Ginton Abbey

Set on a Friday in May, 1903…

Lord Dickie has a rather odd way of dressing for his early morning strolls around the Ginton Estate. Her Ladyship has a few secrets, and a member of staff is plotting to blackmail her. The Head Butler is the epitome of what a true English butler should be, but his love for her Ladyship goes unnoticed. The buxom maid is a bit too free with her services, whether it’s with staff, trade or the postman… until she falls in love. The dog-ugly cook has unusual nighttime activities and her lumpy gravy is blinding, literally! Will the blackmailer be successful? Will her Ladyship requite the butler’s affections? Is anyone safe from the cook’s lumpy gravy?

Jackson Is Missing

A regency romance in three parts. Part One finds Ella, virtually penniless and homeless. A chance meeting with the postman sends her off in search of a family she did not know she had. She makes new friends and finds herself hiding an unknown gentleman who has two bullets lodged in him.

Part Two rekindles an old romance and tells of a mother’s cruelty to her son, which has disastrous consequences. Old gossip rears its ugly head.

Part Three brings the characters from Part One and Part Two together and Ella finally finds herself a husband.

Keeper of the Red Shawl

This romantic novel begins in the Victorian Era and is based on the eventful life of my grandmother, Frances. It tells the tale of the four men who helped or hindered her path to freedom. Fate was unkind to Frances, but throughout her life, she battled forward fighting convention and the class system.

The story starts when her well-to-do, but aged, parents marry her off at the age of 17 to Jack, a cold-hearted widower with a young son.

Respectfully she did as she was told but this was her first mistake. She became the brunt of his sarcasm and abuse in the bedroom.

Fortunately, Jack soon met with a suspicious end!

Then, along came a dashingly handsome James…

But wait, there’s someone else watching this particular saga unfold, patiently biding his time!

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?

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.

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.

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.

Velvet

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.

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.

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.

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.