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Title: 47 Ronin

Author: John Allyn, Stephen Turnbull (foreword)

Narrator: David Shih

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-13

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 464 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 Ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the Emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. It led to one of the bloodiest episodes in Japanese history, and in the process, created a new set of heroes in Japan.

In 1701, young Lord Asano is goaded into attacking a corrupt official at the Japanese Court. Although the wound Asano inflicts is minimal, the Emperor's punishment is harsh: Lord Asano is ordered to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. His lands are confiscated and his family is dishonored and exiled. His samurai retainers now become ronin, or masterless, and are dispersed.

These ronin are not trusted by their enemies and live under the watchful eyes of spies for months. They appear to adapt to their new circumstances by becoming tradesmen and teachers. But the ronin only seem to accept their fate. They are in fact making careful plans for revenge, biding their time until the moment to strike is right! Their deeds became Japan's most celebrated example of bravery, cunning, and loyalty in an age when samurai were heroes, and honor was worth dying for.

John Allyn's masterful retelling of 47 Ronin has long been considered the definitive version of these dramatic historical events.

Critic Reviews:

"Narrator David Shih expertly brings to life this ancient Japanese tale, based on real-life events. Through Shih's interpretation, the listener can hear the determination and even the occasional misgivings of the characters as they plot their revenge. Shih's performance of the noble warriors is flawless, as is his depiction of the women who work in the pleasure houses, but long for more." (AudioFile)

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Title: Betrayal of Thieves

Subtitle: Legends of Dimmingwood, Volume 2

Author: C. Greenwood

Narrator: Ashley Arnold

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-13

Publisher: C. Greenwood

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 75 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Ilan has narrowly escaped her last encounter with the soldiers of the evil Praetor but many of her outlaw friends have not been so fortunate. When her closest companion is dragged off to Selbius for execution, Ilan has no choice but to defy the captain of the forest brigands and journey to the stronghold of her enemies.

Risking exposure, both as an outlaw and a possessor of illegal magic, Ilan has few allies in the strange city. Worse, she has attracted the attention of an unknown mage bent on her destruction. With the help of an unpredictable warrior priest, a cunning street thief, and her powerful bow, will Ilan evade the clutches of the Prateor and the attacks of the mysterious mage long enough to complete her mission and rescue her friend?

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Title: Mother Earth, Father Sky

Subtitle: Ivory Carver Trilogy, Book 1

Author: Sue Harrison

Narrator: Holly Fielding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 69 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In a time before history, in a harsh and beautiful land near the top of the world, womanhood comes cruelly and suddenly to beautiful, young Chagak. Surviving the brutal massacre of her tribe, she sets out across the icy waters off Ameria's northwest coast on an astonishing odyssey that will reveal to Chagak powerful secrets of the earth and sky...and the mysteries of love and loss.

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Title: Songs of Willow Frost

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Jamie Ford

Narrator: Ryan Gesell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-13

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From Jamie Ford, the New York Times best-selling author of the beloved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, comes a much-anticipated second novel. Set against the backdrop of Depression-era Seattle, Songs of Willow Frost is a powerful tale of two souls - a boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted past - both seeking love, hope, and forgiveness.

Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Seattles Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mothers listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday - or rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthday - William and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.

Determined to find Willow and prove that his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of Williams past and his connection to the exotic film star. The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.

Shifting between the Great Depression and the 1920s, Songs of Willow Frost takes listeners on an emotional journey of discovery. Jamie Fords sweeping novel will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.

Critic Reviews:

"Ford is a first-rate novelist whose best-selling debut, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was a joy to read. With his new book, he takes a great leap forward and demonstrates the uncanny ability to move me to tears." (Pat Conroy, author of South of Broad

"This is a tender, powerful, and deeply satisfying story about the universal quest for love, forgiveness, belonging, and family. If you liked Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, youre going to love Songs of Willow Frost." (Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice)

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Title: Blind Justice

Author: Anne Perry

Narrator: Davina Porter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-27-13

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 358 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

New York Times best-selling author Anne Perry transports listeners back to the Victorian era with her William Monk novels. In Blind Justice, mystery abounds in London as Hester Monk, wife of Thames River Police Commander William Monk, questions Abel Taft - a charismatic preacher accused of extortion. Taft appears guilty as sin, but his trial explodes when a star witness drops a bombshell that has the Monks scrambling to save their dear friend Oliver Rathbone.

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Title: Ghosts of Bungo Suido

Author: P. T. Deutermann

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-30-13

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 316 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A thrilling World War II adventure that moves from a daring submarine to a notorious Japanese prison camp and ends in a dramatic military court, by the Boyd Award-winning author of Pacific Glory

In late 1944, Americas recapture of the Philippines is jeopardized by what seems an insurmountable threat from Japan: immense Yamato-class battleships, which dwarf every other ship at sea. Built in total secrecy, these 76,000-ton warships seem invincible. American military intelligence knows of two such ships, but there are rumors of a third, built not as a battleship but as an aircraft carrier. Now ready to go operational from Japans heavily defended and mined Inland Sea, a carrier of that size could disrupt the entire invasion effort. American bombers cant reach the Inland Sea, so the Navy high command decides to send a submarine on a special mission to kill the carrier...assuming that it even exists.

No American submarine has ever been able to penetrate the Inland Sea; five boats and their crews have perished in or around the main entrance strait, known as Bungo Suido. Lieutenant Commander Gar Hammond - an aggressive, ship-killing captain with a reckless streak - is now skipper of the Dragonfish, a new submarine. When Admiral Nimitz decides to try one more time, Hammond becomes the navys only hope to locate and stop the Japanese super-ship before it escapes into the open Pacific.

