As the holiday season approaches, there’s no better time to
dive into a new book. Whether you’re a fan of historical fiction, contemporary
short stories, action-packed adventures, or thrilling sci-fi, we have something
for everyone. Check out our diverse collection of titles and find your perfect
holiday read!
Our Titles:
The Briton and the Dane: Five tales of historical intrigue and romance.
Crusader’s Path: A journey of faith and valor in medieval times.
It’s 1768. A chance meeting at London’s dockyards sees
medical student Nicholas Young recruited as Surgeon’s Boy to serve under
Captain James Cook aboard a bark called the Endeavour. Ahead of the handsome
17-year-old is a voyage that will test his mettle and take him to uncharted
places at the bottom of the world. One of those places being a land Dutch
explorer Abel Tasman discovered the previous century when he encountered its
western shoreline. The land was occupied by tattooed, brown-skinned, warlike people.
A land Tasman called Nieuw Zeeland.
Nearly five centuries earlier, in 1301 AD, huge, twin-hulled canoes depart the South Pacific Island nation of Hawaiki. Aboard each craft are 80 villagers hand-picked by their rangatira, the mighty Hotu. Raids by enemies from neighbouring islands prompted the decision to flee their homeland. Their destination is a land far to the south. Many weeks later, the survivors aboard Hotu’s canoe sight the eastern shoreline of a rugged land covered by cloud. They call it Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud.
In 1769, eight months after departing England, Nicholas Young and his crewmates arrive in Tahiti aboard the Endeavour. The Surgeon’s Boy is quickly becoming a man; the journey out was a baptism of fire for him with mid-Atlantic storms resulting in injury and death. In Tahiti, Captain Cook puts his men to work, building an observation post from which he can observe the transit of Venus. Nicholas is excused from shore duties after a local priest, Tupaia, informs Cook that Tahiti’s beautiful queen, Obadia, has invited his Surgeon’s Boy to stay in the village as her guest. Tupaia didn’t mention he convinced the childless queen that Nicholas had been sent to her by the spirits of her ancestors and that he would give her a son. The beautiful queen seduces a surprised but delighted Nicholas, and in the weeks that follow they enjoy long days and nights of lovemaking.
It's 1501 AD and for the first time the hills of Aotearoa echo to the sounds of war. As the competition for food and land increases, so too does inter-tribal fighting between tribes of the brown-skinned people who now call themselves Maori. Apera, chief of the Te Arawa tribe, leads a war party down the east coast, attacking settlements along the way. Defeated warriors are either enslaved or eaten, for cannibalism is widely practised.
October 1769. It's springtime in Aotearoa. A Maori boy sits alone on a sandy beach, looking out across a sparkling bay. On his right is a headland that extends far out into the blue Pacific. Moki is the oldest son of the chief of the Ngati Porou tribe. He’s a proud descendant of Hotu whose battered canoe arrived on this same beach centuries earlier. Moki suddenly jumps to his feet when he sees a tall ship far out to sea. Mistaking its billowing sails for a giant seabird, he flees inland to his nearby pa, or fortified village, to alert the villagers to the approaching danger.
Aboard the Endeavour, Nicholas serves as lookout in the bark’s crow’s nest. Many long weeks have passed since leaving Tahiti. He spies land and shouts, “Land ahoy!” He’s looking at the very headland Moki was sitting alongside moments earlier. So delighted is Cook by the sighting, he names the landmark Young Nick’s Head after his keen-eyed lookout. The captain suspects it’s part of the eastern shoreline of the land Abel Tasman called Nieuw Zeeland. Translating the Dutch to English, Cook renames it New Zealand.
After anchoring in the bay, the captain dispatches a contingent of his marines ashore. From aboard ship, Nicholas and his crewmates look on as the marines are greeted by an impassioned haka, or war dance, performed by Ngati Porou warriors armed with clubs, spears and other Stone Age weapons. The chief’s brother is killed and several warriors wounded in the inevitable violence that follows. So disillusioned is Cook by the conflict, and by the apparent lack of fruit and game, he names the region Poverty Bay.
This first bloody encounter with New Zealand’s indigenous people is a sobering harbinger for what follows.
The Endeavour’s circumnavigation of the new land will be an experience that breaks some men. But not Nicholas. The Surgeon’s Boy is now as ready as any of his crewmates to face the many challenges that life will throw at him in the long weeks and months ahead.
New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a
prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to
his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former
journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his
son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.
The father-and-son team's published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit and Into the Americas. They also have several series on the market including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series. An additional non-fiction title, Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide.
The Morcans’ production company Morcan Motion Pictures has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas and White Spirit. It is also developing Underground Knowledge into a TV series.
Lance is currently revising his solo-written novel New Zealand, an epic historical adventure spanning 500 years of South Pacific and Polynesian history. Including research, writing and life's distractions, this novel has been over a decade in the making.
