» historical – european

Beyond the Spanish Road by Annie Kaye

May 10, 2012

Love and war pull Javier in different directions. Which one will triumph? Beyond the Spanish Road by Annie Kaye, available from Dreamspinner Press.

Javier is fulfilling his parents’ wishes by serving as a soldier in the Spanish army—a duty that will take the young swordsman far from his beloved home and family to a planned invasion of England. In France, his unit awaits the arrival of the Armada, and it is there, near the shore of the English Channel, that Javier meets Gaspard, a local merchant who has the face of an angel.

Long ago, when he realized he would never truly love a woman, Javier resolved to remain celibate. What sparks between him and Gaspard shakes that determination to the core, a love that grows until it will no longer be denied. But their situation is impossible: Gaspard is intent upon having an heir, while in Javier’s future, war looms closer every day.

Genre: Historical – Europe
Length: Novella
Pages: 60

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The Snow Vampire by Michael G. Cornelius

February 29, 2012

Hendrick and Ferenc must choose between a world that will condemn them and the snow vampire that could kill them. The Snow Vampire by Michael G. Cornelius, available from Dreamspinner Press.

In 1914 Hungary, Hendrik and Ferenc hide their love amidst the deserted ruins in the hills above their tiny, sheltered town. Hendrik is engaged to Ferenc’s younger sister, and a place to escape the rigid strictures of their families is worth braving the legend of the snagov vrolok—the snow vampire—who is said will claim the blood and flesh of anyone foolish enough to wander near.

Yet sometimes dark tales are based on truth, and something wicked does lurk in the abandoned monastery. Suddenly the lovers find themselves faced with a heartbreaking choice: brave a world in which their love is impossible or face the evil that lives in the snowy heart of a cold Carpathian mountain.

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Genre: Bittersweet Dreams, Fantasy/Paranormal, Historical—Europe
Length: Novella

Home Is the Heart by JM Gryffyn

February 22, 2012

Will a move to New York City give Will and Brock a true chance at love? Home Is the Heart by JM Gryffyn, now available from Dreamspinner Press.

The last thing war-weary veteran William O’Sullivan expects to find while walking his family’s property is the love of his life, but that is exactly what happens. Under the summer sun, well-born Irishman Will meets gypsy lad Brock, and the two are instantly love struck.

Their newfound love may be rock solid, but so are the obstacles in their way. Will is expected to marry his childhood sweetheart and produce an heir for the family estate. Brock has his own waggon now and is expected to marry another Traveller. The roads to their futures are embedded firmly in the past—and don’t include their love. Running off to America seems a perfect solution, but in the mean streets of New York City, they very quickly find that even a love as strong as theirs must be earned.

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Genre: Historical
Length: Novella

And There Was Silence by Louise Blaydon

February 15, 2012

And There Was Silence by Louise Blaydon

Two years after the horrors of the Great War, Robert and Harry are fellow students at the University of Oxford, spending an idyllic day on the banks of the river. Robert idolizes Harry, though he’s sure the other man has no idea of his feelings. When Harry offers to take Robert out on a punt on the river, the afternoon takes a turn Robert never expected.

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Genre: Historical – European
Length: Short story

Shadowboxing by Anne Barwell

January 20, 2012

Can physicist Kristopher and Resistance member Michel find love and safety in the middle of World War II? Shadowboxing by Anne Barwell, available from Dreamspinner Press.

Berlin, 1943. An encounter with an old friend leaves German physicist Dr. Kristopher Lehrer with doubts about his work. But when he confronts his superior, everything goes horribly wrong. Suddenly Kristopher and Michel, a member of the Resistance, are on the run, hunted for treason and a murder they did not commit. If they’re caught, Kristopher’s knowledge could be used to build a terrible weapon that could win the war.

When Michel contacts the Allies, hoping they can work together, it isn’t long before the so-called “simple” mission becomes anything but. With both men realizing they can no longer ignore their growing feelings for each other, Kristopher and Michel must fight—not just for a chance of a future together, but for their very survival.

