Showing results by author "Irina Shapiro" in All Categories

A secret sealed with a kiss…The Lake District, 1923. Douglas Bellamy is dying, and a cruel entailment will leave his daughters destitute. Their only hope is a distant American cousin arriving for Christmas, whom the eldest daughter, Geneva, must charm into marriage. But she is already...

London, 1664. Seventeen-year-old Elise de Lesseps wakes on the morning of her wedding, knowing her life is over. Sold into marriage to settle her father’s gaming debts, she’s bound to Lord Edward Asher—a man old enough to be her father and who harbors a twisted secret that will shatter her innocence forever. But when Elise meets James, Edward’s illegitimate son, her life is transformed by something neither of them expected: a love so powerful, it will cost them everything…

Still grieving the death of her husband, Lauren leaves the hubbub of Boston for the peaceful shores of Cape Cod, where she hopes to come to terms with her loss and devote herself to her writing. Historic Holland House, isolated on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, seems like the perfect refuge, until Lauren discovers that she’s not alone, and her ghostly roommate might be none other than Sophie Holland, the mysterious first mistress of the house.

When American Lexi Maxwell buys a long-abandoned mansion in a quaint English village, she sees it as a chance to start fresh and bring her dream of running a manor-house hotel to life. But her idyllic plans are soon overshadowed by eerie occurrences—a heartbroken ghost appears each night, kneeling beside a centuries-old ruin, and villagers whisper about Lexi’s striking resemblance to a woman who died under mysterious circumstances more than two decades ago.

When Nicole Rayburn travels to Lockwood Hall and begins to research Alys’s story for a new book, she discovers startling irregularities in Alys’s case. Nicole’s suspicions mount as every answer leads to more questions. What really happened to Alys? And what became of her son, who disappeared the day she was hanged? Could it be that Alys’s death was the result of a well-planned conspiracy, or is there another, less obvious answer? And who is trying to sabotage Nicole's efforts by stealing her work?

Jamestown promises to be a history lover’s dream, a reality series featuring 15 contestants who will spend six months living in 17th century conditions, their ability to adapt and overcome daily hardship judged by millions of TV viewers. Supplies will be replenished, and a medical officer will be on hand to ensure everyone’s well-being. Lucrative cash prizes will be awarded at the end.

As the hurricane batters the house and the waters rise, Callum is found hanging from an ancient oak, murdered in the same way as the notorious villain in his most popular book. Cut off from the outside world, the guests soon realize that the murderer might strike again, and everyone at the plantation could either be the next victim or the killer.

When the skeletal remains of a young woman and her baby are discovered entombed behind the kitchen wall of a historic Tudor house, Cassandra is overcome with grief. She feels certain she knows who the woman was, yet she can’t explain how—or how the two came to be sealed away. Drawn irresistibly to the house and the mystery of the “Bones of Blackfriars,” Cassandra begins searching for answers.

When a young woman vanishes without a trace from a quaint fishing village on the coast of England, only one person knows the truth, but he remains silent allowing the authorities to search for her in vain. Meanwhile, Valerie Crane finds herself transported to the year 1605. Terrified and confused, she turns for help to the Whitfield brothers, who take her in and offer her a home. Both Alexander and Finlay Whitfield fall in love with the mysterious woman, who shows up on their doorstep, creating a love triangle that threatens to consume them all.

Three years ago, Lexie destroyed their friendship group with a single, unforgivable act. Now she’s bringing them all back together. And someone’s going to pay… On a cold October night, a group of old college friends arrive at a fog-shrouded lakehouse, summoned by a curious email that reads more like a threat than an invitation. From the woman no one has spoken to for three years. There’s the cynical best friend, the anguished fiancé, the careless player, the lost follower, the quiet survivor. Each with a secret they’d kill to protect.

