Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman. After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she'll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn't need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.

'One Cornish Summer captured my heart and didn't let it go until long after I'd finished it. A heart rending story about secrets, lies and the power of love' Cathy Bramley Against the beauty of Cornwall, a story of two women struggling with their past: one cannot remember hers, the other cannot forget... When Hebe receives a life-changing diagnosis at only 53, she struggles to make sense of what it will mean for her, her job and the man she loves. With memories slipping away by the day, she flees to the one place she has always felt safe and peaceful - Cornwall, and the house her family spent so many summers in. Lucy is having her own crisis, and seizes the chance to follow her aunt to Cornwall. Curious about what has driven Hebe there after so many years, she also has to battle with the secret she has kept since her family's last summer there more than ten years ago. Both women will learn that memories live in our hearts and that sharing secrets can set you free... But can they find their way back to the things that are truly important to them? The perfect escapist read for fans of Rachel Hore, Lucinda Riley and Karen Swan. 'Full of warmth, wisdom and compassion...Liz Fenwick's writing is vivid, satisfying and descriptive' Daily Express 'A moving and heart-felt story' The Lady 'Fenwick brings us her best novel yet in One Cornish Summer as she casts her humane and discerning eye over family bonds, relationships, the nature of love, and the power of the landscape to inspire, console and renew... Immaculately researched and emotionally astute, this is a fabulous holiday read with heart, drama, history and humour' Lancashire Post ***** Readers are enchanted by One Cornish Summer: 'A joy to read' 'Once more Liz has transported me to my favourite place in Cornwall to walk side by side with her characters...A perfect read in any season!' 'Wonderful characters, secrets and romance...hard to put down' 'Simply outstanding...a story that will carry you away' 'Liz Fenwick has done it again...A must read' 'Characters who become part of your life in a beautiful, evocative setting' 'Love, relationships, and secrets...a sublime read which is cleverly crafted, intricately researched and beautifully written' 'This book will always be a very special one for me' 'Absolutely perfect Cornish read' 'What a heartwarming but heartbreaking story'

A moving and emotional family drama set between France and Britain from bestselling author, Mary Wood. They would fight for their country, at all costs . . . When Sibbie and Marjie arrive at RAF Digby, they are about to take on roles of national importance. It's a cause of great excitement for everyone around them. Perhaps they will become code-breakers, spies even? Soon the pair embark on a rigorous training regime, but nothing can prepare them for what they're about to face . . . Amid the vineyards of rural France, Flora and Ella can't bear the thought of another war. But as the thunderclouds grow darker, hanging over Europe, a sense of deep foreboding sets in, not just for their safety but for the fate of their families . . . With danger looming, as the threat of war becomes real, Flora and Ella are forced to leave their idyllic home and flee. Can they make it to safety, or will the war have further horrors in store for them? The Brave Daughters is the fourth book in the Girls Who Went to War series by Mary Wood.

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 . . .

Ellis's life has crumbled without warning. Her boyfriend has fallen in love with someone else, her job's insecure, her bank account's empty and she has a mouthful of unreliable teeth. Forced back to her childhood home, there is little in the way of comfort. Her mum is dating a younger man (a dentist, no less) and is talking of selling the house, her sister, Lana, is furious all the time, and a distant cousin has now arrived from the States to stay with them. During a long, hot Edinburgh summer, Ellis's world spins out of control. She's dogged by toothache, her ex won't compensate her for the flat and somehow she's found herself stalking his new lover on Facebook. Will Ellis realise before it's too late that the bite she was born with is worth preserving?

A captivating Cornish saga set at the turn of the century, from the bestselling author of The Boy With No Boots and The Girl by the River Following a terrible storm, seven-year-old Lottie is rescued from a shipwreck by local Cornishman, Arnie Lanroska. Her clothing suggests she comes from a wealthy family, but Lottie's back bears the scars of a severe beating, and how she came to be on a cargo ship in the first place remains a mystery . . . Arnie and his wife already have two young children, Matt and Tom, but are desperate to keep Lottie. They decide to foster her, despite outcries from the local community, and though Matt appears hesitant to get close to Lottie, Tom quickly warms to the new sister in his life. But when tragedy strikes the very heart of the Lanroska family, the repercussions could change the lives of everyone close to them . . . A nostalgic and heart-warming family saga, perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Margaret Dickinson

