Historical Fiction Well

Inspired by a true story. In 1825, in a remote Irish valley lying between the mountains and Flesk River of Killarney, three women are brought together by strange and troubling events. Nora Leahy, a widow, has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year and is now burdened with the care of her grandson, Michael. The boy cannot walk or speak, and Nora has kept him hidden from neighbours, who might see in his deformity evidence of supernatural interference.

Domestic harmony is once again disrupted at the villa, this time by one of the Duke’s ex-lovers—the Comtesse Duras-Valfons, claiming Roxton is the father of her infant son, which is supported by the Salvan ancient aunts.

Brighton, 1813. The upper class departs London's bustling streets for the serene seaside elegance of the Royal Pavilion. A summer of relaxation and romance beckons, especially for Lord Roland Percy and Lady Grace Tilbury. Yet, tranquillity is shattered when a key military advisor is found murdered and his secret military codes stolen, plunging the Prince Regent into a frenzy. Under royal edict, the Pavilion is locked down, leaving Roland and Grace with a daunting ultimatum: recover the missing codes or forfeit the royal favor on their budding courtship.

G.A. Henty weaves a rousing, yet poignant, adventure of the revolt of Palestine against the power of Rome, and the birth of Christianity. Follow John, a courageous young Jew, as he fights in the siege of Jerusalem, survives slavery in Alexandria and the dispersal of the Jews, wins the favor of the Emperor Titus, and returns triumphantly to Galilee.

Ned Vatcher, only 14, ambles home from school in the chill hush that precedes the first storm of the winter of 1936 to find the house locked, the family car missing, and his parents gone without a trace. From that point on, his life is driven by the need to find out what happened to the Vanished Vatchers. His father, Edgar, born to a poor family of fishermen, had risen to become the right-hand man to the colony's prime minister, then suffered an unexpected fall from grace. Were he and his wife murdered? Was it suicide? Had they run away? If so, why had they left their only child behind?

The year is 1896, and college professor Concordia Wells has her hands full: teaching classes, acting as live-in chaperone to a cottage of lively female students, and directing the student play, Macbeth. But mystery and murder are not confined to the stage, especially when the death of Concordia's sister, Mary, appears to be foul play. To make matters worse, the women's college is plagued by malicious pranks, arson, money troubles, and the apparent suicide of a college official.

Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man—any rich man, no matter how awful. But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call—by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest.

Highland Games fanatic Fiona Campbell believes her only value is her family's history, myths, and legends. So when she travels back to 1689 Scotland and discovers she's the Fiona of family legend, you'd think she'd be excited. And she is. Except that the legendary warrior she's to save her ancestor from is the hottie in a kilt she just handfasted. Duncan MacCowan once trusted his heart to the wrong woman, but when a strange lass drops into his life and pries opens his heart again, he impulsively handfasts her.

Her pious father’s murder leaves Faith Montague orphaned and lost on the dangerous road to London , only to be rescued by a notorious highwayman. Morgan de Lacy, a lawless rake with the bearing of a nobleman, treats her finer than those who should have loved and protected her. Recognizing a fine gem when he sees one, de Lacy sets about seducing his orphaned companion. His caresses incite passion…his fiery kisses tantalize, and Faith is in peril of losing herself to temptation.

A small garrison of Australian soldiers is left to defend a town and its people against the might of the Japanese forces. This is a story of those who were left behind and those who waited for them to return.

Augustus Ford: Even at sixty, he remained strikingly handsome. An outsider observing him for the first time would notice a full head of raven-black hair, a well-groomed goatee, and soft green eyes, never once considering that the gentleman before them was an Indian fighter, lawman, military scout, and quite possibly the most dangerous man to ever ride the frontier. To those who lived in that turbulent time, he was by all accounts: A Well-Known Gun.

The 1950s are a carefree time for a young woman like Grace. The war is over and when her family moves to Brisbane, plans are made for her to complete her studies at the University of Queensland. Ewan is also studying the same course and when he meets the beautiful, head-strong Grace, the differences in their backgrounds are pushed aside as they plan their future together. However, not everyone is happy with the romance and when the young couple are forced to separate, decisions are made that will determine their path in life.

Sarah is just 17 when she chooses to become an anchoress, a holy woman shut away in a cell that measures only seven by nine paces, at the side of the village church. Fleeing the grief of losing a much-loved sister in childbirth as well as pressure to marry the local lord's son, she decides to renounce the world - with all its dangers, desires, and temptations - and commit herself to a life of prayer. But it soon becomes clear that the thick, unforgiving walls of Sarah's cell cannot protect her as well as she had thought.

Prim, plain, desperately virtuous Lady Mary Fairchild stares at the seductive gentleman and wonders - does he remember the night they met? Surely not. In the ten years since, she left behind her youthful impetuousness and transformed herself into a housekeeper - disguising her beauty beneath a servant's dour clothing.

Two extraordinary women in 1865 establish a trading post in a southern jungle that grows to be a safe haven for cast-off women and the dispossessed. When a murderous forger sets up shop and the mayor on the right-side-of-the-tracks becomes intent on their destruction, the village fights for survival in its own special way. Told in evocative magical realism, Jaguar Paloma and the Caketown Bar is a tale of wronged women who stand up to be counted.

Its the summer of 1944 and British soldier Frank Marshall awaits his orders. As he tries his best to forget the war at the local village pub, drinking his favorite pint Archers Ale he meets the young barmaid June Jefferson. They soon fall in love. Unexpectedly, Frank is told his division is heading to Portsmouth for the liberation of Europe.

When Zac Cobb foils an attempt to kidnap the family of the oldest daughter of General Sydney Roberts, the President of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, he then must lead the threatened family to safety in Colorado despite the pursuit of a small army of hired gunmen. Once, there, Zac finds himself ensnared in the ongoing railroad war between the Chicago Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroads. But when Elizabeth Robert decides she's in love with Zac, his personal danger is compounded.

Deployed to Vietnam with the US Army's 1069 Intelligence Group, Spec. 4 James Griffin starts out clear-eyed and hardworking, believing he can glide through the war unharmed. But the kaleidoscope of horrors he experiences gets inside him relentlessly. He gradually collapses and ends up unstrung, in step with the exploding hell around him and waiting for the cataclysm that will bring him home, dead or not. Griffin survives, but back in the US, his battles intensify. Beset by addiction, he takes up meditating on household plants and attempts to adjust to civilian life.

The last thing widow Althea Winsloe wanted to do was remarry. Unfortunately, her meddlesome mountain neighbors had other plans. So, one autumn night they banded together and gave Althea a shocking ultimatum: she was to find herself a husband by Christmas...or the town would do it for her! Althea knew she had her choice of any single man in Marrying Stone, Arkansas. Yet the only one she felt truly comfortable with was Simple Jess. Sweet, gentle Jess wasn't as smart as your average man.

"The Well-Beloved" is a beautifully crafted novel by Thomas Hardy, exploring the complexities of love and desire. Set in the scenic Isle of Slingers, it tells the story of a sculptor, Jocelyn Pierston, and his obsessive search for his perfect muse, who he calls his "well-beloved". As he searches for this elusive figure, he faces a series of trials and tribulations, each leading him closer to his ultimate desire. This poignant and lyrical tale is a must-read for any lover of classic literature.