Historical Homes

Lauren Hauser is home for the holidays, and she's been given a challenge: preparing her grandmother's pecan pie. The problem? Lauren's not famed for her baking skills. In fact, while her sister would win Star Baker every week and her mom at least knows a sieve from a spatula, Lauren's baked goods have always been more dangerous than delicious!

When war breaks out in September 1939, Laura, Andy and Tim Clark are evacuated to the countryside. The Colonel's comfortable home in Dorset is a huge contrast to their cramped terraced house in London, where their loving parents struggle to put the next meal on the table. Though unused to having children around, the Colonel proves to be a kind and generous, if gruff, guardian until a terrible turn of events means the kids must move on.

Following the untimely death of her husband, Beatrix and her three children are finally free. While Ambrose has already determined his path in life, eldest son Laurie's future is less certain. Meanwhile, headstrong and independent Alicia is defying expectation and excelling at school. There, she befriends the enigmatic Olivia Snowdon and they quickly become inseparable. But Olivia's family past is shrouded in mystery and as she begins to dig deeper secrets come tumbling out.

In 1958 Detroit, neighbors on Alder Avenue struggle to care for one another amid a city rife with conflicts that threaten their peaceful street. Grace, Alder’s only expectant mother, eagerly awaits her firstborn; her best friend, Julia, prepares to welcome twin nieces; and Malina sets the tone with her stylish dresses, tasteful home, and ironfisted stewardship of St. Alban’s bake sale. Life erupts when childlike Elizabeth disappears while in the care of Grace and Julia. All the ladies fear that the recent murder of a black woman at the factory on Willingham Avenue where their husbands work may portend what has become of Elizabeth.

1940, Great Paxford, Cheshire: When a spitfire crashes in the village, the lives of an extraordinary community of women will change forever: Frances Barden's greatest challenge is only just beginning; Pat Simms received a respite when her abusive husband went to war, but now he's home Pat doesn't know who to turn to; and for newlyweds Teresa and Nick, the plane crash on their wedding day may just be the start of their troubles.

Norfolk, 1944. Phylly is a Land Girl on Catchetts Farm. She and her friend Gracie are doing their bit to support the war effort. But times are changing at Catchetts—there's an evacuee and two POWs on their way. And then Phylly meets an American airman from the base up the road. As the War rages on the Continent, Phylly and Gracie's world will be changed forever.

In Cry of the West , recently widowed Hallie Wells is facing a difficult situation. The sudden demise of her husband after selling their farm and just about everything they owned to travel west on the Oregon Trail, has left her stranded with an eight year old son. Dare she ask Cooper Jerome, recently returned from the War of the States, if he would put his life on hold for, say, five months to drive her wagon; and that doesn't include his return trip. At this point, she's out of options.

Marcus has one brother in a youth offender centre and the other is working with their dad on plans for their next theft. Everyone assumes Marcus will follow in their footsteps, but he has other ideas, different hopes. When a mysterious accident lands a man in hospital, it confirms what everyone in their community expects and Marcus gets the blame. He feels trapped. Only new girl Emma - with her peace protest banners and political badges - questions this story. Can they work together to clear his name – and help Marcus become the person he really wants to be?

A person's past catches up with them when they least expect and often does it in under a minute. Jesse's did. His threw him on a horse in the dark of night, dragging him down to Texas to answer for it. This third book of the ARLH saga dives into Jesse's past and collides head-on with his present, leaving the wayward man questioning all he thought he knew about himself.

It's summer and renowned actress, Dame Pamela Harcourt, has organized a treat: the first Purley Hall Jane Austen holiday - to the home of Mr. Darcy no less. With Katherine and Warwick, Robyn, Doris Norris and the rest of the gang, it's going to be a trip to remember.

