Allie Blue’s dream of buying the old Smithington mansion and converting it into a bed and breakfast gets crushed by someone willing to pay more. Heartbroken, she tells one small fib to become a flight attendant with Upward Airlines. On day four of her employment, she’s to take care of their worst-case-scenario passenger — billionaire playboy, Kiptyn Thomas, III. Before the plane takes off, something raw and potent develops between them, but Allie fights the attraction for the man who thinks he’s at the top of the food chain.
Kiptyn Thomas is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. Allie Blue both annoys and intrigues him, and he wants her.
Allie & Kiptyn’s story reveals well-intentioned fibs, secrets they’d rather remain unearthed, a sprinkling of OCD, complete opposite lifestyles, and a need to find that one extraordinary person who they’d never be complete without.
Jan always adds the right amount of funny bits between the sparky bits. Two opposites yet two people the same in many ways. Love is always a great thing and this novel has that and truly sensual moments and scenes were romantic without erotica woven in. A clean romance.
On the first day of World War II, a young man makes a promise—one that will shape every choice he makes for the next four years.
Essex. September 1939.
A wounded German pilot drops from a clear autumn sky into a quiet English field. Seventeen-year-old Derrick finds him—broken and feverish. Not an enemy. Just a young man asking for one small mercy before everything ends.
One more hour of daylight. That is all I ask. A chance to breathe free air before whatever comes next.
Derrick gives him until morning.
When the stretcher comes, the pilot’s last words strike Derrick like a blow he will never stop feeling.
Scotland. France. Germany. 1941–1943.
In the mountains of Scotland, they teach him how to kill, how to lie, and how to endure things that break most men. Then they give him a new name, put him on a plane, and drop him into the dark.
As an SOE operative deep inside occupied Europe, Derrick Sedgley lives on false papers, borrowed names, and nerves worn to nothing by years in the shadows. He moves agents to safety, builds escape routes, and stays one breath ahead of the Gestapo.
Then a mission collapses—and everything changes.
Forced to run, Derrick finds himself moving through the most dangerous corners of occupied Europe alongside someone whose connection to his past he cannot yet see. As safe houses fall, loyalties fracture, and the frozen passes of the Pyrenees rise ahead like the edge of the world, Derrick begins to understand something.
The choice he made in an Essex field on the first day of the war has been leading him here all along.
Some debts cannot be paid. Some can only be carried. And some—if you are brave enough, and fortunate enough—can finally be laid to rest.
From the quiet fields of Essex to the mountains of Scotland, from the dangerous streets of Lyon to the shadows of wartime Hamburg and the high passes of the Pyrenees, One More Hour of Daylight is an unforgettable story of courage, guilt and redemption—of ordinary people forced to make impossible choices in extraordinary times.
Some promises can survive a war. Some people can too.
For readers who believe that even in war, what matters most is who we choose to be.
Praise for One More Hour of Daylight:
“A beautifully written book with a perfect pace that kept me reading from start to finish.” ~ Bookcollector, Amazon 5* Review
“A confident, carefully crafted novel that handles its subject matter with restraint, earning the weight it carries.“ ~ Indie Library, Goodreads 5* Review
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Author Bio:
C.M. Gray’s first book, The Flight of the Griffin, was longlisted in the 2015 Times Chicken House Writing Competition. Shadowland, the first book in the Pendragon Saga, has so far received over 900 five-star reviews on Amazon. These things still genuinely astonish him, and he is deeply grateful for every one of them.
Most of his previous work has been fantasy: either pure fantasy or historical fantasy, the kind of writing where druids turn up uninvited and one of your main characters develops an unsettling affinity with wolves before you have quite decided what sort of book you are writing. Shadowland began with every intention of staying grounded in historical reality, the story of Uther Pendragon. It did not. It has turned out to be a popular book, so he does not complain.
His years travelling through Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East have a habit of finding their way onto the page. He has seen and done some fairly strange things along the way and met some extraordinary people, and writing fantasy has always felt, to him, only a short step from writing fact.
