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The Orphan's Tale
by Pam Jenoff
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
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| To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice ColinFrom their first meeting in Paris aboard a hot air balloon, Caitriona Wallace and Émile Nouguier are drawn to each other. However, differences in social status preclude romance. Caitriona, a widow living in genteel poverty, is a paid chaperone to the children of a wealthy Glaswegian merchant, while Émile, an engineer employed by Gustave Eiffel, comes from a prosperous family that expects him to find a suitably moneyed wife. As the Eiffel Tower rises, the would-be lovers find themselves caught between the irreconcilable demands of duty and passion. This moving novel boasts a slow-building love story between its sympathetic main characters and a vivid Belle Époque backdrop. |
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The second Mrs. Hockaday : a novel
by Susan Rivers
A tale inspired by a true story follows the efforts of a Civil War veteran to discern the truth about his teen bride, who during the two years he was at war was convicted and imprisoned for allegedly having a baby in his absence and killing it. A first novel by the award-winning playwright of Overnight Lows
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The autumn throne : a novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
by Elizabeth Chadwick
Recreates the late reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who as the widow of Henry II becomes the dowager queen and attempts to pacify her warring sons and bring about a peaceful succession to the throne
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| The Flame Bearer: A Novel by Bernard CornwellBefore he can reclaim his Northumbrian estate from his treacherous cousin, Uhtred of Bebbanburg must first honor his alliance with King Sigtryggr of Eoferwic (York), while outmaneuvering his enemies, Scottish King Constantin and Norseman Einar the White. Since Uhtred is a warrior, not a diplomat, readers can expect plenty of battle and bloodshed in this fast-paced and action-packed 11th novel in Bernard Cornwell's popular Saxon Stories novels. Due to the complex politics of 9th-century Britain, newcomers to the series may wish to start at the beginning with The Last Kingdom. |
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In the shadow of Denali
by Tracie Peterson
In and around the Curry Hotel in the heart of Alaska, the future of Cassidy Ivanoff and Allan Brennan depends on unlocking the secrets the mountain Denali holds from the past.
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| Sun Born: A Novel of North America's Forgotten Past by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal GearWhen a technologically advanced rival threatens the great city of Cahokia, "living god" Morning Star and his human sister, Night Shadow Star, must act quickly to secure the safety of their people. However, the siblings disagree on strategy. Can they unite against their common enemy or will their divided house lead to the downfall of a great civilization? Sun Born is the 19th book in the First North Americans series and the 2nd book in the Morning Star trilogy, a stand-alone subset of the main series that begins with People of the Morning Star. However, readers interested in the development of the Mississippian (or "mound-builders") culture may want to start with People of the River, which takes place a generation before the events of this novel. |
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The life and times of Persimmon Wilson : a novel
by Nancy Peacock
A slave-turned-Comanche warrior travels from the brutality of a New Orleans sugar cane plantation to the indomitable frontier of untamed Texas to search for the woman he loves and his own identity. Map(s).
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The Competition
by Donna Russo Morin
In a studio behind a church, six women gather to perform an act that is, at once, restorative, powerful, and illegal: they paint. Under the tutelage of Leonardo da Vinci, these six show talent and drive equal to that of any man, but in Renaissance Florence, they must hide their skills, or risk the scorn of the church, the city, and the law. A commission to paint a fresco in the church of Santo Spirito is about to be announced and Florence’s countless artists each seek the fame and glory this lucrative job will provide. Viviana, a noblewoman freed from a terrible marriage, and now able to pursue her artistic passions, sees a potential life-altering opportunity for herself and her fellow artists. The women first speak to Lorenzo de’ Medici himself, and finally, they submit a bid for the right to paint it. And they win. The very public commission belongs to them. But with the victory comes a powerful cost. The church will not stand for women painting, especially not in a house of worship. The city is not ready to consider women in positions of power, and in Florence, artists wield tremendous power. Even the women themselves are hesitant; the attention they will bring upon themselves will disrupt their families, and even put them in physical danger. All the while, Viviana grows closer to Sansone, her soldier lover, who is bringing to her a joy that she never knew with her deceased husband. And fellow-artist Isabetta has a flame reignited, sparked by Lorenzo himself.
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The butcher's hook
by Janet Ellis
In the wake of the death of her infant brother in 18th-century Georgian London, 19-year-old Anne Jaccob is determined to marry a butcher's apprentice, no matter what her ailing mother and uncaring father think.
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The fire by night : a novel
by Teresa Messineo
A first novel commemorating the unsung heroines of World War II traces the experiences of two military nurses who fight for survival and care for others in a makeshift medical unit and a POW camp, enduring dangerous existences while waiting for the war to end.
