Book series

The Simple Wild, by K. A. Tucker

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Calla Fletcher was born in Alaska, but she has not been back since leaving with her mother at the age of two. Unable to handle the isolation and the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, Calla’s mother also left behind her husband, and Calla’s father, Wren; and she never looked back. Now 26 and estranged from her father, Calla only knows a comfortable Toronto lifestyle. Until an unexpected phone call and the news that Wren is seriously ill brings the past right back into her life. With time running out, Calla journeys to Alaska to rekindle a relationship with her father.
Adjusting to the living conditions in rural Alaska is hard enough, not to mention the roaming wildlife, sky-high prices and the less-than-ideal plumbing situation. But Calla’s return to Alaska is made even more arduous by Jonah, the proud, stubborn and unkempt pilot who helps keep her father’s charter business afloat. Calla is determined to prove to Jonah that she is not the spoiled city girl he thinks she is, and as their fraught relationship turns to friendship, she begins to wonder if there could be something more there. But she is only in Alaska for a short time, and Jonah will never leave. Would it be wise to venture down the same path her parents tried and failed, many years ago? Read More »

City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennett

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The city of Bulikov was once the greatest city on the Continent, thanks to the all-powerful Gods who watched over its people. But these Gods also had the power to conquer the world and enslave its people, until they were killed themselves. Now Bulikov’s illustrious history has been censored and its inhabitants subjugated. The city itself was irrevocably altered by the death of the Gods and stands as a constant haunting reminder to its inhabitants of the lives they once lived.
Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. On the surface, she is just another junior bureaucrat sent by the city’s oppressors to lord it over them. But beneath her official veneer, Shara is in fact one of her country’s most accomplished spies. She was sent to Bulikov to investigate a murder but soon realizes that there is much more going on amongst the rubble. And she begins to suspect that the all-powerful Gods may not be as dead as everyone thinks. Read More »

The Boy in the Suitcase, by Lene Kaaberbøl & Agnete Friis

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Nina Borg is a Red Cross nurse living in Copenhagen with her family. She is dedicated to her work and to helping people in need. So, when her old friend Karin calls her in a panic and asks for her help, she cannot say no. Karin gives Nina the key to a storage locker at the station and asks her to retrieve the contents. Nina was in no way expecting what she finds. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy, drugged and naked. Read More »

The Last Tudor, by Philippa Gregory

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Upon the death of young Kind Edward VI in 1553, the succession was very insecure. King Henry VIII having renounced his heirs and declared them bastards several times, it was uncertain who should reign next. Taking advantage of her position as the king’s cousin, Jane Grey’s father and family contrived to have her declared as Edward’s heir. Jane was queen for nine days until Princess Mary declared herself heir and threatened to take London by force. Jane’s supporters fled, leaving her to face the executioner’s block alone.
“Learn you to die” was the message Jane left behind for her sisters Katherine and Mary. As Elizabeth became queen, both young women were in precarious positions as Elizabeth refused to name an heir. This created a situation of extraordinary tension both in the English court and the rest of Europe. Life for the few remaining Tudor women was to become increasingly dangerous. Read More »

Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon

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After their harrowing escape from Wentworth Prison, Claire and Jamie have travelled to the relative safety of a monastery in France. They cannot stay here, however, especially if they want to succeed in their plan to change the future and somehow stop the Battle of Culloden. To that end, they journey to Paris to join the French aristocracy and befriend the young Prince Charles Stuart. Manipulation, intrigue and danger abound in the French capital and especially at the court of the French King. Claire and Jamie must navigate uncertain loyalties, unfamiliar customs and many other obstacles in the pursuit of their goal. The one constant is their love for one another, but will that be enough to carry them through these turbulent times? Read More »

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession, by Alison Weir

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History tells us why she died. This powerful novel shows her as she lived.
The story of Anne Boleyn is well known. After spending time at the courts of Burgundy and France, she returns to England and becomes involved with King Henry VIII. This relationship would change the course of history in England and turn Christendom on its head. But what exactly happened between King Henry and young Anne Boleyn? Was it really the passionate relationship that history tells us? Read More »

Clariel, by Garth Nix

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The events of this book take place roughly 600 years before those in Sabriel. Young Clariel has been forced to leave behind her beloved home on the edge of the Great Forest, to move to the city of Belisaere. Her mother’s career advancements, and possible opportunities for Clariel herself, do not interest her, however. All she can think about is escaping and returning to the forest. She believes that only there will she be happy and lead a fulfilled life. But forces are stirring which will change the course of Clariel’s life beyond her dreams. In a world where those responsible for law, order and otherworldly protection have been shirking their duties, uncertainty reigns. The ambitious circle, as does a mysterious Free Magic being. Clariel must soon choose her path, but will it be the right one? Read More »

Tidelands, by Philippa Gregory

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Alinor is a healer and a midwife, from a long line of wise women. On midsummer’s eve, she waits in the churchyard for the ghost of her husband, hoping to find out if he is dead or has simply abandoned her and their children. Instead, she meets James. A papist and a royalist, at a time when both could mean a death sentence, James appeals to Alinor to lead him across the treacherous marshes and hide him until the next day. Alinor helps this mysterious stranger and delivers him to the safe house. Little does she know how much this night-time encounter will affect her life and those of her children. In these dark and dangerous times, it is not advisable to stand out. Either through unexplained good fortune or seemingly mysterious gifts. Read More »

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen, by Alison Weir

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History tells us how she died. This captivating novel shows us how she lived.
Many know of the six wives of the English King Henry VIII and their fates. But how much do we actually know of the women themselves? This is the story of a Spanish princess, raised to be wife to Prince Arthur, heir to the English throne. Aged sixteen, Katherine travels to England to take her rightful place. As events unfold, it quickly becomes apparent that she must be careful who to trust and must rely on her own courage, faith and determination in order to survive. Until she marries Henry and becomes Queen of England. But, what happens if one day she cannot trust her beloved Henry either? Read More »

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

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It’s 1946 and Claire Randall is in Scotland on a second honeymoon with her husband Frank. After the horrors of the war, both are keen to rekindle their love and start their lives afresh. Frank is busy researching his family history whilst Claire is more interested in the local plants and their healing properties. One afternoon Claire stumbles through a circle of standing stones and finds herself suddenly in 1743! After an encounter with Captain “Black Jack” Randall, her husband’s six times great grandfather, she falls in with a band of Scottish outlaws. Claire is desperate to get back to the standing stones and her own time, but circumstances and people get in the way. Will the familiarity of her life with Frank be enough to leave behind the life that she is quickly building for herself in this new century? Read More »