Young Maisie Halliday has escaped the grinding poverty of the northern town where she was born to live in the glittering world of professional dancing. At the outbreak of the Second World War, she volunteers as an ambulance driver, finding joy both in helping the wounded during the Blitz and also in her friends among the other drivers in the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Ambulance Depot. Maisie is at the Cafe de Paris nightclub when it is bombed. In the chaos, she attempts to help an injured man, and by this charitable act she becomes mixed up in what may well be a murder. A series of incidents, all connected to a handsome, arrogant American, throw Maisie's life into a dangerous spin. Is anything what it seems in wartime? With one serious misjudgement, Maisie risks losing everything she holds dear...

A little girl is found abandoned on a beach one chilly Monday in October, alone apart from the body of her mother, cold beside her. Rendered completely silent by her traumatic experience, she is given the name Monday by the woman who discovers her and takes her to the Red Cliffs Ragged School - an old, crumbling building perched above the Torquay bay. Her saviour, twenty-two-year old Sarah Sullivan, has also had a tough life. But when she was summoned to help out at Red Cliffs - a haven for poverty-stricken children from the cities - by her godfather Samuel she also found her own second chance within its walls. Now she will do anything to help the mischievous, loveable children there. Especially Monday whose continued silence tears at her heart. But with Samuel's health failing and his grasping nephew Christian eager to inherit, Red Cliffs is under threat. Sarah needs to fight - the children need her, and surprisingly she find she needs them. Will she be able to save the school and protect the little girl she's come to love so much, the one she's named Monday's Child? Monday's Child is the first in the Red Cliff Ragged School series, soon to be followed by Orphans and Angels. Praise for Linda Finlay 'Warm and atmospheric, you can practically taste the sea breeze' The Express 'Take time out for a page-turner about family mysteries and betrayal' Take-a-Break 'A compelling saga . . . with a surprising and emotional ending which weaves together the storylines in a most satisfying way. Strongly recommended and a great read on a Cornish holiday' cjbrownecrimewriter.com 'A captivating and emotional novel about a strong woman struggling to find her own way in the world when others wish to see her fail' Winstone Books

From Annie Murray, the bestselling author of The Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green, comes another gritty family saga about love, war and chocolate . . . September 1940, Birmingham. While her husband and daughter work at the Cadbury's Bournville factory, Ann Gilby has her hands full at home with her youngest Martin and other daughter, Sheila newly returned home with baby Elaine. With Sheila's husband away doing his bit in the RAF, Ann knows she should be grateful to have all her children safe under one roof. But she can't help but fear for their uncertain future as bombs fall ever closer to her Birmingham home. Part of her yearns for the carefree days of her youth when she also worked the line at Cadburys, filling trays of chocolate shells. But mostly Ann tries not to think of the past at all since that would mean she would have to confront her oldest secret, one she's kept since the last war and the one that could easily rip her family apart . . .

The story of a salvage diver, haunted by loss, afraid of the watery deep, pursued for a conspiracy beyond his understanding, and longing for a death he cannot reconcile with God.

1980, PASS CHRISTIAN, MISSISSIPPI: It is three in the morning when Bobby Western zips the jacket of his wet suit and plunges from the Coast Guard tender into darkness. His dive light illuminates the sunken jet, nine bodies still buckled in their seats, hair floating, eyes devoid of speculation. Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flight bag, the plane’s black box, and the tenth passenger. But how? A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed in body and spirit—by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul.

Traversing the American South, from the garrulous barrooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.

Stella Maris, the second volume in The Passenger series, is available now.

'A twisty plot, warm-hearted characters, laughter, secrets and heartbreak - and bursting with fascinating detail' - Annie Murray Stratford, 1943. World War Two is still raging across Europe. But for the Lavender Girls, the workers at the Yardley cosmetics factory in East London, there are even more challenges on the home front. Esther, newly married, is learning to juggle life as a working woman with her duties as a wife and homemaker. And she must find a way to help her adopted family on the Shoot, who are battling their own hidden demons . . . Headstrong Patsy, a new recruit at the Yardley factory, has a double life that takes her from the East End lipstick belt by day to the stage in the West End at night. But will she be able to keep her secrets hidden from her controlling mother, Queenie? For bubbly Lou, a forbidden love forces her to choose between family loyalty and a chance at true happiness. Can she be brave enough to forge her own path in the chaos of a war? One thing is certain: the Lavender Girls need one another more than ever if they are going to survive . . .

