-
The Duchess’s Tattoo: Thoughts on the American Heiress
"Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms (who isn’t?) will find an instant tonic in Daisy Goodwin’s The American Heiress. The story of Cora Cash, an American heiress in the 1890s who bags an English duke, this is a deliciously evocative first novel that lingers in the mind." –Allison Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of I Don’t Know How She Does It and I Think I Love You"For daughters of the new American billionaires of the 19th century, it was the ultimate deal: marriage to a cash-strapped British Aristocrat in return for a title and social status. But money didn’t always buy them happiness." —DAISY GOODWIN IN THE DAILY MAIL Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. In "The Duchess’s Tattoo", Cora Cash is desperate to be a fashionable lady of society. Despite her title and her wealth, she finds that English society is not that welcoming to "The American Duchess." When Cora spies a distinctive snake tattoo on her mother-in-law’s wrist, she decides that she must have one as well. It is up to the talented tattoo artist to save "The American Duchess" from herself. In addition to the short story, "The Duchess Tattoo", this also contains a letter from the author, Daisy Goodwin, on writing THE AMERICAN HEIRESS, an excerpt from "Titled Americans", an authentic quarterly publication from 1890 which listed all of the eligible titled bachelors still on the market, and an excerpt from AN AMERICAN HEIRESS, a moving and brilliantly entertaining debut novel coming from St. Martin’s Press in June.$0.00$3.99 -
A Teacher’s Guide to Their Eyes Were Watching God: Common-core Aligned Teacher Materials and a Sample Chapter
For teachers We know that the Common Core State Standards are encouraging you to reevaluate the books that you assign to your students. To help you decide which books are right for your classroom, each free ebook in this series contains a Common Core–aligned teaching guide and a sample chapter. This free teaching guide for Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is designed to help you put the new Common Core State Standards into practice. "A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don't know how to live properly."—Zadie Smith One of the most important and enduring books of the 20th century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences' rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston's classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature.$0.00$2.99 -
-
The Cumberland Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower – Book 5
FREE EXTENDED PREVIEW Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage.A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees. Love and Adventure Are Discovered on the Wilderness Road In 1794, when Kate Gruener’s father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas’s job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate’s inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas’s story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster? Join the adventure as the Daughters of the Mayflower series continues with The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear. More in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018) -
Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia Episode 1: Dancing Into Battle
READ THIS PART IN THIS 11-PART SERIES FREE! On the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, two families meet at the Duchess of Richmond’s Ball. From this moment on, their stories will be linked by a secret. Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia is a story in 11 episodes published week by week in the tradition of Charles Dickens. Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London’s grandest postcode. The story behind the secret will be revealed in weekly bite-sized instalments complete with twists and turns and cliff-hanger endings. Set in the 1840s when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the Duchess of Richmond’s now legendary ball, one family’s life will change forever… Facebook: JulianFellowesBelgraviaTwitter: @JFBelgraviaPinterest: /BelgraviaInstagram: @julianfellowesbelgravia -
Hand-turned Tales
Come sample my waresThe three short stories and the novella in this book are offered as a sample of my writing style, the stories I love to tell, and the types of hero and heroine I love creating. I hope you enjoy following my characters through the turns in their tales. Dip in, and try my writing for free: four very different tales with a variety of heroes, heroines, villains, and settings. In The Raven’s Lady, Felix returns home in disguise after 13 years. He plans to catch a smuggler then take up his viscountcy. He does not expect the smuggler to be Joselyn, his childhood sweetheart. (Short story: 5,500 words) In Kidnapped to Freedom, Phoebe is stolen away from her plantation by a handsome masked pirate. (Short story: 5,100 words) All that Glisters is set in New Zealand in the 1860s, a time when gold miners poured into the fledgling settlement of Dunedin. Rose is unhappy in the household of her fanatical uncle. Thomas, a young merchant from Canada, offers a glimpse of another possible life. If she is brave enough to reach for it. (Short story: 13,000 words) The Prisoners of Wyvern Castle is a gothic historical romance set in the world of my novels and novella. Rupert has been imprisoned by his wicked sister, and forced to wed. His new wife, Madeline, has likewise been threatened into saying her vows. Forced into marriage, they find love, but can they find freedom before it is too late? The Prisoners of Wyvern Castle is a prequel to Embracing Prudence, due for publication in 2016. (Novella: 23,500 words)$0.00$0.99 -
