In 1702, Emilie Basseaux lives with her widowed mother in New France. On the eve of her wedding to Robert Lanzille, she catches the eye of the settlement’s unscrupulous overlord, Seigneur Richard Tonnacour who threatens to kill the parish priest if he performs their marriage. This sets off a catastrophic chain of events that turns her life, and that of her betrothed, into a desperate flight for their lives, separating them, and sending them straight into the arms of peril. Emilie and Robert’s plight sweeps them into the convents and taverns, the riots and small-pox epidemics of New France where they each face death and discover the true meaning of love and forgiveness. It is a compelling story of love and treachery, faith and loss, forgiveness and triumph. The Blighted Troth is a retelling of the classic novel, The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) by Alessandro Manzoni. Inspired by this epic Italian classic novel, the author weaves an entirely new and unqiue captivating tale in a new setting, a new century, and with new plot twists.
In 1290, Scotland is without a king. Two families-the Bruces and the Balliols-vie for the throne. Robert the Bruce is in love with Elizabeth de Burgh, the daughter of an adherent of the ruthless Longshanks, King of England. In order to marry her and not give up his chances of someday becoming King of Scots, Robert must abandon his rebel ways and bide his time as Longshanks' vassal. But Edward, Longshanks' heir, doesn't trust the opportunistic Scotsman and vows to one day destroy him. While quietly plotting his rebellion, Robert is betrayed by one of his own and must flee Longshanks' vengeance. Aided by the unlikely brilliance of the soft-spoken young nobleman, James Douglas, Robert battles for his throne. Victory, though, is never certain and Robert soon learns that keeping his crown may mean giving up that which he loves most-his beloved Elizabeth.
Grace Woodruff, the backbone of her troubled family, finds that its disintegration and the return of a lost love strains her emotional stability and sends her on a journey to discover a new path that, along the way, makes her re-evaluate exactly what it is she wants and how she can achieve it, but what will it cost her?
The story of Queen Isabella, who sought revenge on her husband Edward II, and her lover Sir Roger Mortimer, who masterminded the invasion that accomplished it. The marriage of Isabella of France and Edward II of England in 1308 is a union meant to secure lasting peace. For years, Isabella is a loyal wife, who repeatedly salvages her husband's kingship, even as she endures his neglect. When she finally speaks out against Edward's favorite, Lord Hugh Despenser, her income, lands and children are taken from her. In an age when women are not supposed to openly defy their husbands, Isabella vows to get her children back and have her revenge on Despenser - no matter what the cost. Imprisoned in the Tower of London for leading a rebellion against King Edward, Mortimer escapes with Isabella's help and finds refuge in the French court. But when Isabella arrives in Paris to negotiate a peace treaty, it is a temptation the ambitious Mortimer cannot resist.
Love united them. Destiny drove them apart. When Avicia, a Norman noblewoman, makes a careless but costly mistake with a prized falcon, the brutal punishment nearly claims her life. Her Saxon lover, Edric of Newington witnesses her ordeal but cannot share her fate. Another destiny awaits him in England, and the prospect of a loveless marriage. Swept away in the arms of another, Avicia enters the treacherous court of Duke William of Normandy. Through the years, Edric and Avicia reunite in a timeless, forbidden love, but a bitter rivalry for the English throne divides them. In a world forever altered in the aftermath of Hastings, hope rises and the chance to love again.
Eadgyth A lfgarsottir's story begins when she is sold into marriage to Gruffydd ap Llewellyn, King of the Welsh; a man old enough to be her grandfather. At Rhuddlan she discovers both friendship and romance, but from a man who is not her husband. Ultimately she finds herself accused of treason, fornication and incest until a surprise night attack destroys Gruffydd's palace and Eadgyth is captured by the Saxons. After the betrayal and murder of Gruffydd, Eadgyth, separated from her sons, is taken to the court of Edward the Confessor. There, desperate to be reunited with her children, she befriends the queen and her feminine charms enable her to infiltrate the sticky intrigues of the Godwin family. An unexpected proposal of marriage from Earl Harold provides the opportunity she requires and, on his accession to the throne, she agrees to become his queen. However, her security is threatened as William the Bastard assembles his fleet in the south and Harald Hardrada prepares to invade from the North. The portentous date of October 14th 1066 looms. Eadgyth tells a tale of loss, betrayal, passion and war and highlights the plight of women, tossed in the tumultuous sea of feuding Anglo Saxon Britain. Chapters can be viewed on the youwriteon.com website.
A lost ancient treasure. A 100 year family feud. A woman who must choose between two men: one bound by a dying wish, the other bound by desperation. And a passion richer than the bloodstone pendant she wears around her neck. In medieval Italy, as spirited and stalwart as any man, the brazen Countess Morena is betrothed to the impoverished, black-hearted Count Ernesto; a man desperate to escape his mounting gambling debts by marrying her and laying claim to the ancient treasure secreted somewhere in the underbelly of her castle. Morena meets her match when Amoro, the handsome and brash heir to the Duchy of Genoa, swears an oath upon his father’s grave to claim her as his bride and end the feud between their families. Soon, Amoro’s virile charm awakens the passion in her steadfast heart. But a treacherous plot ensnares them; Ernesto abducts Morena and renders Amoro helpless. Embroiled in a life-and-death chase, Morena learns that not even the devious madness of her captor can destroy her love for Amoro as their hearts unite and their destinies become one.