A moment of distraction, an unlocked car and a missing baby. How on earth could this happen? All Malia needed was a single litre of milk and now she's surrounded by police and Zach has disappeared. Detective Ali Greenberg knows that this is not the best case for her, not with her history - but she of all people knows what Malia is going through and what is at stake. And then there is someone else. Someone whose heart is broken. Someone who feels she has been unfairly punished for her mistakes. Someone who wants what she can't have. What follows is a heart-stopping game of cat-and-mouse and a race against the clock. As the hours pass and the day heats up, all hope begins to fade. A gripping, haunting family drama shot through with emotion and suspense.

It is 1941 and Connie and Lottie Brinsley are training to be nurses at Liverpool's Walton Hospital. When heavy bombing is followed by the news that their home has taken a direct hit and their parents and little brother are dead, the two sisters are utterly devastated. Later, they are shocked to discover that their uncle, Steve, is not who they thought he was, and the Brinsleys have been living a lie for years. And Steve's not the only one who's hiding the truth, for when Lottie meets and marries Waldo Padley, no one tells her that he's a liar and a cheat. But, no matter what life throws at them, the sisters find the strength to face the troubles ahead...

Secrets of the Singer Girls is Kate Thompson's heartwarming and moving novel about the brave, hardworking women who kept the homefires burning in the East End of London during World War Two. 1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival turns up at the gates of Trout's clothing factory in Bethnal Green with no idea what her new life might have in store. There to start work as a seamstress and struggling to get to grips with the noise, dirt and devastation of East London, Poppy can't help but miss the quiet countryside of home. But Poppy harbours a dark secret - one that wrenched her away from all she knew and from which she is still suffering . . . And Poppy's not the only one with a secret. Each of her new friends at the factory is hiding something painful. Vera Shadwell, the forelady, has had a hard life with scars both visible and concealed; her sister Daisy has romantic notions that could get her in trouble; and Sal Fowler, a hardworking mother who worries about her two evacuated boys for good reason. Bound by ties of friendship, loyalty and family, the devastating events of the war will throw each of their lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.

The first in a two-book saga by the beloved author of  Redeeming Love and  The Masterpiece,  Her Mother’s Hope is a rich, moving epic about faith and dreams, heartache and disappointment, and the legacy of love passed down through four generations in one family.

Near the turn of the twentieth century, fiery Marta Schneider leaves Switzerland for a better life, determined to fulfill her mother’s hope. Her formative journey takes her through Europe and eventually to Canada, where she meets handsome Niclas Waltert. But nothing has prepared her for the sacrifices she must make for marriage and motherhood as she travels to the Canadian wilderness and then to the dusty Central Valley of California to raise her family. Marta’s hope is to give her children a better life, but experience has taught her that only the strong survive. Her tough love is often misunderstood, especially by her oldest daughter, Hildemara Rose, who craves her mother’s acceptance. Amid the drama of World War II, Hildie falls in love and begins a family of her own. But unexpected and tragic events force mother and daughter to face their own shortcomings and the ever-widening chasm that threatens to separate them forever.

Mary has a secret that she mustn't tell. But in a care home, with her mind wandering, she's starting to slip up. Clearing out her grandmother's old room, Lucy finds something hidden that wasn't supposed to be found - a locket sheltering a shameful family secret. She can't tell her mother. Not with their father gone, one brother absent and another acting up. Her mother was struggling with her mental health just a few years ago. Lucy will have to make sense of it all herself. In a beautifully told drama of family secrets, Helen Stancey once again picks through the everyday of life to uncover poetry, pain and ultimately love.

September 1953, London's East End. Edie Birch, who believes herself to be a war widow, has finally allowed herself to fall in love again. Engaged to be married, she is happily planning her wedding day. But fate has a blow in store - her 15-year-old daughter, Maggie, is pregnant. A plan has been hatched to stop her daughter from falling from grace. Hidden away above an Italian cafe in Islington until she is ready to give birth Maggie works long hours behind the scenes while her mother Edie feigns pregnancy. The charade works until the baby arrives and hard decisions are to be made. Can Maggie return home and cope with the pretense of her own child being her brother? And will the truth out once Edie's first husband turns up to demand his rights as grandfather?

