Showing results by author "Nicola Italia" in All Categories

A vanished sister. A spooky village. A killer hiding in plain sight. When Imogene York stumbles upon a long-lost letter hinting at the fate of her sister Felicity who has been missing for over a decade, it leads her to the village of Linwood. Posing as a secretary in the powerful Linwood household, Imogene begins a covert investigation into Felicity’s disappearance. Her only confidant is Spencer St. George, the village architect with secrets of his own. As fellow outsiders, they forge a connection that transcends mere friendship. But as their bond deepens, so do the dangers that surround ...

🌒 In the Victorian era, a cheap and popular form of entertainment has entranced the population often known by the name; penny dreadful. Costing a penny, readers purchased the stories and entered the fantastic world of superhuman men and damsels in distress. 🌒 The stories have been popular for over fifty years and Lavinia Howard is a young woman who dreams of being such a writer. Having recently lost her father, she turns to a family friend who puts her in touch with Jasper Courtenay, owner of Courtenay Publishing. 🌒 Writing under the pen name G. R. Howard, Lavinia creates a ...

💗 A Sexy, Romantic love story 💗 🔥 In the Arabian desert, powerful Sheik Mohammed is master of all. He is a man whose word is supreme and his people look to him for guidance and support. Yet when a young blonde Englishwoman is brought before him as a slave to be sold, he is captivated. He pays an outrageous sum and forces her to join his harem though Katharine refused to bend to his will. 🔥Katharine Fairfax is the youngest daughter of English landed gentry. An educated beauty, she lives a privileged life until she rebuffs an older Baron’s proposition that she become his ...

☀️ Intelligent and lovely Emma Hayward is the pride and joy of her father, renowned archaeologist Rupert Hayward. Having graduated from college, Emma is intent on following in her father’s footsteps to become an archaeologist in her own right. ☀️ After extensive research from decades of digging in Egypt, Rupert believes there remains an undiscovered intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings. With financial backing secured, Rupert decides to bring his family to Egypt, and Emma is thrilled to begin excavation on her first official dig. ☀️ When the Haywards arrive in Egypt, Emma is ...

In the Arabian palace of the sheik, serious and lovely Isabelle Fairfax is surrounded by her doting family; servants and wants for nothing. When she comes of age, she decides to travel to France to live with the Carmelite nuns who are a cloistered sect; much to the shock of her parents. Once in France, she becomes a link to the outside world for the nuns and her days are spent in prayer, solitude and bartering for goods in the small village. Meanwhile less than fifty miles away, a new French government is forming in Paris and Nicolas de Lieurrey is at the center of it. Trained at the ...

Tamzen St. Aubin is a quiet girl who adores her older brother Benjamin. When Ben joins the Royal Navy, his family expects great things from him and a grand future. But Ben is only at sea for six months when his ship is attacked by pirates and he is killed. His death sets in motion a chain of events and greatly alters Tamzen’s own destiny. Young and naïve, Tamzen decides to learn the skills of fighting and swordplay to take measures into her own hands and avenge her brother’s death. After years of training, Tamzen bands together a trusted crew and a family friend and takes to the sea in...

Orchidmania has gripped England 🌸 At the end of the Victorian era, Orchid Mania has gripped the wealthy and aristocratic men of England. Collectors are willing to spend a small fortune to obtain the rare flowers from distant lands. Lord Holloway, president of the Royal Horticultural Society in London, has decided to finance an expedition team to Ceylon to capture one of the rarest orchids on earth. 🌸 Frances Wakefield is an educated woman and a gifted illustrator and has traveled throughout Europe documenting various plants and flowers for the Society. When she is handpicked by Lord ...

Audrey Wakefield, the eldest daughter of the local vicar, is known for her beauty and intelligence. Life in her small town is simple and carefree. However, when her father dies of consumption, her family is plunged into chaos as their lives are uprooted. Henry Ryland is a lawyer by trade, as well as a board guardian for the local workhouse in Norwich. Though Audrey has no experience, Henry agrees to allow her to join the workhouse as the schoolmistress on a trial basis. He’s immediately drawn to the spirited, beautiful young woman and her strength. Audrey soon learns that nothing is what ...

💗 Mysterious Sebastian Fairfax lives a life of ease as secretary to the British Ambassador in France. Living in Paris before the revolution, the handsome foreigner cuts a dashing figure and is respected by men, admired by women. One evening, he becomes intrigued with an intelligent young woman named Sophie Gauvreau, whom he meets at a celebrated salonist’s home. 💗 Though the auburn-haired beauty attracts his attention, she is not what she seems. Educated and privileged Sophie has secretly started writing revolutionary pamphlets under a pseudonym as France teeters on the brink of a ...

🌺 Emmeline Bell, the only daughter of a well-known London solicitor, is intelligent, beautiful, and well loved by her family and friends. 🌺 Nigel Carey, the second son of Lord Marham, is quiet and reserved yet secretly pines to call Emme his own. When Nigel proposes, Emme accepts it without love knowing the match will give her a comfortable life. She is unaware that Nigel's dark and mysterious older brother, Everett, heir to the earldom, also holds a deep desire for her. 🌺 Arriving a week early to a mutual friend's annual winter house party, Emme and Everett strike up an unexpected...

