Other books that might interest you

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  The Unravelling of Mary Reddish...

  David Whitfield

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  'A fascinating and eye-opening work – intelligently written, vividly imagined, a compulsive read' Alison Moore'An impeccably researched and page-turning historical novel... A powerful debut' Jane Harris'A brilliant read... unputdownable!' G.J. Williams 
  Nottingham, 1827. Mary Reddish, a young housemaid unjustly committed after defying her employer’s advances, must navigate the brutal treatments of the county asylum while trying to prove her sanity. Meanwhile, Ann and Thomas Morris, the asylum’s matron and director, struggle to uphold humane practices against outdated medical methods that haunt the institution. 
  As Mary forms an unlikely alliance with a fellow patient, she finds herself at the centre of a battle between compassion and cruelty that will determine the course of her life – and the future of the asylum itself. 
  Inspired by real events that took place at England’s first publicly funded asylum in Nottingham, The Unravelling of Mary Reddish shines a light on the brutal reality of mental health care in Georgian Britain. 
  'A beautifully written, extensively researched novel based on true facts... a brilliant debut novel' Anne Cater, Random Things Through My Letterbox'It will appeal to anyone interested in the social history of the period or the treatment of mental health' Historical Novel Society

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  The Kudzu Queen

  Mimi Herman

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  Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize 
   
   
   
  Fifteen-year-old Mattie Lee Watson dreams of men, not boys. So when James T. Cullowee, the Kudzu King, arrives in Cooper County, North Carolina, in 1941 to spread the gospel of kudzu—claiming that it will improve the soil, feed cattle at almost no cost, even cure headaches—Mattie is ready. Mr. Cullowee is determined to sell the entire county on the future of kudzu, and organizes a kudzu festival, complete with a beauty pageant. Mattie is determined to be crowned Kudzu Queen and capture the attentions of the Kudzu King. As she learns more about Cullowee, however, she discovers that he, like the kudzu he promotes, has a dark and predatory side. When she finds she is not the only one threatened, she devises a plan to bring him down. Based on historical facts, The Kudzu Queen unravels a tangle of sexuality, power, race, and kudzu through the voice of an irresistibly delightful (and mostly honest) narrator.

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  Circus Maximus - Final Justice -...

  Christopher Allen

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  Circus Maximus, Final Justice is a historical fiction epic set in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius (42 CE). The story reimagines the classic Ben-Hur narrative with an Egyptian female protagonist facing the son of the infamous Emperor Caligula in a climactic chariot race that becomes a symbol of justice versus oppression. 
  Main Characters 
  Khaemwaset is an 18-year-old Egyptian woman from Alexandria, daughter of master charioteer Amenhotep and priestess Nefertiti. Raised in a family renowned for their horse-training expertise, she possesses an almost mystical connection with horses and exceptional racing skills. Her life is shattered when Roman forces raid her family's compound under false pretenses of sedition, killing her parents and enslaving her. 
  Marcus Caligula Germanicus, the fictional 25-year-old son of Emperor Caligula, embodies Roman arrogance and entitlement. Cruel, intelligent, and obsessed with proving his imperial worthiness, he views Khaemwaset's skills as a threat to Roman superiority and challenges her to a race to demonstrate the natural dominance of Roman blood over conquered peoples. 
  Plot Summary 
  The story begins in Alexandria, where Khaemwaset learns chariot racing from her father while her mother serves as a priestess of Isis. Their peaceful life ends when Roman forces, acting on Caligula's orders, seize their property and horses under fabricated treason charges. The raid is actually part of a systematic campaign to eliminate competition in chariot racing and secure the finest horses for Roman teams. 
  Sold into slavery, Khaemwaset is transported to Rome's imperial stables, where her extraordinary abilities with horses quickly become apparent. Marcus discovers her background and, recognizing both her talent and her symbolic threat to Roman supremacy, forces her into a public race in the Circus Maximus. He frames the contest as a demonstration of Roman superiority over conquered peoples.

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  The Silkworm Keeper - A...

  Deborah Swift

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  Rome 1638 
  Old sins have long shadows ~ Italian Proverb 
  Giulia Tofana never wanted to be a nun, but she is determined to atone for her past misdeeds by making her new monastery a success. 
  When an unexpected disaster closes the convent, Giulia is forced to turn to her old friend Fabio Pasello for help. Giulia still has intense feelings for Fabio and Fabio’s passion for her has never diminished. 
  But they are not the same people they were before. Giulia has taken her vows, and Fabio is apprenticed to Gianlorenzo Bernini the famous sculptor, and has become one of Bernini’s rakish libertines. They could not be further apart. 
  To add to their problems, Giulia cannot escape her reputation as a poisoner, and is soon embroiled in a plot against Fabio’s patron, Pope Urban VIII. Faced with the idea of murder, will Giulia renounce her vows or embrace them? 
  Inspired by true stories, this is a novel of nuns and courtesans, artists and priests, in the shadow and splendour of the Eternal City. 
  'Swift is a consummate historical novelist, basing her books on immaculate research and then filling the gaps between real events and real people with eloquent storytelling, atmospheric scene setting and imaginative plot lines.' - The Visitor

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  A Perfect Engagement

  Karla Kratovil

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  When Charlotte Grisham is saved from an out-of-control carriage by a handsome gentleman, she knows fate has sent her the perfect man. The Marquis of Hawksridge is titled, handsome, and heroic—precisely the kind of gentleman her parents want for her husband. Before Charlotte knows it, she is engaged to be married. 
   
   
   
  Daniel Weston can't believe his identical twin brother is marrying a lady he barely knows. Moreover, he's begging off his own engagement party. Daniel allows his twin to talk him into going to the week-long house party in his stead . . . just for a few days. They used to pretend to be each other all the time in their youth. What could possibly go wrong? 
   
   
   
  Charlotte immediately realizes her fiancé has sent in a doppelgänger, but continues the ruse so no one will realize her fiancé has all but abandoned her. Everyone sees her as perfectly behaved. But perfect girls do not share searing kisses with men who are not their betrothed. Charlotte knows her duty, but what about her heart? 
   
   
   
  Contains mature themes.

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  Stella Benson - A Short Story...

  Stella Benson

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  Stella Benson was born on the 6th January 1892 in Easthope, Shropshire to parents who were landed gentry. 
   
  Her early years involved frequent household moves which was difficult for the child as she suffered from ill-health.  Some of her early education was spent at schools in Germany and Switzerland and by 10 she had developed a lifelong habit of keeping a diary. 
   
  In the following years her parents separated, and she rarely saw her father. When she did, he encouraged to pause her writing until she had further experience and could better make sense of the world.  When he died, she learned he had been an alcoholic. 
   
  A winter spent in the West Indies provided material for her first novel ‘I Pose’ published the following year in 1915. 
   
  During the War years she became involved in the women's suffrage movement and dedicated time outside of writing to support the troops and help the poor. 
   
  In 1918 she decided to travel spending much time in California, where she also tutored at the University of California, and continued to write.  In China she met her future husband and after marrying in London, journeyed with him to his various Custom postings through Nanning, Beihai, and Hong Kong and the Far East. 
   
  The works continued to flow novels, short stories, travel essays all helped to build a deserved and burgeoning reputation. 
   
  Although her works are now in the forgotten and neglected department her writing style, characters, and narratives more than capably demonstrate her obvious talents.   
   
  Stella Benson died of pneumonia on the 7th December 1933, at Hạ Long in the Vietnamese province of Tonkin.  She was 40.

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