The life story of actor George Falconer, who served as a missionary in the red light district in Amsterdam, and beyond...

As someone who clocked more time in mosh pits and at pro–choice rallies than kneeling in a pew, Kaya Oakes was not necessarily the kind of Catholic girl the Vatican was after. But even while she immersed herself in the punk rock scene and proudly called herself an atheist, something kept pulling her back to the religion of her Irish roots. After running away from the Church for thirty years, Kaya decides to return. Her marriage is under stress, her job is no longer satisfying, and with multiple deaths in her family, a darkness looms large. In spite of her frustration with Catholic conservatism, nothing brings her peace like Mass. After years of searching to no avail for a better religious fit, she realizes that the only way to find harmony—in her faith and her personal life—is to confront the Church she'd left behind. Rebellious and hypercritical, Kaya relearns the catechisms and achieves the sacraments, all while trying to reconcile her liberal beliefs with contemporary Church philosophy. Along the way she meets a group of feisty feminist nuns, a "pray–and–bitch" circle, an all–too handsome Italian priest, and a motley crew of misfits doing their best to find their voices in an outdated institution. This is a story of transformation, not only of Kaya's from ex–Catholic to amateur theologian, but ultimately of the cultural and ethical pushes for change that are rocking the world's largest religion to its core.

The award-winning author of the Stravaganza series has done it again with this atmospheric adventure set in Renaissance Italy. Sixteen-year-old Silvano da Montacuto has wealth, good looks, and a new hawk-but none of these can save him when his bloody dagger is found near a dead body. For his own protection, he is sent to a Franciscan House, where he poses as a novice, or a young monk. There, he lays eyes on Chiara, a lovely novice at a nearby abbey who is also living in secret. When they fall in love, their secret identities make it impossible to reveal their feelings to one another. Murder seems to have followed Silvano, and soon several other dead bodies turn up. Who is committing the crimes? Will a young man accused of multiple murders be able to clear himself? And what about the girl he adores? Fans of Mary Hoffman's critically acclaimed Stravaganza series won't be disappointed in the romance, colorful web of intrigue, and rich, marvelous setting.

In 'Robert Falconer', George MacDonald weaves a powerful tale of a young man's spiritual journey to find meaning and purpose in life. After the death of his parents, Robert is taken in by his strict grandmother, whose harsh religious practices challenge his beliefs. He embarks on a quest to find God and reconcile his own ideas of compassion and love with his grandmother's rigid Christianity. Along the way, he meets various characters who offer him guidance and insight, including a blind woman who shows him the beauty in simplicity. MacDonald's masterful prose captures the essence of the human experience, as Robert navigates the challenges of faith and self-discovery, and ultimately finds his own path to enlightenment.

Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

Davis and Isabella Bunn combine their complementary skills and experiences in crafting the compelling stories of the HEIRS OF ACADIA historical fiction series. John Falconer, a hero readers can believe in, was introduced in Book 3, The Noble Fugitive. Along with Book 4, The Night Angel, these last three novels of the series can be appreciated on their own. John Falconer, known to most as simply Falconer, is a large, powerfully built man whose gentle spirit shines through the physical and emotional scars of his previous life as a slave trader. His redemption has brought him full circle to the anti-slavery cause and a personal mission to free every slave he possibly can. After the events recounted in The Night Angel, Falconer settles in a Moravian community on the Underground Railroad. He cherishes his new wife, Ada, and her son, Matt, whom he loves as his own. Falconer finally has discovered peace, within and without. When the unimaginable happens, he and Matt face a loss so searing they can barely endure another day. Falconer finds himself back on board ship--this time with a father's responsibilities and an assignment of rescue rather than capture. His course takes him from the eastern seaboard of America to France, from Marseilles to the shores of North Africa. But enormous danger, risk of failure and even death challenge him on the high seas and in the desert's strongholds. He has conquered many of life's storms, but none as vast as this. All the while, those inner bondages that have gripped as powerfully as iron chains are gradually loosening their hold. And a new hope begins to stir within... The story of character forged in the fires of grief, loss and faith