From acclaimed historical novelist Deborah Swift, Pleasing Mr Pepys is the story of diarist Samuel Pepys' London, vibrantly told through the eyes of his maid.

Deb Willet is desperate to escape her domineering aunt and takes a position as companion to Elisabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife. Deb believes it will give her the respectability and freedom she craves - but it proves far more complicated than she could ever have imagined.

London is still in ruins from the Great Fire. Although Charles II has been restored to the throne, there is the prospect of war with the Dutch - the world's great sea power of the era. In the midst of this tumult strides Samuel Pepys, diarist and man of note.

Pepys' influence in Restoration London means that the Dutch are keen to get their hands on his secrets - even if that means murder, espionage and blackmail to get them. Deb is soon caught up in a web of deception and double-dealing. And with Mr Pepys' attentions turned towards her, there's a lot more than treason at stake...

Selling other people's secrets is a dangerous game...

1940, Jersey

When Nazi forces occupy Jersey in the English Channel Islands, Céline Huber, who is married to a German, must decide where her loyalty lies.

Love for her island, and fear for her Jewish friend Rachel, soon propel her into a dangerous double life.

Meanwhile, Céline’s husband Fred is conscripted into the Wehrmacht in occupied France.

Horrified by Nazi acts of atrocity and torture, he soon becomes a double agent for the French Resistance.

But when things go wrong, and his Nazi masters discover his true allegiance, he finds he has the whole of the German Army on his tail.

How far will Céline go for her best friend? Will Fred make his way home to her?

Or will their lives be changed forever by the brutality of war?

1945, Carnforth, England

Young sweethearts Rhoda and Peter were torn apart by the outbreak of the Second World War. Though engaged to be married, their plans were interrupted when Peter enlisted, only to be captured by the German army and interred in a prisoner-of-war camp.

Left at home and with only sporadic news from Peter, Rhoda has spent years apart from her fiancé, with no guarantees that he will return home.

When a film crew arrives to capture the iconic scenes for David Lean’s Brief Encounter, Rhoda finds herself caught up in a love affair of her own…

Ten years later, Rhoda and Peter are married, but their relationship is hanging by a thread.

What secrets have they hidden from each other over the years? How did Peter manage to survive the brutal war years? And did Rhoda ever get over the man who captured her heart…?

As they both reflect on their past encounters they have to decide if they can ever rebuild a relationship which was shattered by the war…

1942, Nazi-occupied Norway

Schoolteacher Astrid Dahl has always kept out of trouble. But when she is told to teach the fascist Nazi curriculum, she refuses and starts a teacher’s rebellion, persuading eight thousand teachers to go on strike.

The Germans arrest her, and terrified of what punishment her trial might bring, she is forced to go into hiding.

Astrid's boyfriend, Jørgen Nystrøm, has joined the Norwegian Resistance. When his cover is blown he escapes to Shetland where he is taken on as crew for the Shetland Bus; a dangerous clandestine operation of small fishing boats that supply arms and intelligence to war-torn Norway.

In Shetland, hearing Astrid is in trouble, Jørgen sets off through enemy waters to meet her.

But the Nazis have a spy on Shetland and have been tipped off about the Shetland Bus.

With the enemy in pursuit from both directions, will Astrid and Jørgen be able to find each other?

Or will they be separated forever by the brutal Nazi regime?

England 1651

England has been engaged in a bitter Civil War for nearly ten years. Ralph Chaplin, a farmer’s son, has fallen for beautiful copper-haired Kate. There is only one problem – he is a Roundhead soldier and she is a Royalist lady.

Tired of bloodshed, Ralph volunteers to fight, sensing that the Battle at Worcester will be a chance to finish the fighting for good. He longs for peace, so he can forge a secure future and find a different, more equal way of life for himself and Kate with his rebel friends, the Diggers.

But war is not what he imagined, and soon he has made a deadly enemy; one who will pursue Ralph and those he loves, and wreak vengeance. What’s more, Ralph finds he has just as many enemies at home, as on the battlefield.

Can Ralph protect his family – and Kate?

England 1651.

The English Civil War is over, but the wounds of the conflict are still raw. Young Lady Katherine Fanshawe is determined to save her inheritance from the grasping hands of Cromwell, and build a brighter future for herself. Although Kate knows it is dangerous, she invites her rebel friends to live and work at Markyate Manor. But her plans are blown apart when, after months of hard work, her controlling stepfather returns unexpectedly, and evicts them all.

Kate’s friends are bitter and turn against her, accusing her of being cursed, a bringer of misfortune. Desperate to regain their sympathy and trust, she turns to highway robbery to pay them back. But Kate is not the only highway thief on the road, and her rival is intent on bloodshed and murder. Soon the local constable is hot on her trail for crimes she did not commit.

