Out of the Bower
Out of the Bower is available on Amazon in ebook format. Read it for free in Kindle Unlimited.
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London, 1817: Celia Woodlow is trapped in Titania’s Bower, a brothel disguised as a coffee house. She is wretchedly resigned to this fate until high-spirited Honora Goodwin appears. Shared tragedy quickly bonds the two girls in friendship and they determine to flee the Bower together, though they wonder at their survival outside its walls.
Suddenly, Honora vanishes without a word, and Celia is left feeling betrayed and hopeless. Barclay Durbin, a kind, young street preacher, desires little more than to help London’s destitute masses. After he encounters Honora, injured in her flight from the Bower, he comes to believe she is divinely appointed to become his wife. Honora knows that encouraging the good-hearted gentleman’s attentions may prove to ensure her future security, but she is intent on liberating Celia. Telling Barclay only parts of her own story, Honora enlists the besotted young man to help her. When their plan goes awry, Honora realizes that only the truth can deliver them from the emotional and societal maelstrom in which they find themselves. But what will become of Honora and Barclay’s budding attachment? And will Celia ever gain her freedom? Out of the Bower tells the tale of an objectionable romance, an ardent friendship, and the ever-essential redemption of self. |
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Born with a red mark emblazoned across her face, seventeen-year-old Madge is lonely as she spends her days serving guests and cleaning rooms in the inn her father keeps.
One day, she meets an unusual minstrel in the marketplace. Moved by the beauty of his song and the odd shape of his body, she realizes she has made her first friend. But he must go on to the next town, leaving her behind. Soon after, while she herself is singing in the woods, she is startled by a chance meeting with a stranger there. Though the encounter leaves her horribly embarrassed, it proves she need not remain unnoticed and alone forever. However, this new hope is shattered when she overhears a few quiet words that weren’t intended for her ears. Heartbroken and confused, she flees her home to join the minstrel and his companion, a crass juggler. As they travel earning their daily bread, Madge secretly seeks to rid herself of the mark upon her cheek, convinced that nothing else can heal her heart. Set in England in 1681, With Face Aflame is the tale of a girl who risks everything in hopes of becoming the person she desperately wants to be. |
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Young Jonathan Clyde causes mischief for everyone at Whitehall, the stately home of his privileged ancestors. As he matures, however, he comes to despise the vanity and conceit surrounding him.
Misfortune requires Lydia Smythe, an exceptionally clever farmer’s daughter, to seek employment at Whitehall. As a parlor maid, she feels stifled and harried by those over her. Still, she refuses to relinquish her independent mind and spirit. From the moment Jonathan catches Lydia reading the books she is supposed to be dusting, he is intrigued by this unusual servant. Thus begins a clandestine relationship that is simultaneously amusing, confusing and enlightening. Just as it is evolving into something neither of them expected, an unforeseen truth comes to light, and the two wonder if their unconventional bond will be forever lost. Set in England in the mid-eighteen hundreds, A Girl Called Foote is the coming-of-age story of two similarly impressive people leading very different lives. |
