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.

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.

The bestselling classic story from Sunday Times bestselling author Josephine Cox. 'I can take him away from you any time I want.' Her mistress's cruel taunt is deeply disturbing to Jenny. But why should Claudia be interested in a servant's sweetheart? Jenny reckons without Claudia's vicious nature; using a wily trick she seduces Frank, who, overcome with shame, departs for a new life in Blackburn. Losing her sweetheart is just the first of many disasters that leave Jenny struggling to cope alone. When Claudia gives birth to Frank's baby girl she cruelly disowns the helpless infant and relies on Jenny to care for little Katie and love her as her own. Always afraid for the beloved child who has come to depend on her, Jenny is constantly called upon to show courage and fortitude to fight for all she holds dear. In her heart she yearns for Frank, believing that one day they must be reunited. When Fate takes a hand, it seems as though Jenny may see her dreams come true.

An emotional story of ordinary people and their far-from-ordinary lives.A small Welsh town hosts a lively and varied community - and none more so than Nelly Luke, the cheerful Cockney widow who made a ramshackle cottage her cosy, if unconventional, home. Nelly's generosity and wisdom win her many friends: Fay, the young newly-wed; Amy, the glamorous shopkeeper whose private life is colourful indeed; and her dignified sister Prue, whose family cupboard contains more than a few skeletons. Against the mounting excitement of the Coronation summer, Nelly steers her friends and family through storms and sunshine alike... A Welcome in the Valley will enchant readers of Rosie Clarke and Margaret Dickinson.

Cradle of Thorns by Josephine Cox, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lonely Girl and Whistledown Woman, is a classic spell-binding tale of escape, love and family, that will appeal to fans of Catherine Cookson and Rosie Goodwin. 'One of the country's best-loved storytellers' Prima Nell Reece has never known her mother, and her father's burden of guilt about his wife has kept him cowed for years, working as a common labourer on his sister's farm. But for all her aunt's spiteful attempts to break Nell's independent spirit, she has never succeeded. But now Nell, pregnant and alone, is forced to leave behind the men in her life, believing she might never be able to return. With little but the clothes she wears, she travels across the Bedfordshire countryside of 1890. When she encounters a scruffy urchin called Kit, a ten-year-old orphan who's lived his whole life on the streets, she takes him under her wing. The pair become devoted friends, never knowing where their journey will take them, but each aware that the time will come when there must be a reckoning.

Cast out by her family, she must find a new path...Madeleine Wyndham returns home from her Swiss finishing school to a whirlwind of social engagements and parties and to Hamilton Bramwell, the wealthy young man her parents are determined she will marry. But Madeleine's eye is caught by a young milkman, Freddy and she dreams of running away with him. However, when she finds herself pregnant, Freddy refuses to marry her and Madeleine is forced to leave by her family. Madeleine arrives in London, friendless and homeless until a chance meeting offers her hope for the future. Madeleine is faced with a tough decision to make, one which will change her life forever. An engrossing saga set in London during World War One, perfect for fans of Maggie Hope and Rosie Goodwin.

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.

Oswald Cray is so often praised for his strong values and nobility, that it is easy for him to forget that he still has flaws. After a nosy servant, who meddles in others' belongings, finds a letter he deems to be suspicious, he presents false charges against Dr. Davenal, a kind and patient man who previously held a sterling reputation. Unaware that it was all a misunderstanding, Cray places too much trust in his own suspicions and breaks off his engagement with the doctor's daughter. As chaos ensues as broken hearts, criminal activity and ruined reputations continue to feed the drama, escalating an issue that could have been easily avoided. Written by an internationally bestselling author, Mrs. Henry Wood, Oswald Cray: A Novel is rarely found in print. Though lesser known than her other novels, Oswald Cray: A Novel deserves recognition for its elegant prose and amusing tone. Featuring complex characters and impactful themes, this work of Victorian sensation fiction is compelling and intricate, fueled by the relatable flaws of the characters and their misfortunes. Decorated with detail of specific aspects of culture, such as women's fashion, Oswald Cray: A Novel allows modern readers an uncommon perspective on the culture of social norms of Victorian England. Though first published in 1864, Mrs. Henry Wood's Oswald Cray: A Novel remains to feel fresh and relatable, while simultaneously allowing modern readers to be immersed in this 19th century community. This edition of Oswald Cray: A Novel by Mrs. Henry Wood now features an eye-catching new cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of Oswald Cray: A Novel creates an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original sentiment and drama of Mrs. Henry Wood's work.

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...