Just when Kate thinks things can’t get worse, another secret from within begins to reveal itself – a secret that threatens her very life. In this struggle against her loveless family, militant authorities and an unforgiving winter, will Lady Katherine’s birthright turn out to be a blessing… or a curse?

Genteel Englishwoman Elspet Leviston has always managed her father's lace business and expects to continue in his footsteps. So when her hot-headed cousin Zachary Deane appears from nowhere, his arrival in her life is like an earthquake.

Zachary has no love at all for Leviston's Lace, and when her father dies unexpectedly, Elspet is horrified to find her inheritance is tied to her cousin's and her house belongs to him. But by now, Zachary has gone on a Grand Tour, and he is in Spain. Determined to regain her rightful inheritance, she must leave her beloved England and go to Seville in search of him.

Zachary is in training at the sword school of the charismatic Senor Alvarez, and here, in the searing heat and dust of Spain, Elspet's real journey begins. A journey that throws her into one of the most turbulent moments of Spain's history, and leads her to question everything she has ever known about her country, her faith and herself.

May 1651.

England is in the midst of a bitter civil war and the King is getting ready to make his last stand against Cromwell’s New Model Army. Abigail Chaplin, a young deaf girl, has lost her father to the Roundhead cause. But with her family now in reduced circumstances, she is forced to work as a servant in the house of her enemies – Markyate Manor, belonging to Royalist Lady Katherine Fanshawe.

Abi is soon caught up in a web of sinister secrets which surround the Fanshawe estate, the most mysterious being the disappearance of Lady Katherine late at night. When Lady Katherine falls for Abi’s brother, a Roundhead, Abi’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Can she keep both her mistress and her brother out of danger?

A tale of adventure and budding romance set in the turbulent English Civil War, this is a novel to delight teens and adults alike. Includes historical notes from the author.

Shadow On The Highway is based on the life and legend of Lady Katherine Fanshawe, the highwaywoman, sometimes known as ‘The Wicked Lady’. It is the first book in The Highway Trilogy for young adults (and adults!)

In 1767, Jeanne Baret, a French girl, disguised herself as a boy and signed up as botanist's assistant aboard an exploration ship bound for the South Pacific with 200 crewmen. THE SECRET OF JEANNE BARET tells the true, untold story of the first woman ever to circumnavigate the Earth. This real-life adventuress with big dreams and amazing grit had been lost to history. . . . until now.

The Seven Years War rages and the British frigate Renown returns to sea
and the many lives she's ferried turn upside down in this second book of the
award-winning series.

Abraham, an English shipwright, and his wife Yvette confront childlessness
and poverty in mid-1700s London until help comes from his old friend,
Captain Shirley. Unspeakable acts change Shirley's life and transform Abraham,
at a dear cost.

Off the coast of France, Captain Mackenzie sails the frigate Renown into
action, but the politics of Lord Fortrose force him into an unbearable assignment.
The Siege of Havana tests his skills, but will it vindicate him?

In this compelling story, historical and fictional characters' morality and villainy
collide with the final unexpected revelations rocking their destinies.

In late summer 1742, shipwright Abraham Robinson leaves London to work at France's great shipyard in Brest where his life changes dramatically. There he falls in love with Yvette, only to lose both his position and lover as war begins. Returning to England, the navy presses him to serve as a ship's carpenter, tearing him from his plans. Great sea battles, dangerous escapes, and ravaging fires challenge Abraham and Yvette's lives from London to the colonies of North America. Throughout, historical and fictional characters cross their paths to help and hinder, but not all survive to achieve their goals in this first book of the Tween Sea and Shore Series.

A free PDF Addendum to the book can be downloaded at: https://stockmanbooks/downloads that contains a character list, nautical glossary, ship diagrams, maps, and other information to make reading the book more enjoyable.

18th and 19th century Eastern Europe, during the rise of the Haiduk movement.

Sirma has spent the first 18 years of her life as a happy and hardworking Slavic girl in her quiet mountain village. One day, her world is shattered when she loses her two best friends to a gang of outlaws. The village elders do nothing because they fear the wrath of Hamza Bei – the head outlaw in the area.

Not long after, the outlaws attack her village, and Sirma is fed up with keeping quiet. On St. George’s day, she disguises herself as a man and takes the lead of her own Haiduk gang dedicated to protecting the mountain villages and searching for Hamza Bei to put a stop to his tyranny.

But the way of a Haiduk is harsh and merciless. Clashing with outlaws in life and death battles, surviving the mountain wilderness, and keeping her men from becoming the scoundrels they’ve sworn to fight are all challenges she must face. Not to mention, her comrades don’t even know she is a woman.