Victorian House

Cara Cooper’s third Christmas starts out as the best she’s ever known. As the daughter of a kitchen maid, she’s just old enough to be really excited. When a kind stranger appears and takes Cara to a beautiful house filled with toys and Christmas treats of every description, she is thrilled. Little does the toddler know that the kind stranger, Edna, has an ulterior motive. Now kidnapped, Cara’s life is set on a collision course with tragedy.

In the filth-ridden streets of East End in London, Young Elsie Griggs knows little more than grueling poverty and constant hunger. When Mama becomes ill, Elsie must get a job to support the family. But working as a personal maid in Whiston Manor proves a constant challenge for Elsie. The only good thing about the manor is Mrs. Whiston's grandson, the kind and charming Andrew - who is out of bounds to Elsie. She has no way of knowing a series of tragedies are barreling toward her that will rip her entire world apart, setting her on a new path. But will this new path include Andrew?

Bincy Hall was just seven years old when her mother abandoned her in a marketplace - a moment that will haunt Bincy forever. Discovered by the police, Bincy is taken to an orphanage, where she learns that Mama is not the only person who doesn't want her. In truth, nobody wants her, and Bincy is forced to cling to the orphanage bully Mae for comfort.

Lena Phillips has everything she could want: a father who adores her, a mother who spends hours reading to her, a nursery full of the most wonderful toys. Lena even has Sally Goodman, a doting governess. Lena is only four years old, and she's the happiest little girl in the whole wide world. As Christmas approaches, Lena grows more and more excited - unaware that a dark plot is brewing, and she will be caught in its tendrils.

The grandson of an unconventional marquis and son of a notorious woman, Elijah Watson, Marquis of Ridgefeld, has spent most of his life outside of London. His atypical upbringing has left him longing for roots and a traditional family life, and he's determined to live his life above reproach. When he meets Miss Samantha Pengarden, he believes he's found the woman he wants to marry - except she has other far more sensual ideas for him.

She’s crept back into the home she lost. He’s crept into her heart. Sophie Russell was once society’s darling. But after the disgrace and death of her father, she now finds all doors firmly shut to her - including those of her family home. To discover the secrets now hidden within its beloved walls, she’ll pose as a cook and spy on the estate’s new owner, a broodingly handsome viscount, who may have schemed against the Russells. Instead of dishing up the truth, the viscount tempts Sophie with delicacies of his own…

This box set contains four novellas in the best-selling Magnificent Devices steampunk series.

On a cold, lonely Christmas Eve, 15-year-old Dovie Ellis gives birth to a baby girl she names Christmas. Lost and afraid in the world, Dovie flees, abandoning her child that very same night.

After Tabetha Barkley’s mother passes away, she finds herself near destitute and without work experience. Out of options, Tabetha pays a visit to the duchess of Devon to call in an old favor owed to her mother. Thomas Kingston proudly serves the duke of Devon’s household, never dreaming of more, until Miss Tabetha Barkley shows up in the duchess’ drawing room. Tabetha and Thomas grow more fond of each other by the day. Before long, their hearts are engaged, but their circumstances demand they remain unattached.

When Christina Van Pelt is let go from her teaching position, she feels lost and rejected. Teaching meant everything to her, and without it, she wonders if she truly has a purpose. A letter from a family friend inviting her to come teach in Denver brings her to life again and she eagerly agrees to make the trip, but when she arrives, she finds that the plans have gone horribly awry. John Hall has been teaching in the Denver schoolhouse for five years while also trying to see to the needs of his aging mother.

Lady Sybil Fallow, heartbroken after four stillbirths and desperate to provide her husband with an heir, secretly adopts a baby girl, Charlotte, from a destitute family. However, the deception does little to heal her fractured marriage with Lord Irvin Fallow.

When Belva, six, is abandoned at the workhouse, she naively believes her mother, Grace, will come back for her. In the bleakness of her new reality, she also misses her dear friend, Hayden, who always made her laugh. Hayden, nine, doesn’t know where his friend Belva has gone. She’s nowhere to be found, no matter how much he searches for her. As he grapples with the responsibilities of caring for his siblings, he makes a solemn vow—to reunite with Belva, no matter the cost.

For Hanna, married life hasn’t been what she hoped for at all. She and her husband live with his mother and five rowdy younger siblings. Otto isn’t romantic or even seems to take much notice of her. Hanna is feels invisible and miserable. Will she ever find her place in this big, busy family? Should they take Eugene Munro’s threats seriously? Will the accidents around the farm force the family to abandon the land they love? Roll up your sleeves and join Hanna as she and her new family fight against the man who’s determined to put an end to the town called Hope.

Maeve Fitzpatrick has always been brave. Moving from Ireland to America was just a big adventure to her, but the reality has turned out to be so much less than she imagined. Living in grey and dreary Pittsburgh is hardly her dream come true! But she is not one to ever give up on herself - or her goals - and so she places an advertisement to find herself a husband, eager for the opportunity that another change of scenery might bring. But there are obstacles to face that she has never considered, obstacles she cannot change alone.

Will Ryan is a busy man. He has a farm that he has finally managed to get in good heart and is one of the town deputies. He is gentle and the kind of man who can always be relied upon to help anyone in trouble. When Anna responds to his advertisement for a bride, he knows he must help her - even if it costs him the chance to love again. He prays that if he can make this sweet woman's life better that he will finally achieve redemption from his own past. But can he really ever forget and forgive himself for what happened to Alice?

Melinda is the only woman who can touch his heart. Clay yearns for a family to love. Together, they brave more than physical dangers to find what they both seek. Clay is dedicated to the people of his town, but no one knows his secrets: The nightmares that plague him every night; the roiling anger that often simmers just beneath the surface; the seemingly innocuous sounds that unexpectedly startle him. Can Clay find peace and become the man he once was? Will Melinda risk her future on a tormented man? Can Thomas Miller overcome his resentment toward the ex-Confederate soldier?