Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is just the keeper of his bees--and the woman who could provide an elixir to help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Can they make a new beginning in this New World? Or will their hopes be dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony?
Laura Frantz's prose sparkles with authenticity as she digs into her own family history to share this breathless tale of love, exile, and courage in colonial America.
Laura Frantz is a Christy Award finalist and the ECPA bestselling author of several books, including The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, and The Lacemaker. She lives and writes in a log cabin in the heart of Kentucky. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.
A young lawyer’s outwardly perfect life spirals out of control as she takes on her first murder case in this dark and twisty debut thriller for readers of Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, or Shari Lapena.
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise–she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…
Just one more night. Then I’ll end it. Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle. I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up. Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself. I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing. But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….
HARRIET TYCE grew up in Edinburgh. She studied English at Oxford University and Law at City University before working as a criminal barrister for nearly a decade. She lives in London. Blood Orange is her debut novel.
In the latest novel from David Swinson, “one of the best dialogue hounds in the business” (New York Times Book Review), Frank Marr, a good cop with a bad habit, must choose between justice and loyalty to an old friend.
Frank Marr was a good cop, until his burgeoning addictions to alcohol and cocaine forced him into retirement from the D.C. Metro police. Now, he’s barely eking out a living as a private investigator for a defense attorney–also Frank’s ex-girlfriend.
Ostracized by his family after a botched case that led to the death of his baby cousin, Jeffrey, Frank was on a collision course with rock bottom. Now clean and clinging hard to sobriety, Frank passes the time–and tests himself–by robbing the houses of local dealers, taking their cash and flushing their drugs down the toilet. When an old friend from his police days needs Frank’s help to prove he didn’t shoot an unarmed civilian, Frank is drawn back into the world of dirty cops and suspicious drug busts, running in the same circles that enabled his addiction those years ago.
Never one to play by the rules, Frank recruits a young man he nearly executed years before. Together–a good man trying not to go bad and a bad man trying to do good–detective and criminal charge headfirst into the D.C. drug wars. Neither may make it out.
David Swinson is a retired police detective, having served 16 years with the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He is the author of two previous novels featuring Frank Marr: The Second Girl and Crime Song. Swinson currently lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, daughter, bull mastiff, and bearded dragon.
In this spellbinding and suspenseful debut, a young woman haunted by the past returns home to care for her ailing mother and begins to dig deeper into her sister’s unsolved murder.
Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved.
In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her.
As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth will set you free, once you can bear to look at it.
The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we know the people we love most?
Megan Collins holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. She has taught creative writing at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Central Connecticut State University, and she is the managing editor of 3Elements Review. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, her work has appeared in many print and online journals, including Off the Coast, Spillway, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and Rattle. She lives in Connecticut.
Be on the lookout for this new title from Lakewater Press.
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Some people go to great lengths to fit in. But how far is too far?
After her parent’s divorce, sixteen-year-old Wren Newmann is forced to move from a small California town to her grandmother’s vineyard, where she’s convinced she’ll die a shriveled, wine-country virgin. Her dad’s gone AWOL, her mom’s hooking up with anything in pants, and her best friend has found the love of her life. Apart from the annoying but cute Greek farmhand Panayis, who doesn’t appear to notice her awkwardness or thunder thighs, Wren’s life has hit an all-time low.
That is until her own dating life improves unexpectedly when Jay, Wren’s long-time country crush, notices her. Yet it’s as if people don’t want her to be happy, with their warnings and advice that perhaps Jay isn’t the right guy for her. But they don’t know, and Wren’s done being Beached Whale Girl. She’s determined to become social, skinny, and sexy, because Jay wants her—every part of her.
Though her anxiety and secret purging sessions sing another warning that she finds hard to ignore. And when a series of personal tragedies strikes, Wren’s life is flipped upside down and she’s left to pick up the pieces of her broken relationships. Now, she must find the inner strength to decide if the illusion of being loved is worth sacrificing her health, and maybe even her life.
