The fourth novel in the Lancashire-based Gibson series by beloved saga writer Anna Jacobs. In 1858 Annie Hallam has at last found complete happiness. She has three healthy babies and adores her husband Frederick. After years of struggling to make a living in the small Lancashire town of Bilsden, Annie knows she deserves to sit back and enjoy her life - after all, she's not yet forty, and still in her prime. But worries - at first faint clouds on the horizon - are imminent. Frederick has been looking pale and ill lately. Her brother Tom hasn't moved on after the death of his wife. Rebecca, her half-sister, is longing for something more than her work in the salon. And William, her son, isn't happy at university. In spite of Frederick's gentle urging not to take the entire burden of the Gibson family on her shoulders, Annie can't help feeling concerned. And something much more dangerous is looming - a threat not only to Annie's peace of mind, but to her life...

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.

A member of the greatest generation looks back on the loves and losses of his past and comes to treasure the present anew in this poignant and thoughtful new novel from a modern master Stewart O'Nan is renowned for illuminating the unexpected grace of everyday life and the resilience of ordinary people with humor, intelligence, and compassion. In Henry, Himself, he offers an unsentimental, moving life story of a twentieth-century everyman. Soldier, son, lover, husband, breadwinner, churchgoer, Henry Maxwell has spent his whole life trying to live with honor. A native Pittsburgher and engineer, he's always believed in logic, sacrifice, and hard work. Now, seventy-five and retired, he feels the world has passed him by. It's 1998, the American century is ending, and nothing is simple anymore. His children are distant, their unhappiness a mystery. Only his wife Emily and dog Rufus stand by him. Once so confident, as Henry's strength and memory desert him, he weighs his dreams against his regrets and is left with questions he can't answer: Is he a good man? Has he done right by the people he loves? And with time running out, what, realistically, can he hope for? Like Emily, Alone, which The New York Times called "O'Nan's best novel yet," Henry, Himself is a wry, warmhearted portrait of an American original who believes he's reached a dead end only to discover life is full of surprises.

Shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Saga of the Year Award When Evie's dreams come crashing down, she's determined to still make something of herself in these trying times... It is 1939 and working class Evie Bishop has received a scholarship to study mathematics at Oxford when tragedy turns her life upside down. Evie must seek a new future for herself and, inspired to contribute to the war effort, joins the Women's Auxiliary Air Force as an Ops Room plotter. Posted to a fighter station on the Sussex Coast, Evie befriends two other WAAFs - shy, awkward May and flirty, glamorous Jess. Faced with earning the approval of strict officers and finding their way in a male dominated world, the three girls band together to overcome challenges, navigate new romances and keep their pilots safe in the skies. But the German bombers seem to know more than they should about the base's operations, and soon Evie, May and Jess are caught up in a world more dangerous than they ever imagined... This heartwarming, dramatic World War II saga is perfect for fans of Daisy Styles, Kate Thompson and Rosie Clarke. Praise for The Ops Room Girls 'A fabulous tale of courage, comradeship and romance.' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A lovely book. Vicki Beeby is a saga author to watch.' Margaret Dickinson, Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author 'Full of excitement, energy and romance, this story kept me turning the pages eagerly.' Lesley Eames, author of The Brighton Guest House Girls 'An exceptional historical saga about young women forging new paths in an uncertain world at war... rich with historical detail, and a must read for historical fiction fans.' Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind 'An utter joy to read, from the first page to the last. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone with a liking for strong characters, a taste for danger, and a deeply romantic soul.' Terri Nixon, author of Penhaligon's Gift 'Entertaining from beginning to end. I can't recommend it highly enough.' Gemma Jackson, bestselling author of the Ivy Rose series

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 sweeping Liverpool saga following the fortunes of one woman from the 1940s to the 1990s, by the ever-popular, award-winning author. Annie Harrison has a difficult childhood, and she eventually goes to live in the Grand Hotel with a rich schoolfriend. Marriage follows and when her husband dies, she throws herself into providing for her children. Starting with a market stall, she discovers a talent for designing clothes that develops into a successful business. But there comes a time amid the success when Annie feel she can no longer go on. Then a chance meeting leads to events she has no control over, and at last she finds the happiness that has previously eluded her.

