Synopses & Reviews
Its a long way from Baltimore to Oklahoma Territory. But Zora Stewart will go any distance to put the tragic events of her sixteenth summer behind her. So this city girl heads to the tiny frontier town of West Glory to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. When another Baltimorean shows up in West Glory, Zora couldnt be more surprised. Theo de la Croix made the long trip out west hoping to court Zora, whom he has long admired from afar.
But Zora has developed an attraction to a rather less respectable fellow: Emerson Birch, a rough-mannered young "sooner" whose fertile land is coveted. As Zora begins to suspect that there may be more than luck behind Emersons good land, she discovers an extraordinary, astonishing power of her own: the ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet" to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.
Review
Praise for The Springsweet: "A lovely historical romance. . . . The author conjures a convincing picture of life on the Oklahoma prairie, painting an absorbing portrait of the landscape and of the people there. . . . A high-quality, absorbing drama."—
Kirkus Reviews "
The Springsweet will steal your heart. Zora is a wounded heroine who had me cheering as she rediscovers the strength she thought she'd lost. Blend in a smoldering, yet refreshingly subtle hero, and add a twist of magic and you have a perfect romance in the Old West with another of Saundra Mitchell's signature rich and nuanced historic settings!"—Aprilynne Pike,
New York Times bestselling author of
Wings and
Spells "I didn't think YA historicals could get better than
The Vespertine.
The Springsweet proved me wrong. This is a gorgeous, unputdownable book that will stay with you long after it's through. Saundra Mitchell just gets better and better."—Sarah MacLean, NYT and USA Today bestselling Author of
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord "With Saundra Mitchells trademark evocative and gorgeous language, The Springsweet takes us across the plains, where the people thirst for love just as the land thirsts for water. I never wanted this book to end!"—Carrie Ryan,
New York Times best-selling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series
Praise for The Vespertine: "[A] richly conceived historical romance. . . . Fans of Libba Brays A
Great and Terrible Beauty will find themselves enchanted by this atmospheric tale."—
Bulletin "Equal parts vivid period detail, gothic melodrama, and foreboding premonitions coming true . . . an absorbing tale."—
Booklist "Written in a passionate, inviting voice, The Vespertine is a rich, historical novel of otherworldly power, forbidden romance, and questionable motives."
—Aprilynne Pike, New York Times Bestselling Author of Wings and Spells "Sheer pleasure from beginning to end."—TeenReads.com "I savored every word of The Vespertine; I knew it was an amazing book from the first page and I was entranced until the very last."—Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series Praise for The Elementals: "In The Elementals the worlds of The Vespertine and The Springsweet collide with glass-brittle hopes and devastating consequences. The children of the supernatural must learn what their parents have long known, that even the most innocent magic demands a cost. A sumptuous read, as bittersweet as it is beautiful."—Aprilynne Pike, New York Times bestselling author of Wings and Spells "Saundra Mitchell pulls off a thrilling conclusion to a mesmerizing series! She just gets better and better!"—Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series "Mitchell convincingly portrays the glittering, raucous L.A. of the burgeoning movie industry and the oppressive unease of looming war."—Booklist
Review
"[A] richly conceived historical romance. . . . Fans of Libba Brays A Great and Terrible Beauty will find themselves enchanted by this atmospheric tale."—Bulletin
"For teens who enjoy gothic romances, there is much to savor."—VOYA (5Q, 4P)
"Mitchell depicts Victorian middle-class society with real flair. Her descriptions of the girls ring vibrantly true."—Kirkus Reviews
"A lush, romantic tale blending the Victorian era with the paranormal"—teensreadtoo.com
"This historical paranormal romance, taking place in 1889 Baltimore, is equal parts vivid period detail, gothic melodrama, and foreboding premonitions coming true. . . . An absorbing tale."—Booklist
"Sheer pleasure from beginning to end." —TeenReads.com
"Written in a passionate, inviting voice, THE VESPERTINE is a rich, historical novel of otherworldly power, forbidden romance, and questionable motives. From the very first line, readers will be swept up in Amelia's plight to discover her own powers and find the courage to face her fears, her blossoming love, and even accusations of murder."—Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Wings and Spells
"I savored every word of THE VESPERTINE; I knew it was an amazing book from the first page and I was entranced until the very last. Saundra Mitchell's descriptions are almost truer than truth—you feel them rather than know them."—Carrie Ryan, New York Times Bestselling Author of the critically-acclaimed The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves
