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Treachery at Bosworth Field 1485
Richard III by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland.England has gone through years of civil wars, strife and unrest during the period of the so-called 'Wars of the Roses'. House against house, family against family, cousin against cousin. The wheel of fortune turning this way and that.On the death of Richard's dear brother Edward IV, Richard becomes Lord Protector of England as Duke of Gloucester, but events overtake him. On finding that both Edward V and Richard of York are declared illegitimate, he has no option but to take the throne of England.Richard III proves to be a good and fair king and is much loved by any that come into contact with him. However, old wounds run deep and very soon, stories are put about attempting to discredit him. Rebellions happen and all the treachery takes place once more, culminating in the invasion of Henry Tudor and the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.Treachery at Bosworth Field 1485 belies a wealth of historical knowledge and enthusiasm for this turbulent period and frequently misunderstood king.
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Trains in the Sky
Ivan Hawthorn's Trains in the Sky is a fascinating account of childhood as a young boy in the great drought and depression of 1930s outback Australia. Growing up in an all-male household, Ivan Hawthorn documents his boyhood years with his brothers, a wonderful insight into the deprivations and the challenges and the amazing resolve of the outback families during these difficult times. Not just a book for blokes, this is an intricate social history in which the role of women is set into sharp relief and there is more than a little love interest as Ivan grows up and pursues a career in the RAAF set against the backdrop of post war Australia. A blend of fascinating social insight, more than a passing commentary about early twentieth century farming, indigenous wildlife and the social positioning of men and women, Trains in the Sky will have you reaching for the sequel.
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Through the Wall
The Berlin Wall. You may know of it. You may remember it; perhaps as a witness, an observer, a student of history, or a member of the armed forces. Whether it was local or in another country, its impact touched everyone, some in variable ways. In Hugh Allen's Through the Wall, we are shown two vastly different, but equally intriguing and moving personal histories of the barrier in Germany after World War II. In the West, we meet a young English boy, Hugh, with a fondness for adventure. In the East, we follow Hans Bernauer, from a tragic childhood to his early adulthood. These two individuals recount their experiences around the erection of the wall, with a common factor that ties them together, a model of a Sopwith Camel biplane.From the terrible loss of his Jewish parents, Hans is raised in fear and poverty, and with hopes for a better life. Later, as a member of the People's Police, the Vopos, he struggles with the ethics and morals of his position, and the situation his family and people are trapped in. On the other side, as a son of a British government employee, Hugh battles boredom and peer pressure, both forces which bring him to find a hidden treasure in a ruined house, and accidentally to cross the wall to the East. With touching and moving sentiment, we can experience Hans's pain and hunger, Hugh's worry and excitement. With direct and pointed description, we can see the ruin, filth, and destruction after the war, and we can hear the grumblings, and praise of Berliners after Hitler was killed. Through the Wall is an intriguing tale with an end that will capture the curiosity of every reader.
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The Wanton Angel
Drama and tragedy are abundant for the Brown family at Top Farm of Sugar Loaf Mountain. In this second tale of woes and triumphs, the adventures of the Brown, Vaughan, and Tamplin families continue. While the matriarchs Annie, Beth, and Ivy pass away, new births counter those losses. As Isobel, her sister Maggie, and her friend Violet give rise to the next generation, two daughters specifically invite a mixture of happiness, shame, and betrayal. Set in the 1940s, Isobel and Owain Brown are blessed after many years to have a lovely daughter, Angela. Dubbed her father's little angel, and given everything she could ever want, spoiled Angela grows up to despise her lonely, isolated farm home, and makes quick work of shaming her family. After a lapse of Angela's judgement, the aging Owain spouses find themselves rearing another child, their granddaughter Aurora. In The Wanton Angel, relationships are challenged between land and family, between cousins and siblings, and between husband and wife.
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The Sword of Calais
1536. Henry VIII schemes to be rid of his wife to marry another. Anne Boleyn is found guilty of her sins and the king sends to Calais for Europe’s best sword executioner.Jean Rombaud will be paid 100 crowns, a huge sum which will help him establish the fencing school he has always desired. With Raoul, his nephew, they are also requested to escort a noble’s daughter, Roselyn back to London from Calais. A bond develops between Raoul and Roselyn on the journey but arriving home she is shocked to discover her marriage has been arranged to Nigel, who she hates.After Anne’s execution, there are celebrations for Henry’s betrothal. Roselyn persuades Raoul to join with her in merry-making. She drinks too much, Raoul takes her home but is accused of kidnapping her by Nigel, they fight and Nigel is badly wounded.Raoul is sentenced to death. Nigel’s father is an old foe of Jean. They once fought a duel over Nigel’s mother, now old wounds are opened and they challenge each other once more.Jean is given an ultimatum by Thomas Cromwell. If he wins the duel, he must become the executioner of his nephew.