Scotland. 1263. The scent of rain mingles with the smoke of campfires as word spreads: the Norse are coming…
As tempers rise between King Alexander and the Norse King Haakon, at the center of it all is sixteen-year-old William Douglas, a squire in service to Sir John Stewart, Lord High Steward of Scotland.
When Haakon's fearsome fleet is espied approaching Scotland's shores, carrying the greatest invasion force the Norse have ever mustered, the dread of battle settles over the land. Summoned to Ayr Castle, William joins the Scottish forces in a desperate defense. Now tasked with serving his newly knighted brother, Hugh, William has little time to dwell on the fear – or thrill – of his first real taste of war.
And once the Norse's menacing line of ships finally touches shore, Scotland's fate may rest on more than noble titles and knightly deeds— it'll take the mettle of every soul on the ground for them to triumph.
Set against the wind-swept coast of medieval Scotland, On a Sword's Edge takes you right into the center of The Battle of Largs alongside a mere – yet fearless – squire.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3R7l8D
J. R. Tomlin is the author of more than twenty historical novels, set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of King Robert the Bruce and the Good Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, and of course, Sir Walter Scott.
When JR isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time hiking, playing with her
Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to having lived in
Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives
in Oregon in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.jrtomlin.com
Twitter: https://x.com/TomlinJeanne
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jrtomlin.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-r-tomlin
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jrtomlin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4094154.J_R_Tomlin
Three women. One shared struggle. Can
they survive?
1970. When Adrienne Chevalier’s perfect life in a chic quartier of Lyon
unravels, she flees to rural Sainte-Marie-du-Lac to escape her controlling
husband, Emile.
Taking refuge at the idyllic L’Auberge de Léa, Adrienne befriends Blanche
Larue, who is herself trapped by her husband’s infidelity. Adrienne begins to
understand the subtle strictures that keep women chained across generations.
But to what diabolical lengths will Emile go to reclaim his wife? And can
Blanche find the courage to choose truth over appearances?
1914. Suzanne Rossignol bids farewell to her beloved husband as he marches off
to war. Through Suzanne’s journal entries, Adrienne discovers that the damaged
soldier who returns from the trenches is a stranger, leaving Suzanne to
navigate a home-front battlefield.
Join Adrienne, Blanche and Suzanne on their emotional journeys amidst the
tranquil French countryside as they fight to escape the shackles of tradition
and abuse. Their stories, bridging half a century, are bound by a timeless
struggle.
A heart-wrenching blend of historical and women’s fiction, Lake of Widows explores
the complexities of marriage, family secrets and self-discovery in 20th-century
France.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Kelly Rimmer.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPnrKz
Liza grew up in Wollongong, Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife.
After meeting her French husband on a bus in Bangkok
in 1988 and, three children and many pets later, she has now been living in a
rural village in France for thirty years.
She works part-time as a medical translator, and editor, and as a novelist.
For newsletter signups, Liza offers her award-winning short story collection for free: Friends and Other Strangers: https://books2read.com/u/mleND9
Author Links:
Website: www.lizaperrat.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Liza-Perrat-232382930192297
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liza_perrat_author/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liza-perrat
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008385OF2
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779584.Liza_Perrat
1886 North Devon, England
Lady Lilliana Grantley has been seriously
ill with typhoid, a disease that recently claimed her husband Edgar’s life and
that of his long-time lover, Rosemary Gibbs. Now recovering at last, the lady
wastes no tears on her husband but is determined to wreak revenge on his two
illegitimate children.
Embarrassed for years by his affair with Rosemary, a childhood sweetheart
living nearby, she has falsely accused Sir Edgar’s daughter, Millicent, of the
theft of a precious brooch and wants to see her jailed or hung.
Fortunately for Millie and her little brother, Jonathan, their granny, Emily,
insisted they leave home as soon as she heard of Sir Edgar’s death, for she
knew his widow would seek revenge. The old lady was soon proved right, and Lady
Lilliana, furious the two youngsters were nowhere to be found, evicted the old
woman despite the fact she, too, was dangerously ill.
After a long and hazardous journey to North Devon, Millie and Jonathan were
united with some long-lost family members who made them welcome and gave them a
home. However, aware that Lady Lilliana has put a price on Millie’s head, they
know they are not yet out of danger. Despite this, they are determined to find
their granny, Emily, who seems to have disappeared.
Aided by her long-time lover, Sir Clive Robinson, Lady Lilliana is determined
to find Millie and Jonnie and get them out of her life once and for all, but
how far will the embittered woman go?
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/AWomanScorned
All the books in The Hartford Manor Series can be ordered from any bookshop.
***
Snippet
Brampford Speke, a peaceful little village situated only a few miles from the bustling city of Exeter, would probably not have existed at all, but for the position of Grantley Manor, for farm labourers were always in demand on the large and prosperous estate. The village was surrounded by green rolling hills and picturesque scenery, and despite the bitter temperature that morning, the vicar was content with his lot.
