Li Tai, son of General Li Siye, commander of the elite Modao Army, grows up immersed in the valor and discipline of Tang Dynasty warriors. Trained rigorously, Li Tai becomes a skilled fighter with a deep sense of justice and empathy, inspired by the stories of common soldiers.
During a fierce battle against the Arab forces led by generals Qutayba ibn Muslim and Abu Muslim, Li Tai and the Modao Army form a formidable defense. In the heat of battle, a sudden sandstorm engulfs the field, transporting Li Tai through time.
Li Tai awakens in 1968, in the midst of China's Cultural Revolution, where he meets Liu Qing, a persecuted military equipment expert, and her father Liu Mushen, a disillusioned former Soviet arms specialist. Navigating the chaos, Li Tai forms a bond with Liu Qing, and together they face the brutal excesses of the Red Guards.
When Liu Mushen is killed by the Red Guards, Li Tai's rage ignites. Armed with his Modao blade, he leads a desperate rebellion against the oppressors. As another sandstorm swirls, he and Liu Qing are thrust back to the Tang Dynasty. With advanced weaponry, including Liu Qing's invention of the Gatling gun, Li Tai prepares for a decisive battle against the Arab invaders.
Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.