When journalist Ella Franks is unmasked as a woman writing under a male pseudonym, she loses her job. But having risked everything to write, she refuses to be silenced and leaps at the chance to become a correspondent in war-torn France. Already entrenched in the thoroughly male arena of war reporting is feisty American photojournalist Danni Bradford. Together with her best friend and partner, Andy, she is determined to cover the events unfolding in Normandy. And to discover the whereabouts of Andy's flighty sister, Vogue model Chloe, who has followed a lover into the French Resistance. When trailblazing efforts turn to tragedy, Danni, Ella and Chloe are drawn together, and soon form a formidable team. Each woman is determined to follow her dreams "no matter what," and to make her voice heard over the noise of war. Europe is a perilous place, with danger at every turn. They'll need to rely on each other if they are to get their stories back, and themselves out alive. Will the adventure and love they find be worth the journey of their lives?

'FAST-PACED, DETAILED AND BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN [FOR] FANS OF BERNARD CORNWELL, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN AND THEODORE BRUN' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY. Einar Unnsson will be a great warrior, whether he wants it or not. AD 935 - Late Winter, City of Jorvik. Einar Unnsson is destined to be a great Icelandic warrior. He has already defeated the men sent to kill him by his notorious father, Jarl Thorfinn, the 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He has a gift that makes him lethal in battle. Yet he has cast it all off to be a bard. When three men attack him, Einar's poetry provides little protection. Luckily, the skilled archer and Norse-Irish princess Affreca saves him. She'd assumed Einar had left to raise an army, challenge Thorfinn and seize the Jarldom of Orkney. Now she's determined to set him back onto his rightful path. Einar soon finds himself entangled on Affreca's own mission. She's seeking the Raven Banner for King Eirik. Legend has it that the banner is imbued with powerful magic. That it was a gift from the Norse God Odin and any army that marches behind it will be victorious. The quest sets events in motion that are beyond Einar's control. Einar has no choice but to face his fate and swing his sword once more... Praise for Tim Hodkinson: 'An excellently written page-turner, with a feel for the period which invites you into the era and keeps you there' Historical Writers Association. 'A gripping action adventure like the sagas of old; and once finished, you just want to go back and read it all over again' Melisende's Library.

As the clouds of war gather over Cavendon Hall, the next generation must step forward... The great house of Cavendon Hall has stood on the Yorkshire moors for centuries. Two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them, have been bound by loyalty since the first stone was laid. But when war looms, sons, husbands and brothers are called up to fight; trials and tragedies strike the great house itself. The women of every generation and background must rise to meet the terrible threat posed by Hitler. The Cavendon Luck has held for a long time. Can it hold in the face of this greatest threat of all - and can it protect the next generation?

Ginny is devastated by the death of her mother, her two little brothers and her sister - but her father is destroyed by the loss. After a series of drunken mistakes, her father is imprisoned for murder, and Ginny and her little brother Charlie lose the only home they've ever known. Worse is to come. Charlie is only eight years old and has a weak chest. Ginny is determined to keep him with her, but he is taken to the workhouse before she has a chance to save him. Lonely and desperate, Ginny wanders the streets of Nuneaton. She finds honest work at the pie shop - until she is forced to fight off the unwanted advances of the baker and she's out on the streets. It's only then that she remembers her father's final words - the housekeeper of Lamp Hill Hall will help her. Soon Ginny is employed as a laundry maid, the very lowest rung of the ladder. Her beauty and grace mean that she catches the eye of the house's mistress, who raises Ginny up to play lady's maid to the difficult and demanding Miss Diana. All Ginny wants is to find her brother - and it will take all her strength of heart and courage to bring her family together again.

A new emotional and gritty drama from the bestselling author of The Throwaway Children. After her mother's death, twenty-year-old Sophie Ross is left orphaned, with only her erstwhile nursemaid and faithful friend, Hannah for company. Penniless and little chance of an income, she looks for work as a governess in London to avoid destitution. But unbeknown to Sophie, her mother instructed Hannah to post a letter to Trescadinnick House in Cornwall upon her death. The letter will be the catalyst that changes Sophie's life forever as she learns of her mother's doomed romance and family she left behind in Cornwall. The Penvarrow family welcomes Sophie into their fold, but the new life she's built is threatened by secrets and lies that soon come to light... What readers are saying about Miss Mary's Daughter: 'Diney Costeloe's books are always first on my list, she writes such wonderful stories' 'I loved everything about this novel. It's an intriguing plot with a well-rounded group of characters and a beautifully written setting'.

