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The Norland Inheritance
The Norland Inheritance picks up five years after the conclusion of Sense and Sensibility, as Margaret, the youngest sister, reaches the age of eighteen. Following the tragic death of their only son in a riding accident, John and Fanny, Margaret’s half-brother and sister-in-law, invite her to stay with them in London. John hopes to fulfil his father’s neglected wishes by launching Margaret into society at his own expense. Fanny, however, secretly resents this invitation, particularly as her relationship with John has deteriorated since the loss of their son. Despite this, she chooses to bide her time and comply with his wishes for the moment.
With John’s passing, the heir to Norland is now Charles Dashwood, a cousin, and a doctor by profession. Shortly after Margaret’s arrival, Fanny discovers John’s secret desire for Charles to marry Margaret, thus redressing the imbalance of the entail and ensuring that Margaret will be the future mistress of Norland. Fanny’s jealousy-fuelled dislike of all of John’s sisters, especially Margaret, is so incensed by this potential match that she resolves to stop it by any means within her power. She schemes to marry Margaret off to the first suitor who shows any interest. To this end, she introduces Margaret to a fortune hunter, the dashing Captain Dunning, who pays court to Margaret after Fanny hints that she is to inherit Norland.
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Unlocking the Iron Gate
During the 1950s, the people of Czechoslovakia and other Soviet Bloc countries were locked away from the rest of the world and not allowed the freedoms and rights of Western society. However, chinks were made in that Iron Curtain by courageous people who refused to let go of their faith, values, and love until, finally, that oppressive system fell down.In a small village in Czechoslovakia, Zuzana Tesarova must survive under this communist system that wants to restrict her family's religious freedom and speech. Her husband, Jozef"”an outspoken peasant"”is imprisoned for a short period of time and loses his job. Their youngest son, Pavol, is born into these circumstances and grows up behind the Iron Curtain.Despite the fact that he must go along with Marxism and Leninism in academia, Pavol becomes a university professor as well as an active dissident in the underground church where he meets people like Jan Korec, a secret Jesuit bishop. Can Pavol maintain his professional life along with his faith?Then, a chance meeting with an American girl named Katie changes Pavol's life forever.
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The Essence of Grace
Bob Temple is unlucky in love. After his latest relationship fails he turns to his love of music to start a new career running dancing events with his dancer friends Becky, Keith, Matt and Ruby. Becky thinks Bob needs a new woman but he isn't so sure. The dance troupe travel around the country to hold their popular, vibrant evenings of dancing and music. One night, however, a gig in Bury St Edmunds turns very strange. Why are the policemen wearing such strange outfits? And why is everyone so suspicious of modern technology? The group come to realise something very unusual is going on. During this extraordinary evening Bob makes an instant but deep connection with one of the punters, the lovely Grace, but back in his normal life she becomes completely unreachable. Bob soon discovers the lengths he will need to go to to be reunited with Grace.
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Paris
Love chooses when it will bloom regardless of the time.Under the dark cloud of the Nazi occupation in France, John Reed and his Sophie find something more priceless than all the treasure in the world, each other.This Texan pilot and a French artist and member of the Résistance find love against all the odds in this inspiring novel from L.B. Ellis.
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Velvet
Peter Berger was born in Munich and raised with strong moral principles. However, he always considered himself different, and soon learned that he had to hide his predatory nature. But even living a double life, he was determined to acquire the status of which he always dreamed.
He graduated with distinction from the University of Munich in medicine, became a close friend of Chancellor Adolf Hitler, and built a successful career. In his personal life, he marries the woman he considers suitable, from a wealthy family, with whom he has three children.
During the war, he became known as Captain Velvet, due to his velvety, mesmerizing voice, which was an excellent tool in carrying out his work. Peter thought his life was perfect, until the moment when, as he was sorting out the Jews, as they got off the train at Auschwitz, his gaze was fixed on Kathryn and her whole world suddenly seemed to make no sense.
Peter fell in love for the first time and with a Jewish woman. He knew they had no future and that if the SS found out he was holding her prisoner in his house, forcing her to have a relationship with him, he would be considered a traitor and there was only one price to pay for such a betrayal: death.
But the end of the war is imminent, and Peter has to put an end to his relationship with Kay and he only knows one way to do it…
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Under the Carob Tree
Step into the captivating world of Cyprus, a tranquil island during the serene mid-1930s, where the lives of two extraordinary sisters and a talented young man unfold against a backdrop of freedom, love, and ambition.
In this quietly passionate love story, the sisters embark on their personal battles for freedom and love, defying societal expectations and ancient traditions. Their journey intertwines with that of a young man from the remote mountains of Marathasa, who yearns for recognition and happiness in a world that often overlooks him.
As the story unfolds, a family steeped in self-importance and propriety grapples with the upheaval caused by their daughter’s rebellion against age-old customs. Amidst the complexities of human relationships, the island itself reveals its captivating beauty – its land, sea, mountains, and its people, forgotten by the outside world.