'I loved it!' - Phillipa Ashley A gripping tale of family secrets, sibling rivalry and summer romance, set against the backdrop of New York's sizzling urban beach. Sisters Sophie and Celia haven't been on speaking terms for years. So it's a huge shock when they discover their grandmother has left them her quirky old house on Rockaway Beach, New York. Just a stone's throw from the bright lights of Manhattan, they spent many idyllic summers there as children, swimming in the Atlantic ocean, playing in the sand and watching day trippers come and go. Then suddenly, the visits stopped. Sophie knows her mother and grandmother fell out, but has never found out why. Together, the sisters return to Rockaway, and can't agree on anything. Sophie wants to keep the house, Celia's determined to sell. It seems they'll never see eye to eye, until Sophie makes a shattering discovery that forces her to question everything... Why do she and Celia have such different memories of their grandmother? What caused the rift with their mother? Can Sophie trust the handsome stranger who seems to take such an interest in her? And who is the mysterious old woman watching them from afar? Praise for The House on Rockaway Beach: 'Brilliant' Phillipa Ashley 'A novel to lose yourself in' Faith Hogan 'Step into a world of pure escapism in this gripping tale of family secrets, sibling rivalry and summer romance' Chat Magazine Praise for Emma Burstall: 'A charming, warm-hearted read... Pure escapism' Alice Peterson 'Burstall is a great writer, and this is not your usual run-of-the-mill chick lit... I was gripped from the start' Daily Mail 'Burstall has a true knack for transporting you to her world' Jane Corry

This is an enthralling saga of rags-to-riches on the eve of the First World War. September, 1914. Eighteen-year-old Daisy Gilbert is the star seamstress at Mrs Evans' prestigious gown shop in Southampton. Hard-working and well-liked by customers, she has also started to take on a few private clients to supplement her family's meagre finances. Daisy's ambition, ultimately, is not to marry her sweetheart, Jack, who works at the docks, but to set up her own dressmaking business. When her beloved father, ill with TB, is advised a stay at a private nursing-home, Daisy determines that she will find the money to pay for it. So a suggestion from one of her clients, the flamboyant Mrs Cummings, that she should work evenings as a waitress at the Solent Club, one of the town's upmarket brothels, is tempting. Though her mother is horrified, Daisy takes up the offer, reassured that she will only be working behind the bar. Young, innocent and beautiful, Daisy proves popular with the Club's clientele. But with success come further temptations, and danger too from some of the town's less-reputable inhabitants. Will Daisy be able to care for her father, and preserve her own virtue?

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina, for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky cafe owner and a handsome park ranger. Thirty is just a number, but the thought of turning the same age her mother was when she died is terrifying to cafe owner Emma St. James. Emma wants to do something to keep her mom's memory alive, but what she has in mind would require looping in Jack Hershey, and Emma is still upset with him after he stood her up for their high school prom. It was just a silly dance, but she'd needed him back then. She wished she didn't need him now too. Park Ranger Jack Hershey is caring for his nephew, Sam, this summer while Sam's mom is in the hospital. To convince his sister that Sam will be in good hands, Jack lets his sister believe that he and Emma are a couple and will be watching Sam together. However, Emma will only agree to go along with this facade if Jack helps her organize her event at Evergreen Park. As Jack and Emma work together to plan the biggest celebration of the season in Sweetwater Springs, their long-running attraction intensifies and their summer charade shows forever potential...if they can overcome the roadblocks of the past. Includes the bonus novella A Fairytale Bride!

1940 - Small Heath, in the heart of Birmingham, is facing the darkest days of the war. Two very different girls from this tight-knit community join up as ARP wardens to do their bit for the Home Front. Violet Simms lives with her controlling, widowed mother who runs the local pawn shop. At just twenty-years-old, Violet longs for friendship, love and escape. It seems her dreams might come true until tragedy strikes on one of the very worst nights of the Birmingham Blitz. Grace Templeton is the eldest in her family of ten children. Spirited Grace is determined never to become burdened by child bearing and drudgery like her mother. Adored by childhood sweetheart, Jimmy Oval, Grace believes she can do better. Volunteering as an ARP warden feels like a chance for adventure - until she sees the horror and reality of war first hand. In this blacked out city, where not everyone is quite what they seem, she comes to realize she is less in control of events than she had thought. The war will have long-lasting effects on every family . . . Long buried secrets come to light, and their stories are woven together amid the intense bombing of Birmingham. The girls' lives will be changed forever by friendship and love, by tragedy and joy. Girls in Tin Hats is the heart-wrenching generational saga by Sunday Times top ten bestselling author Annie Murray.