New for 2026
One More Hour of Daylight, marks C.M. Gray’s return to writing. It will be fully published in June 2026, marking a departure: pure historical fiction, no druids, no wolves. It follows Derrick Sedgley, a seventeen-year-old from Essex who makes a single moral choice in a field one September morning in 1939 and spends the next four years living with the consequences. From the Essex countryside to occupied France, from the mountains of Burgundy to the Pyrenees, it is a story about promises, betrayal, courage and the cost of doing the right thing too late.
And for those who have been waiting patiently for the Pendragon Saga to continue: the third book, Shadow’s Heir, the story of Arthur Pendragon, follows in September 2026. More on that very soon.
C.M. Gray was born in England and grew up in the Essex countryside near the Suffolk border, which is where Derrick Sedgley grows up, too. The flat fields, the big skies and the particular quality of Essex light found their way into the book, whether he intended them to or not.
C.M. Gray is now very happily settled just outside Barcelona with his wonderful wife and partner in life, Adriana.
After spending two years in Wyoming, Cade Weston is eager to return to his family’s ranch to celebrate the Christmas holiday. But fate intervenes in the form of a tortured soul—Nicole. Her guardian has abused her, leaving Cade with little choice but to pay for her freedom and take her with him. Holed up with her in a Denver hotel, a feeling hints he wants more from her than a thank you for having helped her. Problem is she doesn’t return the feeling.
Nicole Lamar has spent the past six months dreaming of freedom. Savannah, with its warmth and sunshine, beckons. Now that Cade has rescued her from an evil proprietor, that freedom is within reach. But when the handsome cowboy proves he’s the owner of a Christmas Heart, a life without him suddenly isn’t so desirable. Before she can approach him about the matter, he purchases a ticket for her on an eastbound train. And one for himself on a southbound train.
Lence has written a wonderful od west Christmas romance that started off dark for a woman sold to a man who only abused women. Enter Cade, and that abuse ended then and there. Nicole has a hard time coming to trust Cade.
Doña Beatriz Galindo is an uneasy witness to the Holy War of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband, Ferdinand, King of Aragon. A holy war pushing the Moors out of territories ruled by them for centuries.
Beatriz does not want a life like other women. She desires power over her own destiny. Even if this means walking a far harder road.
A passionate and respected scholar, Beatriz serves her friend Queen Isabel of Castile as her advisor. She also tutors the queen’s youngest child, Catalina of Aragon.
Dedicated to Queen Isabel and her children, Beatriz guides the young Catalina of Aragon to walk her own hard life road.
But can she prepare Catalina to be England’s queen?
Excerpt 1:
Firelight flickered, glinting upon the gold, silver and jewel-decorated vessels set upon a nearby table. Beatriz stepped into deeper shadows, where no candle or firelight reached, seeking not to be noticed. Her eyes rested on the royal family. The queen’s blessing done, Catalina clambered onto her mother’s bed and kissed her cheek. The queen wound her arms around her youngest child. She laughed softly, caressing Catalina’s hair.
Prince Juan, Catalina’s twelve-year-old brother, dropped his harp on the bed. His blue eyes glowing with mischief, he tickled his sister’s underarm. She giggled, nestling into him. The prince stood on the threshold between pretty boy and beautiful youth. Blond down intermixed with a darker, thicker colour upon his cheeks. He tickled Catalina again. The child giggled.
“Stop it, Juan!”
Juan laughed. He flicked back the straight fringe from his eyes before reclaiming his harp and plucking a short tune. The black velvet of his doublet increased the bright blond lustre of his hair, candlelight creating an aureole around his head. Angel, his mother called him. Prince Juan well deserved his nickname. All loved him. “Your command is mine! What song shall I play you, sister?” asked the prince.
The queen’s smile embraced them both. She rested her fingers on her son’s arm. He returned a gaze full of love.
“Son, not yet. I want to first speak to Catalina.” She encircled her daughter with her arms, drawing her closer. “Mi chiquitina, can you remember what happened two years ago?”
Catalina looked up, bewildered. “Mamá?”
