The magnificent Maclarens march to war... The year is 1914: the last summer of innocence before the outbreak of the Great War, a time for frivolity and flirting. For Naomi Bruce there is a chance to plot and scheme; for Rebecca Galloway a chance to win a man's heart; for the Maclarens - family, clan and regiment - a last chance to savour the joys of summer in the Scottish Highlands. But when the storm of war breaks over Europe, old plans must be abandoned and new ones must be made, because Scotland's proudest regiment is heading off to battle... Beloved Soldiers is the triumphant climax of an epic saga which traces the fortunes of a family and a regiment - a novel of love, passion, bravery and sacrifice.

Step right up for the most captivating read of the year . . . Filled with the sights and sounds of Victorian England, Circus of Wonders is the instant Sunday Times bestseller from Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory. 'Intensely satisfying' - Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars England, 1866. When Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders arrives in a coastal village, Nell soon catches the showman's eye. Shunned by her community because of the birthmarks speckling her skin, to Jasper she is a prize - she could be his very own leopard girl. But how to make her his? Soon Nell finds herself the star of Jasper's show. Suddenly she is famous. Crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. Figurines are cast in her image. Even Queen Victoria wants to see her perform. But is Nell free to live and love as she chooses? And when her fame begins to eclipse Jasper's own, could she be in danger? After all, the higher you fly, the steeper the fall . . . 'Filled with character and life' - The Times 'Utterly beguiling' - Daily Mail 'Brilliantly involving' - Daily Express 'Exhilarating' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year 'An immersive gem' - Red 'Joyous, frightening, heartbreaking' - Independent 'Deliciously vivid' - Woman & Home

The Anglo Scottish Border in the 16th century was the most violent period of British history. A young boy's quest for revenge on the killers of his family sees him blackmailed into the role of hired assassin. This is the story of how he attains his goal.

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society. This volume contains "Sketches and Travels of London," more.

Amy Lawrence Lowell (1874-1925) was an American poet who posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926.

Edwin Justus Mayer (1896-1960) was an American screenwriter who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for 47 films between 1927 and 1958.

The Princess Beatrice (1857-1944) was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. USA Only

Roark Whitney Wickliffe Bradford (1896-1943) was an American short story witer and novelist. Canada and Australia only

Clarence Young was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for series of books for boys, the most well-known being the "Motor Boys" series.

Harry Kendall Thaw (1871-1947) is best known for the murder of architect Stanford White at Madison Square Garden in 1906 and the sensational trial that followed.

Mark Alexandrovich Landau (1888-1957) was a Russian emigrant and wrote many historical novels.

1809 - The might of the French armies have gathered in nearby Spain to attack the beleaguered Portuguese. As an ally, the British government is drawn into increasing its small peninsular force in order to protect the Portuguese. Short of willing recruits, the government advertise for gentlemen volunteers to serve under its over all commander, the Duke of Wellington. The peninsular is a hard battle ground. James Ross, penniless, after the family fortunes were lost, now has to earn a living. The 'Lady Nelson' carries him to the far shores of the Portuguese coast where his adventures are just beginning...

The "marvelous" British governess-turned-sleuth helps a new bride who fears her husband intends to murder her (Daily Mail). Former schoolteacher Miss Maud Silver is on her way back to London when, with a violent shudder of the train, a young woman is thrust into her compartment. She's beautiful, well dressed, newly married, and wealthy--a lethal combination. In a state of shock, Lisle Jerningham explains that she fled her home in a hurry after overhearing a sinister conversation. Her new husband's first wife died in an apparent accident, and the resultant infusion of cash saved his family home. Now, he's broke again--and attempting to engineer a second convenient mishap. Miss Silver is unsure whether the drama is real or a figment of Lisle's imagination--but if this frightened young lady is a target for murder, the killer will have to deal with the governess-turned-sleuth first. Starring a mature sleuth who "has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot", In the Balance is a classic British mystery (Manchester Evening News).

