Kate and Albert have always lived on the secluded communal farm run by their father. But now, after twenty years, the community is disintegrating, taking their parents' marriage with it. To escape, Kate, at seventeen, flees to a suburbia she knows only through fiction; and Albert, at eleven, dives into preparations for the end of the world that he is sure is coming. Don- the father of the family, leader, and maker of elaborate speeches- is faced with the prospect of saving his community, his marriage, his son from apocalyptic visions, ad his daughter from impending men. He convinces himself that the only way to save his world is... to throw the biggest party of his life. But will anyone show up?
“A vivid and intoxicating account of these beautiful islands” – Victoria Hislop “A must-read for anyone who loves the Greek islands” – Richard Clark ‘There’s something about abandoned places which moves me and captures the imagination.’ So says seasoned travel writer Jennifer Barclay as she walks with her dog and her backpack through the deserted spaces of the Dodecanese, islands that were once bustling but are now half forgotten and reclaimed by the wild due to a mix of misfortune and the lure of opportunity elsewhere. Join her on a journey through abandoned villages and farms, cave-houses and captains’ mansions, the homes of displaced Muslim fishermen and poets, as she discovers beauty in the ruins, emptiness and silence, and inspiration in the stories of people’s lives. A long-term resident of Greece, Jennifer Barclay spent more than four years researching Wild Abandon, visiting islands multiple times and talking to local people to hear their stories. She travels from the very west to the very east of the Dodecanese, from the very south almost to the very north, taking in some of the smallest and the biggest islands, and highlighting different stories along the way to show the complex history behind these havens of tranquillity. She discovers a villa intended for Benito Mussolini’s retirement, an island that links a gramophone from St Petersburg and a portrait in the American National Gallery via a pack of cigarettes, and reflects on the days when an economy based on sponges and burnt rock supported thousands. Wild Abandon is an elegy in praise of abandoned places and a search for lost knowledge through the wildest and most deserted locations.
“Breathtaking historical romance . . . A wonderful escape” into the American Old West from the New York Times–bestselling author of Wild Embrace (Fresh Fiction). Never let go, never give up . . . The tragedy of the Civil War had forced Lauralee Johnston into an orphanage, and years passed before she was finally reunited with her beloved father and heard his dying wish. But for sheltered Lauralee, placing her trust in a Cherokee man was almost too much to ask. Unfamiliar with Cherokee customs and especially Joe Dancing Cloud’s powerful presence, she gradually learned to trust in his gentle strength, especially when it came to exploring the passion they shared. But once they claimed each other’s hearts, the world around them denounced their love. Against fear and prejudice, the two lovers will have to fight for their destiny . . . Praise for the writing of Cassie Edwards “Cassie Edwards captivates with white hot adventure and romance.” —Karen Harper, New York Times–bestselling author “A sensitive storyteller who always touches readers’ hearts.” —RT Book Reviews “Edwards moves readers with love and compassion.” —Bell, Book & Candle
From New York Times-bestselling author comes a wildly passionate Western tale of two lovers as destined to be together as they are forbidden . . . A hothouse flower in the parched, rugged desert of the Arizona Territory, beautiful, headstrong Leonida Branson isn't about to waste her youth in a duty-bound marriage to a pompous general. And her resolve only strengthens when she sees Sage, the fierce Navaho chieftain her fiancé has sworn to crush. For the comforts of civilization are no match for the adventurous passion the handsome warrior awakens in her. Each time Sage catches sight of Leonida's porcelain beauty, his dark eyes smolder with forbidden heat. Nothing has prepared him for the feelings that suddenly rage within him . . . or for his overwhelming desire to sweep this exquisite woman into his powerful embrace, to teach her the ancient ways of his people . . . and the timeless ways of love. Praise for Cassie Edwards “Breathtaking . . . Cassie Edwards is one of the leading writers of historical Native American romance.” —Fresh Fiction “Cassie Edwards captivates with white hot adventure and romance.” —Karen Harper “A sensitive storyteller who always touches readers' hearts.” —RT Book Reviews “Edwards moves readers with love and compassion.” —Bell, Book & Candle
For Strong Wolf, Hannah was supposed to be the enemy, allied not only to the settlers he distrusted but to a man who coveted his land, the brutal foreman of her brother's ranch. He felt only sorrow could come of their love until the day Hannah rode into his lodge, fell into his arms, and began their hearts' journey into a place where neither betrayal or tragedy could follow.
"Disturbing and magical....with a grace and eloquence." - NPR Books "Full of lush, mesmerizing detail and keen insight into the easy intimacy between young girls which disappears with adulthood." -- The New Yorker "The Strays is a knowing novel, and beautifully done." -- Meg Wolitzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Interestings For readers of Atonement, a hauntingly powerful story about the fierce friendship between three sisters and their friend as they grow up on the outskirts of their parents' wild and bohemian artistic lives. On her first day at a new school, Lily befriends Eva and her sisters Beatrice and Heloise, daughters of the infamous avant-garde painter Evan Trentham. An only child from an unremarkable, working-class family, Lily has never experienced a household like the Trenthams'--a community of like-minded artists Evan and his wife have created, all living and working together to escape the stifling conservatism of 1930's Australia. And Lily has never met anyone like Eva, whose unabashed confidence and worldly knowledge immediately draw her in. Infatuated by the creative chaos of the Trenthams and the artists who orbit them, Lily aches to fully belong in their world, craving something beyond her own ordinary life. She becomes a fixture in their home, where she and Eva spend their days lounging in the garden, filching cigarettes and wine, and skirting the fringes of the adults' glamorous lives, who create scandalous art during the day and host lavish, debauched parties by night. But as seductive as the artists' utopian vision appears, behind it lies both darkness and dysfunction. And the further the girls are pulled in, the greater the consequences become. With elegance and vibrancy, The Strays evokes the intense bonds of girlhood friendships, the volatile undercurrents of a damaged family, and the yearning felt by an outsider looking in.
