Book Blurb: A Love Affair Inspiring the World's Most Unforgettable Operas Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi's most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius. Set again

BOOK EXCERPT: Frankfurt November 1938 Gustav carefully navigated the streets to the shop. It was normally a five-minute walk, but broken glass was everywhere and Gustav needed to be careful. To complicate matters, Nazi brownshirts were still in the streets, looking to inflict more damage. Everywhere Gustav looked, there were broken windows and defaced storefronts. They lived in the East End of Frankfurt – often called the Jewish section – and the hoodlums knew where to focus

Book Blurb: London Oxford was prepared to do whatever it took to get to the promised land, but can he get his family safely across the border? Young Abner Oxford has kept something of his mother's. Something else needs what he has. It's patient, can be quite disarming, and has a monstrous, fierce appetite. Abner and his family, along with a caravan of sleighs, are moving north. The frigid cold and the blinding white have made the adults slow, weary, and numb. Very few questio

BOOK EXCERPT: Alex found himself in a small formal room off the main portego, talking to a group of masked women, all seemingly competing for his attention and laughing eagerly at his every word although he said very little. They pressed upon him endless information regarding the delights of Venice, the best shops, the best coffee places, and of course more invitations to visit their own Palazzos and their upcoming soirees as part of the Season’s festivities. Eager to distrac

Book Blurb: Berlin, January 1949. The city stands divided, its future uncertain. In the icy grip of winter, the Soviet Union blocks all road, rail, and canal access to the Western sectors of Berlin. Cut off from the outside world, the people of West Berlin teeter on the edge of survival. But three air corridors remain—narrow lifelines the Soviets dare not close without provoking war. From the skies, the Western Allies launch a bold response: a massive airlift of food, coal,

Book Blurb: In the founding of Rome, Romulus was guided by the gods and his visions. Centuries later, Augustus, Rome's first emperor, calls upon those same forces to navigate civil war, assassination attempts, and his own inner demons. But when he crosses paths with Kamala, an oracle from India, their unexpected bond alters the course of history. Mask of Romulus is a tale of love and destiny, of warriors and rulers, battling not just for the empire's future, but for their ve

Book Blurb: "Deus Lo Vult!" Gilles is the natural son of the Earl Waltheof, executed by William the Conqueror for supposed treachery. Raised in Normandy by Queen Matilda of England, Gilles is a young servant of Robert, Duke of Normandy, when the first call for a Holy War against the infidel and for the liberation of Jerusalem is raised in Christendom. Along with thousands of others, inspired by a variety of motives, intense piety mixed with a sense of adventure and the prospe

HFC Book of the Year Contest: Deadline Approaching! Are you an author eager to showcase your literary talents? The HFC Book of the Year contest is just around the corner, with the submission deadline set for **November 29, 2025**. This is an excellent opportunity for writers to gain recognition and celebrate their work within the literary community. About the Contest The HFC Book of the Year contest aims to honor outstanding literary contributions across various genres. Whe

Book Blurb: Over 200 years after the death of Louis-Benoit Zamor, the saga inspired by his life comes to an end. As the French Révolution devolves to the brutal Reign of Terror , the executioner's constant hush-swish song of the guillotine's blade rends the Parisian air with cruel indifference. But Louis-Benoit Zamor is determined to survive his own hunt, even if it means severing his connection with Jeanne du Barry. Driven by the mysteries of his past, Zamor will journey fo

BOOK EXCERPT Rome, September 1644 As soon as Mia opened the door Donna Olimpia came straight in, looking side to side as if to check no-one could see her. Mia extended a hand in greeting. ‘This way, honoured Signora.’ ‘What’s that smell?’ ‘Lavender, Signora. For making the linen smell sweet.’ She indicated the stairs and the woman went ahead of her, heavy feet and thick ankles under her richly embroidered black skirts. At the top Mia pointed to the door off the piano nobile

