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Great Maria
By Cecelia Holland. 2010
Courage of a king, Strength of a knight, Heart of a woman "A literary phenomenon." -New York Times Her father…
is a robber baron... Her husband has grand ambitions and a quick temper... She will become...the Great Maria. A lush portrait of the eleventh century that leaves out none of its harshest nature, Great Maria is Cecelia Holland at her most evocative. A mere fourteen years old, strong-willed Maria is betrothed to Richard. Theirs is a marriage of conflict, yet one that grows over the years into respect and partnership. As they struggle-at times against each other, at times side-by-side-Maria and Richard emerge as full-blooded characters you'll never forget.What Readers Are Saying "Holland's characters are so complex and vividly drawn that the reader actively participates in their adventures." "An intriguing plot, unforgettable characters, and a wonderful sense of place makes this one of the finest books I have read." "If Hemingway had written historical fiction, he would have had a hard time beating Ms. Holland. Her terse, tense writing style is incomparable, and her character development is superb." "A stunning book." "Characters so believable, they walk off the page and into the room. Few authors can bring the past to life as powerfully as Cecelia Holland. I'd recommend her to any fans of historical fiction." -Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Greatest Knight and To Defy a King "This novel's success is assured by its own excellence." -Library Journal "One of the very best historical novelists of our day." -Larry McMurtryMy Lady of Cleves
By Margaret Campbell Barnes. 2008
The Absorbing Story of Henry VIII's Fourth Queen, Her Secret Love, Her Power-Hungry Husband, and the Country That Ruled Them…
All "At long last Anne of Cleves gets her day as a noble and highminded heroine in the lists of historical fiction!" - CHICAGO TRIBUNE My Lady of Cleves reveals the mesmerizing story of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife, one of the rare women who matched wits successfully with the fiery king and lived to tell the tale. Written by world-renowned historical novelist Margaret Campbell Barnes, My Lady of Cleves gives readers an intimate portrait of the warm, unpretentious princess who never expected to become Queen of England. Knowing the king's ravenous desire for a son, and aware of the disastrous consequences of not bearing an heir, Anne of Cleves bravely took on the duty of weathering the Tudor King's temper, whims, arrogance, and irresponsible passions - and won the hearts of his subjects in the process. A treat for readers of Tudor fiction and those fascinated by the complex relationships of Henry VIII and his wives, My Lady of Cleves leads readers into a world of high drama and courtly elegance. "Turns a brilliant light on one of the lustiest and one of the most dramatic periods of English history." - PHILADELPHIA INQUIRERDésirée
By Annemarie Selinko. 1953
"An epic love story...irresistible reading." -Chicago Tribune To be young, in France, and in love: fourteen year old Desiree can't…
believe her good fortune. Her fiance, a dashing and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte, is poised for battlefield success, and no longer will she be just a French merchant's daughter. She could not have known the twisting path her role in history would take, nearly breaking her vibrant heart but sweeping her to a life rich in passion and desire. A love story, but so much more, Désirée explores the landscape of a young heart torn in two, giving readers a compelling true story of an ordinary girl whose unlikely brush with history leads to a throne no one would have expected. An epic bestseller that has earned both critical acclaim and mass adoration, Désirée is at once a novel of the rise and fall of empires, the blush and fade of love, and the heart and soul of a woman. "This is a fascinating panorama, from the blood-and-sawdust reek of Robespierre's guillotine to the final collapse of the Hundred Days." -New York Times What Readers Are Saying "An absolutely marvelous story about a courageous woman in a difficult time who made difficult choices... one of the best books I have ever read." "Désirée seems to come alive when I read, and I become her. This book is so romantic, so colorful and full of adventure." "This book has meant so much to so many women." "History has never before been as human as it is here, told through the pages of Désirée's (fictitious) diary."The Forever Queen
By Helen Hollick. 2010
USA Today Bestseller! What kind of woman becomes the wife of two kings, and the mother of two more? Saxon…
