Kirjahaku

The award-winning first book in the GUARDIANS OF THE CROWN trilogy covering the turbulent years of the Interregnum... Three stories of men who would die for their King and honour, and the women who will do whatever it takes to protect those that they love.England 1650: In the aftermath of the execution of the King, England totters once more on the brink of civil war. The country will be divided and lives lost as Charles II makes a last bid to regain his throne.Kate Ashley finds her loyalty to the Parliamentary cause tested when she inherits responsibility for the estate of the Royalist Thornton family. To protect the people she cares about, she will need all her wits to restore its fortunes and fend off the ever-present threat of greedy neighbours.Jonathan Thornton, exiled and hunted for his loyalty to the King's cause, now returns to England to garner support for the young King. Haunted by the demons of his past, Jonathan risks death at every turn and brings danger to those who love him. Finding Kate in his family home, he sees in her the hope for his future, and a chance at a life he doesn't deserve. In the aftermath of the Battle of Worcester, as Kate struggles to protect her home and family, Jonathan must face his nemesis, and in turn learn a secret that will change his life forever. Kate and Jonathan's love is fragile, and their lives are manipulated by events out of their control. What hope can one ragged soldier and one woman hold in times like these?

Continuing the GUARDIANS OF THE CROWN series with a story of spies and traitors and a time when the price of betrayal is death...London 1654: As England languishes in the grip of the reign of Oliver Cromwell, there are those who plot to restore the King. Fleeing her old life, Thamsine Granville has nothing left to lose. Alone and friendless, the desperate act of throwing a brick at the coach of Oliver Cromwell could well mean her death. Only the act of a stranger saves her. Kit Lovell is one of the King's men, a disillusioned Royalist who passes his time cheating at cards, living off his wealthy and attractive mistress, and plotting the death of Oliver Cromwell.Far from the bored, benevolent rescuer that he seems, Kit plunges Thamsine into his world of espionage and betrayal - a world that has no room for falling in love.Torn between Thamsine and loyalty to his master and King, Kit's carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel and to save Thamsine he must make one last desperate gamble - the cost of which might be his life.

The breathtaking conclusion to the GUARDIANS OF THE CROWN series, introduces a heroine with nothing left to lose and a hero with everything to gain...England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell, a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England. One by one, those once loyal to the crown begin to return ...Agnes Fletcher's lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she finds herself alone and devastated by the loss. Unwilling to give up, Agnes desperately seeks anyone willing to accompany her on a perilous journey to save the children and return them to her care. After enduring imprisonment, exile and torture, the fugitive Daniel Lovell has returned to England, determined to find his brother and kill the man who murdered his father. But the King has one last mission for him and there is the small matter of a desperate woman who needs his help. Agnes finds her protector in Daniel Lovell and thrown together with separate quests - and competing obligations - Daniel and Agnes make their way from London to the English countryside, danger at every turn. When they are finally given the opportunity to seize everything they ever hoped for, will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be the final casualty of war?

Life on the Australian goldfields demands grit and determination-especially for a woman. Adelaide Greaves, widowed mother and postmistress in the isolated mining town of Maiden's Creek, hides a dark secret behind her respectable fa ade. When Caleb Hunt, a battle-scarred veteran of the American Civil War, saves her young son's life, an undeniable connection forms between these two wounded souls. But Caleb has come to Australia to escape his own dark memories. The mysterious widow and a town that needs him are the last things he is seeking. As their bond deepens, a figure from Adelaide's past emerges to further threaten her carefully constructed world. Adelaide and Caleb must face their worst fears in the race against time and nature to protect what matters most. Can they escape their pasts and find a life together? For readers who crave a meticulously researched and vibrant tale of loss, desire, and courage that is full of the terror and the beauty of the Australian bush.

