Showing results by author "KEVIN GROTE" in All Categories

In 1740s colonial Maryland, a young woman's family tobacco plantation is failing due to the Crown's oppressive trade regulations. To save her family from ruin, the sharp and determined Eliza must navigate the treacherous world of Annapolis society, all while dealing with malicious rivals and a zealous new customs official. Her desperate situation leads her to the legendary "Chesapeake Raven," an elusive smuggler and a hero to the struggling colonists. Eliza is compelled to form a dangerous alliance with the Raven, whose true identity is revealed as the seemingly idle and detached gentleman,...

"A Children's Book of Common Prayer" is a nurturing guide designed to introduce young hearts (ages 2+) to the foundational concepts of faith, prayer, and virtue. This non-denominational book provides simple, accessible prayers for daily routines (morning, daytime, evening, meals) and special occasions, alongside simplified traditional prayers like "The Lord's Prayer" and "Angel of God." It gently instills core virtues such as kindness, sharing, forgiveness, and hope, drawing lessons from the Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, and the Fruits of the Spirit. The book features ...

The journey toward the Divine is the only frontier that truly matters. In an age of fragmentation and noise, "Whom Do You Seek?" serves as a manual for the interior life, offering a structured rhythm to transform the passing hours into a perpetual act of praise. This is not merely a book of reflections, but a "Daily Rule"—a trellis for the soul designed to support its ascent toward the Light. Following the steady cycle of the Liturgical Year, this guide invites you to walk alongside the "Great Cloud of Witnesses." These saints are not distant figures of history but living mentors and ...

In the closing years of the 19th century, New York City is a metropolis of innovation and burgeoning crime. A new kind of detective, known as the "Irregulars"—including the street-smart Jack O'Mara, the scientifically brilliant Rachel, and the stealthy Ellen—operates from the city's hidden corners. Their paths converge when they are recruited by New York City Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. He tasks them with investigating a series of unusual occurrences: erratic power surges, strange flickering lights, and a peculiar hum. These events are linked to the mysterious disappearances...

The novel details the tragic and futile Crawford Expedition of 1782, which marked one of the American Revolution's most brutal defeats on the western frontier. In the spring of 1782, the western settlements are being ravaged by Native American raids, fueled by the British and spurred by the recent, horrific Gnadenhutten massacre. Brigadier General William Irvine, despairing of getting a professional army from a war-weary Congress, reluctantly authorizes a punitive expedition led by a volunteer militia—a "mob of vengeful men". The protagonist, Colonel William Crawford, a respected veteran ...

HANNASTOWN The Final Battle of the American Revolution The war may be over in the east, but on the Western Frontier, the bloodiest chapter has just begun. It is the brutal summer of 1782. While politicians negotiate peace, the Pennsylvania frontier is locked in a vicious territorial war fueled by ancient blood debts. Hannastown, the isolated county seat and last bastion of American law before the wild Ohio territory, stands exposed and alone. Its wooden courthouse, a promise of permanence, is now a target. A devastating force—a combined army of Seneca, Wyandot, and British Rangers —is ...

In the brutal American frontier of the 1740s, a land where beauty collides with savage ambition, young frontiersman Nathan Miller's world is shattered when the girls he secretly loves, Abigail Wilson and her younger sister Rebecca, are abducted in a brutal raid. What begins as a desperate pursuit fueled by innocent love quickly descends into a years-long odyssey, a relentless hunt through an unforgiving wilderness. As Nathan and his companions, including the quietly competent Renard LaFontaine, are relentlessly whittled away by the land and brutal conflict, Nathan undergoes a chilling ...

The Shifting Veil follows the Oakhaven Keepers as they navigate a world where the boundary between the town of Oakhaven and the magical realm of Aethelgard is no longer a wall, but a translucent membrane. While the veil was stabilized in previous adventures, it now allows constant "bleed-throughs" of magic into everyday life. The original five Keepers—Leo, Maya, Sam, Chloe, and Noah—along with their parents, struggle with the exhaustion of managing frequent magical anomalies like the "Winter Bloom" (a sudden patch of glowing flowers) and mischievous sprites that tangle shoelaces and ...

In a sleepy town, boredom is the biggest monster... until now. Leo is desperate for real adventure, not the kind he finds on a screen. But when strange things start happening—from inexplicably dying petunias to a ghostly silence in the local woods—he realizes the quiet town he hates is slowly unraveling. Ignoring the adults who dismiss the oddities as mere coincidence, Leo and his four unique friends—Maya (the bookworm), Sam (the tinkerer), Chloe (the empath), and Noah (the observer)—venture into the forbidden forest. There, behind a curtain of shimmering air, they stumble into a ...