That elusive dream: the mate who makes your heart skip a beat each time you see them, children you can impart wisdom to and learn from, a comfortable home worth coming home to, and no concern for money. We all want that. What if you got it - every bit - and snapped? Jesse McKlintock did. He received the love of his life, the children, a working ranch, a gold, silver, and copper mine, and a bank.

Growing up without the care of a loving family made Anna Golding fiercely independent. So when war breaks out, determined to do her duty, she joins the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Her fellow trainees are like the sisters she never had. However, as they all talk of fond memories of home, Anna's heart breaks. Her past is too painful to share. Then she meets her friend's brother, Royal Air Force navigator Jimmy Armstrong, whose gentle care makes her feel safe for the first time in her life. Anna and Jimmy must snatch moments together as their duties pull them to opposite ends of the country.

A mysterious key left by her murdered sister takes Air Transport Auxiliary pilot Betty Palmer on a journey of discovery and danger. Her estranged parents force themselves back into her life, motivated purely by greed and self-preservation. Penny's life is unexpectedly turned upside down by a potentially life-changing situation that causes her wounded husband to question their marriage.

When Simon McDermott first noticed his dad Ted's sudden flares of temper and fits of forgetfulness, he couldn't have guessed what lay ahead. Then came the devastating, inevitable diagnosis. As Ted retreated into his own world, Simon and his mum, Linda, desperately tried to reach him until at last: an idea. Turning the ignition in his mum's little run-around, Simon hit 'play' on Ted's favourite song, 'Quando Quando Quando'.

It's the 1940s. World War II. A New England farm boy is growing up during wartime. That's what Home Front: A Memoir from WWII is about. You'll share his experience - the blackouts, the rationing, the fears, the patriotism, and the unity everyone felt. As the men go off to war, you follow Douglas, our young narrator, as he grows to an obliged maturity, sharing with others, enduring the scarcity of the depression, the fear and patriotism during World War II and then the exuberance in that brief, post-war period when America felt safe and when the middle class was born.

In 1898, Maggie and Silas Pennington’s lives took an unexpected turn when they inherited Silas’s Uncle Jacob Pennington’s estate in Tishomingo, Indian Territory. This unforeseen event sparked a journey to their new home, filled with hope and the promise of a new beginning. Maggie longed for a place to call her own, while Silas harbored dreams of becoming a writer to support their growing family.

North London, 1916. When Olivia Bone and Lieutenant Lucas Black shared a passionate kiss one summer's evening, it seemed as if their love might finally have a chance to bloom. But their brief happiness is cut short when Lucas is sent to fight on the front line, leaving Livvie uncertain if she'll ever see him again. And after a chance encounter with one of Lucas's old flames, Livvie is left doubting whether an ex-factory girl like her will ever fit into his world - and wondering if she would be better off protecting her heart.

Lady Mary Masterson had no objection to being betrothed to Gilbert Talbot until he ridiculed her. Now, years later, it appears her chance for an adventure on the Continent will be thwarted by the very man when he turns up, vowing to keep her safe. Insufferable! If only it weren’t so difficult to ignore her fluttering heart - and the voices constantly touting the advantages of marrying the man who long ago called her a witch.

Townsville, 1942. Young women aged sixteen and over are obliged by law to join the war effort, and Emma Hatton's world is at last about to change. Longing to escape the humdrum poverty of oceanside Blueholm Bay and the demands of her domineering mother, Emma reaches the bustling wartime mayhem of Townsville where the city streets are filled with glamorous GIs and red lipstick is the colour of the day. Befriending charismatic Cassie O'Byrne, Emma believes her adult life has finally begun.

In this classic coming-of-age story, Carter Barnwell is thrust into an early manhood as he faces the challenges of living off the land, caring for his ailing grandmother, wrestling with his budding sexuality, and wrangling with his awakening conscience. When he meets an abolitionist missionary from the north – who happens to be a beautiful young girl – Carter begins to see his world through new and critical eyes, even as he maintains fierce loyalty to the people and homeland he loves.