Category Archives for Historical

A cursed blade; a legendary tale…

At the bidding of his lord, master swordsman Taoka Yoshio follows the bloody trail of a murderer who is seemingly empowered by sorcery. As samurai, Yoshio acts as retainer to the beautiful and enigmatic Amaya, the daughter of his sworn liege, on their quest. Amaya, however, has ambitions and plans that are quite different from the tasks appointed by her father.

Along their way, they meet and befriend a legendary swordsmith, with whose help they begin to uncover the terrifying truth of the mysterious killer and his demonic blade. As they all become entangled in the webs of the Ashikaga shogunate’s schemes, they must each face the hard truths of their pasts to survive their trials and defeat evil.

Danger, intrigue, bloody revenge, and demons await Yoshio, is he strong enough to survive?

Over the past centuries, many important Celtic cultural narratives and beliefs have been relegated to the status of children’s stories or cartoonish caricature, misunderstood and misinterpreted for as long as most of us can remember.

This collection by a new wave of contemporary authors hauls Celtic stories out of the dusty shadows and places them back into the light where they belong.

Love, mystery and drama, these fascinating tales mark a new movement of more authentic and original Celtic-based writing and a better understanding of Celtic cultures.

Subjects covered in this collection include the ‘Fairies’, the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’, the ‘Children of Lir’ and the ‘Selkie’.

Na Ceiltigh, abú!

Book 1 in the award-winning Anna Kronberg series.

“…so well written it belongs aside Oliver Twist, Wuthering Heights and other classics.”
“An intelligent and exciting story line with amazing characters.”
“Once you start reading the series, you will want to read them all.”

Anna Kronberg lives in Victorian London’s worst rookery, offering medical treatment to prostitutes, vagrants, and criminals. To her, plugging holes and mopping up blood is normal. Stitching the slashed face of a young prostitute is not. Witnesses refuse to talk. The police can’t be bothered with yet another injured whore. But whispers are spreading about a man who pays well for a few harmless knife marks.

No one dares reveal the man’s identity. Only Garret O’Hare – a thief Anna barely knows – reluctantly agrees to help her investigate the assault.
But when the injured girl disappears, a veil of silence descends upon the slum. And Anna learns that she is no longer the hunter, but the hunted.

Warning: medical procedures, poverty, and prostitution are depicted without apology.

If you enjoyed The Alienist by Caleb Carr, and dark mysteries and thrillers by David Penny, Anne Perry, Louise Penny, Jo Nesbo, Alex Grecian, Nelson DeMille, Daniel Silva, Lee Child, and Ken Follett, odds are you’ll enjoy my mystery & thriller series as well.

Sarah’s dream is to live in a valley. This might be an elusive dream for a young girl who, along with her brother Frank, are orphaned early in life. Their parents die on the way to California in the early 1800’s. Sarah and Frank are the only wagon train survivors. How would two children survive the highwaymen, the raging grassfires, the cold winters, and the heartache?

(Many words in this story reflect the times. e.g. From the late 1600’s until the late 1800’s, soldiers used an iron shell filled with pitch that burned at intense heat. It was called a carcass. The United States ordnance manual of 1861 lists carcasses as weapons).

From Vampire to Beast…

When Ruxandra wakes in the castle of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, she has no memory of her past and a terrible alter ego created from years of hunger: the Beast.

Elizabeth Bathory promises to help Ruxandra rediscover herself and help control the Beast, in exchange for obedience while she stays with her.

Now Ruxandra must face both her past and the Beast within if she is to take control of her future.

And what does Elizabeth Bathory really want?

Iris’s actions put her in direct opposition to the gods. Can she stop an unforgivable act of betrayal, before it destroys lives—and worlds? A romantic urban fantasy rooted in Norse myths and legends.

To the gods, she is Bivrost, the magical way connecting Asgard to all other realms.

Iris is Alfar, the only race that can open bridges between the Nine Worlds. On the morning she first meets Heimdal, Watcher of Asgard, she is smitten by his golden good looks and charmed by his quiet confidence. And then, when tragedy strikes her world, she’s forced to flee with him to his.

Heimdal is the Watcher of the Gods, sworn to protect Asgard from threats internal and external. Struggling with his growing feelings for Iris even as he watches her attempt to put her life together again, he takes his duty to her as seriously as his duty to his world.

