The Mud Rose
No one knows what happened to the little Princes of the Tower. That’s what Dane, Paige, and Jack are told when they start working on a medieval documentary for Dane and Paige’s filmmaker father. But then an ancient medallion transports them back to the fifteenth century and gives them a chance to discover the truth about the mysterious disappea …
Her Proper Scoundrel
Threatened with an unwanted marriage, Lady Josceline Woodsby escapes London to take a position as a country governess. When she discovers the job is no longer available, Josceline vows she will do anything to avoid returning to her previously dismal life - even if it means coercing the ruthless Captain Sharrington into providing her with employment …
The Disappearing Rose
No one knows what happened to the little Princes of the Tower. That’s what Dane, Paige, and Jack are told when they start working on a medieval documentary for Dane and Paige’s filmmaker father. But then an ancient medallion transports them back to the fifteenth century and gives them a chance to discover the truth about the mysterious disappea …
The Buxton Chronicles
1907. A gold mining town in northern California is hardly the place for a member of the English aristocracy. When Lady Serena Buxton arrives in Cold Creek, she is shocked to find her husband, Lord Buxton, is missing. Everyone in town treats her as if she is already a widow. With no husband and no money, what is a lady to do? 1913. Lord and Lady Bux …
Shadow Child
Sixteen – with a bullet. That’s what Maya’s Mom calls her. It’s the sort of name you get when your Mom works for an Agency so secret it doesn’t actually exist. Not that Maya minds. As far as she’s concerned a pink Glock and a short skirt solve pretty much any problem, especially male ones. So new town, a new school? No big deal. She’s …
Jack Shadow
Jack Shadow. Because some days – the last thing you need is a good guy. He’s heard them – every one of them. The jokes. They all start out the same. "See, this guy walks into a bar..." Well, that's not him. That guy who walked into a bar. He’s the guy who walked out. It's not amnesia. Near as anyone knows, he just doesn’t have a past. Nea …
The Countess' Lucky Charm
Saucy pickpocket Simone Dougherty relies on her nimble fingers and quick mind to work London’s streets. However, using her wits to survive in the East End is one thing. Using her wits to pose as the wife of the attractive Lord Temple Wellington is another thing altogether. Especially when her rebellious heart refuses to listen to reason. Restless …
A Heart Enslaved
Banished from his homeland for a crime he didn’t commit, Thorvald Stronghawk knows selling the Frisian beauty he’s captured will bring him the blood money needed to regain his good name. When the man who accused Thorvald of the crime is the one buying Gisela, Thorvald must decide what he wants more: To recover his reputation among his fellow co …
Earth and High Heaven
When Erika Drake, of the Westmount Drakes, met and fell in love with Marc Reiser, a Jew from northern Ontario, their respective worlds were turned upside down. Set against the backdrop of the first three years of the Second World War, Earth and High Heaven captured the hearts and minds of its generation and helped to shape the more diverse and incl …
Beyond Measure
The art world of mid-16th century Italy comes to life through the eyes of a piebald slave stolen from her home and family in Africa.
Chiara, as she is eventually named, is sold to Paolo Pallavicino, an artist in service of Giuliano de Medici. When several unfortunate incidents occur, the artist’s wife believes her to be a curse and demands that s …
The Fledglings
For Bluma Goldberg, the teenaged daughter of a Jewish bootlegger, Prohibition-era Chicago is the furthest place one can get from law and temperance. Her first steps into womanhood are made all the more uncertain by the dangers of her father’s shadowy world.
