And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. No longer could I say I was lonely. But oh, how I wish I could! Who could have done such a thing to the Creator of the world? Who had so much hatred for Him? Read more

Be one of the first to read this sneak preview sample edition! For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age and readers of Marie Benedict, Karen Harper, and Ellen Marie Wiseman, this sweeping novel of historical fiction from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Shana Abé is inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington—a charismatic, complex woman born to poverty who became one of the most powerful and wealthy figures of her time. 1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune. Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . . An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules. Read more

Recently-orphaned Esther Ashton doesn’t expect much from Christmas with her brother away fighting in the South Pacific, her sister-in-law hospitalized with a new baby, and her job at the department store providing little to no profit. Will Esther have any sort of a Christmas or will it be another dud? Esther Ashton’s New Dress, a Christmas short story, is sure to delight any fan of Christmas, the 1940s, and brevity. Read more

Widely regarded as Dickens’s masterpiece, Bleak House centers on the generations-long lawsuit Jarndyce and Jarndyce, through which “whole families have inherited legendary hatreds.” Focusing on Esther Summerson, a ward of John Jarndyce, the novel traces Esther’s romantic coming-of-age and, in classic Dickensian style, the gradual revelation of long-buried secrets, all set against the foggy backdrop of the Court of Chancery. Mixing romance, mystery, comedy, and satire, Bleak House limns the suffering caused by the intricate inefficiency of the law. Read more

The little told story of a Welsh prince, named Madoc Cherokee legends tell of a brave group of moon-eyed explorers, who generations ago crossed a great water to reach their lands. These people called themselves ‘Welsh’, and their story begins here . . . The North Wales princedom of Gwynedd mourns the death of its greatest leader, Owain. Not all grieve though, his son Dafydd, positions himself for an ambitious power grab. When Owain’s bastard son, Prince Madoc unearths evidence of a murderous plot, his duplicitous half-brother Dafydd is one step ahead of him. Caught up in a sibling power struggle, the net closes on Madoc, but a chance meeting with an old friend from the Norse city of Dublin offers him an escape route, although there is a grave price to pay. Exiled in Dublin, a plan is hatched for a triumphant return to Gwynedd, but there are bumps in the road still to negotiate. One of the agents sent back to garner support for the cause is captured, while their host’s beautiful daughter proves a fatal attraction for Madoc’s boisterous young half-brother, Cynwrig. The story reaches its dramatic and heart wrenching climax on the ancient druidic island of Anglesey. Will Madoc succeed in restoring order and justice to his homeland, or does a wondrous new world far across the ocean beckon? Read more