In Prohibition-era New York City, Eunice Ritter, an indomitable ten-year-old girl, finds work in a sweat shop-an industrial laundry-after impairing her older brother with a blow to the head in a sibling tussle. When the diminutive girl first enters the sorting room, she encounters a giant: Gussie, the largest human being she has ever seen. Gussie, a powerful, hard-working woman, soon becomes Eunice's mentor and sole friend as she finds herself entrapped in the laundry's sorting room by the Great Depression, sentenced to bring her low wages home to her alcoholic parents as penance for her childhood mistake. Then, on her sixteenth birthday, Eunice becomes pregnant and her drunken father demands that the culprit marry his daughter, trapping her anew-this time in a loveless marriage, along with a child she never wanted. Within a couple of years, Eunice makes a grave error and settles into a lonely life of drudgery that she views as her own doing. She spends decades in virtual solitude before her secret history is revealed to those from whom she has withheld her love. An epic family saga, The Sorting Room is a captivating tale of a woman's struggle and perseverance in faint hopes of reconciliation, if not redemption.

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?

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

The story can now be told. In 1999, an elite interdisciplinary team headed by Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek gathered in California to carry out a ground-breaking time-travel experiment. While the rest of the world remained unaware, Julius Caesar was successfully transported from the last day of his life to a specially-constructed covert facility. Four days of conversation with historians and Latin scholars were planned, followed by Caesar's return to the moment from which he was extracted. But despite the team's meticulous efforts to maintain secrecy and plan for all possible exigencies, a kidnap attempt plunges Caesar into peril. Fully aware that the future of civilization may hang in the balance, one team member must summon strength she didn't know she possessed to return Caesar to the Ides of March. The shocking details of Caesar's visit and its effect on subsequent events have been protected by draconian nondisclosure agreements....until now.

A heartrending story of family tragedy, Land Girls and lost love from bestselling author Dee Williams. When Babs Scott loses her beloved parents in an air raid, she finds herself homeless and alone in Rotherhithe. The Land Army offers her an escape and, despite the backbreaking toil, Babs loves the peaceful green fields and the fresh, clean air of Sussex. But when her new RAF sweetheart Pete dies on his return to the skies, Babs is grief-stricken once more. After the war and back in her home town, a foolish mistake changes Babs' life for ever. Has she lost her one chance for happiness?

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

Late in 1959, the Brown siblings - Maxine, Bonnie, and Jim Ed - were enjoying unprecedented international success, rivalled only by their long-time friend Elvis Presley. They had a bona fide megahit on their hands, which topped both the country and pop charts and gave rise to the polished sound of the multibillion-dollar country music industry we know today. Mesmerized by the Browns' haunting harmonies, the Beatles even tried to learn their secret. Their unique harmony, however, was only achievable through shared blood, and the trio's perfect pitch was honed by a childhood spent listening for the elusive pulse and tone of an impeccably tempered blade at their parent's Arkansas sawmill. But the Browns' celebrity couldn't survive the world changing around them, and the bonds of family began to fray along with the fame. Heartbreakingly, the novel jumps between the Browns' promising past and the present, which finds Maxine - once supremely confident and ravenous in her pursuit of applause - ailing and alone. As her world increasingly narrows, her hunger for just one more chance to secure her legacy only grows, as does her need for human connection.

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.

A brand new series from the bestselling author of A Christmas Promise. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn. For the ordinary people of Empire Street, life will never be the same again. Kitty Fisher has plenty on her plate to keep her busy. Since her mother died when she was just a child, she's cooked, cleaned and scraped to make ends meet for her drunken father and her headstrong brothers. Rita Kennedy, living with her husband under the roof of his spiteful mother-in-law, is desperate for their own home. Perhaps that will help them get their marriage back on the rails again? For the two women and others like them on Liverpool's dockside and across the whole country, the threatening clouds of war will bring heartache and tragedy. It will take courage and the bonds of family and friends to help them see this through.

