Graham Saga

On a muggy August day in 2002, Alex Lind disappears without a trace. On an equally stifling August day in 1658, Matthew Graham finds her on an empty Scottish moor. Life will never be the same for Alex-or for Matthew. Due to a series of rare occurrences, Alexandra Lind is thrown three centuries backwards in time. She lands at the feet of Matthew Graham-an escaped convict making his way home to Scotland in this the year of our Lord 1658. Matthew doesn't quite know what to make of this concussed and injured woman who has seemingly fallen from the skies-what is she, a witch? Alex gawks at this tall, gaunt man with hazel eyes, dressed in what to her mostly looks like rags. At first, she thinks he might be some sort of hermit, an oddball, but she quickly realizes the odd one out is she, not he. Catapulted from a life of modern comfort, Alex grapples with this new existence, further complicated by the dawning realization that someone from her time has followed her here-and not exactly to extend a helping hand. Potential compensation for this brutal shift in fate comes in the shape of Matthew-a man she should never have met, not when she was born three centuries after him. Matthew quickly proves himself a willing and most capable protector, but he comes with baggage of his own, and on occasion it seems his past will see him killed. At times, Alex finds it all excessively exciting and longs for the structured life she used to have. How will she ever get back? And more importantly, does she want to? A Rip in the Veil is the first in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

Matthew Graham committed the mistake of his life when he cut off his brother's nose-however much he deserved it. In revenge, Luke Graham has Matthew abducted and transported to the Colony of Virginia, there to be sold as indentured labor-a death sentence more or less. Matthew arrives in Virginia in May of 1661, and any hope he had of finding someone willing to listen to his tale of unlawful abduction is quickly extinguished. If anything Matthew's insistence that he is an innocent man leads to him being singled out for the heaviest tasks. Insufficient food, grueling days, and the humid heat combine to wear Matthew down. With a sinking feeling he realizes no one has ever survived the seven years of service-not on the plantation Suffolk Rose, not under the tender care of the overseer Dominic Jones. Fortunately for Matthew, he has a remarkable wife, a woman who has no intention of letting her husband suffer and die, and so Alex Graham sets off on a perilous journey to bring her husband home. Alex is plagued by nightmares in which her Matthew is reduced to a wheezing wreck by his tormentors. She sits in the prow of the ship and prays for a miracle to carry her swiftly to his side, to let her hold him and heal him before it's too late. Fate, however, has other ideas, and what should have been a two month crossing becomes a yearlong adventure from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Will she find him in time? And if she does, will she be capable of paying the price required to buy him free? Like Chaff in the Wind is the second in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

Safely returned from an involuntary stay in Virginia, Matthew Graham finds the Scottish Lowlands torn asunder by religious strife. His Restored Majesty, Charles II, requires all his subjects to swear fealty to him and the Church of England, riding roughshod over any opposition. In Ayrshire, people close ranks around their evicted Presbyterian ministers. But disobedience comes at a high price, and Alex becomes increasingly nervous as to what her Matthew is risking by his support of the clandestine ministers-foremost amongst them the charismatic Sandy Peden. Privately, Alex considers Sandy an enervating fanatic and all this religious fervor is incomprehensible to her. So when Matthew repeatedly sets his faith and ministers before his own safety, he puts their marriage under severe strain. The situation is further complicated by the presence of Ian, the son Matthew was cruelly duped into disowning several years ago. Now Matthew wants Ian back and Alex isn't entirely sure this is a good thing. Things are brought to a head when Matthew places all their lives in the balance to save his dear preacher from the dragoons. How much is Matthew willing to risk? How much will he ultimately lose? The Prodigal Son is the third in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

It's 1672, and Matthew Graham and his family have left Scotland. Having taken the drastic decision to leave their homeland due to religious conflicts, Alexandra and Matthew hope for a simpler, if harsher, life in the wilds of the Colony of Maryland. Unfortunately, things don't always turn out as you want them to, and the past has a nasty tendency to resurface at the most inappropriate moments. Both Matthew and Alex are forced to cope with the unexpected reappearance of people they had never thought to meet again, and the screw is turned that much tighter when the four rogue Burley brothers enter their lives. Matters are further complicated by the strained relations between colonists and the Susquehannock Indians. When Matthew intercedes to stop the Burleys from abducting Indian women into slavery he makes lifelong-and deadly-enemies of them all. Once again Alex is plunged into an existence where death seems to threaten her man wherever he goes. Will Matthew see himself-and his family-safe in these new circumstances? And will the past finally be laid to rest? A Newfound Land is the fourth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

After years of hard work, Matthew and Alex Graham have created a thriving home in the Colony of Maryland. About time, in Alex's opinion, after far too many adventures she is really looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet. A futile hope, as it turns out. Things start to heat up when Jacob, the third Graham son, absconds from his apprenticeship to see the world-especially as Jacob leaves behind a girl whom he has wed in a most irregular fashion. Then there's the infected matter of the fellow time traveler Alex feels obliged to help-no matter the risk. Worst of all, one day Philip Burley and his brothers resurface after years of absence. As determined as ever to make Matthew pay for every perceived wrong-starting with the death of their youngest brother-the Burleys play out a complicated cat and mouse game, and Alex is thrown back into an existence where her heart is constantly in her mouth, convinced as she is that one day the Burleys will achieve their purpose. Will the Burleys succeed? And if they do, will the Graham family survive the exacted price? Serpents in the Garden is the fifth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