England, 1002. Not only is Æthelred a failure as King, but his young bride, Emma of Normandy, soon discovers he is even worse as a husband. When the Danish Vikings, led by Swein Forkbeard and his son, Cnut, cause a maelstrom of chaos, Emma, as Queen, must take control if the Kingdom-and her crown-are to be salvaged. Smarter than history remembers, and stronger than the foreign invaders who threaten England's shores, Emma risks everything on a gamble that could either fulfill her ambitions and dreams or destroy her completely. Emma, the Queen of Saxon England, comes to life through the exquisite writing of Helen Hollick, who shows in this epic tale how one of the most compelling and vivid heroines in English history stood tall through a turbulent fifty-year reign of proud determination, tragic despair, and triumph over treachery. Praise for Helen Hollick "If only all historical fiction could be this good." -Historical Novels Review "Hollick juggles a large cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill." -Publishers Weekly "A very talented writer." -Sharon Kay Penman, bestselling author of Devil's Brood "Helen Hollick has it all. She tells a great story." -Bernard Cornwell What Readers Are Saying "Paints an exceptional portrait of Emma...an extremely excellent read...once you begin reading you won't want to stop until you absolutely have to!" "Every fan of medieval history fiction and of Anglo-Saxon England should read this book." "For any historical novel fans this is a must. Impossible to put down." (This book was previously published in the U.K. as THE HOLLOW CROWN.)Freeman Walker
By David Allen Cates. 2008
Freeman Walker is a story told by a mulatto slave, Jimmy Gates, freed by his owner-father when he is 7-years-old,…
separated from his mother and everything he holds dear. After receiving an unforgettable talk by his father about the rules of life he will no doubt discover on his journeys, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence, he is sent to England to get an education. Jimmy, in the first of the novel's great ironies, has had a blissful, loving childhood and never understood he wasn't free until his new "freedom" enslaves him miserably. Despite his loneliness for home, he learns fast and well and makes himself a good and popular student. Four years pass, and while he is waiting for his father to visit for the first time, he learns that his father's ship has sunk and his father has drowned at sea. Bereft of financial support, mourning still his long lost mother and now his father's death, Jimmy is sent to a London workhouse where he spends six years making saddles, reading heroic novels to his companions, being sexually abused by the proprietor, finding the comfort of prostitutes, and discovering the inspirational speeches of an Irish revolutionary named Cornelius O'Keefe, or O'Keefe of the Sword.When he is 18, dreaming himself a warrior and a hero, he returns to the States to rescue his mother. While looking for his mother in northern Virginia-he discovers that if he wears a hat he can pass for white-he gets caught in a major battle. Jimmy is overjoyed to be able to take part, but is soon overwhelmed by its horror. Untrained, and unattached to any unit, he nevertheless has a chance meeting with O'Keefe of the Sword, who is now a Union General leading a brigade of Irishmen. Jimmy saves O'Keefe on the battlefield, but later is captured himself by Confederate forces, and again made a slave, spending the next two years attached to a confederate regiment digging graves. When his unit is overrun and he is found shackled in a root cellar with his friend, a Yankee officer presents to him a terrible choice, stay locked up, or commit an atrocity and go free. He chooses to walk free.He changes his name to Freeman Walker and as he reinvents himself once again and makes his way into the mythic territory of the Great American West, the novel begins to change. He hopes to live peacefully by getting rich, and he does live peacefully and get rich, for a while. But his race catches up again, and he is lynched, and he loses his treasure, and he surrenders to the mud on the side of the road, and looks forward to the coming winter and his own demise.But into the territory that winter rides the new territorial governor, none other than his childhood hero, Cornelius O'Keefe, who the war has turned into a pacifist. Freeman's life changes once more as he becomes O'Keefe's secretary, and the two of them, joined by a half-breed captain named Felix Belly-three outcasts-form the only government in the Territory, a wild and savage place run by vigilantes. Their quixotic attempt to stop the vigilantes from a campaign of terror against the Natives spurs a terrible but noble adventure and brings Freeman a kind of rebirth in which he finally comes to understand the meaning of moral freedom.Jake Ransom Complete Collection
By James Rollins. 2009
Bestselling novelist James Rollins brings to life the adventures of Jake Ransom, who became an orphan when his archaeologist parents…
disappeared on a dig three years ago. They left behind tokens--half of an ancient coin for Jake, and the other half for his sister Kady--that fit perfectly into one of their famous discoveries. When everything falls into place, Jake and Kady find themselves in the mysterious, bizarre world of Pangea--home of vicious raptors, bloodthirsty plants, and dark Mayan and Egyptian rituals. And whatever caught their parents is still hungry.The books described as "Indiana Jones for tweens" are perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Percy Jackson, and National Treasure. Includes Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow and Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx.An American Love Story
By Rona Jaffe. 1990
Four smart women . . . and their foolish choice. In love with the same man. The wrong man. Women…
