Captain Cole Stanley was a man bound to the sea and lands beyond the stifling industry of London. There was no space in his busy lifestyle for a woman, especially not a prim little miss like Oriana Brightmore. Yet despite her shyness, there appeared to be an underlying wit and spirit to her personality that Cole begins to find irresistible. Oriana always thought that her future-husband should be charming and even-tempered; none of which belonged to Captain Stanley- the odious guest residing with the Ashcroft's for a short spell. Although the obnoxious man vexed her beyond reason, he also may just be her only solution to finding a man who will want her- one that was currently on his way to the Americas.

From the pages of the Children of the May saga... Two Murders. Two Revengers. The Magical Sword that binds them together. Balin rots in the dungeons of Camelot, unjustly imprisoned for seeking the death of the woman who killed his twin brother. Columbine wants King Arthur’s permission to slay the knight who murdered her beautiful cousin. She carries an enchanted sword, which can only be drawn by the man who will join her quest for revenge. When Balin and Columbine collide, castles will come tumbling down... Balin and Columbine is a novella set between Children and Ides of the May, the first two novels in S. J. Moore’s Children of the May saga. Inventively adapted from tales in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur and other medieval sources, the Children of the May stories are full of action, adventure, magic, humour and romance - a version of the Arthurian legends for today.

Kitty Alcott has a reputation for being a tease. Many have tried to secure her hand but she will not relent. She loves dancing until dawn and being the object of all men's desires. But the rebuttal of a young naval captain confuses her. She doesn't know whether to be insulted or intrigued by Captain William Aubrey who isn't affected by her charm or beauty. She is faced with the dilemma of reflecting on her own behaviour and the possibility that she has to change...

James Alcott has always had a talent for charming women right into his bed, a talent that he has enjoyed, along with his status of being heir to the Earldom of Ethridge. A chance encounter, however, with a woman who does not see worth in wealth of status will change his life forever. Alice Devereaux has been hiding for three years. She fought and survived the 1832 French Revolution and is hiding in England under a pseudonym. Her family and friends all died as criminals and if she ever returned to her native Paris then she would be slaughtered too. Her family's hatred of aristocracy has been instilled in her and she carries around the burden of both her and her people's failure to create equality. And then, as if God is testing her, she meets a man who holds all the qualities she was born to hate - wealth, status and arrogance. But that man is determined to succeed in winning her. So what is she to do? Succumb to his charms? Or hold true to the beliefs of her French comrades?

Prince John's biggest fear? Becoming King, and everything to do with it, from the sheltered life, to someday having to get married. Celia, a lady knight, minus the 'Lady' if she can help it, is not looking forward to coming of age and attending the High Ball which she thinks is nothing more than a market for single girls. The two have hated each other since childhood, but when the stress gets to John and he does something drastic, Celia's the only one who can help.

LADY HENRIETTA WENTWORTH is not interested in the dictates of the day relating to marriage. Satisfied with her life, if she will marry, it will be to someone she loves and chooses. Her father does not insist she marry, until now. ALEXANDER DURHAM BARRINGTON will make a suitable match. All is settled between the families although Henrietta refuses to meet her betrothed until the day of their wedding. A chance encounter with BARON NEVILLE DE RABY may provide a way out. Will their plans provoke the intended result?

When Charlotte's husband presents her with an unexpected gift, she finds she has been presented with a neat intellectual puzzle - but what does it all mean? This story is a submission for the Spring 2013 Historical Fiction Smackdown (Round One). For those who don't know how this little game works, we are assigned a photo (the "group" listed below), and allowed to choose from a set of pictures on which to base the story. Group: "Lamp" Era: Regency Pictures: 1 ("Adieu"), 4 ("Three Girls"), and 5 ("Rainy Day") Length: 3558 words (though really, some of them are number sequences). Two important notes: 1) Although labelled "lamp", the object in the lamp photograph isn't a lamp at all (there is no place for a wick). A reverse image search turned up that it is, in fact, a cassolette - sort of like a censor, but used to heat liquid perfumes or scents rather than burn incense. I have, therefore, referred to it as a cassolette throughout. 2) The rules of this first round of the historical fiction smackdown allowed authors to pick one of two eras - Regency or Victorian. When I saw the posted pictures, I was immediately drawn to the very first one in the Regency category. That picture was Edmund Blair Leighton's 1901 painting, "Adieu". It shows a woman in a pink dress bidding farewell to a man in a Napoleonic-era Royal Navy uniform, while a large ship waits in the harbour below. The woman has reddish hair, and appears to be the same model as in another one of the paintings, also a Leighton work. That would be the "Rainy Day" painting, showing a couple leaving a church on a stormy Sunday morning. Again, the woman wears a pink dress. I concluded that the young red-haired woman in "Three Girls", who is also wearing a pink dress, had to be the same woman. The fact that her hair looks much lighter in this painting can be attributed to the fact that a great deal of light is streaming in from the windows which are no doubt right behind the artist's left shoulder.

Being clever in a time where women were taught to sit on their hands has always plagued Jane 'Little J' Alcott. She has always been laughed at and has learned to accept that she will never reach her full potential ... until now. When her brother thinks up a brilliant plan, Little J begins to stretch her legs in the world of academia, a world only privy to men. And one man in particular, has caught her eye.

“Love cannot be defined, Miss Brown. Its concepts are just a never ending story of an open book of experiences. It is giving someone the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to.” Elizabeth Brown, most commonly known as Lisa, believes love can only be found in books and not reality. The love people claim they feel is only an attraction between each other. Nothing more. But what will she do when her mother Cassandra, her sister Roselyn and her fiancé James plot something that may change her view on romance. Will they succeed in their plan or will they fail? Lord Reuben the marquis of Cambridge has no time for women and has no intention of getting married anytime soon. But will all of that change when he meets an intelligent, beautiful young woman? Little do they both know what scandal, crime and lies await them for the Annual Winter Ball.

SAMPLE COPY! The complete book is now available on Amazon (links on my profile). This version on Wattpad is a sample copy only and is incomplete. Penelope Inglewood discovers her brother is in love with the betrothed of the most ruthless man in England, The Duke Of Newbridge. She must find a way to save her family from ruin and turn her brother's affections elsewhere. When the Duke Of Newbridge decides to confront his rival in love, he finds himself completely intrigued by the small, but determined woman. Will Penelope be able to keep her heart and her head in the presence of this dangerous, yet intoxicating villain who seeks to punish her brother?