Bookshelf
Historical Romance and Family Sagas
Printed Books, Kindle Editions & multiple ebook formats from Smashwords. . .
Published by DALES LARGE PRINT BOOKS
To buy printed books, click: June Davies at Amazon
The Tide's Turn
Charlotte Vale, Will Jervis and Andrew Holcomb were childhood friends, but when Andrew left Whitby for America, Charlotte did not know he was forced to leave following the death of a young woman. When he returns she is overjoyed, and assumes Andrew will take over the family shipping firm, but he seems more interested in pleasure, leaving the running of the firm to his sister, Hester, assisted by Will. When Andrew suddenly marries, and expects Charlotte to become his wife's companion, she is forced to question whether she really knew Andrew at all . . .
The Faithless Heart
Betrayed by the one she thought she could trust . .
Orphan Catriona Dunbar leaves her grandmother's Scottish village home to pay a visit to her father's cousins, the Espleys, at their home, Pelham. On hearing of her grandmother's death, Samuel Espley insists he is now Catriona's guardian and forbids her to leave Pelham. She has befriended the mysterious hired help, Morgan Chappel, but he is jailed following allegations of wrecking and smuggling. Catriona must find out the truth about the shipwreck that killed her parents, if she is to prove Morgan's innocence, and avoid a forced marriage to Sir Julian Espley.
Betrayed by the one she thought she could trust . .
Orphan Catriona Dunbar leaves her grandmother's Scottish village home to pay a visit to her father's cousins, the Espleys, at their home, Pelham. On hearing of her grandmother's death, Samuel Espley insists he is now Catriona's guardian and forbids her to leave Pelham. She has befriended the mysterious hired help, Morgan Chappel, but he is jailed following allegations of wrecking and smuggling. Catriona must find out the truth about the shipwreck that killed her parents, if she is to prove Morgan's innocence, and avoid a forced marriage to Sir Julian Espley.
What Tomorrow May Bring
Laura is happy with things as they are . . Since their mother died, Laura Robbins has taken care of her brother James and little sister Becky while their father Ken is at sea. Now Ken is retiring, to retrain as a teacher, and the family are shocked when he tells them that on his last voyage from Hong Kong he is bringing home a new bride. The newlyweds' homecoming means changes for the whole family, but especially for Laura, who finds life increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, her romance with struggling market gardener David Hale is threatened by the arrival of Shaun Pembridge as a guest at the village inn where Laura works . . . Kindle and ebook editions newly available as The Family by the Shore 
The Dog Star Will the Dog Star guide her father safely home? With her father at sea on the packet Jenet Rae, Amy MacFarlane has to look after the family while working as a maid for the Paslew family. Amy is sure her sister fanny is making a mistake in marrying Theodore Buxton, especially when she overhears Theodore and his brother Nicholas arguing about a mysterious money-making scheme. When it looks as though Theodore has involved her brother Rory in criminal activities Amy looks for help, but should it be from Dan Ainsworth, her childhood friend, or from Gilbert Paslew, her employer's son? 
Over The Hills
Ellen Butterworth is pleased when her boyfriend Brian leaves the Navy after the War and is looking forwrd to their life together. However, Brian finds it difficult to settle down and keep a job. When her mother becomes ill, Ellen has to leave Brian in Liverpool and return to Yorkshire to help her sister Jeanette run the family shop. In the shop she meets widower Alex Munro and befriends his two children. After trying several enterprises, Brian eventually decides to join Ellen in Yorkshire, where it soon becomes evident that Jeanette is falling in love with him . . .
|
The Amethyst Necklace Can one young girl unlock the secrets of the past? Meirian Penlan is on her way to her new post at Blackthorn Manor when her coach is delayed by floods and she is rescued by the young Squire, James Caunce, who lives at Blackthorn with his widowed mother and younger brother, Lyall. Meirian is soon deeply involved in the estate and the lives of the villagers. She is puzzled by Lyall's strange behaviour, and threatened by the brutish bailiff Tod Weir, who seems to have some hold over the Caunce family. Can she solve the mystery and become the next bride to wear the Caunce family heirloom -- The amethyst necklace . . . |
Kindle Editions and multiple ebook formats
The Family by the Shore
An Air Mail letter and wallet of photographs from Hong Kong bring unexpected - and shocking - news for Laura Robbins and her younger brother and sister at Spryglass, the tall old family house facing the seashore on the wild Lancashire coast.
Since their mother died when Laura was fifteen, she has cared for James and little Becky at Spryglass while their father, Ken, was away at sea in the Merchant Navy. the children all miss him a great deal, but with Gran and Grandad Jessup living just a short distance away in the village and Laura's blossoming romance with David Hale, together with her interesting part-time job at Monk's Inn in Sandford village, Laura is happy and content with her life exactly as it is.
