Southern Historical Fiction

Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates ("Hey, Olive Oyl, where's Popeye?"), the lonely girl finds solace in artistic pursuits. Only when she's hired by the town's sole feminist to work the night shift in the local thread factory does Violet come into her name, and bloom.

A gripping adventure novel set on a deserted island in the South Pacific during the late 19th century. In "Terror and Survival," embark on a journey filled with tension and transformation as Oscar Liam Smith-Jones, a once-privileged intellectual, finds himself marooned on an uncharted island. Stripped of his comfort and security after a harrowing shipwreck, Oscar must confront not only the fierce elements of nature but also the menacing creatures that lurk in the shadows of his new reality. This story is a riveting exploration of resilience, courage, and the indomitable spirit of survival. ...

The Altamaha River, Georgia's "Little Amazon", is one of the last truly wild places in America. Crossed by roads only five times in its 137 miles, the blackwater river is home to 1,000-year-old virgin cypresses, direct descendants of 18th-century Highland warriors, and a staggering array of rare and endangered species. The Altamaha is even rumored to harbor its own river monster, as well as traces of the oldest European fort in North America.

February, 1942: Singapore lies burning and shattered, defenceless before the conquering hordes of the Japanese Army. The last boat escapes out of the harbour into the South China Sea, and on board are a desperate group of strangers, each with a secret to guard, each willing to kill to keep that secret safe. Dawn sees them far out to sea but with the first murderous dive bombers already aimed at their ship. Thus begins a nightmare succession of disasters wrought by the hell-bent Japanese, the unrelenting tropical sun and, ultimately, by the survivors themselves, as they head south by Java Head.

In order to rebuild her life, Savannah must help the people taking over her home. The Civil War cost Savannah Darby everything - her family and her home. When Aidan Bedford, an attorney from Boston, buys the Darby estate, he hires Savannah to redecorate. Can she find a mysterious treasure before her job is finished?

Bezellia Grove was born into the most prominent of Nashville families, but that didn’t stop her from having an alcoholic mother and a distant, adulterous father. Her nanny, Maizelle, and Nathaniel, the handyman, are the people who have taken care of her since she can remember. She considers them family, but her parents just consider them servants because they are Black. When Bezellia has a clandestine romance with Nathaniel's son, Whites and Blacks unite in fury at the young couple.

When aspiring musician Twyla Finch arrives in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1977, the nineteen-year-old Texan is dazzled by the fringe-and-rhinestones country music scene. Live music flows from bars, open mic nights tempt with the chance of stardom, and record label execs seek the next hot new act.

In the scorching July of 1866, James Taliaferro Cunningham, a formidable Confederate Army colonel, walked into a small Kansas saloon. His military bearing and battle-hardened demeanor commanded respect. Across the room is Billy Corbin, a fellow Southerner and Confederate sergeant, marked by his accent and war-worn spirit. The two men met when a local troublemaker threatened Billy because of his Southern heritage. The Colonel intervened, diffusing the situation without firing a shot. United by their shared roots and mutual respect, the Colonel invited Billy to join him on a journey to Texas....

The Powell brothers - Muir and Moody - are as different as Cain and Abel. Muir is an innocent, a shy young man with big dreams. Moody, the older and wilder brother - embittered by the death of his father, by years of fighting his mother, and by his jealousy of Muir's place in the family - takes to moonshine and gambling and turns his anger on his brother. Muir escapes by wandering, making his way around the country in attempts to find something - an occupation, a calling - to match his ambition.

Rebecca Marchant had led a sheltered life until she's inexplicably drawn to the home of her father's youth. Surrounded by the historical landscape of the Chickamauga Battlefield in Georgia, Rebecca finds herself plagued by haunting dreams and vivid visions of Civil War events. As Rebecca walks a mile in another girl's moccasins through her visions and dreams she learns about compassion, forgiveness, temptation, the trauma of war, and the power of true love. A perfect blend of history, romance, mystery and principles woven together in an engaging tale that will keep you turning pages wanting...