But this idyllic slumber is about to be shattered as Cyprus awakens to the turbulent waters of violent protest and international politics. As the island finds itself at the crossroads of historical events, the characters are swept up in a wave of change, testing their resilience and challenging their deepest desires.
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The Secret of Glaslough
The Secret of Glaslough highlights the story of how one young woman discovers the tragedy that was her mother’s life. It tells of the lengths her family were prepared to go to in order to prevent any prospects of a loving marriage or a happy future.
This novel is based on a heartbreaking true story of a daughter’s search for her natural mother, after she learns she has been adopted. Deborah’s quest lengthens over time and although she faces setbacks and tragedies in her own life, her desire to find her mother remains constant.
As her search continues and the truth about her mother begins to unravel, Deborah learns the reality of being part of a forbidden love in Ireland in the 1930s.
As the story unfolds, it tells of the appalling bias and prejudice which existed during those years. It illustrates graphically and sadly how intense passionate love between two young people should be so unacceptable within the society which existed then – a love which must be stamped out at all costs. And for those who were caught up in all the deceit, they found themselves in the middle of the most horrific of nightmares.
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The Price of Love
The Price of Love unfolds across a century, tracing the enduring bonds of love and friendship amid the changing tides of time. Rooted in a quaint Kent village, the narrative unfurls around Dolly and Polly, two inseparable souls nurtured amidst rustic simplicity. Their youthful days transition into service at the local Manor House, under the genteel watch of Sir Charles, Lady Frances, and the stern yet nurturing Housekeeper, Jenny Armstrong. Yet, as the winds of the Great War sweep across their lives, an era of innocence ends, replaced by an epoch of growth amid trials.
As the war’s tempest recedes, life’s inexorable stream carries them through a kaleidoscope of emotions, intertwining joy, and sorrow in a delicate dance. Through every hardship, the steadfast friendship of Dolly and Polly remains their beacon, each a pillar of strength for the other. Polly becomes a cornerstone of support for her daughter Elizabeth, helping her navigate the turbulent waters of a troubled marriage to Robert. Simultaneously, Dolly navigates through profound loss, her resilience leading her towards rebirth and healing.
The Price of Love is a tender homage to the unwavering spirit of friendship and the remarkable resilience of love amid life’s inexorable ebbs and flows. Through Dolly and Polly’s journey, readers will find a poignant exploration of love’s enduring power to heal, to uplift, and to bind hearts together through a century of unyielding change.
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The Great History of the Manor Bouchove Part 3: La Licorne and the Labyrinth
Having lived in a house the villagers of Bouchove sweetly call châtelet, I realised I have enjoyed a privileged life. This is also true for the place of my birth, Maastricht—the most beautiful town of the world, I shamelessly claim. I have grown up there in a good family with ten children. Eighteen years old, I started my study on Rural Development in Wageningen, which is the smallest university town of the Netherlands.
There, I had the luck to find my lifetime wife, who followed me to all the places in the world my ambitions reached for. She gave birth to our two daughters and a son—three children we raised together and who developed along different lines into worthy individuals.
Looking back on all this, I praise my luck and thank the Lord for it.
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Love in the Shadow of Mao
China, the epic Long March and Mao’s Revolution
A love story both historical and intimate peopled by fascinating characters
Julia Harrison, rich, beautiful and privileged, wife of a U.S. Congressman. What is she doing in Maoist China? Is she to be rescued or investigated?
Jen Chi-man, was born in the wilderness, orphaned by war, reared in the Red Army and sent to America to become a scientist.
He returns to a world he no longer knows.
Catherine Lee, a Chinese-American doctor from Brooklyn, imbued with a romantic love of the motherland she has never seen, longing to “serve the people”.
In their stories, we get glimpses of Mao, his power-hungry wife, foreign-educated Zhou Enlai and Madame Sun, revered widow of the founder of modern China, a committed Communist who lives in a mansion.
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Love and Outrage
This is a story of a love that fights to survive during dangerous times and in violent places. Having fled Latvia to escape religious persecution, Libby Gardstein lives with her criminal brother in the East End of Edwardian London. She struggles to break free from her brother’s dominance to become a teacher of immigrant children.
Strong but quiet undercover police officer, Eddie Nething, works tirelessly to make London a safer place, driven forward by the cruel murder of his best friend and colleague. Eddie is assigned to infiltrate the gang of anarchists run by Libby’s brother.
Against all the odds, Libby and Eddie meet and fall in love. Eddie is torn between his duty as a policeman and his unexpected love for Libby. Libby is split between this new found love for Eddie and her instinctive concerns for her wayward brother. The stakes are high. They could both be killed if discovered by the antagonists around them. For both Edward and Libby, it is a fight between love and duty.
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Louisa
Louisa is 15 and living a contented, happy life in London. The Second World War is threatening their peace of mind. Will they all have the strength to survive?
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