Life in the Colony of Maryland is no sinecure-as Alex and Matthew Graham well know. But nothing in their previous life has prepared them for the mayhem that is about to be unleashed upon them. Being labeled a witch is not a good thing in 1684, so it is no wonder Alex Graham is aghast at having such insinuations thrown at her. Even worse, it's Matthew's brother-in-law, Simon Melville, who points finger at her. Not that the ensuing hearing is her main concern, because nowadays Alex's entire life is tainted by the fear of what Philip Burley will do to them once he gets hold of them. On a sunny May afternoon, Philip finally achieves his aim and over the course of the coming days Alex sees her whole life unraveling, leaving her family permanently maimed. As if all this wasn't enough, Alex also has to cope with the loss of one of her sons. Forcibly adopted by the former Susquehannock, Samuel is dragged from Alex's arms to begin a new life in the wilderness. How is Alex to survive all this? And will she be able to put her damaged family back together? Revenge and Retribution is the sixth book in Anna Belfrage's time slip series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

In their rural home in the Colony of Maryland, Matthew and Alex Graham are still recovering from the awful events of the previous years when Luke Graham, Matthew's estranged brother, asks them for a favor. Alex has no problems whatsoever ignoring Luke's sad plea for help. In her opinion Matthew's brother is an evil excuse of a man who deserves whatever nasty stuff fate throws at him. Except, as Matthew points out, Luke is begging them to save his son-his misled Charlie, one of the Monmouth rebels-and can Charlie Graham be held responsible for his father's ill deeds? So off they go on yet another adventure, this time to the West Indies to find a young man neither of them knows but who faces imminent death on a sugar plantation, condemned to slavery for treason. The journey is hazardous and along the way Alex comes face-to-face with a most disturbing ghost from her previous life, a man she would much have preferred never to have met. Time is running out for Charlie Graham, Matthew is haunted by reawakened memories of his days as an indentured servant, and then there's the eerie Mr. Brown, Charlie's new owner, who will do anything to keep his secrets safe, anything at all. Will Matthew deliver his nephew from imminent death? And will they ever make it back home? Whither Thou Goest is the seventh book in Anna Belfrage's series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

Some gifts are double-edged swords... For Matthew Graham, being given the gift of his former Scottish manor is a dream come true. For his wife, Alex, this gift will force her to undertake a perilous sea journey, leaving most of their extensive family in the Colony of Maryland. Alex is torn apart by this, but staying behind while her husband travels to Scotland is no option. Scotland in 1688 is a divided country, torn between the papist Stuart king and the foreign but Protestant William of Orange. In the Lowlands, popular opinion is with Dutch William, and Matthew's reluctance to openly support him does not endear him to his former friends and neighbors. While Matthew struggles to come to terms with the fact that Scotland of 1688 bears little resemblance to his lovingly conserved memories, Alex is forced to confront unresolved issues from her past, including her overly curious brother-in-law, Luke Graham. And then there's the further complication of the dashing, flamboyant Viscount Dundee, a man who knocks Alex completely off her feet. All the turmoil that accompanies their return to Scotland pales into insignificance when a letter arrives, detailing the calamities threatening their youngest daughter in Maryland-at the hand of that most obnoxious minister, Richard Campbell. Matthew and Alex have no choice but to hasten back, no matter the heartache this causes. Will they make it back in time? And what will Richard Campbell do? To Catch a Falling Star is the eighth book in Anna Belfrage's series featuring time traveler Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth-century husband, Matthew Graham.

The Graham Saga is the story of Matthew Graham and his time-traveler wife, Alex. Set in the seventeenth century, it follows them and their expanding family through an adventurous life set both in Scotland but principally in the Colony of Maryland. A well-researched historical setting provides the background against which the personal challenges and tragedies of the Graham Saga are set. In this the ninth book, we return to a Maryland presently torn apart by religious conflict - the hitherto so tolerant approach to various faiths is a thing of the past now that the staunchly Protestant William and Mary sit on the throne, and when Catholic friends of the Grahams end up in danger, Matthew and Alex must ride to the rescue. Meanwhile, in London, little Rachel Cooke has her entire world turned upside down the day the man she thought to be her father sells her to pay off his debts. Fortunately for Rachel, her Graham relatives set out to find her. But will they be too late?

When reluctant time traveler Alex ended up at the feet of Matthew Graham in 1658, her life changed dramatically. Now, eight years later, Alex has to handle yet another major change-becoming a settler in the American colony of Maryland. The Graham family has no choice: Matthew cannot remain in Scotland, not with his religious convictions. Their hope is that Maryland will offer them the opportunity to start anew, no matter the heartbreak of leaving their homeland. But some things cannot be left behind, and soon enough Matthew and Alex have to cope with disturbing echoes from their past-and several new enemies. "This is a fabulous time-traveling family saga to be enjoyed to the full."

On a muggy August day in 2001, Alexandra Lind was unexpectedly thrown backwards in time, landing in the year of Our Lord 1658. Catapulted into an unfamiliar and frightening new existence, Alex could do nothing but adapt. After all, while time-traveling in itself is a most rare occurrence, time-traveling with a return ticket is even rarer. Fortunately for Alex, she lands at the feet of Matthew Graham. No woman could ask for a better guide or protector in this strange new world of hers. Unfortunately, Matthew comes with baggage of his own, and soon enough it will be her protecting him, just as much as he defends her. This boxed set includes the first three books in the Graham Saga-all the way from how Alex first met Matthew, to their adventures in Colonial Virginia and back to a Scotland torn apart by religious conflicts and English dragoons. "A permanent part of my library, I can't recommend the book or series highly enough. Thoroughly enjoyable, fun, and imaginative."