This epic novel of a wide-eyed missionary and a rebellious woman thrust into China's Communist revolution is "an excellent read, panoramic in scope" (Financial Times). In 1931, young English-born missionary Jakob Kellner brings all the crusading passion of his untried Christian faith to a China racked by famine and bloody civil war. He burns to save the world's largest nation from Communism. But when he is swept along on the cold, unforgiving Long March, Jakob becomes entangled with Mei-ling, a beautiful and fervent revolutionary. Soon, powerful new emotions challenge and reshape his faith-and entrap him forever in the vast country's tortured destiny. Once held hostage by Red Guards in Peking for more than two years, author Anthony Grey traces the path of China's Communist party from its covert inception through purge and revolution. He crafts a portrait of China as a land of great beauty and harshness-of triumph and tragedy-in a sweeping narrative, rich in historical and cultural revelations.

'The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut' Oprah Magazine 'A gorgeous debut that conjures one small town and the big emotions of its wealthiest family, the Briscoes, whose saga plays out over six days of pain, rage and love' People, Best of Summer 'I read without breathing - OK, maybe I gasped - and I experienced the characters' grief and regret as if they were my own' New York Times 'The novel is based on Greek myths but you don't need to know your Zeus from your Apollo to enjoy this saga full of deceit and drama' Good Housekeeping 'Beautifully written and filled with atmosphere... a hugely accomplished debut' Prima 'Secrets, lies and deceptions with Greek myth-like undertones... A literary family saga that spans one week and packs in everything from infidelity to a shooting' High Life 'A total page-turner' Kirkus (starred review) 'The most wildly entertaining novel I've read in a long time' Richard Russo winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction When March Briscoe returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife, the Briscoe family becomes once again the talk of the small town of Olympus. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms: her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? But within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold the Briscoes together might be exactly what drag them all down. An expansive tour de force, Olympus, Texas combines the archetypes of Greek and Roman mythology with the psychological complexity of a messy family. After all, at some point, we all wonder: what good is this destructive force we call love?

Jill Ridley's childhood was one of loneliness and fear, and returning to her family home in Merseyside to join her stepmother's medical practice she decides to uncover the truth behind such painful memories. The discovery of a photograph of her stepmother holding an unknown baby prompts Jill to ask questions. But no one seems willing to answer her. It is only when Jill's stoical stepgrandmother, Victoria, tells the harrowing tale of her tragic past that the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place. Coming to terms with shocking revelations, Jill must also face the future. The surgery's prospects are bleak; Jill's father is buckling under work pressures; and Felix Kingsley, a young journalist, has started paying attention to Jill - but are his intentions honourable, or is he using Jill to probe for secrets that affect his own family...?

August, 1939. Three young women watch the headlines in fear of another devastating war with Germany. A war that could force them to choose between friendship and country. Determined to find her place in the Home Office's Air Raid Precautions Department, Nora is hopeful that they will be able to avoid another war. Meanwhile, Hazel's irrepressible optimism is disguising two closely guarded secrets from her friends. But it is Marie who has the most to fear. A German ex-pat with family living under Nazi rule, what will happen to her if war is declared? When Germany invades Poland and tensions on the home front rise, Marie is labelled an enemy alien. Faced with a terrible choice between loyalty and patriotism, her friends must fight to keep Marie safe at any cost. The Whispers of War is a moving and unforgettable tale of the power and strength of friendship in a time of conflict. Perfect for fans of Lilac Girls, A Woman of War and The Secret Orphan. Praise for Julia Kelly: 'A heartbreaking romance that will grip you from the very beginning' Washington Post 'Kelly deftly balances intrigue with mystery and historical detail in her latest novel... A charming imagining of the historical gunner girls' Kirkus Review 'Kelly weaves an intricate, tender, and convincing tale of war and romance with skill and suspense' Publishers Weekly