P. T. Deutermanns previous World War II adventure, Pacific Glory, won acclaim from listeners and reviewers, and was honored with the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, administered by the American Library Association. In Ghosts of Bungo Suido, Deutermann presents another sweeping, action-filled World War II novel, based on a true event from the Pacific theater.

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Title: Cinnamon and Gunpowder

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Eli Brown

Narrator: James Langton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-04-13

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 115 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A gripping adventure, a seaborne romance, and a twist on the tale of Scheherazade - with the best food ever served aboard a pirate's ship.

The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail. To appease the red-haired captain, Wedgwood gets cracking with the meager supplies on board. His first triumph at sea is actual bread, made from a sourdough starter that he leavens in a tin under his shirt throughout a roaring battle, as men are cutlassed all around him. Soon he's making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

But Mabbot - who exerts a curious draw on the chef - is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur hidden on her ship, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. As Wedgwood begins to sense a method to Mabbot's madness, he must rely on the bizarre crewmembers he once feared: Mr. Apples, the fearsome giant who loves to knit; Feng and Bai, martial arts masters sworn to defend their captain; and Joshua, the deaf cabin boy who becomes the son Wedgwood never had.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a swashbuckling epicure's adventure simmered over a surprisingly touching love story - with a dash of the strangest, most delightful cookbook never written. Eli Brown has crafted a uniquely entertaining novel full of adventure: the Scheherazade story turned on its head, at sea, with food.

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Title: Royal Mistress

Author: Anne Easter Smith

Narrator: Heather Wilds

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 112 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Jane Lambert, the quick-witted and alluring daughter of a silk merchant, is twenty-two and still unmarried. When Janes father finally finds her a match, shes married off to the dull, older silk merchant William Shore. Marriage doesnt stop Jane from flirtation, however, and when the kings chamberlain, Will Hastings, comes to her husbands shop, Will knows King Edward will find her irresistible.

Edward IV has everything: Power, majestic bearing, superior military leadership, a sensual nature, and charisma. And with Jane as his mistress, he also finds true happiness. But when his hedonistic tendencies get in the way of being the strong leader England needs, his life, as well as those of Jane and Will Hastings, hangs in the balance. Jane must rely on her talents to survive as the new monarch, Richard III, bent on reforming his brothers licentious court, ascends the throne.

This dramatic tale has been an inspiration to poets and playwrights for five hundred years, and, as told through the unique perspective of a woman plucked from obscurity and thrust into a life of notoriety, Royal Mistress is sure to enthrall todays historical fiction lovers as well.

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Title: Child of Vengeance

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: David Kirk

Narrator: Mark Bramhall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 03-12-13

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 119 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A bold and vivid historical epic of feudal Japan, based on the real-life exploits of the legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto.

Japan in the late 16th century was a land in turmoil. Lords of the great clans schemed against one another, served by aristocratic samurai bound to them by a rigid code of honor. Bennosuke is a high-born but lonely teenager living in his ancestral village. His mother died when he was a young boy, and his powerful warrior father Munisai has abandoned him for a life of service to his Lord, Shinmei. Bennosuke has been raised by his uncle Dorinbo, a Buddhist monk who urges the boy to forgo the violence of the samurai and embrace the contemplative life. But Bennosuke worships his absent father, and when Munisai returns, gravely injured, Bennosuke is forced to confront truths about his family's history and his own place in it.

Critic Reviews:

"Kirk presents 17th-century Japan as a world imbued with stately rituals, unshakable principles, and a rigid moral code. [S]ure to be compared to Clavells work in its superb depiction of samurai culture." (Kirkus Reviews)

"A brilliant piece of historical fiction - loaded with treachery and betrayal - that pulses with life. This one is going to find an honored place on many a keeper shelf. It's a must-read debut from an exciting new voice." (Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author of The Columbus Affair)

"A fascinating, exciting book, beautifully observed. Kirk avoids clichés at every turn, and creates characters of great depth. An absolute gem." (Conn Iggulden, New York Times best-selling author of Genghis: Birth of an Empire)

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Title: The Haunting of Maddy Clare

Author: Simone St. James

Narrator: Pamela Garelick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-15-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1128 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A thrilling debut in womens suspense - a ghost story set in 1920s England...

Sarah Pipers lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary-work agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis - rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts - has been summoned to investigate the spirit of 19-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who haunts the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarahs task to confront her in death. Soon Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle, for Maddys ghost is real, she is angry, and she has powers that defy all reason.

Can Sarah and Alistairs assistant, the rough and unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance before she destroys them all?

Simone St. James lives just outside Toronto, Canada, where she works behind the scenes in the television business. She is also the author of An Inquiry into Love and Death.

Critic Reviews:

"A compelling read. With a strong setting, vivid supporting characters, and sympathetic protagonists, the book is a wonderful blend of romance, mystery, and pure creepiness. Simone St. James is a talent to watch." (Anne Stuart, New York Times best-selling author)

"A novel of chilling romantic suspense that evokes the lost era between the world wars that so wounded the lives of the young men and women of England and adds to the mix an inevitably dark, gothic ghost story. Read it with the lights on. Simply spellbinding." (Susanna Kearsley, New York Times best-selling author)

"A compelling ghost story, the book is written quite beautifully, weaving elements of romance and mystery with a gothic twist. Offering a glimpse of life in England between world wars as the twentysomething ghost investigators stay at a country inn, the book proves a satisfying, chilling read." (VOYA)

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