"Dark and luxurious with rich, compelling characters and a perfect blend of the mysterious and the fantastic, Saundra Mitchell's THE VESPERTINE is Victorian gothic at its finest—at once evoking the lyricism of Bronte, the heart-pounding of Poe and a vivid, enticing voice that is entirely her own."—Sarah MacLean, Author of The Season and 9 Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
"Equal parts vivid period detail, gothic melodrama, and foreboding premonitions coming true . . . an absorbing tale of a headstrong and passionate (but not anachronistically so) woman seeking her future." —Booklist
Review
"Louisa and Eliza provide a window into a shameful history of mental health care and women's incarceration that only ended in living memory."—
Kirkus Reviews "The author tenderly and expertly builds a romance between Louisa and an attendant, Eliza . . . The surprisingly happy ending—in which Louisa escapes and confronts her accusers—is a welcome relief after all of her angst and despair."—Publishers Weekly
"Eagland does a beautiful job of depicting the "real" Louisa in the end, with an unusual twist on the conventional romantic denouement. Teens will identify with her."—School Library Journal
"Fans of historical fiction or GLBTQ fiction will likely enjoy this unique story of mystery and romance."—VOYA
Review
"Magical realism meets New England taciturnity in this story about redemption set on the coast of Maine. . . . An engrossing story." —
Booklist
"Creepy, romantic and oozing with atmosphere, Mitchell deftly brings readers along on a nail-biting adventure." —Carrie Jones, author of Need
"Willa's messy, complicated love for her family is heartbreaking and true, as are her mistakes and acts of bravery. Readers will be swept away in this raw and beautifully-told story about grief, forgiveness and what binds us—love." —Jo Knowles, author of Jumping Off Swings
"There's enough ghostly creepiness here to ensure a few shivers." —Bulletin
"Beautifully written, refreshing, and unique." —School Library Journal
Synopsis
In this stirring historical paranormal romance, a companion to The Vespertine, a spirited young woman sets out on her own and finds her new love, a new home, and her extraordinary magical power—and experiences all the joys and hardships of pioneer life..
Synopsis
Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiance, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves
Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed
aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing
ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a
"springsweet" to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of
holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land.
Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water.
Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving
and start living.
Synopsis
When seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart arrives in the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her widowed aunt, she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a "springsweet" to advise settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.
Synopsis
A 19th-century historical romance set in Victorian Baltimore about Amelia van den Broek, whose prophetic dreams have made her the talk of high society, and whose love for an artist distinctly outside of the social circle that threatens her place in it.
Synopsis
Its the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelias world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if shes not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.
This book features a teaser chapter from Saundra Mitchells third novel, The Springsweet.
Synopsis
They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook by hook. Locked away in Wildthorn Hall—a madhouse—they take her identity. She is now called Lucy Childs. She has no one; she has nothing. But, she is still seventeen—still Louisa Cosgrove, isn't she? Who has done this unthinkable deed? Louisa must free herself, in more ways than one, and muster up the courage to be her true self, all the while solving her own twisted mystery and falling into an unconventional love . . .
Originally published in the UK, this well-paced, provocative romance pushes on boundaries—both literal and figurative—and, do beware: it will bind you, too.
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Willa's coastal Maine fishing village is haunted by the spectre of the Grey Man in the lighthouse. When her family falls apart, can she turn to the Grey Man for help?
Synopsis
When Willa Dixon's brother dies on the family lobster boat, her father forbids Willa from stepping foot on deck again. With her family suffering, shell do anything to help out—even visit the Grey Man. Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isnt a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls. Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?
About the Author
Born in Essex, Jane Eagland taught English in secondary schools for many years. After doing an MA in creative writing, she now divides her time between writing and tutoring. Wildthorn is her first novel, inspired by true stories of women who were incarcerated in asylums in the nineteenth century. Jane lives in Lancashire, England, in a house with a view of the fells.