The Last Necromancer
Note: This book is available in THE MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES BOXED SET: BOOKS 1-3 (ASIN B074JZ29KF) with the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. By purchasing the boxed set, you’re getting 3 books for less than the price of 2. REVIEWS "C.J. Archer has expertly weaved fantasy, mystery and a dash of romance together to make the perfect story" ★★★★★ Cosying Up With Books "Simply put: This book is pretty darn bad a$$. I highly recommend The Last Necromancer to all fans of fantasy" ★★★★★ My Book Addiction "Without a doubt one of my new favorite reads" ★★★★★ Mama Reads Book Blog "An addictive read" ★★★★★ Hooked on Books "The Last Necromancer was simply fantastic." ★★★★★ Book and Coffee Addict "Expertly depicted and well-paced, The Last Necromancer is a stunning novel by C.J. Archer that sweeps readers into a passionate new world" ★★★★★ The Rest Is Still Unwritten DESCRIPTION A waif, her abductor and a twist you won’t see coming. For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn’t raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself. People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her. Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly "made" creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world – Charlotte – but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he’s been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn’t trust? Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting. C.J. Archer is the author of the bestselling Emily Chambers Spirit Medium and Freak House series. If you love historical novels with mystery, romance and a paranormal twist, THE LAST NECROMANCER is for you. It’s the first book in the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series.$0.00$3.99 -
Once: Six Historically Inspired Fairytales
Six fairytales you thought you knew, set against a tapestry of historical backgrounds. A lonely girl plots revenge in the shadow of a mountain. A stolen princess fumbles a century backward. A dwarfish man crafts brilliant automatons. A Polish Jew strikes matches against the Nazis. A dead girl haunts a crystal lake. A terrified princess searches a labyrinth. A rich collection of six historically inspired retellings, Once is a new generation of fairytales for those who thought they’d heard the tales in all their forms. Featuring the novellas of Elisabeth Grace Foley, Rachel Heffington, J Grace Pennington, Emily Ann Putzke, Suzannah Rowntree, and Hayden Wand.$0.00$4.99 -
-
Vivian’s Choice: an Expanded Scene from Orphan Train: With an Excerpt from a Piece of the World
Since the publication of her smash international bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline has met with countless readers and book clubs and is often asked the same question about a key decision one of her protagonists makes in Orphan Train. Christina has longed to write a scene in which she clarifies Vivian’s motivations. Now, in this newly released scene and within the book itself, she gives her readers new insights into Vivian’s thoughts and feelings behind that fateful decision.$0.00$4.99 -
A Hero’s Promise
This free e-romance novella is an exclusive bonus from the Culper Ring Series by Roseanna M. White, set in the intervening years between Whispers from the Shadows and Circle of Spies. Fans of the series will enjoy this chance to revisit the men and women who were part of the legendary American spy ring. Their fascinating exploits are further explored in the series’ full novels, which includes Ring of Secrets, Whispers from the Shadows, and Circle of Spies. January 29, 1835 in Baltimore, Maryland. Twenty-year-old Julienne Lane eagerly awaits the return of her fiancé and naval officer, Jack Arnaud, but she has not been idle. She and her best friend, Freeda Payne, have been working hard to support the abolitionist movement. Their efforts have been clouded in secrecy, but when Freeda shows up in Julienne’s cellar with a runaway slave, the need for secrets becomes imperative. When Jack returns home, will Julienne threaten his career in the Navy by including him in their plans, or will she hide news of the slave from him and put his trust to the test? Moreover, why does her fiancé appear to be hiding a secret of his own? Despite a harrowing tour of duty in the North Atlantic, Jack’s hopes for rest and recuperation are put on hold. His wedding to Julienne is in two days, but a more pressing matter comes to his attention from his associates in the Culper Ring. Should he ask his beautiful fiancée to postpone the wedding for the third time in two years? How will he and the Culper Ring foil the malicious plans they have uncovered? And why does Julienne blush so brightly when he asks her about the cellar? The clock is ticking. Danger looms. Can justice prevail? Will their love survive? -
The Captive Heart
The Captive Heart Releases October 1, 2016! Free Extended Preview. Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute of an employer. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer. -