Dad's startling news from overseas, however, changes everything forever. As well as great happiness, the months ahead hold heartache, conflict and tragedy for the family at Spryglass, and for David Hale and Gran and Grandad Jessup too. David's relationship with Laura ends abruptly and painfully; his dreams and ambtions are suddenly in ruins and David is compelled to confront deceptions from his past when old, long-buried secrets come back to haunt him. Dan and Nancy need the strength and comfort of their family more than ever when the elderly couple face the gravest crisis of their whole lifetime together. And Laura . . . Laura is lonely and unhappy.
Riven by doubts and regret, she buries herself in work to numb the aching loss of all that meant most to her. Quite unexpectedly, she finds consolation in the undemanding company of Shaun Pembridge, a widely-travelled and rather mysterious young man who shows up in Sandford and takes a room at Monk's Inn. It is a friendship, however, which is to threaten Laura's whole future . . .
Buy Now
Over The Hills
World War II is over. Ellen Butterworth's sweetheart is demobbed from the Royal Navy and comes ashore so they can begin making a future together. Brian is restless and ambitious, however, finding it difficult to hold down a steady job and adjust to civilian life. An urgent telegram from Ellen's younger sister, Jeanette, interrupts the wedding plans and sees Ellen travelling through the night across country and over the Dow Hills to Whinforth, the prosperous Yorkshire wool town where she grew up. Dorothy Butterworth has been taken gravely ill, and while her mother's life hangs in the balance, Ellen abandons all notions of returning to Brian in Liverpool and moves back into the family home, helping Jeanette run the busy corner newsagent's shop which is the Butterworths' livelihood. As Dorothy slowly gains strength and begins a lengthy road to recovery, Ellen gradually settles into life in her old home town. She joins Jeanette, an accomplished singer and lively member of the local amateur dramatic society, at rehearsals of the Whinforth Players, begins getting to know the shop's regular customers, including widower Alec Munro and his young children, Peggy and Robbie. Her old roomate from Liverpool, Hilary Armitage, comes over to Yorkshire and visits the Butterworths whenever she can. Hilary's husband was lost during the War, and more than once Ellen has tried a little matchmaking in the hope her friend will once again find happiness and the chance of having the family she longs for. Brian has set his sights on starting up his own business. He arrives unannounced in Whinforth and much to Ellen's surprise and delight, declares he's there to stay. He intends putting down roots once and for all and marrying her as soon as it can be arranged! Overjoyed, Ellen takes him to meet her mother and sister -- but her heart sinks. For from the moment Ellen's vivacious younger sister appeared in the room, Brian hasn't been able to take his eyes from Jeanette . . . Buy Now The Amethyst Necklace |
The amethyst necklace had been at the heart of everything. Was at the heart of everything here at Blackthorn - and had been for centuries . . .
During a bitterly cold,stormy Winter's night, Meirian Penlan travels by stagecoach across country to take up an intriguing post at Blackthorn Manor. Wild and remote, Blackthorn lies amongst the great meres of Lancashire, surrounded by old superstitions, tales of witches and uncanny occurrences. When Meirian's coach is stranded at a disreputable tavern, it is Captain James Caunce, the young Squire of Blackthorn, who comes to her rescue. Together, they embark upon a hazardous journey through the night before finally reaching their destination; the ancient, timber-framed manor-house of Blackthorn, standing on high ground overlooking the deep and treacherous Swallowhole Mere, a lonely, thin place where eerie legends abound. Captain Caunce has only recently - and reluctantly - given up his commission in the Army and returned to Blackthorn after the sudden death of his father. James' mother, the independent and strong-willed Isabelle Caunce, has engaged Meirian to take over her duties at Blackthorn, and the young Welshwoman is soon caught up the day-to-day work of the estate and deeply concerned about the hardships of the villagers. She makes a dangerous enemy in the harsh and brutal bailiff, Tod Weir, who wields considerable power in Blackthorn and is privy to long-buried Caunce family secrets. Does Weir also know what happened to the amethyst necklace, wonders Meirian. Was he somehow involved with its mysterious disappearance from Isabelle Caunce's jewel casket more than eight years ago? Fashioned from plundered monastic gold and gemstones in the 1540s, the amethyst necklace was a Caunce heirloom passed down the generations and presented by the Squire to his bride upon their wedding morn. Meirian is drawn into a web of scandal, deception, blackmail and tragedy. Her trust and deepening love for James Caunce are torn apart. Stumbling upon a bundle of old love letters and a terrible secret, Meirian risks her own life not only to set right a dreadful wrong -- but to unravel the mysterious disappearance of the precious amethyst necklace . . . Buy Now |
The Dog Star
At Clockmakers Cottage on the rugged Lancashire coastline, Amy Macfarlene, her younger brother and sister, Edmund and Vicky, together with Aunt Anne Shawcross, are busy making ready for sister Fanny's wedding -- and apprehensive lest their father's packet Jenet Rae doesn't sail into Monks Quay harbour in time for him to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle at All Hallows!