Two sets of cousins, Boer and Brit, find their destinies inexorably intertwined in the politics and mayhem that led up to and encompassed the Anglo Boer War of 1899-1902. From Transvaal to Victorian England, the cousins form strong bonds, which are tested on the battlefields of South Africa.

Martin de Winter, nurtured to lead his country of birth, Transvaal, into the twentieth century, instead finds himself excelling as a gifted young general, fighting a desperate war to keep his nation from ruins, all the while being haunted by his love for a British woman. James Henderson, cavalry officer, is forced by his father, a military aristocrat, to marry or face expulsion from his regiment. Bound for India, the regiment is diverted to South Africa to fight the Boers. James rides to glory and honor but is at the mercy of his loyalty to his country and his compassion for his Boer family.

In the drawing rooms of Cape Town and Pretoria, Stefanie de Winter, celebrated pianist, is viewed from both sides with suspicion. Fiercely loyal to her brother Martin but in love with a British officer, she embarks on a dangerous path to keep them both. Dr. Charles Henderson tends to the slaughter on the battlefields. He is devastated by the willful destruction of his adopted country, Transvaal, and anguished by the part his brother, James, plays in this. Karel and Rudolf de Winter, twin brothers devoted to each other and their horses to the exclusion of all else, fight a battle against the bullet that might separate them forever.

Through anger, injustice, and betrayal, the family discovers that there is a force stronger than war. They only have to call on it to find that love transcends all.

She strolled the mall as if it were her private catwalk, men stopping her at every step. Grace was used to it though and paid it no mind. She stopped at the MAC counter on her way to Rich's to get a Chestnut lip liner and some lip gloss. A little later, she bought the sunglasses, played a few video games and was on her way home.

Making her way back to the MARTA station, she noticed the same guy with the missing tongue attempting to preach on the sidewalk. She had to have been in the mall at least two hours and there he was still trying to get his point across. Now that's dedication, she thought.

She thought about how she used to be intrigued by people like that old man. She wanted to go over there and let him know what he was doing was noticed and appreciated. Part of her also wanted to comfort him, although she was the one who was in desperate need of some love.

In 1903 in oppressive Russia, fifteen-year-old Yussel Reinerman must masquerade as a Christian to be accepted as an apprentice shoemaker. Despite shearing his Orthodox earlocks, isolating himself from his family, and denying his culture, his guise is ultimately discovered. Desperate and on the run for his life, Yussel boards a ship for America, where he seeks the freedom to live fully, practice his religion, and pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. As the ship docks in Ellis Island, New York, after a hellacious two-week voyage, Yussel is anxious to put his newfound shoemaker skills to work. Despite knowing no one in America, Yussel still feels immensely relieved to have escaped the Russian madness. As he changes his name to Joseph and slowly begins building his new life in a country where he finally feels acceptance, he falls in love and marries Hannah, an Orthodox Jew who bears him two sons. Joseph can hardly believe his success as he and his family revel in the frenzied prosperity of the 1920s-but all of that is about to change. In the compelling sequel to "The Yellow Line, " Joseph must attempt to bring his family back together again after tragedy shatters their seemingly perfect life.

The first novel in Jessica Stirling's enthralling saga series is set in 1930s England, where an East End girl with ideas of her own makes a surprising journey from the back streets of Shadwell to the salons of Mayfair. Susan Hooper is private secretary to bestselling author, Vivian Proudfoot. Well-spoken and well-read, she soon learns how to hold her own with London's literary sophisticates. But the attentions of Mercer Hughes, a handsome agent with a notorious reputation and a shady past, are more than a docker's daughter can cope with and she finds herself falling reluctantly in love. She is soon cut off from her father and at loggerheads with her idealistic brother Ronnie and his gadabout wife Breda. Even her old friend, newspaperman Danny Cahill, is shocked at the circles in which Susan finds herself where pimps and gangsters rub shoulders with wealthy fascist sympathisers in support of the war in Spain. As the threat of world war grows Susan is torn between loyalty to her family and a lover who will not let her go. But when the time comes to choose she finds a solution that surprises everyone. Susan's story continues in The Wayward Wife.

Venice, 1943: Under the Nazi occupation, life is increasingly perilous for Italian Jews. Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive - to leave her beloved parents and hide in the countryside, posing as the bride of a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to return home to run his family's farm. A moral and just man, he refuses to remain a bystander to Nazi and fascist atrocities. The only way to keep Nina safe - and protect secrets of his own - is to convince prying eyes that their sudden marriage is a love match.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico's provincial neighbours are wary of this soft, educated stranger. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their relationship deepens, transforming into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart...