The queen sighed. Her jaw slackening, she no longer smiled. A candle gusted out, casting her face into deep shadow. Communing as if with the unseen, she tightened her hold on her daughter.
“I forget – ‘tis long for a small child to remember… In truth, you were little more than an infant when the English came and I, holding you on my lap, showed you the bulls.” The queen smiled slightly. “You wore your first gown of black velvet that day, one rich with jewels. The next day we promised you to their prince.” She looked again at Catalina and stroked her hair. Wrapping a lock around her finger, she studied it and let it go, her face becoming strong again. “I have just received word from your father. We have promised another of our hijas to another king’s son. My Isabel?”
Princess Isabel playfully peered over the book. “Mamá?”
“Come, and tell your sister your news.”
Isabel strode over to the bed with all the grace and confidence of a young woman of twenty. She sat on the other side of her mother’s wide bed and took Catalina’s hand. “I’m to be wed.”
Catalina cried out and threw herself into her sister’s arms, pulling at the long chain of Isabel’s heavy, gold crucifix. Princess Isabel’s laugh overlaid the silence of the other occupants in thequeen’s chamber. Disentangling herself from her sister, she said, “Be careful, Mi chiquitina.”
“Married! But to whom?”
“Can’t you guess?” Isabel laughed, but didn’t wait for Catalina to answer. “I’m marrying Prince Alfonso of Portugal. One day he’ll be Portugal’s king, and I its queen.”
Queen Isabel gazed at her eldest and youngest daughters with cheerless eyes. “Isabel, I hoped that service for your sister, María, many years hence. Whilst your father, before he owned to the French king’s treacherous heart, wished you wed to the French prince, I wanted so much to find you a husband of suitable birth to keep you with us in Castilla. You are my first born, after all. But Alfonso remembers you too well from the time when you both were hostages together. He wants you, and only you.”
Princess Isabel smiled, stretching out her hand to her mother. The queen clasped it and held it against her cheek. Catalina’s wide eyes travelled from her mother to her sister. “You’re leaving us?”
Isabel’s eyes shone with sudden tears. “I must, mi chiquitina.”
Catalina wrapped her arms around her sister. “Don’t go, I beg you!”
Over her head, Isabel the mother and Isabel the daughter gazed at one another. Lines of pain scored deep in the queen’s white face, rending her almost ugly. She shut her bloodshot eyes, biting her bottom lip. In the heavy silence, Beatriz could hear the drum of her own heart in her ears.
The prince swung from the bed with nimble grace. Standing between María and Juana he clasped their hands. All three of them gazed at the bed.
With a short laugh, Isabel’s arms tightened around her youngest sister. “Catalina, listen. Portugal is not so far away that I cannot ever come home. In any case, I know my duty and do it willingly.”
Catalina grabbed her sister’s habito, as if she wouldn’t let her go. Isabel frowned and shook her head, not one strand of hair daring to shift from its rightful place. “When you’re older, you too will do your duty and marry your English prince. You will not fail God or your country then. I will not fail it now.”
Award-winning Australian author of Tudor historical fiction, specialising in Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon novels.
Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian author, playwright and poet fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel narrating the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder. Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.
Her second novel, The Light in the Labyrinth, set during final days of Anne Boleyn’s life, revisits the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of her niece Catherine Carey. The Duty of Daughters and All Manner of Things tell the story of Katherine of Aragon. Shades of Yellow tells the story of a woman writing a novel about Amy Robsart.
All Dunn’s award-winning works weave together the lyricism of poetry with the pulse of history, creating stories of love, loss, and the endurance of the human spirit.
We are proud to announce that Earth’s Last Hope has been chosen as a Winner of the 2026 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award – Summer Competition in the Fiction – Science-fiction category!
This is an extraordinary accomplishment. The PenCraft Seasonal Book Awards honor works that shine with literary excellence, artistic distinction, and strong reader appeal — and your book met those standards. Your clarity, insight, and ability to empower readers made “Earth’s Last Hope” stand out in a highly competitive field.
