New England Fiction

Female friendship is intense and that intensity can erupt into dangerous passions when teenage girls are cooped up in an exclusive East Coast boarding school. Beautiful, streetwise Cassidy Thomas; debutante jock Abby Madison; academic, sensitive Karen Mullens; and sophisticated troublemaking Zoey Spalding are four seventeen-year-olds who should be cruising happily through their Senior Year. But jealousies are simmering. And when Zoey plays a game with the class list—if you lose your virginity you get a star beside your name—it sets in motion a chain of shocking events.

Ella Bridges faces her most challenging investigation so far when the vicar dies suddenly at the May Day Fete. But with evidence scarce and her personal life unraveling in ways she could never have imagined, she misses vital clues in the investigation. Working alongside Sergeant Baxter of Scotland Yard, will Ella manage to unearth the clues needed to catch the killer before another life is lost? Or will personal shock cloud her mind and result in another tragedy?

The British Empire has sleepwalked, unprepared into war with the Triple Alliance, the Spanish colonies of the Caribbean and Central America. But this is not to be a war like those which have gone before it; wars decided by crushing British sea power and eventually, on land by the superiority of the logistics and tactics of relatively small colonial armies in the South Western badlands. Remember Brave Achilles becomes the call to arms.

He’s fashion royalty. She’s the queen of thrift. Now their career hopes are pinned on each other… Nothing could make Janelle Novak go back to the competitive world of New York fashion – except a threat to her store, Tailor Thrift. If she can win the first season of a new design reality show, she’ll be able to secure the loan she needs to save her business. But first, she needs to spend the next six weeks working with the pampered playboy she slept with – and walked out on – years ago. Everything has come easily for Ashton Royce – except the career he wants. Relegated to the ...

When her mother telephones from France with news of her imminent arrest, Ella along with her aunt and an eccentric friend rush to her aid. But what starts as a simple disappearance quickly turns to murder and Ella finds herself embroiled in a mystery which is far more complex than she'd anticipated.

Echoing Hillsby Steven Detmers is a historical fiction novel set in the picturesque landscapes of 19th century New England. This evocative tale explores themes of ambition, faith, and the enduring strength of family bonds. Carlin, a determined young man, dreams of escaping the confines of his impoverished life through higher education. Supported by his loving grandmother and mentored by the kind-hearted clergyman Mr. Hays, Carlin's journey is fraught with obstacles. His inspiration comes from Karen, the clergyman’s gentle and introspective daughter, who faces her own struggles with ...

A widowed father with a painful secret. A part-time princess with a complicated past. It was only supposed to be one night… Widower Derek Ahern is determined to build a new life in Fable Notch for himself and his daughter. But fresh starts don’t end loneliness. With his in-laws on babysitting duty, Derek struggles to fill his night off — until a spontaneous trip to a nightclub ends in the back of a hot stranger’s car. Fortunately, he’ll never see her again. Casey Shaw spends her weeks working at the local senior living center and her weekends as a princess at kids’ parties. Sure...

A broken heart is only the beginning for her. When Anna's fiancé's philandering ways shatter their happy future, she decides she’s through playing the victim. Now, rather than read about life, she wants to live it—starting with a sabbatical from her editing job to travel the world. He’s still picking up the pieces after the woman he loved walked away from him. Holden is content with his life as the owner of an English Inn until Anna stumbles into his life. Passion erupts between them in undeniable chemistry, making Holden think maybe he might have found happiness a second time. ...

Welcome to Greenwich, Connecticut, home of scenic beaches, dazzling autumn foliage, and swoon-worthy affluent men. Hindered by a recent surgery that has left his arm in a sling, Eric Salko’s life is upended when the VP of his investment firm hires a temporary new personal assistant to run errands and help with Eric’s daughter, Bella. All bets are off when the stunning employee enters his palatial Connecticut estate. Broke and with her life in shambles, Kira Blumquist is desperate to make the most of her lucky break.

Set in an early New England colony, the novel shows the terrible impact a single, passionate act has on the lives of three members of the community: the fiery, tortured Reverend Dimmesdale; the obsessed, vengeful Chillingworth; and the defiant Hester Prynne, who, unwilling to name her partner in adultery, is condemned to wear a scarlet "A" on the breast of her gown for the remainder of her life.