A unique body of medieval literature, the Sagas rank with the world's greatest literary treasures--as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. Set around the turn of the last millennium, these stories depict with an astonishingly modern realism the lives and deeds of the Norse men and women who first settled Iceland and of their descendants, who ventured further west--to Greenland and, ultimately, the coast of North America itself.

The 10 Sagas and seven shorter tales in this volume include the celebrated "Vinland Sagas," which recount Leif Eiriksson's pioneering voyage to the New World and contain the oldest descriptions of the North American continent.

Secrets of the Jam Factory Girls is a moving saga novel of friendship set in the heart of pre-WWI London from bestselling author, Mary Wood. Elsie's worked her way up at Swift's Jam Factory from the shop floor to the top, and now it's her time to shine. But when she's involved in an incident involving her half-sister Millie's new husband, she is forced to keep it secret - the truth could threaten their sisterly bond. Dot is dogged by fear, coming to terms with her mother's rejection of her. She should be enjoying the happiness she craves with her beloved Cess; instead, she's trapped in an asylum, haunted by the horrifying cries of inmates. All she wants is to get married, but what chance is there for her if she's locked away? Millie is trying to build a life with her new husband. But the man she loves is not all he seems . . . Can the Jam Factory girls create the future they all deserve? This historical saga series begins with The Jam Factory Girls.

Passions are about to flare for the Concannon sisters . . . Maggie and Brianna Concannon are two very different sisters. The calm and gentle Bri seems able to weather any storm, even the constant criticism that rains down on them both from their mother, but Maggie is a passionate and fiery artist whose temper is as bold as her art. Their mother's bitterness is a mystery to Bri and Maggie, until secrets from the past challenge everything they've come to believe. It's Maggie's skill as a glass blower that brings Rogan Sweeney, the international gallery owner, to her small cottage in County Clare. His interest in her is purely professional, until their personalities clash and sparks begin to fly . . . As her career takes off, how will Maggie cope with the heat of the spotlight and feelings for Rogan that she would rather ignore?

'A terrific family drama of secrets ... and so cleverly plotted' Graham Norton 'A completely compelling story of family secrets, courage and resilience - the sense of place is just so powerful' Fearne Cotton 'With captivating characters and a richly drawn setting, this poignant story is the perfect book to curl up with' Catherine Isaac 'Moving, intriguing and beautifully written, this is a story about coming home' Katie Fforde 'An immensely enjoyable and absorbing novel: tender-hearted and infused with empathy and a great sense of place' Erica James 'Moving, emotional and tender and I was so taken with the protagonists, Nell and Dougie' Nina Pottell 'A tender exploration of family secrets and healing, it is the perfect read for our troubled times' Lucy Atkins 'A beautifully written and poignant exploration of family secrets spilling through the generations. Immersive and compelling' Elizabeth Buchan 'I can't remember the last time I read a book in one sitting or sobbed so hard at the end but Little Wing is a really special novel - if it doesn't get you right in all the feels then you're not human' RED 'Book of the month. What a treat: moving, emotional and tender. This filled my heart with joy and occasionally my eyes with tears; it is beautiful' Prima, Book of the Month 'Tender and touching. Keep the tissues close for this poignant story - characters you'll fall in love with' Good Housekeeping ___________ Little Wing is the powerful story of two families over three generations. 1969. Florence Lawson, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who dreams of being an artist, finds herself pregnant and banished to one of the most remote parts of the UK. 1986. Dougie Munro, searching for adventure, leaves the Isle of Harris - the island of his birth - for art college and a career in London as a photographer. 2005. Nell Hartley, content with her life managing a care-in-the-community cafe in Colchester, discovers a shocking truth about her family. Between the sprawl of London, suburban Essex, and the wild, unpredictable Outer Hebrides, three lives collide and interweave as questions are asked and secrets surface. What happened to Florence? Why is Dougie now so reluctant to return home? How can Nell make peace with the lies she's been told? Little Wing is a novel about resilience, forgiveness and the true meaning of family, about finding one's place in the world and discovering how we all belong somewhere and to someone.

A perfect Christmas would be for a father to be reuinted with his daughter. When Glen Trainer is framed for a crime he didn't commit he loses his home, his business and, worst of all, his daughter. Years later, living rough on the streets of Leicester, Glen meets Jan Clayton. She, too, has a heartbreaking story to tell and together they find the courage to start afresh. As Christmas approaches, Glen gets ever closer to finding his daughter, but will his wish for a perfect Christmas come true?