Described as “unflinching and authentic,” WITHIN AND WITHOUT is a stunning debut that touches on a teenage girl’s emotionally haunting journey to self acceptance “that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.”
Within and Without by Deborah Maroulis Publication Date: May 28, 2019 Publisher: Lakewater Press
“Unflinching, authentic, and the perfect mixture of
bold and sweet,WITHIN
AND WITHOUT is a story readers will lose themselves in more than once. A debut
both heartwarming and heartbreaking from an exciting new voice in YA
literature.”
—Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts
and Last Girl Lied To
“A moving
portrait of first love, friendship, and the pressures we put upon ourselves
daily.
Maroulis tackles the delicate subject of eating
disorders with a realistic pen, all while maintaining a humorous and hopeful
tone. WITHIN AND WITHOUT will stay with you long after you turn the last page.”
—Samantha Joyce, author of Flirting with
Fame
“A heartfelt
and moving story of friendship, first love, and finding yourself. Maroulis
isn’t afraid to tackle tough topics to show that finding love requires learning
to love yourself.”
—Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane
The boy I’ve secretly loved for the last
three years is parking in Granny’s driveway. The tires of his blue 4x4 roll to
a stop, and warbled song lyrics promising a good time boom over the vineyards.
Dear fashion gods, now would be the
perfect time to send me something flowy and flattering.
Nothing.
I sink into the porch swing as my heart
matches the thump of the beat echoing against the wrap-around porch. I suck in
my gut and lift my heels so my legs won’t smoosh against the bench—a trick I
learned to instantly look a size smaller. My hands smooth over my jeans in the
hopes the fashion gods might reconsider.
Again, no such luck.
The driver’s door swings open, and Jay
leaps to the ground, sauntering up the graveled driveway to the porch. To me.
Now all that’s separating us is a white picket fence and sixteen years of my
inability to be normal in a social setting.
I’ll take Dying Alone for $200,
Alex.
He’s abandoned his usual work boots and
flannel for a tank top and canvas slip-ons. He’s obviously not supposed to be
working—so what’s he here for? Probably been in town with his friends doing
friend-ish things. As he works the gate latch, the muscles under his fair skin
flex, sending the hundred-degree temperature up another ten. He’s easily the
most attractive being on the planet I wish I had the nerve to talk to. I did
try once. But we don’t discuss The Dark Days.
Born and raised in a small town in Northern California, Deborah Maroulis is lucky enough to surround herself with the things and people she loves. She teaches English and mythology at her local community college, studies myth and depth psychology in her Ph.D. program, and writes contemporary Young Adult novels. She lives in a slightly bigger town than the one she grew up in with her husband, newly-adult children, and her daughter’s very spoiled, semi-retired service dog.You can find her on Twitter as @yaddathree or through her website, deborahmaroulis.com.
When she was twelve years old they took her childhood and named her property. When she was thirty-four she crawled to her freedom.
Esther spent two years clawing and scratching through her nightmares to take her life back.
For those two years he had been there – a quiet, solid presence that never failed her, even when she pushed him away.
HE HAD MADE HIS UNEASY PEACE WITH WHAT HE HAD.
John Valentine’s life had been little bits of heaven and huge chunks of hell. Now he focused on his sons and his land, and did his best to curb his need to be more to a woman who did not want more of him.
Until the day he discovered that she wanted all of him.
HE WOULD RECLAIM WHAT BELONGED TO HIM
Eli Babylon had led the Brotherhood of The Father. He was the rightful Leader, and The Wife was his. He had earned her and he would have her.
The reckoning was coming.
About the Author
Since I was old enough to pick up a book, I have been a voracious reader. I wrote the usual poetry and short stories in high school, but life happened and I kept the dream of writing in the back of my heart until opportunity and encouragement helped me to realize that dream.
Sit back and enjoy as I take you on a romantic journey with an edge.