The secret they vowed to keep is now a world they must save. The Keepers—Leo, Maya, Sam, Chloe, and Noah—are spending their summer trying to master the magic they discovered in their quiet town. But when the ancient Oak emits a guttural cry of distress, their apprenticeship is over. A tear in reality delivers a desperate message: an obsidian-black feather from the hidden world of Aethelgard. Through terrifying visions, the children learn that the magical realm is under attack by the Umbra, shadowy entities that feed on light and hope. If the Umbra consumes Aethelgard, the protective ...

England, 1685. The death of Charles II shatters a fragile peace, thrusting his openly Catholic brother, James, onto the throne. Whispers of fear and dissent ripple through a staunchly Protestant nation, igniting a powder keg of anxieties over religious freedom and absolute rule. From the shadows of Dutch exile, James Scott, the charismatic Duke of Monmouth—illegitimate son of the late King and a Protestant champion—sees his chance. He lands on English soil, igniting a desperate rebellion. But his dream of a "Protestant Dawn" quickly descends into chaos. As Monmouth's raw, untrained army...

A forgotten farm. A reclusive grandmother. A fortune buried in secrets. When the news arrives that their eccentric, long-estranged grandmother Edwina Adams has passed away, Sarah, a designer drowning in debt, and Mark, a struggling musician, expect nothing but a dilapidated farmhouse and a mountain of financial burdens. Edwina, after all, was known only for her reclusive life and perceived poverty. But a cryptic letter and a rusty coffee can hidden in a dusty pantry ignite an unexpected treasure hunt. What begins as a cynical search for quick cash soon unravels into a mesmerizing trail of ...

In the Allegheny Mountains, winter demands a heavy toll. For two years, Dr. Elias Jacobs has lived on the fringe of Conemaugh, nursing his grief like a fever after losing his family to the plague. He has traded his scalpel for rye and his hope for cold, bitter cynicism. But on the stroke of midnight, a violent summons pulls him back into the world he abandoned. Elias is met by the Belsnickel, a towering, antlered judge draped in heavy iron chains, who demands he undertake a perilous journey into the frozen heart of the mountain. A child is dying of the Rime-Sickness, and only Elias—the ...

In a home with a sterile, modern aesthetic, the new homeowners, Chloe and Liam, are "digital natives who believed every problem had a digital solution". After a disastrous, app-guided Thanksgiving dinner, they decide to replace their old, well-loved appliances with new, "smarter" ones. The old appliances, including Marvin the stand mixer and Fritz the wooden spoon, are relegated to the pantry. They are replaced by sleek, new appliances like EVE, the smart oven, and ARC, the smart fridge. Led by Marvin, the old appliances decide to stage a revolt to prove their worth. Their mission is ...

Liam O’Connell, an East Village graphic designer, is a dreamer who watches the world from his fire escape. His quiet life is upended when he sees a beautiful, mysterious woman drop an antique locket and vanish into a cab. Convinced it's a sign of destiny, Liam embarks on a quest to find her, armed with only the locket and its cryptic Latin inscription, “Perpetua Virtus, Semper Novum” (Eternal Virtue, Always New). With his improv-actor friend, Noah, by his side, Liam's search becomes a modern fairytale. The trail leads them through a series of colorful characters and unlikely allies, ...

DINOPALOOZA! is a story set in a world where dinosaurs can sing, and modern birds are their descendants. The most prestigious event in this world is the Great Dino-Song Contest. The story follows a group of young dinosaurs with unusual voices who are bullied by the Chorale Clan, a group of dinosaurs with flawless, harmonious singing voices. The main character, Archie the Archaeopteryx, struggles with his embarrassing "rooster crow". Feeling excluded, the group embarks on a journey to find the legendary "Maestro's Horn," which is rumored to "cure" their unique voices and help them be ...

The year is 1806. The young American Republic is a nation of boundless ambition and profound uncertainty. Lieutenant Ethan Caldwell, a rising star in the U.S. Army, embodies this spirit, believing in the ideals of the new nation and his role in securing its borders. He finds a kindred spirit in Elizabeth Sterling, and their future together seems as promising as the vast Ohio Valley. But ambition breeds envy. Major Phineas Blackwood, coveting both Ethan's position and Elizabeth's affection, conspires with the shrewd Judge Jeremiah Hayes and Elizabeth's socially ambitious cousin, Genevieve ...