Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Historical Fiction

River Rules is a small-town environmental suspense novel with a deep heart and powerful conscience. What the housing bubble didn’t break in Bridgeville - a small New England community blessed by the Connecticut River - greed, double-dealing, and rapid-fire change just might. Peter Russo, a part-time farmer and full-time rambler with his rescue dog, has a knack for conflict, and a burning desire to protect Bridgeville’s land and water from exploitation.

A Romance of Wastdale, published in 1895, is a novel by the British writer A.E.W Mason. In 1921, it was turned into a film of the same name directed by Maurice Elvey and made by Stoll Pictures, Britain’s biggest studio of the silent era. The novel is set in the scenic area of Wastdale, Cumbria, situated in the Lake District National Park and surrounded by some of England’s highest mountains. Wastdale Head has been a starting point for walks and climbing trips into the mountains, in this context, this story of mountains, mountaineers, romance, and treachery unfolds.

Elizabeth Clarke gave her brother a silver locket to remind him of home as he left for war in June of 1917. But as the Great War ends for America, it continues on for Elizabeth. While carrying out duties for the US State Department, her father went missing in the chaos of the Russia Revolution. When word arrives that he is alive and needs assistance moving a valuable and mysterious “package” out of Russia, it is up to his children to organize the rescue.

Two time periods. Two coasts. Lives intertwined and impacted forever. Greed, societal forces, religion, eugenics, and racial prejudice came together in a shameful and shocking way on a small, wooded island off the coast of Maine in the early 1900s. The atrocious events that occurred on Malaga Island continue to echo through the years. Their impact is felt in many ways and by many lives.

Kate Doyle has spent her life making lists. But her pleasure in planning comes to an abrupt end in the wake of a family tragedy. For the first time in two decades, she is living back in Brooklyn Heights, a neighborhood she discovers has not changed nearly as much as reports of hipster Brooklyn had led her to believe. Her discovery of a family heirloom teaches her that the Heights and its surrounding neighborhoods have been sustaining Doyles for well over a century.

Ruth and John, who were school chums in their childhood, reconnect after many years when John is leaving to join the Army during the Great War. They are both on a search for meaning and answers, and for God, during this desperate world war. Through their search they again find each other, their God, and love.

Charles Boswell's short story "Monsters of Monarchy", Terror Tales, May 1940 features Roman emperor Caligula (12 BCE-24 CE), one of the most notorious Roman emperors. Known for his incestuous relationship with his sisters, and for his cruelty and madness, which culminated in Caligula naming his horse Roman consul and declaring himself a god. Caligula's brief reign and life turn into a complex and fascinating story of a boy-emperor thoroughly unprepared for the throne, who, in the early years of the Roman Empire, tried to make Rome an absolute monarchy but failed.

The Elect Lady is a wonderful place to begin to understand George MacDonald's view on the nature and purpose of the church and how vast and beautiful is God's love.

Journey through the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, epic battles, and the untamed savagery of a forgotten era. With Vendetti's rich and commanding voice, this audiobook immerses you in the vivid landscapes and legendary tales that inspired the Conan saga.

A Mirror for Witches, published in 1928 by award-winning author Esther Forbes, is an enthralling tale of power, fear, trauma, and superstition set in New England in the 1660s. Caught up in the horrific witch hunts in Europe and the Americas, Doll Bilby, as a small child, witnesses her parents being burned for witchcraft in Brittany. She would have burned with them, were it not for Jared Bilby, an English captain, who takes her away as his adopted daughter.

In the 1930s, young women with big dreams came to New York City to pursue careers, meet men, and make friends. Charles "Lucky" Luciano, an Italian-American gangster, was one of the people who preyed on them. This fictionalized first-person account of a girl from a small town in the northeast US details how she became ensnared in the party circuit and eventually worked as a prostitute in Luciano's houses.

Over the course of 47 years, Victorian writer Margaret Oliphant produced 120 novels, biographies, and histories, as well as hundreds of essays and book reviews. "She was of an intellect so alert," wrote J. M. Barrie, "that one wondered if she ever fell asleep." Widowed young, she was the sole support of her children and her nieces, whom her brother had abandoned: a powerful impetus for her prodigious output. The two novels included here reflect the difficulties that Victorian wives had when their lives took unexpected turns.

Sophia Westcott has mourned her late husband for a respectable amount of time by society's standards. She was now a dowager Duchess and independent in her own right. She was Sophie. Her life on her own terms. Sinclair Montgomery was returning home. The second son, now the heir. He had mourned the passing of his brother as he travelled abroad. In all his wildest dreams Sin never imagined to be stunned so forcefully by a vision of beauty. And so captivated by the inner workings of another's mind.

Nancy Morris, a shopkeeper's daughter from Sandwich, becomes a governess with the help of a benefactor, Sir Gervase Damian. One day she helps a stranger whose advances she gently rebuffs, only to meet him again when she takes a new position in the North.

According to legend, in 1910, Marie Belloc Lowndes attended a London dinner party where a guest told her that his mother’s butler and cook claimed they had once rented rooms to Jack the Ripper, the notorious mass murderer. The idea for “The Lodger” was born. Mr. and Mrs. Bunting have sunk their savings into their house with plans to let rooms. But no lodgers have materialized, and they are on the verge of penury when, one foggy night, a knock on the door brings Mr. Sleuth, an unassuming gentleman whose needs are perfectly suited to the suite of rooms the Buntings have to rent.

Lean Times in Lankhmar, a gripping novella by Fritz Leiber Jr, follows the divergent paths of Faford and the Gray Mouser in the city of Lankhmar. The Gray Mouser becomes a Lieutenant for the city's top extortioner, dealing with the various religious sects on the Street of the Gods. Meanwhile, Fairford becomes an acolyte for the dottering apostle of the god, Issac of the Jug, setting the stage for a clash of interests between our two heroes. As the Issac of the Jug religion gains popularity and wealth, the Mouser is tasked with extracting funds from Fairford's mentor.

Madeleine isn’t like other grieving war widows. Claudette isn’t like other young French women. As their lives collide, Madeleine and Claude will discover a depth of connection and desire they never knew could exist. Can their love flourish in post-WW2 France or will their past derail their future?

The Romantic Epistle was published in 1717 and aroused considerable interest because of its mildly suggestive content. It portrays an incident in which Héloïse d'Argenteuil, now immured in a convent chances on a letter from her former lover and later, husband, the brilliant philosopher Peter Abelard.

Dive into the gripping tension of World War II with "So Long, Sister," a thrilling short story by Justin Case aka Hugh B. Cave, expertly narrated by Mike Vendetti. Set against the treacherous backdrop of the Bering Sea, this tale unfolds as a Navy PBY submarine chaser goes down, leaving its courageous crew adrift in the freezing waters.

After a riding accident involving her uncle, a respected General, Mina's life takes a dark turn. A new groom with a mysterious past and unsettling talents arrives at the estate, stirring whispers of hidden secrets and dangerous motives. As Mina delves deeper into the groom's enigma, she unravels a web of intrigue that threatens to upend everything she knows.