found him so easy to love. Clay Bowen had it all--charisma, good looks, and power in the glamorous world of television. Laura, the delicate dancer, gave up her dazzling career to marry him and have his child. Nina excelled at everything--except capturing her father's complete attention. Bambi, his ruthless young "assistant," thought she was using him. And Susan, a brilliant writer, couldn't bear to think their twenty-year bicoastal romance was too good to be true. In her most riveting novel since The Best of Everything, Rona Jaffe weaves a compelling story of passion and obsession. Moving from the glittering capitals of the world and the epicenter of the TV and movie industries to the darkest depths of the human heart, she holds her readers captive to the very last page. Praise for An American Love Story "Jaffe comprehends the ambivalence of women in love like few other contemporary novelists."--New Woman "Compelling . . . a novel of growth, despair, destruction and realization--a novel to read and have a daughter read."--UPI "Savvy and sharp."--St. Petersburg Times "Thoughtful, provocative."--San Antonio Express-NewsDevil's Island
By John Hagee. 2001
The apostle John pushed aside the incense. "I will not make your sacrifice," he announced to the Roman tribune. "There…
is one God, and his name is not Domitian." Standing next to john at the stone altar of the emporere's temple were other believeres, including Asia's most wealthy citizen, Abraham of Ephesus, and his family. Will Abraham follow John's example? If he refuses to make the sacrifice, the shipping magnate's vast fortune will be confiscated by Rome, and he will either be executed or exiled to Patmos-Devil's Island. This exciting historical novel follows Abraham and his family as they make their choice to worship Ceasar or follow Christ, and it brings to life the days when Christians faced the lions in Rome's Coliseum-and when the exiled apostle recieved the great visions of Revelation.Previously published in hardcover 90785267875).Jamie Ford caused a stir among readers with his unforgettable debut, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which…
he followed up with the much-anticipated Songs of Willow Frost. Each in their own way, these New York Times bestsellers delve into the past, combining exquisite storytelling with heartfelt explorations of family, love, and heritage. Now both magnificent novels are together in one exclusive eBook bundle. HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET "Mesmerizing and evocative . . . a tale of conflicted loyalties and timeless devotion."--Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants "A wartime-era Chinese-Japanese variation on Romeo and Juliet . . . The period detail [is] so revealing and so well rendered."--The Seattle Times In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown, where the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s--Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. SONGS OF WILLOW FROST "Jamie Ford is a first-rate novelist, and with Songs of Willow Frost he takes a great leap forward and demonstrates the uncanny ability to move me to tears."--Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides "Arresting . . . [with] the kind of ending readers always hope for, but seldom get."--The Dallas Morning News Seattle, 1934: Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. But now William, in a rare visit to the movies, has glimpsed an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that she is his mother. Determined to find her, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of William's past and his connection to Willow Frost . . . a woman whose story is far more complicated than any fantasy portrayed onscreen.Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares (Step into Reading)
By Richard Walz, Frank Murphy. 2001
A funny, entertaining introduction to Ben Franklin and his many inventions, including the story of how he created the "magic…
square." A magic square is a box of nine numbers arranged so that any line of three numbers adds up to the same number, including on the diagonal! Teachers and kids will love finding out about this popular teaching tool that is still used in elementary schools today!I Am the Chosen King
By Helen Hollick. 2011
"A very talented writer." --Sharon Kay Penman, NYT bestselling author of Devil's Brood England, 1044. Harold Godwineson, a young, respected…
Earl, falls in love with an ordinary but beautiful woman. He marries Edyth despite her lack of pedigree, pitting him against his turbulent family and his selfish King, Edward. In France, William, the bastard son of a duke, falls in love with power. Brutal and dangerously smart, William sets his sights on England, finding ambition a difficult lust to conquer. In 1066, with the old King Edward dying, England falls vulnerable to the winds of fate-and the stubborn will of these two powerful men. In this beautifully crafted tale, Helen Hollick sets aside the propaganda of the Norman Conquest and brings to life the English version of the story of the last Saxon King, revealing his tender love, determination, and proud loyalty, all shattered by the unforgiving needs of a Kingdom. Forced to give up his wife and risk his life for England, the chosen King led his army into the great Battle of Hastings in October 1066 with all the honor and dignity that history remembers of its fallen heroes. "A novel of enormous emotional power...Helen Hollick is a fabulous writer of historical fiction." -Elizabeth Chadwick, author of To Defy a King What Readers Are Saying: "We all know the ending! But Helen Hollick's masterful and moving account of Pre-Conquest England still carries the reader along on an enthralling journey to that moment...it made me cry in all the right places. Helen Hollick is a consummate storyteller." "An epic work, grand and sweeping. I've read many versions of the events of 1066 but this is one of the best."(This book was previously published in the U.K. as HAROLD THE KING)The Highlander's Heart