👒 In high-society Boston, Lily Fitzpatrick is the pampered daughter of newspaper mogul Phineas Fitzpatrick. Born to an immigrant Irish family, Phineas has created The Bostonian newspaper and crafted it into one of the most widely read papers on the East Coast. 👒 But his great success comes at a price. At the turn of the century, Phineas allows his journalists to practice yellow journalism. The stories he publishes are only partly true and extremely slanted with one goal in mind: to sell newspapers. 👒 When a young politician’s son is arrested for a murder he claims was self-...

On the English stage, the Belle of London is born… During the late Victorian era, Amelia Westcott is without family and few friends and is forced to make her way in the world. Talented and beautiful, she takes to the London stage and attracts the attention of numerous powerful and wealthy men including the Prince of Wales. But a close friend of the Prince’s is little impressed with the lovely actress. Christopher "Kit" Beaumont is not taken in by Amelia's charms and believes she is a gold digger set to sink her claws into any man who will give her a comfortable life. Kit knows nothing ...

🌙 Detective Chief Inspector Valentine Pierce is the second son of an Earl who has had to make his way in the world by joining the Metropolitan Police in London. He is respected and well regarded until a series of murders thrusts him into the spotlight. 🌙 Nicknamed the Primrose Strangler, a killer is running loose on the streets of London, strangling women and leaving behind his signature--a white primrose with each victim. When Val’s own fiancée is killed, the case becomes personal. 🌙 When a fourth woman is murdered, Val comes face to face with her sister, Caroline Derry. ...

🍋During the time of the Great War, one Italian immigrant family struggles to find their place in the United States. The three Leone sisters love and care for each other, but each is distinctly different and looks for their own niche in the changing world around them. 🍋 Rosalia is the middle sister, devoted to her family and God. When she falls in love with the shy and kind Dan, it is against his mother’s wishes. His family tradition dictates Dan must join the priesthood, but in his heart, he wants nothing more than to take Rosa as his bride. But how can Rosa, who puts so much ...

🌿When Emily Clairmont's husband is tragically struck down by typhoid fever after only a few months of blissful domesticity, Emily finds herself heartbroken and completely alone in the world. Having lost her mother in childbirth and her father right before her marriage, she has no choice but to seek a position as a governess. She reaches out to her husband’s family solicitor, Quinn Westbourne, hoping that he may be able to help her. 🌿 Quinn takes one look at the young and beautiful Emily and decides that a job as a governess will not do. He writes instead to the father-in-law she's ...

🌹 In Alta California, the three daughters of Don Francisco de la Rosa are well known for their beauty and charm. Nereida, the youngest daughter, is sweet natured and kind while Narcisa, the middle daughter, is sensual and flirtatious. However, it is the eldest daughter, Natalia, whose beauty and spirit captivates their neighbor, Cruz Villareal. 🌹A Californio with Spanish blood, Cruz is captivated by Natalia the moment he sees her riding at breakneck speed across the lush green grass of Santa Barbara. He vows that the Sonora beauty will belong to him and no other. 🌹 Natalia is at ...

🌿In Victorian era London, educated beauty Alexandria Ellsworth hastily accepts a marriage proposal after a broken engagement leaves her reputation in question. She knows little of her intended husband Edmund Bainbridge but is assured that he will offer her a comfortable, secure life. 🌿 When Edmund spots the green-eyed beauty at a posh London tea room he decides she and no other will be his wife and he whisks her away to his tea plantation in Ceylon. However once in Ceylon, Edmund loses interest in his new bride and becomes distant and cold neglecting her for long periods of time. 🌿...

Elizabeth Suzannah Dupree lives a pampered life on a Georgia plantation surrounded by her family and friends. “Zasu,” as she is affectionately known, wants nothing more than to run the orange grove plantation when her father retires and live her life in peace. She has no use for society parties, gossip, or even worse, a husband. Which suits the men of Savannah just fine, for, as beautiful as she may be, no one wants an independent, business-minded woman like Zasu for a wife. But when Zasu meets dashing lawyer Gray Talbot, everything changes. Serious and quiet, Gray doesn't wave away her...

Old sins cast long shadows… In the late Victorian era, steel magnate Solomon Stanford is a domineering tyrant whose will is as formidable as the metal he creates. He is a hard, cruel man known for his business prowess and feared more than respected. His daughter, Evelyn Stanford, is a kind, intelligent woman using her father’s wealth to create a village school to help the less fortunate children. When her father engages brash young solicitor Rafe Griffin as his general counsel, Evelyn detests the handsome man on the spot. Rafe is too much like her father, ruthlessly determined to have ...

🌟On a Mississippi Plantation, Ruby Mae Sutton throws herself into the arms of the only man she has ever loved, Ford Rutledge. At fifteen years old, she has given her heart away and is not ashamed to brazenly declare her love to the twenty-five-year-old man, who is also the fiancé of her sister. 🌟 But Ford has no intention of taking advantage of the blond beauty, even though her reckless behavior causes his engagement to be broken. Ruby is sent off in disgrace to a boarding school in Connecticut, where she remains for the next three years. 🌟 Once in Connecticut, Ruby discovers her ...