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  The Magician's Wife - A Novel

  Brian Moore

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  The restless wife of an illusionist becomes embroiled in a North African holy war in this “tour de force” of historical fiction (The New York Times).   Early in her marriage to renowned prestidigitator Henri Lambert, Emmeline had exulted in his fame, the foreign tours, and the command performances of his “Magical Evenings.” Now, Henri’s given it all up to pursue a quiet life in their remote country manor, but restless, devoted Emmeline longs to see her husband return to his former glory.   It all changes again when, in service to their country, Henri and Emmeline are invited to spend seven days at Compiègne as guests of Napoléon III. The emperor wants Henri to work his magic on a charismatic Algerian marabout who’s influencing his followers to overthrow the French in a holy war. For Henri, convincing a man of where his allegiance should lie will be the performance of a lifetime. But for Emmeline, ushered from the lavish royal courts to the barren Sahara, it will prove to be an illuminating journey that will challenge her views on God and faith, open her eyes to her husband’s weaknesses, and expose the treachery of her own country.   “Flashing his own sleight of hand, [Moore] transforms a historical fact into a story both true to its time and relevant to the present day.” —The New York Times  

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  Affections - A Novel

  Rodrigo Hasbun

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  Inspired by real events, Affections is the story of the eccentric, fascinating Ertl clan, headed by the egocentric and extraordinary Hans, once the cameraman for the Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl. Shortly after the end of World War II, Hans and his family flee to Bolivia to start over. There, the ever-restless Hans decides to embark on an expedition in search of the fabled lost Inca city of Paitití, enlisting two of his daughters to join him on his outlandish quest into the depths of the Amazon, with disastrous consequences.Set against the backdrop of the both optimistic and violent 1950s and 1960s, Affections traces the Ertls's slow and inevitable breakdown through the various erratic trajectories of each family member: Hans's undertakings of colossal, foolhardy projects and his subsequent spectacular failures; his daughter Monika, heir to his adventurous spirit, who joins the Bolivian Marxist guerrillas and becomes known as "Che Guevara’s avenger"; and his wife and two younger sisters left to pick up the pieces in their wake. In this short but powerful work, Hasbún weaves a masterfully layered tale of how a family's voyage of discovery ends up eroding the affections that once held it together.

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  A Perfect Scoundrel

  Heather Cullman

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  In the follow-up to For All Eternity, a perfect scoundrel finds perfect love Lord Quentin Somerville is smitten with society’s most sought-after beauty. But as a debt-ridden second son, he knows his only chance of winning such a prize is to resort to trickery, and he concocts a plan to trap her into marrying him. But his plan to seduce Clarissa Edwardes at a masked ball backfires when he discovers that the woman in his arms isn’t the one he desires.   When Clarissa falls ill on the day of the ball, and the costume of her spinster stepsister, Jane Wentworth, meets with disaster, Clarissa hatches a plan of her own: Jane must go to the masquerade disguised as Clarissa. As planned, Jane is mistaken for Clarissa by everyone, including Quentin. Jane, who is secretly in love with Quentin, is thrilled by his notice. When her daring charade leads to a stolen kiss, she isn’t prepared for his passionate response—or for the ensuing scandal. With Jane’s honor compromised, Quentin proposes under the threat of being cut off by his father. Furious at being deceived, the young noble vows to continue his dissolute life in London and banishes Jane to his dreary estate in Worcestershire. But he underestimates the charms—and determination—of his wife, who has plans of her own.  

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  If Wishes Were Horses

  Sally Joan Cook

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  This story tells of a powerful older woman who has maintained her life through the war years and beyond via her love of reading and poetry. But 88 year old Harriet is something of an enigma even to her daughters and granddaughter. Unusual events happen during this tale of love and loss  even beyond Harriet's eventual death.

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  Manifest Destiny

  Brian Garfield

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  A rollicking adventure starring a young Theodore RooseveltIn 1884, Teddy Roosevelt’s political career is dead in the water. A New York state assemblyman with eyes on national office, he finds his ambitions thwarted just months after his wife and infant daughter pass away. Frustrated by politics, he retires to the American West to ride, ranch, and hunt buffalo in the Dakota Badlands. Nobody tells him that the buffalo are gone. He arrives in Dakota a greenhorn, awkward in the saddle and unused to Western clothes. But his aristocratic charm, natural intelligence, and love of nature impress the hardened frontiersmen, forming a bond that lasts the rest of their lives. When a wealthy French marquis threatens the pristine country he has fallen in love with, Roosevelt joins with the Dakotans to defend it. Before the presidency, before San Juan Hill, it was in Dakota that Theodore Roosevelt became a man.

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  The Earl of Arundel

  Angela Johnson

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  Arranged Marriage with a mystery 
  Phillip Watson, Earl of Arundel is a lover of literature and music. Anyone viewing his family from the outside would think he lived a privileged life. But privilege comes with expectations, and Phillip finds himself engaged to a woman he never considered a match. Accepting his duty, Phillip agrees to the engagement until he nearly dies in an ill-fated accident and is left with amnesia. 
  Finding himself in an unfamiliar place, without knowledge of his duty or inheritance, Phillip falls for the lovely Miss Emma Parker. Her knowledge of Shakespeare and love of reading make her a perfect match. But when Phillip discovers he is engaged to marry another, and this engagement hinges on an ill-advised bet, he finds the consequences of ending the engagement to be harsher than a ruined reputation. 
  As Phillip's memories return, he knows it would be akin to death to marry where there is no love. Can he find a way to break the engagement without losing the bet for his father? Or will he adhere to the expectations of his station and marry out of duty?

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