By Amanda Forester. 2011
Fleeing into the wilderness to escape an abusive marriage, Lady Isabelle Tynsdale would sooner face down a wild boar than…
spend another night with her wretched husband. Battered by the elements, desperate to elude a band of attackers, and defending herself against, as fate would have it, a wild boar she is rescued by the handsome Laird David Campbell. Campbell knows holding Isabelle captive for ransom is his best chance to temper the storm threateningto destroy his clan. The ransom of an English countess should be more than enough to pay off his debts to England and save him from an unwanted marriage. But Isabelle didn't escape her husband just to become another man's captive and Laird Campbell is seriously misguided if he thinks she's going to go quietly. Praise for "The Highlander's Sword:" Highly entertaining debut romantic comedy of miscommunications and misunderstandings. "-Publishers Weekly"The Son
By Philipp Meyer. 2013
Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching portrait of the bloody price of power, The Son is…
an utterly transporting novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American West through the lives of the McCulloughs, an ambitious family as resilient and dangerous as the land they claimSpring, 1849. The first male child born in the newly established Republic of Texas, Eli McCullough is thirteen years old when a marauding band of Comanches storms his homestead and brutally murders his mother and sister, taking him captive. Brave and clever, Eli quickly adapts to life among the Comanches, learning their ways and language, answering to a new name, becoming the chief's adopted son, and waging war against their enemies, including white men--which complicates his sense of loyalty and understanding of who he is. But when disease, starvation, and overwhelming numbers of armed Americans decimate the tribe, Eli finds himself alone. Neither white nor Indian, civilized nor fully wild, he must carve a place for himself in a world in which he does not fully belong--a journey of adventure, tragedy, hardship, grit, and luck that reverberates in the lives of his progeny.Intertwined with Eli's story are those of his son, Peter, a man who bears the emotional cost of his father's drive for power, and Jeannie, Eli's great-granddaughter, a woman who must fight hardened rivals to succeed in a man's world.Philipp Meyer deftly explores how Eli's ruthlessness and steely pragmatism transform subsequent generations of McCulloughs. Love, honor, even children are sacrificed in the name of ambition as the family becomes one of the richest powers in Texas, a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. Yet, like all empires, the McCulloughs must eventually face the consequences of their choices. Harrowing, panoramic, and vividly drawn, The Son is a masterful achievement from a sublime young talent.The General in His Labyrinth
By Gabriel García Márquez, Edith Grossman. 1990
AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN eBOOK!General Simon Bolivar, "the Liberator" of five South American countries, takes a last melancholy…
journey down the Magdalena River, revisiting cities along its shores, and reliving the triumphs, passions, and betrayals of his life. Infinitely charming, prodigiously successful in love, war and politics, he still dances with such enthusiasm and skill that his witnesses cannot believe he is ill. Aflame with memories of the power that he commanded and the dream of continental unity that eluded him, he is a moving exemplar of how much can be won--and lost--in a life.The Deepest Secret
By Carla Buckley. 2014
For fans of Jodi Picoult, Kim Edwards, and William Landay, The Deepest Secret is part intimate family drama, part gripping…
page-turner, exploring the profound power of the truths we're scared to face . . . about our marriages, our children, and ourselves. Eve Lattimore's family is like every other on their suburban street, with one exception. Her son Tyler has a rare medical condition that makes him fatally sensitive to light, which means heavy curtains and deadlocked doors protect him during the day and he can never leave the house except at night. For Eve, only constant vigilance stands between an increasingly restless teenage son and the dangers of the outside world. Until the night the unthinkable happens. When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that this family is not the only one on the quiet cul-de-sac that is more complicated than it appears. And as Eve is forced to shield her family from harm, there are some crises she cannot control--and some secrets that not even love can conceal. Deeply moving and stunningly suspenseful, The Deepest Secret is a novel of rare power--a story about hope and forgiveness, about the terrifying ways our lives can spin out of control and the unexpected sacrifices that may save us.Advance praise for The Deepest Secret "The Deepest Secret is one of Carla Buckley's finest accomplishments. Fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy this compelling blend of ripped-from-the-headlines suspense and close-to-your-heart characters."--Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Every family is vulnerable, and every parent knows it. Carla Buckley masterfully portrays an ordinary family trapped in a heart-wrenching crisis. A memorable novel about how far a parent will go for her child, The Deepest Secret will make you count your blessings."--William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob "Elegant, poignant, and utterly riveting, The Deepest Secret is a suspenseful tale of love, forgiveness, and sacrifice that will leave you asking how far a mother really should go to protect her family and wondering about the cost of the secrets we all keep, even from ourselves."--Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia "A mesmerizing page-turner for the era of Big Brother and constant surveillance: Who is guilty and who is innocent? Loved ones are not exempt from suspicion, as the devastating power of a mother's love has unimaginable consequences. I was riveted until the very end."--Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife "An electrifying and sensitive portrait of an ordinary family struggling with tragic circumstances, The Deepest Secret is a rich human drama that pulls on larger themes of life and what it means to be a family, one torn apart by tangled desires, grief, lost dreams, and a crime that threatens to sink them all. Every page aches with searing emotions that build to a heart-healing conclusion."--Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Always Watching "Carla Buckley captures the beauty and sorrow of a family about to change forever. The Deepest Secret is about magic spun from pain, deep truth sprung from secrets, and, most of all, the extraordinary love that carries Tyler and his family all through the night. This is an unbearably wonderful novel."--Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author of Little NightFrom the Hardcover edition.Night of a Thousand Stars
By Deanna Raybourn. 2014
New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn returns with a Jazz Age tale of grand adventure On the verge of…
a stilted life as an aristocrat's wife, Poppy Hammond does the only sensible thing-she flees the chapel in her wedding gown. Assisted by the handsome curate who calls himself Sebastian Cantrip, she spirits away to her estranged father's quiet country village, pursued by the family she left in uproar. But when the dust of her broken engagement settles and Sebastian disappears under mysterious circumstances, Poppy discovers there is more to her hero than it seems. With only her feisty lady's maid for company, Poppy secures employment and travels incognita-east across the seas, chasing a hunch and the whisper of clues. Danger abounds beneath the canopies of the silken city, and Poppy finds herself in the perilous sights of those who will stop at nothing to recover a fabled ancient treasure. Torn between allegiance to her kindly employer and a dashing, shadowy figure, Poppy will risk it all as she attempts to unravel a much larger plan-one that stretches to the very heart of the British government, and one that could endanger everything, and everyone, that she holds dear. "Raybourn skillfully balances humor and earnest, deadly drama, creating well-drawn characters and a rich setting." -Publishers Weekly on Dark Road to DarjeelingThe Gospel According to the Son
By Norman Mailer. 1997
Norman Mailer fused fact and fiction to create indelible portraits of such figures as Marilyn Monroe, Gary Gilmore, and Lee…
Harvey Oswald. In The Gospel According to the Son, Mailer reimagines, as no other modern author has, the key character of Western history. Here is Jesus Christ's story in his own words: the discovery of his divinity and the painful, powerful journey to accepting and expressing it, "as if I were a man enclosing another man within." In its brevity and piercing simplicity, it may be Mailer's most accessible, direct, and heartfelt work.Ancient Evenings
By Norman Mailer. 1983
Norman Mailer's dazzlingly rich, deeply evocative novel of ancient Egypt breathes life into the figures of a lost era: the…
eighteenth-dynasty Pharaoh Rameses and his wife, Queen Nefertiti; Menenhetet, their creature, lover, and victim; and the gods and mortals that surround them in intimate and telepathic communion. Mailer's reincarnated protagonist is carried through the exquisite gardens of the royal harem, along the majestic flow of the Nile, and into the terrifying clash of battle. An extraordinary work of inventiveness, Ancient Evenings lives on in the mind long after the last page has been turned.Finally available in one complete box set collection, dive into the opulent and exciting world of the Bride Trilogy, three…
classic Victorian romances by New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin.Royal’s BrideThough he is a tilted nobleman, Royal Dewar is singularly unlucky…forced to choose between his soul mate and his salvation.Reese’s BrideWounded in battle, Major Reese Dewar returns to England—but his injuries are nothing compared to his shattered heart.Rule’s BrideUnrepentant rake Rule Dewar is living the good life when a most surprising event occurs—he falls in love with his wife.Novel Without Lies & Cynics
By Anatoly Mariengof. 1921
"Exaltation, hope, despair and a passion for a transfigured future combined with savage humor and intoxicated imagery."--The Times Literary Supplement…
The turbulent life of a great poet against the flamboyant background of 1920s Bohemian Moscow. With its lively style and psychological insight, this memoir about Sergei Esenin has abiding value for scholar and general reader alike.