Showing results by publisher "Next Chapter Audio Ltd" in Historical Fiction

Kansas City, 1922: a hub of jazz music and the mob. While the Kansas side of the city had Carrie Nation and prohibition, on the Missouri side the Irish Pendergast brothers kept the liquor flowing.

English countryside, 1958. The idyllic village of Olney has stood in its peaceful location for over 900 years. Until one day, when two teenage boys are struck by a mysterious illness. The newly arrived Doctor Hilary Newton suspects a common flu to be the cause of their malady. Before long, the doctor and residents of Olney are plunged into a nightmare, as the disease ravages the local population. Despite the doctors employing the latest medicine available, the death toll keeps rising.

After Helgha meets Erik in the woods surrounding her home near Jorvik—modern-day York—she learns that he is lost, and helps him by taking him into her home for the night. In time, the two grow close, much to the anxiety of her parents as there is no message from his father suggesting a betrothal, but Erik behaves as though they are betrothed. Soon, they learn that there is another reason why Erik has not asked her to marry him. With the honor of their family at stake, Helgha's father takes drastic measures to rectify the situation.

1916, Bois de Bolante, France. The battles in the trenches are raging fiercer than ever. In a deserted mineshaft, French sappeurs discover an unconscious man, and nickname him The Mole. Claiming he has lost his memory, The Mole is convinced that he's dead, and that an other has taken his place. The military brass considers him a deserter, but front physician and psychiatrist-in-training Michel Denis suspects that his patient's odd behavior is stemming from shellshock, and tries to save him from the firing squad.

Fighting for success in 17th century Amsterdam, a female artist must risk everything - and make enemies along the way. Defying convention, gifted artist Clara becomes a pupil to the renowned painter Osias Beerts. But when the highly prized patronage won from the powerful Burgomeister Fabritius turns to hostility, Clara has to make sacrifices and risk everything to pursue her craft. Together with her fellow pupil, Nico, she finds herself surrounded by dangerous secrets and powerful enemies. But in the face of so much past pain, can something as fragile as love survive?

Peytra Sike is a gifted, but frustrated, sculptor. After the masked duke, Jors Ameros, is taken with her and her artwork, he commissions Peytra to carve the mantels in his castle. There, Peytra discovers a world of artistry and friendship that cloaks the secrets of the Duke. Despite his unwillingness to be seen, their difference in status, and some castle meddling, their love for each other grows each passing day. But can their love overcome her dangerous curiosity?

In his darkest hour, hiding in the depths of the Somerset marshes in AD 878, King Alfred devises a scheme to save his kingdom from the Vikings threatening to overwhelm the country. His spectacular success, beginning with the triumphant battle of Ethandun, involves creating a sense of nation among his subjects.

It's the turn of the millennium, and China is evolving. At the center of the dynamic change is the vibrant hub of Shanghai, a melting pot of cultures and businesses; a place of luck, fortune, and chance. In awe of the homes in which these strange people live, the housekeeper Li Yang gets to know the families who she's working with. What the Westerners don't know is that in addition to her unusual working life, Li Yang has a turbulent home life, with her own son hiding things from her.

Captured by the enemy during World War Two, Percy Crow escapes in the bilges of a freighter from Soviet Russia to Hamburg. There, he sells his secrets to the head of British Intelligence. But when Lord Maudlin Paterson hears Percy’s account of the royal family's dark secrets, he sets out to find the truth, however repulsive it may be. Decades later, the daughter of Maudlin’s illegitimate Russian son suddenly blurts out Percy’s name while being interrogated by the CIA — and Harry Paterson, Maudlin’s legitimate great-grandson, is the only person she trusts.

Edinburgh, 1804. Dorothea Flockhart is hiding her past. A woman alone, she avoids men. Even the personable Captain Rogers fails to stir her heart despite all his efforts. While Napoleon's armies threaten invasion, Scotland's capital still hosts balls, although the atmosphere is hectic, and men don uniforms to meet the impending turmoil.