Retired English professor Charles Bentley is pressured into becoming assistant director of the Opal College fall theater production. This means he must work with the director, the rather intimidating Lorelei Brunson. Everything is going quite well until the person playing the lead in the play entitled The Rake's Last Gasp is murdered outside the theater. This leaves Charles with two problems. He must help his wife, who is Opalsville's chief of police, solve the case, and he must act because Lorelei insists that he take on the role of the rake in the play. Not having acted since his college ...

He wants her back. She wants him gone. Can a fake engagement solve everything? Rock star Cole Hanson has always taken care of the people in his life—first his younger brothers and now his bandmates. It wasn’t a role he chose, but he’s good at it and it brings security to the people who matter to him. But when a near-death experience forces Cole to decide what he wants, there’s only one name on his lips… Mia Durant’s heart (and her singing career) was crushed by Cole years ago. Between her work as an ER nurse and raising her best friend’s son, she doesn’t have time for ...

In an era where the void of science is filled with superstition, some believe the “Night Waster” preys upon the blood of the living to keep the dead alive. Thomas Sullivan, a cabinetmaker’s apprentice in northeastern Connecticut, helps the Shaffer family confront the ravages of the Night Waster while dealing with his own father’s rejection of him. The lung disease, consumption, and the economic Panic of 1837 are making life a trial for his master’s family as well as stirring the town’s paranoia. The mystery deepens when a family Bible reveals two Spanish doubloons. With the ...

Miss Marigold Manners may be steeped in the etiquette of her old-money Boston family, but she is also an accomplished, modern woman and an avid student of archaeology who can handle any situation with poise. When the death of her parents leaves her too destitute to pursue her academic career and she receives a letter from a distant relative on Great Misery Island, Marigold decides she must do what any person of superior sense and greater-than-average curiosity would: she mounts her trusty bicycle and heads up the craggy, fog-shrouded coast of New England for a date with fate.

As a teenager, it was never Sam Pulsifer's intention to torch an American landmark, and he certainly never planned to kill two people in the blaze. To this day, he still wonders why that young couple was upstairs in bed in the Emily Dickinson House after hours. After serving 10 years in prison for his crime, Sam is determined to put the past behind him. His low-profile life is chugging along quite nicely until the past comes crashing through his front door.

Kate's perfect life is a lie. Her finances are a mess, her marriage is struggling, and her teenage daughter, Claire, makes life even more difficult with her moodiness. Day after day, she hides the truth. But when her estranged father schedules a visit, she seizes her last chance to try to make him proud of what she's made of her life since dropping out of law school. If Kate can't get life together before her father comes to town, she'll only prove she really is a failure. Just like he's always believed.

“This is a brilliant book written by a brilliant man who has no fear expressing his ideas.” Birmingham News This is the driving, compassionate story of a young man's coming of age, a well-born rebel who defies his family’s two hundred years of aristocratic tradition…and flees the horrors that churn beneath its tranquil surface. Avery Hollister grew up admiring his father, loving his gentle mother too much, and believing in the aristocratic Hollister tradition. And then he sees his family as it really is. His father, a faithless bully, is anxious to preserve appearances at any cost, ...

Monreith, Massachusetts, was once a small community of whalers and farmers. These days it’s a well-to-do town filled with commuters drawn to its rugged coastline and country roads. A peaceful, predictable place—until popular restaurateur Laurel Thibodeau is found brutally murdered in her own home. Suspicion naturally falls on Laurel’s husband, Simon, who had gambling debts that only her life insurance policy could fix. But there are other rumors too. Among the group of six friends gathered for Alice Stone’s fortieth birthday, theories abound concerning Laurel’s death.

Bree works in her family's bakery, Bellaluna's, where the secret ingredient is magic. Among all the mouthwatering treats that they regularly dish out rests a special cookie that can nudge would-be couples together. Though Bree has tried to perfect the recipe, her attempts have always come up short...but then Caleb, a visiting restaurateur, steps in and gets a taste of her latest creation.

In this collection of four short stories, 19th-century writer Sarah Orne Jewett explores the theme of female friendship. Tana Hicken brings authenticity to the New England towns in which each story is set. The skillful reading and vivid descriptions conjure images of strong country women living simple, inspirational lives. In "Martha's Lady", the listener's own chest nearly fills with pride as Martha is inspired by a visitor's kind words.