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The Spanish Armada
History records that in 1588, the vast Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy. The English set many of their own ships on fire, then sent the ships at the enemy, scattering them. The Spanish fleet were forced to attempt the dangerous return to Spain via the north of Scotland. Battered by violent winds, even further losses were visited upon the already badly beaten fleet, smashed by the waves and run aground on the shore.But what if the Spanish had succeeded in their invasion plan? What if the had defeated the English navy, and successfully conquered England? In this extraordinary work of alternative-history, follow the many surprising and larger-than-life characters as they navigate a world upended by this momentous historical moment, and discover the far-reaching implications of the Spanish Armada's victory in this gripping new novel, Spanish Armada.
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The Reluctant Hero
Chris just wanted to be an aeronautical engineer, but events and WWll changed it all.Christopher Darby's father wants him to follow a medical career and become a doctor like himself. But Chris knows his real love is engineering, especially aeroplanes, and he wants it to be his career. A chance encounter, the summer after leaving school in 1935, lands him a job working with planes. Chris is given the opportunity to learn to fly a plane and a long, exciting aeronautical career is sparked. Although Chris initially begins work in the Rolls Royce car factory upon completing his engineering studies, the outbreak of war changes everything. Drawn to do his bit for the country, Chris joins the Royal Air Force and is back working with planes once again. What follows is an exciting, varied and dangerous career serving his country. Never far from action and danger, Chris must rely on his expert knowledge and the trusted colleagues he meets along the way to survive.
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The Poet's Trap
Esme lives a contented life in the countryside of Victorian England at Falford Hall. She is becoming a young woman, beautiful and witty with a passion for riding horses with the hall's stable hand, Tom. However, when rumours start to fly about nature of Esme and Tom's relationship, hidden feelings begin to come to light and Esme's loving father decides the best course of action is to separate the two to avoid vicious gossip. Tom is sent to South America to conduct business and make a man of himself and a devastated Esme must abandon her tomboyish nature to come out as a woman in the city of Brighton. With Tom's return scheduled in 18 long months, the star-crossed pair take the test of time, and must battle Esme's snobbish uncle and strict Victorian tradition. How can a stable hand ever win the hand of a Lady without creating a scandal?
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The Past and the Present
1914 - A young Georgina Lawrence has been promised to Lord Bedford, a man she doesn't want to marry. To give her a chance of changing the decision, her parents make her go to an Isle of Wight hotel to consider her future. Here she meets a man unlike any other she's ever known, who changes her life forever.1992 - Helena is struggling to come up with a new idea for her new novel. A trip to the Isle of Wight to refresh her literary skills seems the answer. The hotel in Bembridge is being renovated and Helena explores the grounds. Both women are inexplicably connected with the building, to two men they meet there but what other secrets does the building hold and what impact does it have on their lives?
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The Opportunist
World War I left its impression on many people and many nations. Lives were lost, economies were altered and women's roles were changed as workforces had to adapt. The consequences of international fighting were monumental, but as much as the War set forth great change, it also served as an opening for innovations and new trends. John Carter, unable to physically serve in the war, remains at home in the UK as a temporary head of an industrial company and as the owner of a timber supply business. With men needed at the front, John experiences troubles of a different kind: employing women, searching for qualified help and expanding and converting the industry to suit the demands of war materials. Hunger, illness and heartache strike time and again, but instead of only loss and utmost destruction, The Opportunist shows the tale of one man's success at home in the darkest of times.
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The Magpie
It is December 1913 and Detective Constable Frank Bolam has a murder to solve. The victim is found drowned in the River Wear with a vicious knife wound to his lower back. There are no witnesses and no clues.A few months later another body is found with the same vicious knife wound, followed closely by a further two murders with the victims stabbed in a similar manner. This is a clever killer. No clues are found and Bolam cannot find a way to break the deadlock in his most perplexing case.Having risen from a lowly mining family, Bolam has strong moral values and becomes totally obsessed with the killer and the devastating sadness brought to the victims’ relatives. He vows to bring the murderer to justice, whatever the cost.These are turbulent times, with the country in the middle of an attritional war. In his quest to find the murderer, Bolam follows his hunch and enlists in the army, heading for the trenches to track down a cold-blooded killer in the middle of the most mechanised slaughter the world has known.
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The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci, Milan's Renaissance ideal, is tasked with painting The Last Supper but struggles to find the perfect person to model as Christ. Vittorio Dessa, a young farmer, is eventually spotted, plucked from farm life and placed at the heart of an alien world of art and science, aristocracy, politics and intrigue.Initially shocked, Vittorio gradually adjusts to the artist's exuberant manner and ambitious ideas, and after some hesitation, resolves to pursue his own ambitions and venture beyond the safety of the city walls.Thus encouraged, Vittorio's fortunes boom, but ill-equipped to deal with the transformation, his life slowly lapses into one of paranoia, jealousy and eventually murder. The strands of the story climax at Leonardo's very public reveal of The Last Supper painting.
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