In 15th-century England, ambitious tenant farmer Richard Lanyon is determined to raise his family's station in life. He arranges a marriage for his only son, Peter, to clever and hardworking Liza Weaver, the daughter of a neighboring family. Peter and Liza settle into marriage, but each harbors a broken heart and lost dreams that eventually come back to haunt them. The author of this detail-rich saga also writes the Ursula Blanchard series of Elizabethan mysteries under the name Fiona Buckley.

During the winter of 1917, with many of their regular ranch hands off fighting in World War I, George Bliss and his wife, Louise, hire 19-year-old Martha Lessen to break some of their wild horses. As Martha toils on their eastern Oregon ranch, she reveals her unique talent for breaking horses gently, and finds a sense of family and belonging. Based on true accounts of cowgirls in the American West and written in a down-home voice, The Hearts of Horses will be enjoyed by horse lovers everywhere.

At Chawton Manor House, a journal is found in an old attic chest--and the author of said manuscript turns out to be none other than beloved English writer Jane Austen. Perhaps even more astonishing than the actual discovery of the journal is the story it contains: that of a romance between Austen and the charming and well-read Mr. Frederick Ashford, who encourages her writing and becomes the inspiration for her romantic heroes. Written in a style worthy of Austen herself, this remarkable book will be devoured by Janeites everywhere.

Author Robin Maxwell detailed Anne Boleyn's marriage to King Henry VIII in The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, and now she returns with the story of Anne's early life. When Anne is just nine years old, she and her family move to France, where they enter the treacherous world of the French court. Anne is assigned to serve Mary Tudor and then Queen Claude, while her beautiful sister, Mary, is pushed into a relationship with the French king. If you enjoy the intrigue of life at court or like reading about Henry VIII's ill-fated wives, this is the book for you.

Colleen McCullough, author of the classic novel The Thorn Birds, begins this 7th entry in her popular Masters of Rome series just after the death of Julius Caesar. In a divided Rome, Mark Antony, Caesar's cousin and the people's favorite, rules the East, while Octavian, Caesar's adopted son and heir, rules the West. As the two struggle for control over the empire, Cleopatra begins her own power play; she seduces Antony and schemes to place Caesarion, her son by Caesar, on the throne. McCullough's meticulous research and vivid characters shine throughout this masterful epic.

In the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, Confederate soldier Gawain Harper returns to Cumberland, Mississippi, to find his hometown a very different place than the one he left three years before. The countryside has been ravaged by the war, and the sister of Gaiwan's prewar sweetheart has been murdered by renegade leader Solomon Gault. In this bleak world, Gawain sets out to seek revenge. This powerful story of redemption and loss is the second of three Civil War novels written by author Howard Bahr; his first is The Black Flower, and his third is The Judas Field.

In November 1864, Carrie McGavock's Tennessee farm is commandeered for use as a hospital during the Battle of Franklin. After the last shot is fired, there are 9,000 casualties--the majority from the Confederate Army--and thousands of wounded. Carrie and her slave, Mariah, help to nurse the sick and dying, and Carrie befriends wounded soldier Zachariah Cashwell. Later on, she begins a crusade to use her home as a burial site for Confederate dead. The stories of other individuals, such as Carrie's husband and soldiers from both sides of the war, are also put forth. This psychologically rich novel is based on the life of an actual historical figure.

This sweeping, multigenerational saga from bestselling author John Jakes follows the Bell family, an aristocratic South Carolina clan, from 1720 to the end of the U.S. Civil War. Over the course of the novel, the family's fortunes rise and fall, they become caught up in revenge and betrayal, and their lives play out against a backdrop of slavery, the cotton trade, and war. Readers who like this book and want to check out another family saga set in American history should take a peek at Beverly Swerling's City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan.

In 1828 Louisiana, Manon Gaudet is the unhappy and self-absorbed wife of a plantation owner. Her discontent is fueled by her disgust for her wealthy and brutal husband as well as her resentment of his mistress, Sarah, Manon's own prized slave. When Sarah escapes during a rebellion, Manon becomes obsessed with bringing her back to the plantation. This brooding and atmospheric novel paints a disturbing yet compelling portrait of those responsible for the horrors of slavery.

Virginia, 1857. On the Gatewood Plantation, 17-year-old Duncan Gatewood falls in love with and impregnates Maggie, a mulatto slave. When their affair is discovered, Maggie and her son, Jacob, are sold and Duncan is sent away to the Virginia Military Institute. In the following years, Duncan will see battle during the Civil War and Maggie will marry a wealthy blockade runner and pass as white. Several other characters also populate this poignant and richly detailed novel. Author Donald McCaig recently published Rhett Butler’s People, the bestselling, authorized sequel to Gone With the Wind.

In contemporary North Carolina, an old box of mementos is discovered in the attic of a rundown plantation. Within the box is an assortment of journal entries, poems, recipes, court records and other documents that piece together the life of Molly Petree, a precocious orphan who comes of age during the years after the Civil War. "An authentic American saga, bittersweet as an Appalachian ballad, peopled with wonderfully vivid characters" (Kirkus Reviews), On Agate Hill is a triumph of storytelling.