Loki has been an outcast from day one. As a treaty hostage of Asgard, he’s known nothing but derision and sometimes outright torment from his alleged foster brothers. He can’t decide whether to let Iris redeem him—or punish her for trying.

Swept up in a decades-old conflict, Iris is caught between a god she might love and a friend who could be a victim or could be a villain. With her heart and possibly her very life on the line, she must learn to discern the truth from the lies. Because trusting the right person might save her—but trusting the wrong one could destroy entire worlds.

Fans of K.F. Breene, Laura Thalassa, C.N. Crawford, and Annie Bellet will enjoy this romance-drenched fantasy reimagining of Norse myths and legends!

When young Audan sets off on an epic journey across the ancient Norse world, he soon discovers that there’s more to the myths and legends of his Viking ancestors that he believed.

Crusading with his brothers in arms, Audan faces rival clans, terrifying monsters, and an onslaught of the undead. But to his dismay, Audan quickly discovers that bad luck might not be by chance.

They find out that the once revered gods are now scheming and meddling in the lives of mortals, whose thirst for power and lust leave the Viking world in turmoil. But just how far is Audan willing to go to save his land and his people?

Far more than meets the eye – a must read for art lovers – historical novel lovers – and those into mystery and intrigue

When celebrated author Jack Rogan stumbles upon a hidden diary, he can’t resist investigating. Honouring the last wish of a dying friend, he is irresistibly drawn into a web of intriguing clues, hinting at a long forgotten treasure.

Joining forces with Cecilia Crawford, a glamorous New York journalist, and Tristan, a remarkable boy with psychic powers, Jack soon finds himself on a precarious journey of discovery, exposing dark secrets from a distant, violent time, when life was cheap and cruelty ruled without mercy.

Meanwhile, Emil Fuchs, an enigmatic Swiss banker with a murky past, has an agenda of his own. Ruthless, and determined to defend his reputation at all cost, he threatens to expose a fraud that could destroy everything.
Will Rogan succeed? Can he find the forgotten treasure he has been searching for, or will it be lost forever, depriving the world of a masterpiece that belongs to all mankind?

Author’s Note: The Forgotten Painting is a novella, and as such, it is of course much shorter than my novels. That was one of the reasons I have chosen this genre as the vehicle to introduce new readers to my work. However, I hope it will also entertain existing readers and give them something new and exciting to explore and enjoy.

The Garment Maker’s Daughter is a multigenerational saga of immigrant dreams and sweatshop realities, labor strikes and women’s rights. It is the story of Lena Rothman, a shirtwaist-maker and active suffragette whose plans get derailed when she falls in love with her best friend’s boyfriend; Jake Brenner, a passionate labor organizer determined to lead the shirtwaist-makers on a high-stakes strike; and Daniel Cowan, a brilliant and ambitious night-school student hobbled by a shameful past.
Fate draws them together. Emotions bind them to each other. But secrets will tear them apart. When a devastating blaze engulfs the shirtwaist factory, Lena must fight for her life. And in the chaos of the fire’s aftermath, mistakes will be made with consequences that continue into the next generation.
Spanning the first half of the twentieth century, this is a story about unforgettable characters and the threads of friendship, love, betrayal, and redemption that form the fabric of their lives. Fans of Adriana Trigiani, Kristin Hannah, and Christine Baker Kline, will love The Garment Maker’s Daughter. It’s that rare novel you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished it.

Alexandra Smith always knew her place in life.

As a forgotten child who’d grown up in one of London’s better orphanages, Alex knew exactly what the future held for her:
Hard work and the company of friends who’d become her only family.

When London discovers that she’s the daughter of peer, the scandal has the power to change:
1- not only her future
2- but the fabric of Society itself.

Justin Padmore holds a darkness.

This had kept him chained to the shadows for years.
When he hears of the latest scandal, he knows he has an opportunity to step out into the light.

He’s ready to return to Society’s good graces and what better way to do so than to offer his charitable assistance to Alex?

But unearthing the mystery of Alexandra’s birth seems to unleash its own dangers…
Will they survive?
Or will Alex once again find herself right back where she began?

Alone.

Page Count: around 380 pages