Gregory Swann was an elderly man, born in the village some seventy years earlier and raised to follow in his father’s footsteps as a man of the cloth. Indeed, he still lived in the same house he had been born in and knew the only way he would ever want to leave would be carried out feet first. Kissing Edith, his wife of more than fifty years, goodbye, he crossed the icy yard to the stable, where he saddled his pony and set off to visit his parishioners.
Despite his warm hat, scarf, and gloves, the portly man shivered violently in the sub-zero temperatures, and his breath hung in the air. The grass and hedgerows glistened with a hard frost, and ice covered the village pond where a couple of ducks skidded on the surface, futilely seeking a morsel to eat.
He planned to visit several needy folk that day, some physically unwell, others depressed with their daily struggle for survival, and a few simply lonely and who would benefit from seeing a friendly face. He decided his first port of call would be to Ollie and Agnes Darch. Shortly before Christmas, the Darches had suffered from typhoid, a disease which had carried many to their graves, causing him and the local undertaker much work over the festive period. Thankfully, the couple had recovered, and the epidemic appeared to be over, but he had heard that Ollie was now suffering from lumbago.
A farmer’s daughter, Marcia was born in North Devon, a rural and picturesque area in the far South West of England. When she left school at sixteen, Marcia worked in a bank for several years until she married her husband, Bryan, and then stayed at home for a few years to care for her three sons, Stuart, Paul and David.
As the children grew
older, Marcia enrolled in a secretarial course, which led to an administrative
post at the local college. Marcia progressed through various jobs at the
college and, when working as a Transport Project Coordinator, was invited to 10
Downing Street to meet Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister. Marcia later worked
for the local authority as the Education Transport Manager for Devon County
Council and remained there until her retirement.
Now a grandmother, Marcia enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She’s a keen researcher of family history, and this hobby inspired some of the characters in her books. A keen gardener, Marcia grows many of her own vegetables. She is also an avid reader and enjoys historical fiction, romance, and crime books.
Marcia has written six books in the historical family saga, "The Hartford Manor Series". You can also read her free short story, "Amelia", a spin-off tale from the first book, "The Mazzard Tree", by downloading the story here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/amelia-free-download/
In addition to writing books, Marcia produces blogs to share with her readers in a monthly newsletter. If you would like to join Marcia’s mailing list, you can subscribe here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/
Author Links:
Website: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarciaC89111861
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marciaclaytonauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciaclayton97/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/marciaclayton.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marcia-clayton
Amazon Author Page: http://viewauthor.at/MarciaClayton
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20429025.Marcia_Clayton
England 1830s to New South Wales 1840
The race to protect an orphaned Boy
All is
not straightforward when money and titles are involved.
Orphaned, afraid and on the run, Chip must Flee.
Madeline was his mother’s best friend. Maddie now needs to keep her charge safe and alive. She must give up her life to protect the boy she has loved since birth.
Months after Chip’s parents’ demise, Maddie sets out to deliver Chip to his Uncle Humphrey, who lives in Sydney. Through him, she meets Chip's friend Tim, who falls for Maddie— but will they find happiness?
The menacing presence soon finds Chip, and Maddie needs to hide him again. They are moved from hidden farms to secret valleys, ending up in an aboriginal encampment.
Can Tim find a way to be with Maddie? And if so… Will Chip ever be safe?
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/MadelinesBoy
Barnes and Nobel: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Sara%20powter
The Bookshop Org: https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Sara+Powter
Sara Powter lives on the NSW Central Coast. Her childhood was spent with her parents, mainly travelling up and down the East Coast of Australia, fishing, shell collecting, and doing some of her education through correspondence schooling.
With a passion for science, she worked as a Scientific Assistant in the Entomology Department of the Department of Agriculture. She married Stephen soon after leaving there, and they spent 30 years in Ministry in the Newcastle Anglican Diocese in NSW, only retiring at the end of 2020.
When ‘Covid 19’ hit, time was available to pen some of the stories she’d wanted to write for some time. Within twelve months, eight stories were finished, and ideas for more were coming (after four years, she had recently completed her twenty-eighth book). These stem from her passion for Colonial Australia, her convict ancestors, and the fantastic country’s remarkable history!
Sara wrote these as she wished to complete one of her mother’s unfinished manuscripts. The series prequel, “Dancing to Her Own Tune,” is now completed and ties in Sheila Hunter’s Australian Trilogy with Sara’s Lockley series and many others. All are Clean Australian Historical Fiction.
But… Watch for more in The Hunter to Macquarie Collection and The Convict Birthstain Collection.
Author Links:
Website: www.sarapowter.com.au
Twitter:
https://x.com/SaraPowter
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063887262514
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-powter-450b6b145/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarapowter2251/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sara-powter
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sara-Powter/author/B08X4K9VM1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13548072.Sara_Powter
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRC4aFyyiVAMy5ZLTTQUEw