Decades later, her loving son, Joey Krueger — a man coming off his own share of emotiona …
Etienne's Alphabet
To all who knew him, Etienne Morneau lived unremarkably. Raised in an orphanage, his parents unknown, people considered him reserved, unfeeling, and antisocial. His death would have gone unnoticed were it not for his art and writing discovered afterwards. His secret drawings are proof of his artistic genius and his memoir, written in a kaleidoscope …
The Heart Specialist
Inspired by the life of Doctor Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott, The Heart Specialist is the story of a woman pursuing her dream at the dawn of the twentieth century. Stripped of a regular childhood when her father is accused of a horrific crime and abandons the family, Agnes was never considered ladylike. She is drawn to the wrong things, such as an …
An Uncompromising Place
Richard Gould was looking forward to his retirement, to spending at least part of his time in the heritage home he had renovated in a quiet village in Ontario, and particularly to his major project—bringing a ruin back to its former glory as a flour mill. The discovery of two old books hidden in the ruin promised to add extra spice to this projec …
The Tale-Teller
The year is 1738. Jacques Lafargue, a wide-eyed young Frenchman, arrives in New France aboard the Saint Michel. But before his Canadian adventure has a chance to begin, he is detained at Quebec harbour by suspicious port officials. Their distrust proves warranted: instead of a young man named Jacques Lafargue their captive turns out to be a young w …
Ghost Town Stories of BC
Many of BC's old mining towns are now abandoned ruins, disappearing into the wilderness. These once-thriving towns and the pioneers who built them are remembered in 10 fascinating stories of hard work and heroism. A mine rescue worker sadly recounts a tale of death underground at Coal Creek. Three eccentric old bachelors become the final residents …
The Western Light
Mouse’s world is constrained by a number of factors: her mother is dead, her father – the admired country doctor – is emotionally distant, her housekeeper Sal is prejudiced and narrow, and her grandmother and aunt, Big Louie and Little Louie, the only life-affirming presences in her life, live in another city.
Enter Gentleman John Pilkie, the …
New Under the Sun
Needing a change, Shannon Carew takes a job in the National Parks system in Newfoundland and Labrador. The journey brings her life full circle, returning her to the birthplace she abandoned years before. As she makes new connections, and unearths old ones, Shannon learns the land holds many memories, stories of Maritime Archaic, the Vikings, the Ba …
Oonagh
In 1831, eighteen-year-old Oonagh Corcoran emigrates with her sister from southern Ireland to Upper Canada. In the deep folds of cool, green forest off the vast inland sea of Lake Ontario, she believes she has found paradise — only to discover that the New World harbours its own horrible injustices when she meets a fugitive slave from Virginia na …
Silver Salts
Lillie Dempster of Saint John, New Brunswick, often imagines herself on the big screen. It is the one fantastic escape she can afford from her tragic daily life. In the burgeoning early years of the twentieth century, Lillie is a lot like the distressed damsels from the silent films she loves. Orphaned by the Great War and the Spanish influenza at …
Alexander Graham Bell
In 1876, at only 29 years old, Alexander Graham Bell completed the invention that would turn him into a household name: the telephone. In so doing, he forever changed the way people communicate. But the telephone was just one of the many inventions Bell produced and shared with the world. Driven by a deep curiosity and a keen scientific mind, he wo …
Great Canadian Love Stories
From the Irish princess, taken prisoner by pirates, who fell in love with one of her captors and settled in Newfoundland, to the ardent courtship of Alexander Graham Bell and his bride-to-be, Mabel, this book celebrates the passion, the pain, and the romance of Canadian lovers through the ages.
Pirates and Privateers
Murder, mutiny, and mayhem were the order of the day in the seas off the East Coast during the golden age of sailing. Pillagers and opportunists plied the seas in search of riches in the holds of American ships. And they invariably found what they were looking for...