'Enjoyed this book so much I didn't want it to end!!!' - 5-star reader review In the untamed outback of Western Australia, the Blake sisters are together again despite what seemed like unsurmountable odds. For Cassandra - reunited again with the man she loves - the Swan River Colony is a refuge that seems like a miracle after all her ordeals. And two of her sisters have fallen in love with their new way of life. But then a messenger arrives from faraway England, and it is the fourth sister, Pandora, who jumps at the chance to make her way back to the Lancashire moors that she misses so badly. The way home, though, will be even harder than the voyage to Australia. The only ship that can take her and her new protector back to England lies many days' journey away, across country that would daunt even a hardened explorer. And when she reaches Outham, a devious, dangerous enemy will do anything to prevent her from taking charge of her family's inheritance . . . What readers are saying about BEYOND THE SUNSET 'Another Anna Jacobs novel I could not put down' - 5 stars 'Just loved this book - a great read - couldn't put it down!' - 5 stars 'A great book' - 5 stars 'I enjoyed every page' - 5 stars 'Anna Jacobs is brilliant at her craft' - 5 stars

The heartwarming new wartime saga from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Maiden's Voyage. 'A vibrant page-turner with entrancing characters' Margaret Dickinson 'Rosie writes such heartwarming sagas' Lyn Andrews Nuneaton, 1911 When Holly Farthing's overbearing grandfather tries to force her to marry a widower twice her age, she finally says no. After he refuses to support her any longer, Holly flees to London, bringing her best friend and maid, Ivy, with her. In the big smoke, Holly searches for the father she's never met and begins nurse training in the local hospital. There she meets the dashing Doctor Parkin. Kind and compassionate, he is everything Holly has ever dreamt of. When Doctor Parkin proposes, Holly finally feels like she'll have the family she so longs for. But soon, she discovers some shocking news that means they can never be together, and her life is suddenly thrown into turmoil. Supporting the war effort, she heads to France and throws herself into volunteering on the front line. Can Holly ever find the happiness she so truly deserves? A Precious Gift is the sixth book in Rosie Goodwin's Days of the Week Collection. Why not try the rest, Mothering Sunday, The Little Angel, A Mother's Grace, The Blessed Child, A Maiden's Voyage and Time to Say Goodbye?

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020 The long-awaited sequel to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stunning conclusion to Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy. 'It is a book not read, but lived' Telegraph 'Her Cromwell novels are, for my money, the greatest English novels of this century' Observer 'If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?' England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry's regime to breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him? With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man's vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage. A Guardian Book of the Year * A Times Book of the Year * A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year * A Telegraph Book of the Year * A Sunday Times Book of the Year * A New Statesman Book of the Year * A Spectator Book of the Year

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?

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.

A wonderful new Christmas story of friendship, love and duty in wartime by the author of The Air Raid Girls, for fans of Elaine Everest and Rosie Hendry. November, 1941. Christmas is coming... and despite the blackout, shortages and a constant threat of air raids, the inhabitants of Kelthorpe on the Yorkshire coast are determined that war won't stop them celebrating. The run-up to Christmas sees sisters Connie and Lizzie, and their good friend Pamela, busier than ever. Between their jobs, carol-singing rehearsals with the church choir and night shifts doing their bit as Air Raid Wardens and ambulance drivers, it's all go. But when Connie and Lizzie's dear dad falls ill, their sweethearts Tom and Bill are called up by the Royal Navy for dangerous mine-sweeping duties, and Pamela's sweetheart Fred is targeted by vicious locals, the girls have to believe in miracles to keep soldiering on. Can their dearest wishes come true this Christmas? --------------------------------------------- Readers love Jenny Holmes: 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story' 5 star review 'This is a totally absorbing book' 5 star review 'An excellent read put together in fine style' 5 star review

'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 . . .