BOOK EXCERPT: Suzanne and Adrian accepted the contessa’s invitation to dinner for the first week in January. She said there were people she wanted them to meet. Adrian speculated they were people of influence who might be able to help him locate Simon. He looked forward to the dinner. Paul met them in the lobby and rode them up to the contessa’s apartment. When they got off the elevator, Paul took their coats and led them into the parlor. A group of six surrounded the contess

BOOK EXCERPT While she hovered, still in the doorway, bright white light illuminated mountain, cloud and town. Jagged sheets of lightning cast their glow through the doorway, through the high window, through even the gaps beneath eaves and between bricks, invading the furthest reaches of the space before her. Bringing each figure into startling clarity. The light drew both men’s gazes towards the doorway. Her husband saw her first; his eyes widened. His lips formed words. She

BOOK EXCERPT Drake Swaggers In Spring, 1588, Dartington Hall Sudden sprays of rain, as hard as volleys of sharp arrows, pelted the window and shook me from slumber. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I realised Gawen was leaning over me as I lay on our marriage bed. I scrambled to sit up and saw that the sky had grown even darker. I must have slept through the afternoon. ‘Good to see you resting. Take good care of the little knave you carry!’ He reached over and patted the mound

Book Blurb: Moving among generations of a German-Jewish-American family, "Red Anemones" is a poignant exploration of the intricate bonds, untold secrets, and unspoken legacies our ancestors bestow upon us. Natalie Barlow's journey of self-discovery begins when her estranged mother's sudden death releases a storm of unrevealed family secrets reaching back to pre-WWI Germany. As Natalie navigates the complexities of her newly discovered Jewish identity and her ancestral heritag

BOOK EXCERPT In 1914, newspapers reported the crisis as it unfolded across the country and shocked the world, sliding into war. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the turning of neutral Belgium, and Britain’s declaration of war began an era. They called it the war to end all wars. James Rushworth could still recall the moment he got the news.He could hear the excitement in the stone masons’ yard in Huddersfield, where he was an apprentice. He felt the call of duty

Book Blurb: The turbulent history of Post-Reconstruction New Orleans collides with the plight of Sicilian immigrants seeking refuge in America. Antonio, a young man fleeing Sicily after avenging his father's murder, embarks on a harrowing journey to New Orleans with the help of Jesuit priests expelled from his homeland. But the promise of a fresh start quickly sours as Antonio finds himself entangled in a volatile clash of cultures, corruption, and crime. In the late 19th cen

Book Blurb: When desperate choices mean the difference between life and death. Inspired by true events, Bright One tells the story of Jetti Finkelthal, Lisajoy Sachs' great-grandmother. In Czernowitz, Romania, this young Jewish mother is forced to face impossible choices as the world begins to collapse around her. As antisemitism tightens its grip and war edges ever closer, Jetti holds fast to her daughter, Berta, with the fragile belief that love and courage might still car

Book Blurb: An epic of love, survival, and the fall of empires In the shadow of a burning world, two souls must choose between the past they cherish and the future they fear. Spring, 1190 BCE. On the glittering coast of the eastern Mediterranean, the city of Ugarit thrives-its markets vibrant, its libraries vast, its people unaware that the world they know is about to vanish. Yoninah, a healer steeped in ancient wisdom, tends to the wounded and the grieving with herbs, charms

Book Blurb: Coming soon! Book Buy Link: Follow the author for this release at www.alicemcveigh.com Author Bio: Alice McVeigh has been published by Orion/Hachette in contemporary fiction, by UK's Unbound in speculative fiction (writing as Spaulding Taylor) and by Warleigh Hall Press in historical fiction. Her books have been in the last seven for the UK Selfies Book Award (2024), been a runner-up for Foreword Indies' "Book of the Year" and joint runner-up in Writers Digest Int

Book Blurb: In 1962 Venice, Italy, seventeen-year-old Isabel is shoplifting and skipping class until she discovers a fantastical secret about her Holocaust survivor grandmother Lila: she has stashed away a collection of Renaissance Art. To be fair, it's not a complete surprise: Lila is secretive about the war and that dreadful time before when the whole living world came to a standstill. More than anything else, Isabel longs to know about her mother and father who perished. T