Historical Homes

A dashing young man appears at Lady Brockenhurst's soiree - but who is he and why is he so favored by their hostess? Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. The story behind the secret will be revealed in weekly bite-sized installments complete with twists and turns and cliff-hanger endings. Set in the 1840s when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is peopled by a rich cast of characters.

The fourth book in the War at Home series by the author of The Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the evocative backdrop of World War I, this is an epic family drama featuring the Hunters and their servants.

Ben Porter may be living the dream, but it’s not his. His dad’s health scare might not be the ideal reason to come home for the summer, but it’s a welcome break from the stellar glitz of Ben’s life in Los Angeles. Even if modeling has him rivaling Marky Mark’s fame, posing isn’t his passion. Landing a role with a Boston Shakespeare theater brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams of being a real actor. Facing the reason he went west in the first place? That’s another story.

When Lady Theodora Neale’s papa dies, a volume guarded by her family for generations comes into her possession - and with it, a sacred duty. Lady Theo is determined to honor her papa’s deathbed request to carry out missions directed by the esteemed Lord Archbroke. But when Archbroke suggests they enter into a feigned courtship, Lady Theo is blindsided. She’s willing to put her life on the line for the Crown, but no one said anything about risking her heart!

After waving her sweetheart Luke off to war, Nell Davenport encounters an unexpected entanglement that will change Hollywood forever. With combat raging across Europe and the Pacific, jobs of all kinds are now open to women on the home front. Nell sets her sights on the publicity department of the Warner Bros. movie studios as she develops a surprising bond with Humphrey Bogart. But when a captivating 19-year-old is cast opposite Bogie in To Have and Have Not, the newcomer’s arrival will alter the course of Nell’s blossoming friendship.

When William D. Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he places an advertisement in his local newspaper seeking a nanny for his newborn child. He is thankful when an experienced nanny arrives at 43, Laurence Street, and takes over from his frazzled housekeeper Mrs McHugh. Mrs McHugh confides in her bedridden friend Betty, who has a bird’s-eye view of all the happenings on Laurence Street, that the nanny is not all she seems.

From Liverpool’s best-loved author comes a superb novel of loss and grief, love and hope, set on Merseyside in 1920.

Vivianna Risler enjoys interacting with the young women of her daughter’s acquaintance. But when the girls form the Ladies Victory League undertake a letter writing campaign to the Doughboys, she supervises the activities with a mother’s eye toward propriety and protection.

Aria’s letter-writing campaign to the Doughboys was a kindness that turned into a journey of the heart. Corresponding with Donald, Joey, and the others became a part of her life. Until one unexpected soldier, Dakota Knox, changed her dreams of becoming a missionary. Instead, the young woman pleads for her new love’s safe return.

Running from her abusive grandfather—broken and afraid—17-year-old Valentia Brocato flees her homeland, hoping for a brighter future in America. Little does she realize that America is about to enter its own conflict—The Great War.

Chased from their life by scandal, Ilianna Winters and her mother desperately seek a new beginning. But tragedy continues to plague the Winters as they seek out a place to rebuild their lives. As the world totters on the brink of madness, Ilianna finds compassion among her companions in the Ladies Victory League. Still, social constraints and dark secrets hamper the young woman’s potential within high society—until she is blessed to find a kindred spirit amongst her correspondence.

English rose Eleanor Rigby has stared into the cold eyes of death more than once. To escape its icy grip, she flees as a mail-order bride to a new future with Samuel Johnson, a Western cowboy. But when a lost love returns from the grave to claim his broken bride, a fearful fight for Ellie's own life and sanity ensues. Can the bonds of true love bring her home, or will she be lost forever?

Following the untimely death of her husband, Beatrix and her three children are finally free. While Ambrose has already determined his path in life, eldest son Laurie's future is less certain. Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school. There, she befriends the enigmatic Olivia Snowdon and they quickly become inseparable. But Olivia's family past is shrouded in mystery and as she begins to dig deeper secrets come tumbling out.

Still searching for his siblings after being separated 10 years before, Frank returns to his hometown only to find gruesome evidence of his past. Painful memories haunt him. Searching the old barn brings more mystery as signs point to a murder. The cross with his pa's name on it behind the barn confirms it. He suspects his older brother killed him, but why? With new fervor, Frank determines to prove his theory wrong and ends up with more surprises when he finds an old letter written to him by his brother. It may be more than he can handle.

Because of an earlier betrayal, Franklin vows never to open his heart to another woman. But he desires an heir. When Lorinda is finally out from under the control of men who made all the decisions in her life, she promises herself she will never allow a man to control her again. But how can she provide for her infant son? A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect arrangement, until two people from Franklin's past endanger Lorinda. How can he save her? And how will this affect the way they feel about each other?

World War II is now in its third year and although nothing can dent the unwavering patriotism of Henrietta and her friends, everyone in the Devonshire village has their anxious moments. Henrietta takes up weeding and plays the triangle in the local orchestra to take her mind off things; the indomitable Lady B, now in her late 70s, partakes in endless fund-raising events to distract herself from thoughts of life without elastic; and Faith, the village flirt, finds herself in the charming company of American GIs.

In 1917 every man, woman, and child was called to civic duty as the “war to end all wars” encompassed the globe. When the patriotic call comes, Adella begins her campaign of encouragement by corresponding with the frightened and lonely soldiers. On the cusp of adulthood, the young woman is tired of living a cosseted life and hopes to gain her parents' support when she wants to volunteer her services to the war effort. Her mother worries for her safety, but Adella is more concerned for her heart.

When America declared war on the German Empire in 1917, young men were drafted and thrown into the conflict on the Western Front. A group of young women decided to help the war effort by writing to the soldiers. As Matrice Hamilton corresponds with several young men, only one claims her heart. Will he come home to her if he survives the carnage on the frontlines? If so, can they find love and fulfillment together, or will the dark clouds of war overshadow them forever?

Tatianna Murray joins her best friends in writing to the men headed for Europe during World War I. Ryan’s letters stand out from the others. Two strangers find within the words something they both share: loneliness and the loss of their parents. As the correspondence continues, they find love, although they’ve never met. While in the horrific war, Ryan carries a bit of Tatianna with him, a golden cross. When Ryan’s letters stop, Tatianna worries. Is he wounded, dead, or imprisoned by the enemy?

To say Maeva Stewart is not a patient young woman is an understatement. Full of ideas, she meets life head on—usually with her best friend and neighbor, Ruby Risler. Aside from Ruby’s good qualities as a friend, she also has a brother, Leo. After giving cookies to the men leaving the train station for Camp Douglas, Maeva begins writing letters to those she doesn’t know. Then, drawing upon an untapped well of courage, she writes to tell Leo how she feels about him. A telegram changes everything when Leo is injured in France, and Maeva wants to go to him.