be concerned for his daughter, for someone has conspired a dastardly plan against the duchessa, but who? The king and queen have the answer and reveals it before the entire king’s court.

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Italy is a country that I have always wanted to travel to and visit. I wish to see the early architecture, including frescoes, the preserved waterways and some of its art. These are some of elements which permeate The House of Marchesi and assist Duca Alessandro and Duchessa Lilliana figure out where exactly she belongs–and it is with him for eternity.

Stolen Grace by Patricia M. Muhammad

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Penelope Moreau is a Creole courtier in 18th century Versailles, France. She searches frantically for a paper containing a clue as to who actually committed the royal theft. Once this is proven, the evidence would refute her brother’s, Armand’s, alleged complicity in the crime. Pierre LeMercier is also an aristocrat of the king’s court and is fascinated by Penelope’s beauty and intrigued by her feigned lack of interest in him. Penelope and Pierre’s courtship blossoms. Pierre vows, as well as Count Alexandre Montegeau a friend of Penelope and Armand’s parents, to exonerate Armand, restore the House of Moreau’s name. Pierre and Penelope hope to be wed when the matter is settled.

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Most historical romance novels are set in the Regency period in England. Stolen Grace is my first historical romance novel set in France. Although I briefly visited the country many years ago and observed some of its architecture, the history of war and diplomatic relations plays a subtle role in the establishment and recognition of the House of Moreau before the king's court. What inspired me to write Stolen Grace was to use this history as the catapult in understanding why Penelope's brother, Armand was so easily accused of the royal theft by others of the gentry.

Ardor’s Prestige by Patricia M. Muhammad

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Duchessa Anastasia sneaks away from the family mansion at night in 18th Century Venezia during Carnevale. Giorgio, her cavalier servente, has feelings for her. Anastasia accepts the esteemed courtier, Leandro’s marriage proposal though he fails to disclose an important detail about himself. The royal guards seize Giorgio at the d’Alessi manor. The Crown accuses Giorgio of treason. Capriana, a servant, knows how Giorgio was framed. A conspirator intends to murder her. Anastasia and Leandro investigate Giorgio’s allegations before they are wed. The duchessa is surprised as to whom it leads.

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I usually write historical romance novels set in the 18th century. Italy is a country that I have always wanted to visit because of its rich architecture, history and art. This is the inspiration for the background. I formed the characters as I write. In other historical romance novels I have written, the protagonist is extracted or compelled from her home which easily becomes a distant part of her life. In Ardor's Prestige, Anastasia's house and her servants continue to be a part of her life and courtship with the mysterious "duke". They serve a purpose beyond cleaning or keeping her company. She is eventually understands that their unwanted protection of her was necessary at some points in the story. Yet it is not the "duke" she needed protection from. One of the servants is actually the center of a conspiracy. Since Ardor's Prestige is a historical romance, her courtship with Leandro was an inevitability. I was inspired to write his character to keep him a mystery to her servants inasmuch Leandro's father believed Anastasia was not a maiden that his son was particularly familar with. There is a mystery which lies between the two: 1) their identity starting with their names which they both rectify easily, 2) their lineage or House from which they hail, and their discovery of who framed Anastasia's servant and a chilling one towards the end that answers the "why" all of this happened with Anastasia and Leandro being the subjects of the connivance.

Hidden Valor by Patricia M. Muhammad

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Duchess Arabella leaves the House of Wellington for the king’s court without notice or permission of her mother and father. Two murders occur in the royal palace. Duke Everett is accused amongst the courtiers. He pursues the duchess to take her hand in marriage. The Crown sequesters all of the king’s court to the royal grounds. The duke and duchess fall in love and are the first to be exonerated. They leave for the House of Carrington, only for the Crown to summon Duke Everett to serve as advisor. A third murder happens. The primary witness is Duke Everett’s unknown cousin. The duke seeks to advise the crown to finally resolve all the murders so that he and Arabella may be free to wed and remain as honourable members of the king’s court.

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
After writing one historical romance mystery novel in England in atypical Liverpool, I wanted to try a different locale. This time I chose London, England. I enjoy characters who unwittingly act against the grain of certain norms. Yet, why they do this is usually for a noble cause and not for vainglory.