The Crested Seas
Johnnie Angus grew up around fishermen and fishing vessels and, like other young men in Judique, on Cape Breton's southwest shore, he always dreamed of going to sea. When he and his companion Louis, "a Gaelic-speaking negro," get trapped "accidentally" aboard his uncle's schooner in the harbour at Port Hood, their hair-raising and daring adventures …
The Lady of the Ice
The novel revolves around two sociable junior officers of the British garrison then stationed in Quebec City, who enjoy a lively life of parties and pastimes. Lieutenant Alexander Macrorie, the narrator, rescues a mysterious young lady from the ice floes of the St. Lawrence River. When she disappears his search brings him surprising acquaintances a …
Fighting for Women's Rights
From her time growing up in India and the Royal Court of Siam, Anna (made famous as the "I" in the movie The King and I) developed a fiercely independent nature that she brought with her to North America. As a well-known author, Anna toured America landing in Halifax where she single-handedly created an art school for girls - later to become the No …
Norman Bethune
"Within hours of his arrival, Norman was taken to meet Chairman Mao Zedong. The smiling man grabbed Norman's hands in welcome....The two men talked for hours." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: history or biography. One of the world's top surgeons, an advocate of democratic medical services, and an internationa …
Grey Owl
"He gave his extraordinary genius, his passionate sympathy, his bodily strength, his magnetic personal influence, even his very earnings to the service of animals..." - Lovat Dickson, publisher. This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: biography or animals. Grey Owl was known to millions of people as an outstanding Na …
Canada's Rumrunners
"...despite flying bullets and cannon shots, Ben had his crew hastily tossing evidence over the side of the boat. Bullet-riddled, the Maritimas finally came to a stop, but even then, the crew continued to throw the beer overboard." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: the history of crime or prohibition. It is saf …
A Halifax Boyhood
Anyone who grew up in the late 1940s and 50s will recognize themselves and their experiences in this story of a Halifax boyhood. Whether its the thrill of skating while holding someones hand for the first time, waiting for a Saturday matinee in the raucous din of a movie theatre full of kids, or exploring a building left temporarily unsupervised, M …
Beautiful Joe
Beautiful Joe is a timeless, classic account of an abused dog brought to health by a loving owners.
Beautiful Joe, a mongrel dog, was cruelly mutilated by his master and through pure good fortune was brought to the Morris family, who nursed him back to health. This tale of tender devotion between a dog and his owners changed the way we look at our …
Captain James Cook in Atlantic Canada
The skills, knowledge and experience that took Captain James Cook to the South Seas and around the world seemed to come out of nowhere. In fact, as author Jerry Lockett has discovered, their foundation was laid during the time he spent in Atlantic Canada. His experiences on Canada's east coast and the naval men he met there shaped him to become on …
The Lily and the Cross
Intrigues from Old France haunt the lives of young lovers as they face revenge and death in this pre-Acadian Deportation novel that ranges from Boston to Grand Pré to Fortress Louisbourg. Published in Boston in 1874, The Lily and the Cross demonstrates New Brunswick-born James De Mille at his popular story-telling best.
Niagara Daredevils
"Blondin's daring and cool demeanour made him an instant celebrity - on one [tightrope crossing, he carried a small cook stove, stopped midway, fried up two omelettes, and lowered them to spectators aboard the Maid of the Mist." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: history, or adventure. From swimmers and jumpers, …
Laura Secord
During the War of 1812, Canadian and British forces battled against the United States with great determination. Many of these soldiers displayed incredible bravery in the face of the enemy. The most legendary act, however, was performed by a civilian woman. This is the story of Laura Secord, a devoted wife and mother, who risked life and limb to wa …
The Life of a Loyalist
"It was a dangerous time to be loyal to the Crown. The divisive war had pitted neighbour against neighbour and father against son." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: history, biography, and life as a Loyalist in the Maritimes. The life of young Christiana Margaret Davis, a Loyalist born in upstate New York, was …
The Last of the Beothuk
The arrival of Europeans in the New World forever changed the fate of the Beothuk. As more settlers arrived, the Beothuk were forced inland. They were tracked, abducted, and even murdered. Their plight was epitomized by the tragic story of Shanawdithit - the last of the Beothuk.