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Genre: Historical—European
Length: Novel

A Wolf in the Fold by Perry Ambrose

December 28, 2011

A Wolf in the Fold by Perry Ambrose

Roderick, who owes his title and estate to his mother’s money, has never been truly accepted by the local gentry. After his mother dies of fright at the feet of the wolf that’s been terrorizing the countryside, talk in the club turns to how to deal with the alleged werewolf. Some of the men wish to mount a hunt, and it’s even suggested that the creature could be captured and sold, perhaps to that mad American, P.T. Barnum. Roderick’s solution is to purchase a dog, hopefully with the help of the handsome Lord Staynesburgh. He’s eager for the chance to get Staynesburgh alone, to ask for his discretion: Staynesburgh saw Roderick emerging from a certain London club, and Roderick fears he’ll lose the rest of his already low reputation. But the full moon is only a couple of weeks away, and Roderick has preparations to make if he isn’t to risk more than just a few sheep.

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Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal, Historical—European
Length: Short story

A Warm Hearth and Good Wine by Elizabella Gold

December 7, 2011

A Warm Hearth and Good Wine by Elizabella Gold

Alastair Halewell is a rich man, but he has no one to share his wealth with. Twice widowed, he now lives with a few servants and his faithful dog Spark in a calm English village. During a cold December walk, Alastair hears a call for help and rescues a man whose ankle is trapped under a rock. He carries the stranger to his mansion and tends to him. Alastair feels an instant connection to Tristan Fairworth, stronger than he had with either of his wives. Tristan values the quiet life Alastair chafes at, and as they spend more time together, Alastair realizes what his feelings are coming to mean. But does he dare hope that Tristan might feel the same?

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Genre: Historical – European
Length: Short story

Life Begins at Forty by Jessie Blackwood

October 12, 2011

Will Jack and Ifan’s secret relationship survive outside threats? Life Begins at Forty by Jessie Blackwood, available from Dreamspinner Press.

Sequel to Per Ardua

After months of physiotherapy, Group Captain Jack Ratigan has regained some of the mobility lost in plane crash at the end of World War II. But six years later, he still requires the care of his cousin’s butler, Ifan—who is also Jack’s secret lover. In an era when homosexuality is an imprisonable offence, they have to maintain the utmost discretion or risk prosecution.

Insecurities, outside attacks, and misunderstandings are close to tearing Jack and Ifan apart: Jack’s impending middle age, an act of violence in their house, a letter threatening the close-knit community Jack now calls home—and the detective inspector from another jurisdiction investigating a similar unsolved case. The threat of exposure is growing, and for their love to survive, Jack and Ifan must determine who their true friends are—and if they are strongest together or apart.

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Genre: Historical—European
Length: Novella

The Mark of a Man by Maggie Lee

August 24, 2011

Will Alec’s sense of justice override his sense of duty to save Kit’s life? The Mark of a Man by Maggie Lee, available from Dreamspinner Press.

Kit Porter’s fear that he is being followed is confirmed when he is arrested by Alec Weston, a captain in the City Guard. Taken as a thief, Kit soon realizes that darker forces are at work.

Captain Weston’s suspicions have been aroused by the Lord Chancellor’s insistence that he take an armed escort to the eastern border of the shire to pick up one lone cutpurse. As Alec gets to know Kit during their journey back to the capital, he becomes convinced that his prisoner is something more than a common thief. When Alec finally realizes the reason for Kit’s arrest, his growing feelings for the young man and his outraged sense of justice lead him to make a choice that will change their lives forever.

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Genre: Historical
Length: Novella

Tonight or Else by M. King

August 24, 2011

Tonight or Else by M. King

Every Cornishman comes into the world with the soul-deep knowledge that his land straddles the narrow shallows between the solid rocks of English practicality and the ocean of myth that lies beyond. Jamie Tregellis has no time for old men’s tales; working at The Lamb Inn keeps him too busy even to pine for his lost love, Will Andrewartha, who’d split Jamie’s heart in two when he left to become a sailor. Will promised to come back for him, but Jamie had long since given up hope – until one night he hears a noise in the stableyard….

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Genre: Historical—European, Fantasy/Paranormal, Bittersweet Dreams
Length: Short story