In 1816, village healer and midwife Rosina de Winter is accused of witchcraft by the local vicar, Godfrey Winslow. Locked in the village blindhouse until she can be transported to the nearest town to stand trial, Rosina seems doomed —until she vanishes without a trace. That same night, Winslow is found hanging inside his own church, the doors locked from within, his death seemingly a suicide. But what happened to Rosina? And what could have driven a man of God to take his own life in a sacred place, risking not only scandal but the possibility of eternal damnation?

It’s 1624, and the Whitfields finally arrive in England. Eager to spend time with Louisa and Kit, their visit is not the happy reunion they’d hoped for. In the meantime, in 1777, Abbie and Finn go behind enemy lines to spy for the revolution, putting themselves in grave danger. The slightest mistake can mean the difference between life and death, tearing them apart forever. Unexpected revelations, long-buried secrets, and unforeseen reunions threaten to destroy everything the Whitfields and Sheridans hold dear, throwing their lives into turmoil once again.

Hours later, the man’s cold body lies in the city mortuary, alongside the woman he couldn’t save. And his sister, unconventional nurse Gemma Tate, tracks down troubled police inspector Sebastian Bell to unravel the truth. Sebastian has enough pressure to solve the murder of an aristocratic heiress without Gemma meddling in his case. But the cryptic sentences she brings him from her brother’s notebook could be a crucial lead. If only they knew what “milky way” meant.

Nurse Gemma Tate is heartbroken when she hears that one of her young charges at the Foundling Hospital has been killed. She knows that police inspector Sebastian Bell will work tirelessly to uncover the truth, but obstructed by the curt matron, he’ll need her help navigating the cloistered world of the orphanage.

When the body of a young man is found stuffed into the tomb of a medieval knight, Parish Constable Daniel Haze is tasked with investigating his first solo murder case. Suspicion instantly falls on the only stranger to arrive in the village of Birch Hill just before the crime took place, but the American captain proves to be an unexpected asset. A former soldier and a skilled surgeon, Jason Redmond is not only willing to assist Haze with the investigation but will risk his own safety to apprehend the killer.

Dunwich, 1346. Petra’s world shattered the day the Church took her beloved Avery, forcing him into holy orders and leaving her to face a brutal arranged marriage. Twelve years later, Petra is a widow struggling to care for her three children when Father Avery returns. But religious hysteria is sweeping through their crumbling port town, and when Petra’s son’s violent seizures mark him as cursed, can she turn to the only man she ever loved for help, or will a terrible secret she hid condemn them all?

For Inspector Sebastian Bell and nurse Gemma Tate, a night at the theater becomes a deadly spectacle when the two lead actors are found dead on the stage, murdered before a stunned audience. Drawn into a shadowy backstage world, they encounter a cast of suspects, each with desperate secrets to hide…Sebastian is determined to get justice, and to keep Gemma safe from the dangerous killer circling the cobbled streets of Covent Garden. But she is already too deeply involved, and, in a world where everyone wears a mask, could she have trusted the wrong person…?

A year has passed since the Sheridans fled the plague in England, but a new crisis tears Valerie and Louisa apart once again, with dire consequences. As the stranded Whitfields desperately try to return home to the 17th century, the Sheridans face a threat of a different nature. The past rarely stays in the past, and a shocking murder brings things to a head as Kit is accused of the crime, and shameful secrets are brought into the open.

When Nicole Rayburn adds a historic bookshop to her list of promotional venues, she meets the owner, Deborah Dolan, who’s desperate to discover what happened to her Victorian ancestor. A well-respected playwright, Edgar Hilliard seemingly had it all: professional success, a thriving business, and a loving family, but according to family lore, Edgar walked out one night, never to return, an unfinished manuscript his only legacy to future generations.

A few days before Daniel Haze is to be married, he and Jason Redmond are drawn into society’s sordid underbelly when the son of Essex’s most violent crime boss is found dead in an ancient wood. They must wade through a long list of suspects to determine who hunted down Tristan Carmichael and murdered him in a way that was surely a message to his powerful father. With members of the criminal organization infighting to gain control, Jason and Daniel must solve the case before there are more casualties—including Daniel’s wedding.