Vernacular writers of late medieval England were engaged in global conversations about orthodoxy and heresy. Entering these conversations with a developing vernacular required lexical innovation. The Language of Heresy in Late Medieval English Literature examines the way in which these writers complemented seemingly straightforward terms, like heretic, with a range of synonyms that complicated the definitions of both those words and orthodoxy itself. This text proposes four specific terms that become collated with heretic in the parlance of medieval English writers of the 14th and 15th centuries: jangler, Jew, Saracen, and witch. These four labels are especially important insofar as they represent the way in which medieval Christianity appropriated and subverted marginalized or vulnerable identities to promote a false image of unassailable authority.

A pair of short novels that explore a richly sensual relationship between a dynamic, dominant woman and a much younger submissive man. MINDING MARGERY. At 18, Kenneth is a sheltered, handsome youth with remarkable sexual stamina. During adolescence, Ken he became enamored with his mother's lesbian spouse, Margery, a beautiful woman 14 years his senior. To keep Ken safe from immoral young college girls, Margery initiates, to his delight and with his mother's consent, a program of supervised sexual relief, masturbating Ken daily. However, when Margery moves out after his mother’s death, Ken falls into a downward spiral, arrested only when she becomes his specially appointed guardian. Margery revives her program of sexual relief, now combined with a regimen of corrective discipline, intended to make Ken ideal husband material. In GRATIFYING GRETCHEN, Kenneth, now forty-one, drifts into the hands of the older and dominant Gretchen Brantwell, a professional masseuse who recognizes Ken's submissive nature. Once her control over him is established, she begins distributing his sexual services to other older women who share her female supremacist viewpoint. Finely crafted erotic fiction that celebrates the ripe, mature bodies of seasoned, sophisticated women.

Presents the story of Chlorinda, daughter of the roistering choleric Sir Jeoffry Wildairs. Endowed with the passionate temper and spirited and dominant disposition of her father, the beautiful and witty girl is obeyed and humored by all the servants who at once fear and love her. It is this complete achievement of all her caprices and desires, with a reckless disregard of consequences which carry her into her tempestuous and misguided romance with the popular Sir John Oxen. Awakening to a situation which might have completely disarmed another woman, only serves to transform Chlorinda into "A Lady of Quality" whose beauty, splendor and adventures in society makes her a person of note.

A PLAGUE OF MURDERS The village of Prior Byfield is blighted with famine, devastated by plague, and cursed with ill-fortune. Simon Perryn, the poor reeve of the village, is driven to distraction by the petty rivalries and hopeless troubles of his neighbors. His adulterous sister and her dolt of a husband have entangled their affairs with Gilbey Dunn, the richest man of the village, and Elena, the beautiful and seductive woman that he calls his wife. With wealth on the line and lives at the stake, old quarrels and ancient angers are boiling over into the once-quiet streets of the village. That’s when things get even worse for Simon: A horrid scandal curses him with a pair of nuns, sent from the nearby nunnery of St. Frideswide’s to make sure all is kept right in the village. Dame Frevisse, however, suspects that the scandal which has drawn her and the innocent Sister Thomasine from the safety of the priory is but the tip of a terrible intrigue which threatens both nunnery and village alike: The good, kind, and honest Master Naylor stands accused of a crime which threatens to strip him and his entire family of their freedom. Who could stand to profit from his loss? Is it the same silent killer who stalks the village youth? Or are they all being played like fools? Yet even if Frevisse’s keen wit can lay bare the ugliness in the hearts of men, she fears that no amount of prayer will serve to cleanse her own soul of that sickly hate. Can even God pardon one who has turned from a holy path? PRAISE FOR THE REEVE’S TALE “Everything about it bespeaks quality and care… Frazer draws us into a medieval village in England with a story of lust, greed and murder.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press “Exquisitely written, the novel offers a brilliantly realized vision of a typical medieval English village, peopled with full-blooded men and women who experience the human range of joys and sorrows. Suspenseful from start to surprising conclusion, this is another gem from an author who’s twice been nominated for an Edgar.” – Publisher’s Weekly “This tale is a trip back in time, a time when your personal wants had to be satisfied with what could be found in your immediate surroundings. You will appreciate the intense need for each village and villager to be self-sufficient. You experience the terror caused when children fall ill. The Reeve’s Tale is a fascinating one.” – Martha’s Vineyard Times “Frazer [turns] the screw of the mystery… The looming threats guarantee suspense… Greed and self-interest lurk beneath marital agreements knotted to land contracts, reminding God’s virgins just who feeds them.” – Kirkus Review PRAISE FOR THE DAME FREVISSE MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES “Within the graceful prose rhythms that have garnered her two Edgar nominations, Frazer’s 10th tale of 15th-century nun Dame Frevisse transports the reader to a medieval England made vivid and a world of emotions as familiar then as now.” – Publisher’s Weekly “Frazer’s quiet yet intense medieval mysteries are so vividly and gracefully written you just float back in time…” – The Poisoned Pen “Those who meet Frevisse here for the first time will want to get to know more about more.” – Detroit Free Press “Ms. Frazer provides a real treat for lovers of all things medieval.” – Romantic Times “Frazer is a master because she combines her love and knowledge of history with the true skills of a mystery writer.” – Aunt Agatha’s A Romantic Times Top Pick. Twice nominated for the Minnesota Book Award. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award.

The Salbine Sisters are back! Salbine’s Embrace picks up six years after the end of The Salbine Sisters, when the Merrin monastery is about to lose a cherished resident. Almost fourteen years old, Emmey’s prison sentence is coming to an end and she must leave the monastery. As the day of her departure approaches, she has frightening dreams that make her cry out in the night. When two of her dreams come true, Emmey worries that a recurring nightmare in which Maddy dies will also come to pass. Meanwhile, visiting sisters from the Hedgerow monastery try Sophia’s patience and force one sister to relive a traumatic event from her past. Salbine’s Embrace is a lesbian fantasy story with many strong and principled lesbian main characters.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

"A Lady of Quality" – Set in the 17th century England, the novel relates the life of young Clorinda, girl raised by her harsh and utterly disreputable father. He forces to wear boys clothes, teaches her to ride horse like a man, her language is crass and her behavior is unconventional for a lady. Tired of such life, Clorinda decides she must change if she wants to attract a decent man and provide a decent life for herself. When she does meet a man she thinks is good for her, the trouble appears in the form of a former lover she no longer wants. "His Grace of Osmonde" is the sequel to A Lady of Quality. Duke Gerald of Osmond is a well-built, handsome, gracious, and kind nobleman who has all the gifts nature can bestow. When he sets his eyes on Clorinda for the first time, she is a gorgeous mess – the swearing, boisterous tomboy daughter of a reckless and wasteful father. Gerald is patient, knowing that fate and nature will tame her and bring them together, but he also fears that his futur bride will be ruined by the world before she settles with him.