Set against a backdrop of the year 1066 a mysterious rock re-emerges after an absence of hundreds of years. On this occasion the Keeper, for that is what the custodian of the rock is called, is visited in a dream during the night the star with the hairy tail shows itself in the sky and is tasked with finding an ancient stone tablet, hidden by a monk three centuries earlier. Bedwyth, the monk, could not find it in himself to reveal the contents of the tablet to the world, fearing it would destroy all that people believed in, but nor could he destroy it, knowing that to do so would be destroying the word of God. Now, three hundred years after his death, a parchment comes to light written by Bedwyth telling of the tablet and divulging clues to its whereabouts but not its contents. The Keeper teams up with her cousins and a stranger named Jehoshua to solve the mystery, but is the stranger all that he seems or is he holding something back? Something which if it was revealed would cause as much disturbance as the secrets of the stone. Others however want the rock the Keeper wears, some believing it will assist in their quest to conquer England whilst some want to use its power to seek the ancient tablet, believing that were it not to be revealed it would go against the will of God. Others are doing all in their power to have the rock destroyed in order to keep its secrets safe and thus the tablet of stone. The Keeper finds herself fleeing for her life as the rival factions try to wrest the secret of the stone from her. But she has the same dilemma as the monk, Bedwyth. If the tablet is found should she disclose its contents or would the world's population be better kept in ignorance? Events however take a different path as the Keeper and her companions become embroiled in the events and battles of the year as first they charge north with King Harold's army to fight off the Viking invasion before returning south to face William, Duke of Normandy. The story calls into question many of the beliefs we grew up with, whilst encompassing the legends, the fables and the facts surrounding what is possibly the most famous date in English history. It is a tale of battles and intrigue, of love, and of grief, of mystery and mayhem but most of all it tells of one year in history as seen through the eyes of someone who experienced it and lived to tell the tale.

William McLean is stationed in Malta during the second World War and immediately falls in love with the beauty, history and incredible bravery of the people and their island. His love affair with Malta continues through the mysterious Carmel - a woman with deep secrets. Meanwhile, in England, Ivy Lawton is nursing the wounds of her lost love, Rafel - the handsome member of one of Malta's most important families. As the years pass, both William and Ivy will realise the deep-seated ties between them and the people they love. 'The Sleeping Lady' is a tale of love lost and found, lies in the name of the social order and the cruelties of war. Each page will keep you transfixed as the intricate web of lies and deception is unravelled over the years of war and peace.

In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .

London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared and her sister Maude is determined to find out what’s happened.

She discovers that Constance has disguised herself as a boy and boarded a ship bound for the Arctic, but when the ship returns without her the truth about her fate is buried by sinister forces.

To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.

It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .

Intriguing mysteries and fast-paced action combine with humour and emotion. In the Roman year 897 (AD 145) rebellion, treason and dissent were rife on the empire's most northerly frontier. A second wall, beyond Hadrian's, meant to promote peace inevitably only adds fuel to the fire. Charged by the governor with rooting out the traitors investigator Felix is in daily danger as they hold life cheaply, forcing him to live alongside crime, warfare, love, lust, sacrifice and treason - in a heady mix!

Agter elke man wat gehelp het om die geskiedenis te vorm, staan die helde wat dit vir altyd verander het. Soos net Francine Rivers dit kan doen, vertel sy die verhale van vyf sulke geloofsmanne wat getrou na God se stem geluister het in die skadu van die leiers wat Hy uitverkies het:

• Aäron wat ons Ewige Hoëpriester simboliseer.
• Kaleb wie se toewyding mense gedring het om hulle geloof in dade om te sit.
• Jonatan wie se nederigheid gelei het tot ’n vriendskap met die man wat in sy plek sou koning word.
• Amos wat ten spyte van heftige teenkanting die Israeliete gewaarsku het oor die naderende oorlog wat hulle sou vernietig.
• Silas wat die apostels se woorde op skrif gestel het sodat dit vir die geslagte behoue kon bly.

Deur Francine se meesterlike vertelvermoë en aangrypende karaktersketse sal lesers elkeen van hierdie manne op ’n besondere wyse leer ken.