After the Second World War, young Ben uncovers a bizarre tale: In the 1941 Blitz, soldiers died right where his playground is now. As events of the past slowly unfold, Ben is entangled in a series of strange, inexplicable incidents, as old secrets and long-hidden truths surface. He is about to discover his family's dark secrets, and will have to help put to rest the horror of what happened in Darley Dene.

After a three-year absence mired in anxiety and trapped by her lack of speech, portrait miniaturist Susannah Gresham gathers her courage and returns to Whitehall Palace and her godfather, the king. Encountering Florentine jeweler Raphael Rossi, who appears to her just another court libertine, she is surprised when he finds his way unbidden into her thoughts. With help from the Duchess of Richmond, Raphael has set out to win her heart.

In seventh century England, tribes and so-called kings vie for power and blood flows throughout the land. Aethelred - ruler of Mercia - is being pressed from all sides, and his wife Osthryth dies under unknown circumstances. Osthryth’s ring falls into the hands of warrior noble Aethelbald, who is accused of her murder and forced to leave Mercia by his conniving cousin Coeolred, who has eyes on the throne. When Aethelred abdicates and the weakling Cenred assumes power, Coelred sees a path to become the king.

When Luca went to Sicily in search of his parents’ roots, he didn’t count on meeting Vito: a wizened old man who seemed to embody the history of the island in his bones. He also didn't count on Vito taking him back centuries – millennia – to the ancient times when Sicily was settled by seafaring people, and fought over by warring tribes and invaders.

Slashing through French soldiers at Waterloo was easy compared to engaging marriage-hungry debutantes. Finding the perfect bride-to-be isn’t Viscount Linscott’s intention; he only needs a match to satisfy the demands of the man holding his income hostage. Does he choose a wife from his friend’s list or get ensnared by the demure deb? Following the rules has never been more difficult, especially with an aunt determined to parade Annabelle Greene in front of every septuagenarian. She doubts her ability to attract a single suitor, but as the season progresses, she may have to turn away two.

After one too many drinks at Dionysus' bar, Jason and Hercules find themselves transported to the 21st century: a world where they've been practically forgotten. The gods of Olympus are gone, existing in a separate dimension, forced only to observe as the world relegates their history to children's stories and fantasy. But some of the Olympians still remember a time when people came to them in droves, worshipping and sacrificing in their name, and they miss the love which was bestowed upon them.

Mierce, the English Midlands, 8th Century A.D. Æthelbald, King of Mierce, is a man of ambition. Having created much-needed stability within his domain, he now aspires to take the surrounding kingdoms to expand and fortify his own. Stealthy and cunning, Æthelbald manipulates other men of power to achieve his goals. As Æthelbald’s reign grows and strengthens, so too does the authority of the church, whose leverage over monarchical matters becomes increasingly overbearing.

Justice rides the outlaw trail. Curly Barnes is enjoying a peaceful life as the sheriff of Silver Vein, the most peaceful town in West Texas. But when rustlers come to town and strike the T Bar and Box W ranches, Curly has no choice but to strap on his gun-belt, provision himself with plenty of beef jerky and bourbon, and, with the help of his two trusty deputies, Baxter and Merle, go after the rustlers. Curly knows where the rustlers are going. Rattlesnake Ridge.

It's the mid-11th century, and the Byzantine Empire dominates the world. Within the walls of its great capital, Constantinople, treachery, debauchery and power politics are part of the lives of the ruling elite. Thrust into this mix is the Viking adventurer, Harald Hardrada. In the court of the deranged emperor, Michael the Fifth, danger lurks at every turn, and Harald soon becomes a pawn in the various factions' thirst for power. Can he survive this dangerous place, and turn his mind towards regaining what is rightfully his?

Scotland, 1849. The O'Donnell girls are driven from their Wicklow home by starvation and an Anglo-Irish landlord. After losing their father, the three sail to Glasgow with thousands of others in search of a new start.