-
The Captured Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower – Book 3
FREE EXTENDED PREVIEW Mercy Lytton, a scout with keen eyesight raised among the Mohawks, and Elias Dubois, a condemned traitor working both sides of the conflict, must join together to get a shipment of gold safely into British hands.A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees. A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause. . .to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness? Join the adventure as the Daughters of the Mayflower series continues with The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep. More in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (coming August 2018)The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (coming October 2018)The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (coming December 2018) -
The Pirate Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower – Book 2
Can a former privateer and a determined heiress find lost treasure in 1725?A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees. Pasts Collide in New Orleans when a Treasure Goes Missing The last time New Orleans attorney Jean-Luc Valmont saw Maribel Cordoba, a Spanish nobleman’s daughter, she was an eleven-year-old orphan perched in the riggings of his privateering vessel proving herself as the best lookout on his crew. Until the day his infamy caught up with them all and innocent lives were lost. Unsure why he survived but vowing to make something of the chance he was given, Jean-Luc has buried his past life so deep that no living person will ever find it—until a very much alive and very grown up Maribel Cordoba arrives on his doorstep and threatens all he now holds dear. Join the adventure as the Daughters of the Mayflower series continues with The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo. More to come in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (coming February 2018)The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (coming April 2018)The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (coming June 2018)The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (coming August 2018)The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (coming October 2018)The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (coming December 2018) -
The Innkeeper’s Daughter
FREE EXTENDED PREVIEW A London officer goes undercover to expose a plot against the Crown Dover, England, 1808: Officer Alexander Moore goes undercover as a gambling gentleman to expose a high-stakes plot against the king—and he’s a master of disguise, for Johanna Langley believes him to be quite the rogue. . .until she can no longer fight against his unrelenting charm. All Johanna wants is to keep the family inn afloat, but when the rent and the hearth payment are due at the same time, where will she find the extra funds? If she doesn’t come up with the money, there will be nowhere to go other than the workhouse—where she’ll be separated from her ailing mother and ten-year-old brother. Alex desperately wants to help Johanna, especially when she confides in him, but his mission—finding and bringing to justice a traitor to the crown—must come first, or they could all end up dead. -
A Search for Refuge: a Haven Manor Novella
Margaretta Fortescue desperately needs to disappear from London society, and her only hope is to follow the rumors of another young woman who recently made a life for herself away from the glare of society. Her search leads her to the market town of Marlborough where, in spite of her efforts to avoid attention, she can’t seem to elude local solicitor Nash Banfield. All Nash wants is a quiet, sedate life–no risks or surprises. When Margaretta, clearly on the run and unwilling to answer questions, interrupts his solitude, his curiosity and his principles won’t let him leave this determined woman without assistance. But will discovering the truth about Margaretta make him think twice about finally taking a risk on love? A Search for Refuge is an e-only novella that gives an exciting introduction to Kristi Ann Hunter’s new Regency historical romance series, Haven Manor! Includes an extended excerpt of the first full-length novel in the series, A Defense of Honor. -
The Boden Birthright: a Cimarron Legacy Novella
After the death of his wife, prosperous businessman Chance Boden heads west along the Santa Fe Trail with his son to escape the powerful control of his in-laws. He has plans to establish his own ranch, but instead he finds work with Frank Chastain, owner of a vast amount of land. Chance doesn’t want to work for anyone, but Frank’s beautiful daughter, Veronica, gives him reason to delay buying his own holdings. With winter coming, no home in which to live, and Veronica’s offer to care for young Cole while Chance learns the ways of ranching in the desert, Chance has little choice but to accept the Chastains’ offer to stay on. When Frank is attacked, his last wish is that Chance marry his daughter, but after dealing with his in-laws, Chance doesn’t want anyone coming between him and his son. Then, before Frank dies, his precarious hold on the land he received as part of an old Spanish Land Grant forces him to make a desperate choice to save Veronica’s inheritance–and also gives the men who attacked Frank a reason to come after his legacy.$0.00$3.99