No.1 bestselling writer Josephine Cox is 'hailed quite rightly as a gifted writer in the tradition of Catherine Cookson' (Manchester Evening News). A Little Badness is a compelling story of love and family, perfect for fans of Lyn Andrews and Rosie Goodwin. Rita Blackthorn's heart was barren and hard. In all of her life she had never truly loved. But she had hated. Beneath the loving gaze of her daughter's soft green eyes, her heart swelled with dark and dangerous emotions. Young Cathy Blackthorn has never experienced any loving response from her mother; it is her beloved aunt Margaret, with a heart as big and warm as the summer sky, who has been more of a mother than her own could ever be. And when Cathy's father Frank Blackthorn brings home a London street urchin and announces this will be the son he and Rita have never had, Cathy despairs of ever winning her parents' love. Cathy is a generous soul, though, and tries to give the young lad a chance to prove himself but, unlike her best friend, David Leyton, something about him makes her more than uneasy . . .

Fans of Jerry Apps will delight in his latest novel, "Blue Shadows Farm," which follows the intriguing family story of three generations on a Wisconsin farm.
Silas Starkweather, a Civil War veteran, is drawn to Wisconsin and homesteads 160 acres in Ames County, where he is known as the mysterious farmer forever digging holes. After years of hardship and toil, however, Silas develops a commitment to farming his land and respect for his new community. When Silas's son Abe inherits Blue Shadows Farm he chooses to keep the land out of reluctant necessity, distilling and distributing "purified corn water" throughout Prohibition and the Great Depression in order to stay solvent. Abe's daughter, Emma, willingly takes over the farm after her mother's death. Emma's love for this place inspires her to open the farm to school-children and families who share her respect for it. As she considers selling the land, Emma is confronted with a difficult question--who, through thick and thin, will care for Blue Shadows Farm as her family has done for over a century? In the midst of a controversy that disrupts the entire community, Emma looks into her family's past to help her make crucial decisions about the future of its land.
Through the story of the Starkweather family's changing fortunes, and each generation's very different relationship with the farm and the land, "Blue Shadows Farm" is in some ways the narrative of all farmers and the increasingly difficult challenges they face as committed stewards of the land. Finalist, General Fiction, Midwest Book Awards

From the top-ten bestselling author of One Snowy Night, Rita Bradshaw, comes The Storm Child, a sweeping family saga set during the run up to WW2 in the north-east of England. It's mid-winter, and in the throes of a fierce blizzard Elsie Redfern and her husband discover an unknown girl in their hay barn about to give birth. After the young mother dies, Elsie takes the infant in and raises her as her own daughter, her precious storm child. Gina grows into a beautiful little girl, but her safe haven turns out to be anything but. Torn away from her home and family, the child finds herself in a nightmare from which there's no waking, but despite her misery and bewilderment, Gina's determined to survive. Years pass. With womanhood comes the Second World War, along with more heartbreak, grief and betrayal. Then, a new but dangerous love beckons; can Gina ever escape the dark legacy of the storm child?

Ida's shadow rose erect, and her black-eyed gaze, calm as the eye of the hurricane, rested on Geneva's face. 'Who's the father? Geneva gripped the sheets more tightly, her eyes blurring, her mind struggling to imagine the consequences of answering her question. Victor was in the war. The children were in Massachusetts. Her mind could focus no better than her eyes. Her whole body seized up as another wave of pain engulfed her. 'He can be made to take responsibility, you know. Tell me, said Ida. No. Geneva turned her face aside. She would write a letter to Massachusetts. Please forward. Victor would come home. Then they would face Ida and John Scarborough and the rest of the world, together. 'Well, are you going to tell me? 'N-no. I-I can take care of it. Victor could be here before John Scarborough could make her do anything. Please God 'Um-hum. Was it, by chance, my brother? Dear God. 'Tell me girl, or I give you my word, I won't help you. Geneva felt Victor had delivered her into the hands of a monster. 'Suzanne Morris excels in providing new dimensions to conventional narrative. -Dallas Morning News 'Suzanne Morris writes with all the bark off. dilemmas. She lets the presence of the past lean upon her unsuspecting characters. -Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch

Bestselling author Anne Baker's compelling saga of family secrets, heartache and happy endings. When jeweller Edwin Jardine gives a job to Hilda Thorpe, his daughter Jane suspects that he's been blinded to the attractive widow's flaws by her looks and her hard luck story (she's alone with a teenage daughter, Kitty). Jane's dismayed when Edwin and Hilda become romantically involved; she knows that her father deserves happiness again after the death of her mother, but must it be with Hilda? With the help of her new fiance, Nick, Jane begins to unravel the shocking truth about Hilda's past - and soon she fears that Edwin may be about to take a step he will live to regret bitterly.