We hope this achievement fuels your passion for writing and propels your career to even greater heights. Congratulations on this well‑deserved recognition — may it be one of many milestones in your continued success as an author.
What if you live in Denver metro, and in one day, you must find or make a bunker, filled with non-perishable food, water, and cold weather clothing to last for ten years, and manage to prevent volcanic ash particles getting into the air you breathe, when Yellowstone’s caldera erupts with eruption lasting more than a year, and it starts erupting during an atmospheric river of snow and four day blizzard of up to twenty feet of snow, thrusting you into a volcanic winter of up to ten or more years, leaving behind an un-inhabitable, barren, and desolate Earth?
What would you do?
What if you thought you had two or more years of warning before the caldera of Yellowstone would erupt as a super volcano, and suddenly you are told you have one day at best to survive?
Dr. Theodore Grey decided that the scientists under him had their measurements wrong or there was a glitch in the system. Yes, Yellowstone was rumbling, but it did that every day, and the scientists at the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO), led by Scientist-in-Charge Dr. Theodore Grey, utilized a sophisticated network of GPS sensors and seismometers to monitor the heartbeat of this active super volcano.All the movement in and around the caldera that is Yellowstone National Park is monitored and measured every day, 24/7, with computerized resources. Many scientists and technical people are necessary to monitor the computers, all the equipment, and cover Yellowstone’s large expanse of crater and park land. Yellowstone has thousands of small quakes each year. The subtle Chicago-sized area of ground deformation near Gibbon Falls had buckled upward by one inch in January 2026, but these new numbers must be wrong! Even the newly discovered magma cap 3.8 km deep in January rose sharply overnight! Seven inches of rapid, sustained uplift? No way. That was too phenomenal for the caldera. Seven inches meant high-pressure fluid movement and is indicative of a significant magma intrusion. Real-time information stared back at him from the monitors. Real-time quakes were more pronounced in and around Yellowstone, and some areas close to Yellowstone certainly felt this shift and change. Dr. Rick Long confirmed what Dr. Grey saw in front of him. SEVEN inches in ONE day!! The ground was tilting and rising by inches, not centimeters! The Earth’s crust was reaching its breaking point! The energy built up was too much, too fast. Dr. Grey knew he had to update the President right away. Time was critical. Everything was critical. So much for having a ten to twelve year plus warning! That powerful atmospheric river and a “monster blizzard” projected to drop up to twenty feet of snow over much of the US, including Yellowstone, would not stop the eruption!
Can Earth be saved? If so, who or what will save Earth?
U.S. Marshall Chance McBride has spent weeks tracking Steve ‘Smarty’ Jones. Ambushed and wounded by the outlaw, Chance is forced to seek help at a nearby school. But the teacher isn’t what he imagined. Instead of a male wearing trousers, a female takes charge of his care. Bright blue eyes and soft curves; Tabitha’s sassy nature awakens a deep-seated loneliness only she and a Christmas wish can soothe.
Tabitha Weston has never favored anything girlie. She’d rather saddle-break wild horses than bat her eyelashes and flirt with a man. But one glimpse into Chance’s molasses-colored eyes and Tabitha’s abhorrence to relationships is suddenly corralled by her need to win the lawman’s favor. Can a wish upon Christmas snow for him to trade the freedom of the trail for a home with her actually come true? She’s about to find out.
My Review:
This novel is a nice Christmas novelette with two people falling fast for each other. A perfect Christmas for all.
Spartan warrior, Diokles, has waited years for the opportunity to right a failure that torments his heart and integrity. Sent to hunt down a threat to Sparta, this campaign may be his final chance to restore his honour and uncover the traitor whose actions blighted his life. Success is at his fingertips, but when duty forces him to take an unwilling accomplice, his plans are challenged in ways he never foresaw.
Leandra, high priestess of Apollysis, stands at the edge of revelation and ruin. Haunted by fragments of a forgotten past, she alone can uncover the truth that will save her city. To do so, she must wear the fabled Coronet of Apollo, a sacred act that could cost her life.