'An enchanting timeslip novel that kept me spellbound' CHRISTINA COURTENAY 'Fascinating and captivating' SARAH MORGAN 'Glorious... I adored it' KATHLEEN MCGURL 'This atmospheric novel is such an absorbing read' MY WEEKLY *** Remember, remember, the fifth of November... 1605: Anne Catesby fears for her family. Her son, the darkly charismatic Robert, is secretly plotting to kill the King, placing his wife and child in grave danger. Anne must make a terrible choice: betray her only child, or risk her family's future. Present day: When her dreams of becoming a musician are shattered, Lucy takes refuge in her family's ancestral home in Oxfordshire. Everyone knows it was originally home to Robert Catesby, the gunpowder plotter. As Lucy spends more time in the beautiful winter garden that Robert had made, she starts to have strange visions of a woman in Tudor dress, terrified and facing a heartbreaking dilemma. As Lucy and Anne's stories converge, a shared secret that has echoed through the centuries separating them, will change Lucy's life forever... Sweeping generations from the 1600s to the present day, with the enthralling Gunpowder Plot at its heart, Nicola Cornick's utterly enchanting new timeslip novel will sweep you off your feet. Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara Erskine and Kate Morton. *** Readers LOVE The Winter Garden: 'A marvellous dual timeline novel that had me enthralled from the start.' Netgalley, 5***** 'Just stunning... a captivating read that I would recommend to fans of historical fiction.' Netgalley, 5***** 'Haunting and mysterious... I couldn't put this down.' Netgalley, 5***** 'Oh my, this took my breath away. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine.' Netgalley, 5***** 'A wonderful and engrossing read [that] will pull at your heartstrings.' Netgalley, 5**** 'Grab yourself a copy of this book! I absolutely loved this! I read it in a day.' Netgalley, 5*****

A heartrending London wartime saga from much-loved author Pamela Evans. For the Porters and the Mills, family and friendship are the glue that binds everything together. So when the Porters' home is destroyed in the Blitz and only seventeen-year-old Nell and her little sister Pansy survive, all their lives are shattered. Peg Mills is determined to look after her best friend's daughters. And, in time, the girls begin to thrive - Pansy, evacuated to the countryside and Peg's loving mother, and Nell in her new job at the local newspaper. But trouble is on its way. Nell discovers her handsome suitor Gus Granger is hiding a dangerous secret. And, just when she needs him the most, her closest confidant Ed Mills is declared missing in action. Nell suddenly realises that Ed means much more to her than just a friend. But will she ever see him again to tell him her true feelings?

A house full of secrets is at the heart A Winter Memory, an absorbing family drama from bestselling author Lulu Taylor - perfect for the winter months. Now Years ago, Helen fell for the charming Hamish and was enchanted by his family home, the romantic Ballintyre House. Elegantly sat on the edge of a loch in western Scotland, the house has been home to the Ballintyre family for decades. Now, seeking refuge from a scandal that has cost Hamish his job, they are living with his older brother Charlie at the house, while his troubled mother is never too far away. Struggling with her own problems, Helen is surprised to find that Charlie's wife has vanished. No one else seems at all concerned. Where has she gone, and why? Then In 1968, sixteen-year-old Tigs is madly in love with James Ballintyre, her childhood friend and hero. When he marries another woman, her heart is broken. She knows it's hopeless but she can't help how she feels. She tries to find her way to a new life and a new love but, somehow, everyone is called back to Ballintyre in the end. Tigs is no exception . . . Forever Ballintyre has always been the setting for revelations of love, obsession and betrayal. Now, as Helen seeks the answer to Charlie's wife's disappearance, she is forced to confront her own difficult truths - as the events of the past reach forward to touch the lives of those who still call Ballintyre home, and reveal their secrets . . .

'1942 was going to be a very different type of year to its predecessor, she decided resolutely. Gone would be the feckless Evie, mooning over one faithless man after another, and in would come a bolder and more positive Evie ' As a new year begins and the world is at war, Evie Yeo is turning over a new leaf. Her nearest and dearest in the little Devon village of Lymbridge, the war effort for the boys on the front, and her class of infant pupils will be getting all of her attention this year and nothing will soften her resolve. Though rations are slim, and work is hard with the men away, Evie knows she's lucky to have her friends and family around her - even if they don't always agree on each other's choices in fashion, hobbies or love. They have supported her through a broken heart more than once so she knows they'll stick together even when there are new suitors, new babies or new jobs to contend with. But as the snow falls, Evie realises it might be harder than she thought to put the past behind her and find her happy ending. And when the trauma of war is felt even in the usually peaceful village, will Evie and those she cares about emerge unscathed?

Mother doesn't always know best in this atmospheric and twisty novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic series and Landry series-now popular Lifetime movies. When former teacher Paula Eden adopts Faith and Trevor, she is astounded by their natural intelligence and decides to homeschool them to nurture their brilliance. But as the years go on, Faith and Trevor itch for more independence. When Faith sets her sights on a handsome young man visiting from out of town, Paula grows increasingly desperate to preserve her small family and her plans for the children to carry on her legacy. Luckily, she has a cohort in loyal Trevor, who will do anything to please his mother, even at the risk of hurting his sister and potentially changing their lives forever.