'There are people in this town with the gleam of gold in their eyes and cold steel in their hearts.' Drawn by her brother's promise of a fresh start in Australia, Eliza Penrose journeys from England to the gold-mining town of Maiden's Creek, only to arrive in the shadow of tragedy. Finding herself alone and friendless in a town where answers about her brother's fate remain frustratingly elusive, Eliza seizes an unexpected chance to establish herself as the settlement's schoolteacher. Among the townspeople she encounters is Alec McLeod, the mine's engineer and her brother's friend, who still carries the memory and guilt of his wife's death. Though he's rebuffed the attention of every eligible woman in town, Alec finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Eliza-an attraction complicated by a promise he made to her brother. While Alec struggles between his growing feelings for Eliza and his obligations to the mine and its men, Eliza delves into the mystery surrounding her brother's death. As secrets, lies, and betrayals circle around them, both Alec and Eliza are drawn deeper into the town's web of secrets. When disaster strikes the mine, the truths begins to surface. The revelations come at a heavy price, and Eliza and Alec risk losing everything they have fought for, including their lives. With time running out and stakes rising, will their newfound bond be enough to overcome the forces threatening to tear them apart? "Meticulously researched, Alison imbues this tale with a sense of era and place. I was transported to late nineteenth century rural Victoria... Alison Stuart has struck gold with The Goldminer's Sister. History, mystery and romance. She really has hit her stride as a fabulous storyteller and historical novelist." (Better Reading)

England 1923 and the Great War still casts a dark shadow over the lives of ordinary people. Grieving widow, Helen Morrow, has come to England from Australia seeking answers to her questions about her husband's death at Passchendaele in 1917.The only person who can tell her what happened is Charlie's cousin, the reclusive Paul Morrow but, haunted by his own ghosts and badly wounded in the same action, he cannot recall the events the events of that fateful night.The discovery of a coded diary stirs desperate spirits in the house, forcing Helen and Paul on a quest to solve the mysterious disappearance of a young woman, two hundred years earlier.Thrown together in their search to resolve the mystery of Suzanna's disappearance, Paul's memory of that night in 1917 begins to return bringing with it all the horror of the trenches that he has tried to put behind him.In their search for answers and reconciliation, Paul and Helen come up against forces from the past and present determined to keep them apart.Will they find the strength to face their adversaries and find peace and happiness together? If you love haunting historical romances with a touch of mystery this is the book for you: -)

When Nathaniel Preston stumbles into Dr Jessica Shepherd's garden, she is reluctant to believe he has crossed more than three hundred years to seek her help. He must help her understand why he has travelled from the midst of civil war to the quiet English countryside of the twentieth century.But is falling in love with him destined to end in heartbreak? Jessica knows he must return to his own time and face certain death in battle.Why has Nathaniel been sent to find Jessica? Can their love survive a bloody battle...and overcome time?

England 1643: Deliverance Felton has been left to defend her home, Kinton Lacy Castle in a time of civil war. She can shoot and wield a sword as well as any man and anything she needs to know about siege warfare she has learned from a book...but no book can prepare her for what is to come.Everything Captain Luke Collyer knows about siege warfare - and women - he has learned from experience. When he is sent by Sir John Felton to defend Kinton Lacy Castle against the Royalists, he will be up against a formidable force.He had not reckoned on that force being Sir John's daughter, Deliverance.Deliverance will not give up her command lightly and Luke will have to face a challenge to his authority as fierce as the cavalier foe outside the walls.As betrayal surfaces, they must learn to trust each other and uncover the traitor within the castle walls before it is too late for the castle... or their hearts.

A family ripped apart in a country divided by war . . .England 1642: Hardened mercenary, Adam Coulter returns to England sickened by violence, seeking only peace, but he finds England on the brink of civil war. He has seen first-hand what that will mean for every man, woman and child and wants no part of it.King or Parliament? Neutrality is not an option and Adam can only be true to his conscience, not the dictates of his family.Having escaped a loveless marriage, Perdita Gray has found much needed sanctuary and the love of a good man, but her fragile world begins to crumble as Adam Coulter bursts into her life. This stranger brings not only the reality of war to her doorstep but reignites an old family feud, threatening everything and everyone she holds dear.As the war and family tensions collide around them, Adam and Perdita are torn between old loyalties and a growing attraction that must be resisted.