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  Crane Pond - A Novel of Salem

  Richard Francis

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  This novel of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of a judge is “leavened with wit [and] finely crafted” (Kirkus Reviews).   In a colony struggling for survival, in a mysterious new world where infant mortality is high and sin is to blame, Samuel Sewall is committed to being a loving family man, a good citizen, and a fair-minded judge. Like any believing Puritan, he agonizes over what others think of him, while striving to act morally correct, keep the peace, and, when possible, enjoy a hefty slice of pie. His one regret is that months earlier, he didn’t sentence a group of pirates to death.   What begins as a touching story of a bumbling man tasked with making judgments in a society where reason is often ephemeral quickly becomes the chilling narrative we know too well. And when public opinion wavers, Sewall learns that what has been done cannot be undone.  Crane Pond explores the inner life of a well-meaning man who compromised with evil and went on to regret it. At once a searing view of the Trials, an empathetic portrait of one of the period’s most tragic figures, and an indictment of the malevolent power of idealism, it is a thrilling new telling of one of America’s founding stories.   “[Crane Pond] goes straight on to my (small) list of historical novels that draw out the capacities of the form and allow readers to brush against the pleasures and terrors of the past.” —Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall   “Deftly crafted . . . perfectly balances issues of religion, faith, and law.” —Library Journal

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  St George and St Michael Volume 1

  George MacDonald

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  ’St. George and St. Michael’ is a little-known historical romance telling the story of a young couple who find themselves on opposing sides during the tumultuous years of the English Civil Wars. 
   
  Tensions are rising between king and parliament, the Church of England and the numerous independent puritans, and rumours abound that Charles I will soon declare open war on the dissident elements within his realm. Seventeen-year-old Dorothy Vaughan knows little of the brewing conflict, yet is sure that her loyalty must be with her king and her nation. When she challenges her childhood friend, Richard Heywood, to prove himself a man and so worthy of winning her hand in marriage by becoming involved in the larger events that surround them, he finds that his convictions – both political and spiritual – lie with his father’s and the puritans. Determined to do what he believes is right, Richard finds that he cannot shake his immovable conscience, even for the woman he loves. 
   
  Though it is, for the most part, a realistic novel, ‘St. George and St. Michael’ is not without either the otherwordly atmosphere of the fantastic or the rich spiritual depth that characterises so much of MacDonald’s writing. (Summary by Jordan)

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  Eynhallow

  Tim McGregor

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  ORKNEY ISLANDS, 1797 – Agnes Tulloch feels a little cheated. This windswept place is not the island paradise her husband promised it to be when they wed. Now with four young children, she struggles to provide for her family while her husband grows increasingly distant. 
  When a stranger comes ashore to rent an abandoned cottage, Agnes and the other islanders are abuzz with curiosity. Who is this wealthy foreigner and why on earth would he come to Eynhallow? Her curiosity is soon replaced with vexation when her husband hires her out as cook and washerwoman, leaving Agnes with no say in the matter. Agnes begrudgingly befriends this aristocrat-in-exile; a mercurial scientist who toils night and day on some secret pursuit. Despite herself, she’s drawn to his dark, brooding charm. And who is this Byronic stranger sweeping Agnes off her feet? His name is Frankenstein and he’s come to this remote isle to fulfill a monstrous obligation.

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  The Summer of Secrets - Escape...

  Patricia Wilson

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  In this emotional novel based on Greece's real history we follow three generations of one family, broken apart by secrets and war, as Olivia travels to the island of her mother's birth to piece together a century's worth of her family's past.On the Greek island of Castellorizo young Sofía must put her big dreams on hold to support her older sister Maria with her large family. But World War II is looming and while the idyllic island may seem far from harm at first, there are unspeakable dangers on the horizon - perils that will change the sisters' lives forever . . .Devastated by her divorce and the death of her dear mum, Olivia seeks solace on Castellorizo. Her Granny Sofía fled the beautiful Greek island during the war, but Olivia knows little else about her family's history. The only link to the Island she has left is her elderly great-uncle George. As his memory begins to fail, Olivia feels her one chance at uncovering the truth about her grandmother start to slip away.As a mother's sacrifice echoes throughout the generations, will Olivia discover some things are best left in the past?

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  The Boy Who Wanted Wings - Love...

  James Conroyd Martin

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  AN IPPI GOLD MEDAL WINNER 
  Expert archer Aleksy has his heart set on joining the elite hussars at the Battle of Vienna. 
  Countess Krystyna turns his heart in a different direction. 
  As an outsider, Aleksy knows that both dreams are forbidden. And yet, one day he finds that he must choose between the two. 
  -~Romeo and Juliet with a Twist 
  ~~"A pitch-perfect follow-up to his Poland Trilogy"~Historical Novels Review 
   It is September 11, 1683, and the Ottoman Turks stand at Vienna poised to bring down the weakening citadel and impose jihad. Their sights are set on all of Europe. 
  Aleksy, a Tatar raised by a Polish peasant family, holds in his heart the wish to become a Polish winged hussar, a Christian lancer who carries into battle a device attached to his back that holds dozens of eagle feathers. As a Tatar and as a peasant, this is an unlikely quest. When he meets Krystyna, the daughter of the noble who owns the land that his parents work, he falls hopelessly in love. But even though she returns his love, race and class differences make this quest as impossible as that of becoming a hussar. Under the most harrowing and unlikely circumstances, one day Aleksy must choose between his dreams.  
  An IPPY GOLD MEDAL 2017 winner from the Independent Publisher Book Awards 
   Historical Novels Review 
  "This classic different-worlds love affair provides the human grounding for a larger story replete with well-researched period details about the struggle of 17th-century Europe against the forces of Islam, and Martin is a skilled enough storyteller to keep the whole narrative moving forward briskly to a very satisfying conclusion. The author has written a pitch-perfect follow-up to his Poland Trilogy." 

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  Scalpdancers

  Kerry Newcomb

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  When two exiles find each other, the West will never be the sameThe first arrow should have killed the buffalo. But the massive bull keeps charging, and Lost Eyes watches, helpless, as the young warrior known as Waiting Horse is gored to death. As punishment for this tragic accident, Lost Eyes is exiled from his small Blackfoot tribe on the edge of the Elkhorn Creek—cursed to spend his days wandering the plains, forever remembering the hunt that changed his life.Halfway around the globe, merchant captain Morgan Penmerry watches in horror as his ship burns in Macao harbor. Ruined, he attempts a daring return to the Americas to build his fortune anew. There he crosses paths with Lost Eyes—a fellow wanderer who, like the captain, understands the pains of banishment. Together, these unlikely partners will find a place in the frontier and form a bond that no tragedy can tear asunder.

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