Love Captured by Patricia M. Muhammad

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It is the 18th century. Emmeline’s mother dies after leaving her a clue about her possible future based on her biracial heritage. Emmeline abandons the wealthy estate in North Carolina. She stows away on a cargo brig set for England. A seaman, William escorts her to the shantytown of 18th century Liverpool. A rebellious aristocrat ventures to the unsavory neighborhood. He attempts to befriend her. She initially refuses. Emmeline seeks assistance from a benevolent society. After initial reluctance, Emmeline courts the marquis who eventually announces their engagement. His mother plots with Lady Edna to be rid of Emmeline. Emmeline still attempts to reveal the secret of her heritage while the marquis still seeks her hand in marriage. Duke John Harrison gives oath to protect and secure her. Someone close to him is trying to her his soon to be wife. The duke himself realizes that there is someone else protecting him and his fiance from the perpetrators, a surprise ally as well as a shocking revelation.

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Love Captured is one of the first books I have ever written. I was inspired by the concept of freedom and what I had previously known about its widely accepted notions of it as memorialized in early British case law. Romance, learning through challenges and learning where one's heart belongs are some themes that undergird several of my books. It is fascinating how most people may not step onto the path destined for them to ascertain their own manifestation of these concepts within their own lives. This is where envy plays an important role, where others seek to take the gift of mutual affection between two destined hearts and what they worked tirelessly to achieve together, this a likely result of their own lack of proper fortitude, selfishness and being of a wicked nature.

Deceit and Discipline: A Victorian Lady in Disguise Heist Novel by Cherry Redde

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A fine lady must pose as a mere snip of a housemaid to carry off a bold diamond heist. The catch? Her humble disguise exposes her to the harsh law of domestic discipline. This fast-paced Victorian historical crime novel moves from the infamous bordellos of London to the perverse practices of an isolated manor house full of eccentrics.

Targeted Age Group:: adults

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
There's nothing more inspiring than a spunky anti-heroine willing to go undercover to carry off her heist.

Featured Book: Bushranger Gold by David Cairns of Finavon

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In 1853, Australia was rocked by the robbery of £6,000 of gold from an escorted shipment on a country road heading from the McIvor gold fields to Melbourne, Within days, 400 men were searching the bush for the audacious bushrangers who numbered between 6 and 15 depending on who was telling the story. Despite aboriginal trackers and extensive searches, they could not be found. The full weight of the constabulary was thrown behind the case and a round up of possible suspects began. The leader was a man by the name of Joe Grey. He disappeared and was never heard of again. Or was he? The ship that some of the bushrangers intended to use to escape to London left Melbourne and was never seen again. Mystery upon mystery. And then there is the involvement of one of Australia’s most famous bushrangers, Frank Gardiner.
This is a fast-paced story of a daring robbery in the rumbustious times of the Victorian gold rush and what happened next.

Buy Bushranger Gold Here

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Surviving the Fatherland by Annette Oppenlander

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Surviving the Fatherland by Annette Oppenlander

***Winner 2017 National Indie Excellence Award***Indie B.R.A.G. Award Honoree***Winner Chill with a Book Readers’ Award***Finalist 2017 Kindle Book Awards***Winner Readers’ Favorite Book Award***An IWIC Hall of Fame Novel***

Spanning thirteen years from 1940 to 1953 and set against the epic panorama of WWII, author Annette Oppenlander’s SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND is a sweeping saga of family, love, and betrayal that illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the children’s war.

The Flames of Time by Peter Knyte

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Africa in the 1930s, and after a group of friends discover the remains of a buried temple, they find hints to an even larger secret.
But there are those who will stop at nothing to keep that secret buried.

A vintage style adventure story which spans some of the great sites of antiquity in search for an ancient secret.

Targeted Age Group:: 20+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My main inspiration was not being able to find the kind of historic adventure mystery that I like to read.
I've always been a fan of books like 'She', 'King Solomon's Mines', '20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea' and 'The Count of Monte Christo'. But after a while, finding new titles in this genre gets quite difficult because this style of writing has been out of fashion for quite a long time.
Eventually, I decided to have a go at writing something myself, and several years later the first book in the 'Flames of Time' series was born.