However, it's more than that causing Amy sleepless nights. While working as a maid at Whiteladies Grange, home of the wealthy and powerful Paslew family, Amy overheard a bitter argument between Fanny's betrothed, Theodore Buxton, and his younger brother, Nicholas. Amy had never entirely trusted Theo, but now she's convinced he's involved with a fraudulent money-making enterprise that, despite Nicholas' fervent disapproval, Theo is utterly determined to carry through.
Fanny refuses to listen to Amy's warnings, and with Ramsay Macfarlene safely home and ashore, her wedding day is perfect in every way. Even wilful, fiery-tempered brother Rory is on his best behaviour! Suspicious after discovering Rory with a purse of gold sovereigns, Amy follows Rory when he steals away from Clockmakers Cottage in the dead of night, and witnesses a clandestine meeting between her brother and Theo. A bulky package and a pistol change hands, a deal is struck and the conspirators part, leaving Amy fearful not only for whatever lawless deed Rory has engaged with, but for Fanny's happiness and future -- and the well-being of the whole Macfarlene family.
She confides in childhood sweetheart and loyal friend, Dan Ainsworth. When Dan proposes, Amy is dismayed -- For more and more, it is not Dan Ainsworth who constantly fills her thoughts and stirs her heart, but Gilbert Paslew from Whiteladies Grange . . .
Buy Now
However, it's more than that causing Amy sleepless nights. While working as a maid at Whiteladies Grange, home of the wealthy and powerful Paslew family, Amy overheard a bitter argument between Fanny's betrothed, Theodore Buxton, and his younger brother, Nicholas. Amy had never entirely trusted Theo, but now she's convinced he's involved with a fraudulent money-making enterprise that, despite Nicholas' fervent disapproval, Theo is utterly determined to carry through.
Fanny refuses to listen to Amy's warnings, and with Ramsay Macfarlene safely home and ashore, her wedding day is perfect in every way. Even wilful, fiery-tempered brother Rory is on his best behaviour! Suspicious after discovering Rory with a purse of gold sovereigns, Amy follows Rory when he steals away from Clockmakers Cottage in the dead of night, and witnesses a clandestine meeting between her brother and Theo. A bulky package and a pistol change hands, a deal is struck and the conspirators part, leaving Amy fearful not only for whatever lawless deed Rory has engaged with, but for Fanny's happiness and future -- and the well-being of the whole Macfarlene family.
She confides in childhood sweetheart and loyal friend, Dan Ainsworth. When Dan proposes, Amy is dismayed -- For more and more, it is not Dan Ainsworth who constantly fills her thoughts and stirs her heart, but Gilbert Paslew from Whiteladies Grange . . .
Buy Now
New to Kindle . . .
The Faithless Heart
"Catriona Dunbar stood before her window at Pelham, tying the frayed ribbons of her camisole as she stared down across the wet gardens and beyond the weathered gate to the shore fields with their tall, coarse grasses and clumps of hardy sea hollies.
The tide was ebbing, the power of its great crashing waves spent as it receded, flat and grey and pin-cushioned with fine needles of November rain. A brigantine with furled sails bound for Liverpool was blurry on the distant horizon, almost like a ghost ship.
Almost like the Rhiannon, Catriona realised . ."
It is the morning of Catriona's wedding to her distant cousin, Julian Espley, Master of Pelham. Despairing, Catriona owns there is no one to blame for her plight but herself. Her own faithless heart has brought her to this day. And now, Morgan Chappel has been sighted down on the shore. If captured, Morgan will face the gallows for sure. Why has he returned to Friars Quay? To Pelham, where Catriona accused and betrayed him? Why? Why today, of all days?
Memories of the last occasion Catriona saw Morgan Chappel well before her eyes. Other memories swiftly crowd in; her home in the Scottish Highlands; the beloved sweetheart left so far behind. We slip back with her to sharply vivid recollections of another day, almost three years ago, when Catriona discovered she was to visit Pelham . . .
Buy Now
The tide was ebbing, the power of its great crashing waves spent as it receded, flat and grey and pin-cushioned with fine needles of November rain. A brigantine with furled sails bound for Liverpool was blurry on the distant horizon, almost like a ghost ship.
Almost like the Rhiannon, Catriona realised . ."
It is the morning of Catriona's wedding to her distant cousin, Julian Espley, Master of Pelham. Despairing, Catriona owns there is no one to blame for her plight but herself. Her own faithless heart has brought her to this day. And now, Morgan Chappel has been sighted down on the shore. If captured, Morgan will face the gallows for sure. Why has he returned to Friars Quay? To Pelham, where Catriona accused and betrayed him? Why? Why today, of all days?
Memories of the last occasion Catriona saw Morgan Chappel well before her eyes. Other memories swiftly crowd in; her home in the Scottish Highlands; the beloved sweetheart left so far behind. We slip back with her to sharply vivid recollections of another day, almost three years ago, when Catriona discovered she was to visit Pelham . . .
Buy Now
Coming next to ebooks . . .
|