Callum, a seasoned horse thief at 15 years old, came to America from his native Ireland as an orphan. Ava, her father and brother lost to the war, hides in her crumbling home until Callum determines to rescue her from the bands of hungry soldiers pillaging the land, leaving destruction in their wake. Ava and Callum have only each other in the world and their remarkable horse, Reiver, who carries them through the destruction that is the South. Pursued relentlessly by a murderous slave hunter, tracking dogs, and rangers, the couple race through a beautiful but ruined land.

Botswana, 1976: Isaac Muthethe thinks he is dead. Smuggled across the border from South Africa in a hearse, he awakens covered in dust, staring at blue sky and the face of White Dog. Far from dead, he is, for the first time, in a country without apartheid. A medical student in South Africa, he was forced to flee after witnessing a friend murdered by white members of the South African Defense Force.

There was a time when everyone in Vinegar Bend assumed Ian Ludlow and Goose Marlowe would eventually marry. Apparently, everyone, that is, except Ian. Seven years ago, he packed his bags and left, with no plans to return until he could prove to the snobs in town that the Ludlow name was one to be reckoned with. Yet here he was again. Back too soon. But he never counted on a funeral. The Reverend Castle Marlowe has always faced adversity head on, and he’s certainly had his share. Folks have used words such as strong, committed, and trustworthy when describing him. But that was before a ...

When the Chalkboard Preacher accompanies his friend to the Psychiatric Hospital to secure his wife’s release, the husband is horrified to learn she’s even more disturbed than when she was admitted. She fails to recognize him and clings to a doll she believes to be the baby they never had. Things go awry when an angry, domineering nurse sabotages the husband’s intent to take his wife home. Determined to free her and convinced the end will outweigh the means, the husband devises a plan that will ultimately involve his faithful friend, the Chalkboard Preacher. Would the Reverend Castle ...

Off the coast of Maine, Ruth Thomas is born into a feud fought for generations by two groups of local lobstermen over fishing rights for the waters that lie between their respective islands. At 18, she has returned from boarding school - smart as a whip, feisty, and irredeemably unromantic - determined to throw over her education and join the "stern men" working the lobster boats.

In the small college town of Troy, Alabama, amidst the backdrop of 1967, Katia Daniels lives a life steeped in responsibility. At the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys, she pours her heart into nurturing the young lives under her care, harboring a longing for children of her own. Katia's romantic entanglement with an older man brings comfort but also stirs questions about the path she's chosen.

Siblings Bert, Willet, and Pansy know better than to go swimming at the old rock quarry. According to their father, it's the Devil's place, a place that's been cursed and forgotten. But Mississippi Delta summer days are scorching hot, and they can't resist cooling off in the dark, bottomless water - until the day six-year-old Pansy vanishes...not drowned, not lost, simply gone. When their father disappears as well, Bert and Willet leave their childhoods behind to try and hold their broken family together.

Julie Capshaw and Robby Montagna are victims of the historical divide between coal miners and those who owned and ran the mines. Set in a candidly depicted rural West Virginia coal mining community in 1955, this story tells of their attempt to cross that divide. “Jo Huddleston’s characters come to life, as does this sweet and wonderful mid-century love story about two young people who come from different spectrums of society. This author writes with colorful detail, setting us body and soul into the story.” –Sharlene MacLaren, author of the historical series “Tennessee Dreams.” ...

Peyton is not ready to share her widowed father with anyone, let alone a barely remembered cousin who just rolled into town. However, her father seems to like Nora well enough, and prim Aunt Augusta hates her, which raises Nora slightly in Peyton's esteem. Maybe Nora is just what quiet Lytton, Georgia, needs this summer.

Three audiobooks in one volume. This family saga follows three generations of 13-year-old girls and their families from 1941 to 1982 Appalachia.