In 1870 England, stolen inheritances were not unheard of among aristocratic circles, but one subject was best kept to the dim, brotherly confines of a gentleman’s club: selling one’s wife. Lady Percy, with baby Kate barely formed inside of her, was unexpectedly taken to London’s notorious East End and auctioned off like cattle by her husband. Her only recourse was to go with the highest bidder. After being taken to live and labor on a farm, far removed from her life of privilege, she kept the truth from Kate for sixteen years. Journey with Kate as she discovers a path to her birthright, explores new worlds of opportunity, and crosses unexpected dangers to overcome the poverty that is all she has ever known. Can she trust Mr. Roeing to help guide her? Each decision she makes bears more consequence to her future than she could imagine.
In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the realm of Granada is in crisis. The union of Fatima, granddaughter of the Sultan of Granada, with the Sultan’s nephew Faraj has fractured the nation. A bitter civil war escalates and endangers both Fatima and Faraj’s lives. All her life, Fatima has sheltered in lavish palaces where danger has never intruded, until now. A precocious child and the unwitting pawn of her family, she soon learns how her marriage may determine her future and the fate of Granada. Her husband Faraj has his own qualms about their union. At a young age, he witnessed the deaths of his parents and discovered how affluence and power offers little protection against indomitable enemies. Guilt and fears plague him. Determined to carve his own destiny, Faraj struggles to regain his lost inheritance and avenge his murdered family. Throughout the rugged frontiers of southern Spain, the burgeoning Christian kingdoms in the north and the desert states of North Africa, Fatima and Faraj survive ruthless murderers and intrigues. They unite against common enemies bent on destroying the last Moorish dynasty. While Fatima and Faraj establish a powerful bond, the atmosphere of deceit creates opportunities for mistrust and tests their love.
When Sarah Collins set her sights on California for a new beginning, she never figured a war party would attack her wagon train. After her friend Molly succumbs to her injuries, Sarah is the sole survivor, left alone to find her way back to civilization. Stampeding buffalo, the black prairie nights and eerie noises,just when she believes she's faced the worst, a rattlesnake bite threatens to accomplish what the Indians failed. Is it her time to die, or does Sarah have a purpose yet to accomplish?
Roselle can’t quite live up to her flowery name and prefers to be called Ellie. Her plans of one day running her father’s ranch are threatened by a handsome foreman, the dastardly family on the adjoining land… and more surprisingly, her heart. Foreman, Tyler Bishop, can’t make heads or tails out of Ellie Fountain. One minute she’s a childish tomboy and the next, cooper curls and curves. One thing he’s determined to do, and that’s keep her safe. He’s not sure if he’s doing it because she’s the boss’s daughter or because her feistiness attracts him in ways he doesn’t want to admit. Romance and suspense emerge in Sparta Rose.
Isabel Hart is afraid of two things, the maze at Trencarrow where she got lost as a young child, and the lake where her brother David saved her from drowning in a boating accident. With her twenty-first birthday and the announcement of her engagement imminent, Isabel decides it is time for her to face her demons and ventures into the maze. There she sees something which will alter her perceptions of herself and her family forever. Isabel’s widowed aunt joins the house party, where her cousin confides she is in love with an enigmatic young man who surely cannot be what he pretends, for he is surely too dashing for homely Laura? When Henry, Viscount Strachan and his mother arrives, ostensibly to use her ball as an arena for finding a wife, Isabel is determined not to like him. As more secrets are revealed, Isabel doubts she has chosen the right man, although her future fiancé has more vested in this marriage than Isabel realizes and has no intention of letting her go easily. Will Isabel be able to put her preconceptions of marriage behind her and take charge of her own life, or is her life destined to be controlled by others?
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| Culloden Spirit |
Carrie Gordon's season in her native York was an unqualified success, until the young man who paid her so much attention married someone else.
When her family takes a summer trip to her father’s ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands, her handsome Scottish cousin, Duncan McRae, takes an immediate dislike to Carrie, mainly due to her father’s plans to refurbish Cair Innes castle which is in need of extensive repair beyond the means of its present owner and resident, Iain McRae.
Carrie feels the vacation will be a disaster until she discovers a strange young man while exploring the derelict castle, However, she soon learns Ruairi McRae is not what he seems, and the battle he intends to fight was lost by his clan a hundred and fifty years before.
Will Carrie be able to accept that she cannot be part of Ruairi’s world? And when the Roma arrive to camp on Bucks Meadow as they do every summer, who is the beautiful gypsy girl Duncan won't talk about?