Bound together by necessity and desire, captor and captive race into danger the closer they draw to the shrine of Apollo. With a relentless enemy closing in, one who seeks Diokles dead and Leandra for himself, their growing passion becomes both their greatest strength and their most perilous weakness.
In a time where prophecy, honour, and blood rule, love was never part of the plan.
An epic historical adventure romance of bravery, betrayal, and forbidden desire.
Fully edited, revised version of ‘SpartanQuest – Salvation’ with extra scenes.
Anthea Laurelton writes sweeping romances inspired by Ancient Sparta and Greek mythology. Her stories combine historical elements, forbidden love, dangerous quests and emotionally complex heroines for readers of mythological and historical fantasy.
A fan of sword and sandal movies, her plots blend slow-burn romance, dangerous quests, warrior culture and family intrigue for readers who crave epic adventures. Falling in love with Greek mythology at the age of thirteen, her love of the Spartans especially, came after reading Roger Lancelyn Green’s THE TALE OF TROY where she cheered on Menelaus to take his queen back!
She left a career in IT to pursue her passion for storytelling and pander to an extremely spoilt German Shepherd whom she refers to as ‘The Muse’.
A former equestrian, Anthea enjoys keeping active and has a bucket list of travel destinations waiting to be fulfilled.
A haunting story of compromise and second-chance romance between two misfits. When a retired military dog takes shelter in Gracie’s garage during a violent storm, she meets Wren, the scarred veteran who prefers the forest to people. But as thunder rumbles and secrets surface, they discover that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is open your heart for a second chance.
This was a nice short romance weekend read. The story is unique in that it’s a departure from others I’ve read. The right amount of angst, love, and sexual endeavors work. The sex is not written like erotica but as a loving tribute. What is Wren’s last name?
This uplifting, fast-paced story tackles the challenges of middle-age and will have you laughing, crying, and wondering how many Fs rule your life too.
Jaye never expected everything to fall apart when she turned fifty, but Fs are back in charge and ruining her life again. Fitness… Her spare tyre’s self-inflating but she’s allergic to exercise, unless it’s wine bottle unscrewing where she’s fast becoming an Olympic athlete. Frustration… Why has her soulmate of 30 years shacked-up with his young, blonde, skinny (except for his baby-bump) mistress? Family… One child has flown, the other two are flapping their wings, and Jaye’s left hugging the half-empty biscuit tin and her precious stash of chocolate. Friends… Bestie Didi is fun with a capital F, but she’s pushing Jaye into online dating, reinvention, and ridiculous risk taking. As Jaye fights to hold everything together, she’s forced into deciding whether to return to her safe but imperfect life, or explore a new frightening (or is that exciting?) alternative.
This hilarious, sharply observed novel is perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Fiona Gibson and Milly Johnson.
‘A laugh-out-loud comedy with a huge heart.’ Liz Treacher, best-selling author of The Wrong Envelope
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ‘MY F IN LIFE’
‘The story is engaging, relatable and full of lovely humour. It was a joy to read and I can’t wait to see what comes next!’
‘From the outset there are perceptive and wrenching observations… an immensely likeable character… many women of her age will associate with her.’
‘Some of the best realistic dialogue I’ve ever read. More please!’
‘I so enjoyed reading this. It is hugely relatable and funny.’
‘Everyday problems are dealt with so humorously that you want to read on to find out what hilarious situations our heroine will find herself in next.’
‘I really enjoyed reading this, from the down-to-earth, loveable protagonist to her narcissistic husband, and the most fun-loving friend we should all have in our lives.’
This was a truly great read. Jaye is wonderful even though she is blind to a few things. The writing style is unique and the story flows. I cracked up laughing in many places and a ambivalent in others. Sometimes, life is better at age 50. Especially when you prioritize in a completely different fashion.
Life on Molly is a travel and lifestyle blog. I am a normal girl with many passions. I am an explorer of new places, a learner of new languages, creator of my ambitions, blogger, and a good pal. This blog is my little corner of the world where I am able to share my adventures with you and inspire you to live a life full of purpose.
When Angels Fly 