Southern Kingdom — Don Stanford

One hears over and again that we are living in modern times. Since the day the first man walked the earth through this day, man has always lived in modern times. From the dawn of the ages when Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit to be like God, through today when men and women are eager to strike a deal with the devil to gain power and wealth, human nature has not changed. The setting for Southern Kingdom is the nineteenth century; however, its theme is as ageless as the rising and setting of the sun. Ambition, anger, bravery, cowardice, greed, hate, love, lust, selfishness, and the struggle to survive are timeless. This novel chronicles the life - and the lives of the people his life affects - of a man who allows those forces to blacken his heart and empty his soul. Adam Blythington relocates to America with the ambition of buying cheap land in the defeated south and living the life of a country squire. In only a few years, with the aid of a corrupt land speculator, he finds himself the owner of two vast plantations. When he acquires his first plantation, Hannah LeBlanc, the beautiful and sensuous housekeeper, offers herself as his mistress. Although he marries the beautiful daughter of a wealthy landowner for convention's sake, and has an affair with his brother-in-law's wife, Hannah remains steadfastly loyal to him. Together they forge the future of his empire, Southern Kingdom. They ruthlessly battle anyone, even resorting to murder, who threatens their dream of wealth and power. Although he amasses land, riches, and power, the gratification he desired remains elusive.