A Changed Heart
Romance, suspense, and murder provide the backdrop for this Gothic novel set in mid-Victorian Saint John, New Brunswick, by 19th-century writer May Agnes Fleming. A dashing British military officer makes a splash in local society, but a clique of young socialites in the booming colonial town soon find out that there is more to Captain Cavendish tha …
The Legacy of Grazia dei Rossi
Set in sixteenth-century Istanbul during the illustrious Ottoman Empire, The Legacy of Grazia dei Rossi chronicles the fate of Grazia’s son, Danilo, and his forbidden love affair with Princess Saida, the Sultan’s beloved daughter.
Judah del Medigo, Jewish physician to the Sultan at the Ottoman court and husband of Grazia dei Rossi, has been misi …
The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi
A sweeping saga of intrigue and romance set during the Italian Renaissance and told through the eyes of Grazia dei Rossi, a young Jewish woman torn between duty and forbidden romance, who wins our hearts with her recorded secrets of love.
Grazia dei Rossi, private secretary to the world-renowned Isabella d’Este, is the daughter of an eminent Jewis …
The Strawberry Girls
Strawberry Girls is the story of two young women in their teens--Lil and Nan Addington-- who play an essential role in their widowed mother's efforts to sustain her family on the proceeds from their small strawberry garden. Their lives are essentially happy ones, though making enough to live decently is challenging. On the cusp of womanhood, Lil is …
Red Fox
The wily, intelligent Red Fox takes on the Canadian wilderness in this classic novel by Charles G. D. Roberts. He tangles with numerous foes, including bear, goshawk, lynx, skunk and owl. Red Fox (with kits and mate) flees a major fire and has several encounters with hounds and men. In this 1905 novel G. D. Roberts set out to make Red Fox and the a …
The Heart of Ancient Wood
Set in the late nineteenth century in New Brunswick, The Heart of the Ancient Wood tells the tale of a mother and daughter who move to the woods to escape vicious gossip in the town. Despite the isolation they soon create a comfortable home for themselves and come to know the animals who live in the area. Years go by and Miranda becomes reacquainte …
The Curse of Flowervilla
A captivating, multi-generational tale of romance, betrayal, and mystery, set in a picturesque Newfoundland fishing community.
Portrait of Julia
In 1920 Julia Robertson is a young, beautiful war widow, aware of the radical new ideas bursting into the settled thinking of post-Victorian Canada. That new thinking, about the human unconscious through Freud and Jung, about sexual frankness, about women as well as skepticism about religion, shaped the emerging 20th century world and infused moder …
Gladdy's Wake
Gladys Sage escaped the backwoods of Northern Ontario, leaving behind the body of her stepfather, to arrive in New York and the world of political revolutionaries. Hired to find her is Pinkerton detective James Kelly, a recent Irish immigrant mainly interested in easy money, drink, and women. Going undercover among the radical followers of Emma Gol …
Burden of Desire
Burden of Desire centres on the love triangle between bohemian Halifax south-end belle Julia Robertson, Dalhousie professor Stewart MacPherson, and young Anglican minister Peter Wentworth.
Julia keeps a diary detailing her sexual fantasies, which she has with her at the moment of the blast that was the Halifax Explosion. She hides her diary in her c …
Pirates of the Atlantic
Pirates have scoured the Atlantic coast from the 15th century to the present day. Separating the myth from reality, author Dan Conlin explains how piracy came to Atlantic Canada from rival European empires who sought to conquer and settle North America.
Through the "Golden Age" of piracy, bands of raiders included Peter Easton, the "King of Pirates, …
Outrider of Empire
A dreamer of dreams, an adventurer, and a man of many ideas, Roger Pocock was an inveterate, world-ranging traveler who lived the life that all adventurous boys desire. He listened with wonder to the stories of all those he met, be they outlaws like Butch Cassidy, ranchers, or mounted police. Readers of all ages and classes eagerly devoured Pocockâ …
Almost a Great Escape
Winner of the W.O. Mitchell Award, the Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Non-Fiction, and the Alberta Readers' Choice Award
Following his mother's death in 2004, Tyler Trafford discovers an album of old letters and creased photographs that reveal a mother he never knew, a man he's never heard of, and a love affair doomed by class and circumstance. The let …