1939. After the sudden and tragic loss of her husband, Helen is returning home to her mother's house in Biggin Hill, Kent - the one place she vowed she'd never go back to again. Alone and not knowing where to turn, Helen finds herself joining the local women's sewing circle despite being hopeless with a needle and thread. These resourceful women can not only make do and mend clothes, quilts and woolly hats, but their friendship mends something deeper in Helen too. Lizzie is a natural leader, always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. Effie has uprooted her life from London to keep her two little girls away from the bombing raids, and the sewing circle is a welcome distraction from worries about how to keep a roof over their heads and about her husband too, now serving in active duty overseas. When the reason for Helen's husband's death comes to light, her world is turned upside down yet again. The investigating officer on the case, Richard, will leave no stone unturned, but it's not long before his interest in Helen goes beyond the professional. As she pieces together old fabrics into a beautiful quilt, will Helen patch up the rifts in her own life? The Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest is a moving story about the ties of friends and family, set during the turbulence of World War II.

Don't miss the fourth book in the heartwarming six-part series from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Dilly Court! Left on the steps of an orphanage when she was just days old, Nancy Sunday was brought up in hardship - until the kindly Rosalind Carey took her in. Now eighteen years old, Nancy is an adopted member of the Carey family. But she can't help wondering who her parents really were... When Nancy is sent away to finishing school, she finds herself in the midst of London society. There she meets Freddie Ashton - kind and warm-hearted, he might just be the man of Nancy's dreams. But she knows his wealthy parents would never let him marry a penniless foundling. And she has also caught the eye of another man - the charming and dangerous Gervase North, who has reasons of his own for discovering Nancy's parentage. Will Nancy ever find where she truly belongs?

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...?

Colleen McCullough's sweeping saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback has enthralled readers the world over. This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart--an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma.

A poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit, Colleen McCullough's acclaimed masterwork remains a monumental literary achievement--a landmark novel to be cherished and read again and 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'.

'A wonderful book; rich, evocative, original. I loved it' Joanne Harris "One in ten trees comes up sweet..." In the inhospitable Black Swamp of Ohio, the Goodenough family are barely scratching out a living. Life there is harsh, tempered only by the apples they grow for eating and for the cider that dulls their pain. Hot-headed Sadie and buttoned-up James are a poor match, and Robert and his sister Martha can only watch helplessly as their parents tear each other apart. One particularly vicious fight sends Robert out alone across America, far from his sister, to seek his fortune among the mighty redwoods and sequoias of Gold Rush California. But even across a continent, he can feel the pull of family loyalties...

Though she is still grieving the death of her mother, nineteen-year-old Sally Fuller has little choice but to carry on with the everyday business of life in 1930s Rotherhithe, caring for her father and young brother and sister, spending as much time with her boyfriend Pete as he can spare from his moneymaking schemes. But at the back of her mind she feels a nagging dissatisfaction - her matter-of-fact relationship with Pete, for instance, bears little resemblance to the romances of her movie-star idols, or even to the colourful liaisons of some of her more adventurous friends. And what about her more modest hopes for marriage and a baby of her own? Once again, Pete shows little interest. As war grows closer, Sally sees she must focus her mind on keeping those she loves safe and put her own selfish longings behind her. But war changes things ...

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?

A thrilling dual-time novel, which will transport readers from nineteenth century England, across the world on a perilous and exciting voyage to Samoa, with a complex family mystery to be solved in the present day.

1832. The morning after her father's funeral, Prudence Merryfield wakes to the liberating thought that this is the first day of her new life. At thirty-five and unmarried, she is now mistress of her own fate. But a cruel revelation at the reading of her father's will forces Prudence to realise that taking only the most drastic action will set her free.

Present day. Eliza is gifted a family heirloom by her aunt - a Georgian pocket book, belonging to her ancestor, Prudence Merryfield, whose existence reverberates through the lives of generations of Eliza's family, the Ambroses. Intrigued by what she reads inside, Eliza is drawn more and more into the infamous 'Merryfield Mystery'. What happened to Prudence who so bravely dared to defy convention two hundred years ago - then disappeared?

A dangerous secret is coming to shore . . . Philip Quinn has done everything to make his life perfect. With his career on the fast track and a condo overlooking the Inner Harbour, his life on the streets is firmly in the past. But one look at his adopted brother Seth and the memories come flooding back. In Seth he sees the boy he once was. Seth's future seems assured - until Dr Sybill Griffin shows up in the sleepy town of St Christopher's. She claims to be researching the town for her new book, but Philip is sure she is hiding something. While he is determined to uncover her motives, Sybill cannot deny her own growing feelings for the intense and mysterious Quinn - but the secret she hides has the power to shatter the brothers' lives for ever . . .