Historical Homes

Meet the Prescott family: a bright and enigmatic mix of characters who struggle together and pick their way through the different perilous minefields of Flushing, Queens, during the Vietnam War era. At the center of this story is a boy becoming a man, simultaneously surrounded and set ablaze by his unstable and supportive family. Set in this tumultuous time of our nation's history and peppered with vivid atmospheric nods to both the time and place, this is the first installment of the War at Home series, a timeless family saga that will reverberate in spirit for generations to come.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants---never more so than in 1917 when the nation entered the First World War. Of the 2.5 million soldiers who fought with U.S. armed forces in the trenches of France and Belgium, some half a million---nearly one out of every five men---were immigrants. In The Long Way Home, David Laskin, author of the prizewinning history The Children's Blizzard, tells the stories of 12 of these immigrant heroes.

In 1958 Detroit, neighbors on Alder Avenue struggle to care for one another amid a city rife with conflicts that threaten their peaceful street. Grace, Alder’s only expectant mother, eagerly awaits her firstborn; her best friend, Julia, prepares to welcome twin nieces; and Malina sets the tone with her stylish dresses, tasteful home, and ironfisted stewardship of St. Alban’s bake sale. Life erupts when childlike Elizabeth disappears while in the care of Grace and Julia. All the ladies fear that the recent murder of a black woman at the factory on Willingham Avenue where their husbands work may portend what has become of Elizabeth.

Abraham escapes his comfortable and luxurious life in Germany and immigrates to Israel prior to the breakout of the Second World War. As a means to support his family amidst financial hardship, Abraham enlists in the Israeli branch of the Royal Pioneer Corps under the British Military.

Arriving back in her hometown after spending some time training at the Infirmary for Women in New York, Maud can't wait to put her newfound skills to the test. But in a city built and run by men she must work hard to be accepted. Whilst her nurse friends welcome her back with open arms, there are others who do not wish her well, including the spiteful Nancy Sellers. She will stop at nothing to sabotage Maud's life and soon turns her attention to those Maud holds most dear.

A girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice. As she helps the short-tempered Jane deliver babies, Brat—who renames herself Alyce—gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something in life for the first time.

Young history Professor Jack Turner gets a surprise visit from his friend, Police Sgt. Joe Boyd. Joe has started a new hobby that's also helping him lose some weight: metal detecting. Joe asks if he can do this on Jack's lakefront property, which includes more than a dozen acres of woods. Intrigued by a hobby that combines physical exercise and Jack's love of history, Jack asks to tag along. Neither man has any idea that this seemingly harmless hobby will cause their paths to cross with a 70-year-old mystery involving tragedy, smuggling, multiple murders, and stolen Nazi loot.

It’s never easy keeping secrets...Only her desire to crush the Crown’s enemies could induce Lady Lucille Stanford to endure another Season. For years she has worked secretly for the Home Office, and she has come to London with one purpose: Foil the attempted kidnapping of a highly valuable target, identity unknown. Inconveniently, Lord Harrington - Lucy’s brother and guardian - has other plans. He won’t be satisfied until she is at long last married.

Spring 1940. As the war rages on, Vickers steelworks is busier than ever, which is proving tough for Nancy as she juggles working long hours and looking after two young children, all while waiting for her husband to return home safely. Betty is determined to roll up her sleeves and joins the Women’s Voluntary Service to keep busy and from fretting about her fiancé. But Patty is left worrying about someone closer to home. Sweetheart Archie has been keeping a secret from her, and one that puts him in great danger. Will it threaten to pull them apart for good?

In post-Civil War New York City, sixteen-year-old Aislynn Denehy cannot find a job, she has no place to live and no family to help her. Some might think this is a problem; Aislynn believes it is an opportunity. No formulaic romance, this well-researched love story depicts life as it truly was for the thousands of women who went west reaching for a new life. Aislynn's journey begins in a New York City tenement and leads her across the frontier to a Utah mining camp where she must cope with the three very different men in her life: smart, solicitous Tim; good-natured, good-guy Johnny; and the intense but intriguing Liam Moran. Life in the roughshod camp brings small joys and devastating losses. Susan Denning's engaging debut novel races through authentic experiences involving historical events until it erupts in an unexpected ending.

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?

Young Mikey Quinn, scavenging on the streets of Hull, is thrown into prison for stealing a rabbit from the butcher. His chief accuser, a well-to-do lawyer, has a daughter, Eleanor, whom he badly mistreats. When Mikey is released he finds that his mother has died and his brothers taken into the workhouse - determined to find a better life for his family, he walks all the way to London to seek his fortune.

It's 1944. World War II is raging. Jayna's big brother, Rob, is her only family. When Rob is called to duty on a destroyer, Jayna is left in their small town in upstate New York with their cranky landlady. But right before he leaves, Rob tells Jayna a secret: they may have a grandmother in Brooklyn. Rob found a little blue recipe book with her name and an address for a bakery. When Jayna learns that Rob is missing in action, she's devastated. Along with her turtle, Theresa; the recipe book; and an encouraging, ghostly voice as her guide, Jayna sets out for Brooklyn in hopes of finding the family she so desperately needs.

On her 10th birthday, Leah receives a surprise gift from glamorous Aunt Olivia, Mama's only sister, who lives in Los Angeles. It is a red rose box. Not many people in 1958 Louisiana have seen such a beautiful traveling case, covered with red roses, filled with jewelry, silk bedclothes, expensive soaps...and train tickets to California.