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| A Want of Kindness: A Novel by Joanne LimburgAt age ten, Lady Anne of York arrives at the court of her uncle, King Charles II, where she'll grow up to become a consummate courtier in an England wracked by decades of political upheaval and bitter rivalries among Europe's royal houses. Meticulous research demonstrated by rich period detail makes A Want of Kindness a good bet for fans of Alison Weir's historical fiction; readers fascinated by the Restoration and the Stuart dynasty may also enjoy Marci Jefferson's Girl on the Golden Coin or Karleen Koen's Dark Angels, both of which follow young women whose survival depends on successfully navigating courtly intrigue. |
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Huck out west
by Robert Coover
In the author's interpretation of what happened after Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Huck joins the Pony Express, scouts for both sides in the Civil War, joins a bandit gang, locates an ill-fated pal in a Lakota tribe and finds himself in the Black Hills just ahead of the 1876 Gold Rush, in a book that sees the return of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Jim.
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Lovers and newcomers
by Rosie Thomas
Rejecting a lonely widowhood by inviting her five oldest friends to come live with her, Miranda embarks on a life of security and indulgence that is threatened when an Iron Age burial site is discovered on her property. By the award-winning author of The Kashmir Shawl.
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The Magdalen girls
by V. S Alexander
Sixteen-year-old Teagan Tiernan's family sends her to one of 1962 Dublin's Magdalen Laundries—grim workhouses where the cities unwed mothers, prostitutes, petty criminals and other "fallen" women are sent—when her beauty provokes a lustful revelation from a young priest.
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Leopard at the door
by Jennifer McVeigh
Returning to the Kenya farm where she spent her childhood, Rachel is confronted by her father's controlling new companion, rising political tensions and a secret society of Kenyans determined to oust the British, a situation that is further complicated by a secret from the past and a relationship that compels her into a dire betrayal.
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| The Maid by Kimberly CutterMany are called, but few are chosen -- and by far the most unlikely choice to do God's work is an illiterate French peasant girl named Jehanne D'Arc, particularly when said work involves leading soldiers into battle. Guided by the voices of three saints, Jehanne knows that the Lord wants her to raise an army to drive the English out of France and place the Dauphin, Charles VII, on the throne. But first, she has to convince others of her divine mission. Set amid the bloody battlefields of the Hundred Years' War, this retelling of the life and death of Saint Joan of Arc "pays vibrant homage to this legendary woman" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel by Margaret GeorgeCleopatra VII Philopator, the legendary "Queen of the Nile," narrates her own story in this lush and highly atmospheric novel. Despite considerable competition for the throne, the indomitable young princess nevertheless becomes the sole ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt through her cunning, ruthlessness, and canny alliances with powerful Romans, including Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Throughout her tumultuous reign she displays an aptitude for politics matched only by her greatest enemy, Octavian. Like author Margaret George's biographical novels Mary, Called Magdalene and Helen of Troy, The Memoirs of Cleopatra draws on copious research to give voice to an influential woman of the ancient world. |
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| The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia by C.W. GortnerAfter Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia schemes his way to the papacy (as Pope Alexander VI), his illegitimate 13-year-old daughter Lucrezia -- now a bartered bride to the nobleman that helped him secure his new position -- begins her transformation from pawn to political player. While her brother Cesare uses military might to stake his claim, Lucrezia makes a series of marriages to form and reinforce alliances among Italy's most powerful families, including the Sforzas, the Gonzagas, the d'Estes, and the Medicis. Readers intrigued by the ambitious Borgia family may also enjoy Sarah Dunant's historical fiction duology, comprised of Blood and Beauty and In the Name of the Family. |
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| Mata Hari's Last Dance: A Novel by Michelle MoranAlthough she'll one day present herself as a Javanese princess, Margaretha Zelle is born into a middle-class family in the Netherlands in 1876. At 18, she impulsively weds an army officer and accompanies him to the Dutch East Indies, where she endures an abusive marriage by immersing herself in traditional Indonesian dance, thus setting the stage for her debut as Mata Hari. After scandalizing audiences in Paris with her striptease act, she becomes a courtesan and -- once World War I begins -- a spy. For another atmospheric novel about this notorious woman check out Yannick Murphy's Signed, Mata Hari. |
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| The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel by Alison WeirPrincess Elizabeth by birth, the three-year-old daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII becomes simply Lady Elizabeth when her mother is executed in 1536. Over the next several years, Elizabeth watches as her father marries and disposes of multiple wives and as her half-siblings, Edward VI and Mary, wield power. Eventually, however, Elizabeth will herself rise from delegitimized daughter to reigning queen. This fictional portrait of the young Elizabeth will thrill readers who enjoy the endless drama of the Tudor court. |
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