Urban Historical

They are icons of the literary world whose soaring works have been discussed and analyzed in countless classrooms, homes, and pubs. Yet for most listeners, the living, breathing human beings behind the classics have remained unknown - until now. In this utterly captivating audiobook, Dr. Elliot Engel, a leading authority on the lives of great authors, illuminates the fascinating and flawed members of literature's elite. In lieu of stuffy biographical sketches, Engel provides fascinating anecdotes.

Seventeenth-century Amsterdam is a city in the grip of tulip mania, basking in the wealth it has generated. Sophia’s husband Cornelis, an ageing merchant, is among those grown rich from this exotic new flower. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his young bride. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between Sophia and the painter; and as ambitions, desires and dreams breed an intricate deception, their reckless gamble propels their lives towards a thrilling and tragic conclusion.

Nationally best-selling fantasy legend Mercedes Lackey created a vivid, dynamic fusion of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of ancient Egypt with the most exciting, authentic and believable portrayal of dragons ever imagined. In the second novel in Mercedes Lackey's richly conceived Dragon Jousters series, the dragonrider Vetch escapes to Alta, the subjugated land of his birth. There, he hopes to teach his people to raise and train dragons - and build an army that will liberate his homeland.

Despite a powerful snowstorm that has shut down the city, Silver and the Mageri crew are preparing to spend a peaceful holiday at home, surrounded by family, food, and merriment. But the party comes to an abrupt end when Logan receives an unexpected call, one that forces him to make a life-changing decision that could affect his relationship with Silver forever. Can they find the courage to weather the storm? Lives are at risk in this compelling and heartwarming story about the remarkable journey of love.

Rumor said the powerful Nicolai DeMarco could command the heavens, that the beasts below did his bidding... and that he was doomed to destroy the woman he took as wife. It was whispered he was not wholly human - as untamed as his tawny mane and slashing amber eyes. Impoverished aristocrat Isabella Vernaducci would defy death itself to rescue her imprisoned brother. She’d even brave the haunted, accursed lair of the lion - the menacing palace of legendary, lethal Don Nicolai DeMarco.

Seraphina Winyard is something feared by many…a woman mage. When she comes of age, Sera is determined to seize control of her life, but she faces opposition from an unknown opponent.

These stories present electric messiahs, identity constructs, the Beatles, and even a nuclear Armageddon, which serve as comic foils for Lain's everyman characters. Here is an America where packets of Sea Monkeys arrive in the mail containing secret messages, and the girl next door can breathe underwater. With Last Week's Apocalypse, Douglas Lain arrives with a punch line and a warning.

Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother's kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border...well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage.

Just as Lady Victoria Gardella is preparing for her debut into London Society, she learns the shocking and impossible truth about her family legacy: she is one of the very few who has the power—and responsibility—to hunt and slay the evil vampires that infest the city. With infinite questions (where will she hide her stake? how will she know a vampire when she encounters one? how will she sneak out at night?), Victoria agrees to shoulder the responsibility and carry the stake—despite the societal restrictions and expectations of her as a female.

He’s one of my father’s guards at the castle. Goes by the name Mastodon. There’s something about him I don’t like. He takes me into a cavern, and we descend deep underground - to the Bottom of the Cliffs. When I leave for the Capital, Mastodon escorts me. And just as I feared, he kills my guards and captures me. Then he tells me why he’s doing this. Because my family took everything from him - and now he’s about to do the same.

Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations. But the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light.

Tanyth Fairport makes her way through the Lammas Wood to discover the last of the Old Witch Women isn't exactly what she expected. When greedy businessmen from the mainland threaten those she loves, Tanyth must put aside her fear, and give herself over to her gifts. A journey 20 winters in the making may come to naught, when Tanyth learns the secret of The Hermit of Lammas Wood.

After a hurricane destroyed their city, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson have rebuilt New Orleans to even greater glory. The year is 1766. The witches live on the fringes in the bayou. The werewolves have fled. But still Klaus isn't satisfied. He wants more. He wants power. But when Klaus finally finds a witch who will perform a spell to give him what he desires most, she secretly uses Klaus to unleash a curse - one that brings back hundreds of her ancestors - and begins a war to reclaim New Orleans.

Matrona lives in an isolated village, where her life is centered on pleasing her parents. She's diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life. Entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a strange collection of painted nesting dolls - one for every villager.

As they blunder towards doom, Warlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson find themselves inconvenienced by a variety of eldritch beings. Christmas brings a goose that doesn't let being cooked slow it down; they meet an electricity demon, discover why being a redhead is even trickier than one might imagine, and Holmes attempts an Irish accent. And, naturally, Moriarty is hanging around...in some form or other.

During the wedding festivities of his king, Cyan Dag, a knight of Gloinmere, is sought out by a mysterious bard and told a terrifying tale: that the king has married a false queen - a lie cloaked in ancient and powerful sorcery. Spurred on by his steadfast honor and loyalty, Cyan departs on a dangerous quest to rescue the real queen from her tower prison, to prevent war, and to awaken magic in a land that has lost its way.

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.

Laura Caxton vowed never to face them again. The horror of what the vampires did is too close, the wounds too fresh. But when Jameson Arkeley, broken and barely recognizable, comes to her with an unfathomable, unholy discovery, her resolve crumbles.

Set in 1450 Paris, this thrilling supernatural suspense novel follows the harrowing journey of an Italian merchant and the beautiful widow of a French duke as they battle wolves and the Inquisition. From Wall Street Journal best-selling author Michael Wallace, The Wolves of Paris has been hailed for its superb plot and gripping, pause-resisting action scenes.