Uplifting and heartwarming: drama, courage and romance at Marlow's department store this Christmas For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow's Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff - not to mention a store coping with war damage - will be a real challenge. But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.

Love, marriage, birth, death and betrayal in the East-End of London make up life in Mulberry Lane, perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Cathy Sharp and Donna Douglas. Maureen Jackson knew life as a trainee nurse wouldn't be easy, but she didn't expect her hospital to be badly bombed on her first shift. Plus Maureen still has her family and friends in Mulberry Lane to keep her busy - she's needed as much there as she is by her patients. Running the pub on the corner of Mulberry Lane, Peggy Ashley is used to taking in all sorts of waifs and strays. But the arrival of a dashing American Captain has got tongues wagging about Mulberry Lane's favourite landlady... Janet Ashley husband is back from the frontline. Which is more than so many of the wives of Mulberry Lane. But her beloved Mike is a completely different man to the one she fell in love with - and what's more he doesn't remember her, or their young daughter. How do you cope when your darling husband is a virtual stranger? As WW2 continues around them, the women of Mulberry Lane know that community spirit and friendship is the key to surviving the Blitz. A WEDDING AT MULBERRY LANE is the second book in the riveting and heart-breaking Mulberry Lane series from Rosie Clarke. Order the next book, MOTHERS OF MULBERRY LANE, out July 2018.

No.1 bestselling writer, Josephine Cox, is 'hailed quite rightly as a gifted writer in the tradition of Catherine Cookson' (Manchester Evening News). Rainbow Days is a compelling novel exploring the strength of love and obstacles that can cause destruction. Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Catherine Cookson. 'You're everything to me. I'd have to lose my life before I'd lose you.' This is the vow Silas made to Cathleen on the day he asks her to marry him. Throughout their childhood their love has grown stronger and now, in 1900, they start to plan a life together. But a jealous woman is determined to ruin their happiness and uses Silas's father - a good and honest man - to do so, forcing him to make an impossible sacrifice. As a dutiful son, Silas has no choice but to obey his father, and Cathleen must pay the bitter price. Separated, each is swept along to a place where there is no love or peace and no way back . . .

You are cordially invited to the wedding of the year! London, 1938. As the festive season approaches at the luxurious Buckingham Hotel, romance is in the air. The hotel staff are preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime event - the marriage of chambermaid Nancy Nettleton to debonair demonstration dancer Raymond de Guise. As wreaths are hung and carols are sung, life at the hotel is busier than ever. Guests arrive from around the world, seeking comfort, relaxation and refuge as tensions build across Europe and whispered rumours of war grow louder. Behind the scenes, the staff work tirelessly, ensuring the smooth operation of the hotel, not only keeping the confidences of their guests, but also protecting their own secrets . . . As Raymond takes Nancy in his arms for their first dance, one thing is certain - this will be a Christmas to remember. Be swept away by the new breath-taking romantic novel from Sunday Times bestselling author and Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke. "A novel that's like a hug!" Phillip Schofield

During the Second World War, life in the iconic Bryant & May match factory is grimy and tough. Annie, Rose, Pearl and Millie carry on making matches for the British Army, with bombs raining down around them.

Inspired by the Dig for Victory campaign, Annie persuades the owners to start Bryant & May allotment in the factory grounds. With plenty of sweat and toil, the girls eventually carve out a corner of the yard into a green plot full of life and colour.

In the darkest of times, the girls find their allotment a tranquil, happy escape. Using pierced dustbin lids to sieve through the shrapnel and debris, they bring about a powerful change, not just in the factory, but their own lives.

As the war rages on, the garden becomes a place of community, friendship – and deceit. As the garden thrives and grows, so do the girls' secrets . . .

The Allotment Girls is an inspiring and heartwarming novel of wartime hardship, friendship and fortitude from Kate Thompson, author of the Secrets of the Sewing Bee.

The great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear sustain an Ojibwe clan as it struggles to survive war, famine, and the coming of foreign explorers bearing deadly diseases. The blood feud between two rival warriors over the love of Ashagi, a strong-willed woman of great beauty and greater determination threads through this story of one Ojibwe clan on the cusp of great change. A young woman from a peaceful village, Ashagi (Blue Heron) is abducted in a raid conducted by the Sioux, the ancestral enemies of her clan, and made a concubine of a fat, slovenly chief who already has two wives. When she is rescued by Misko (Red Bear), an Ojibwe youth, the two fall in love and a lifelong bond is formed. But Nika, Misko's rival, demands that Misko surrender Ashagi to replace his brother who was killed during a raid involving the young warriors' two clans. As Nika's pride and obsession with Ashagi eats away at his sanity, greater danger for the whole Ojibwe way of life creeps ever closer. Warfare, vengeance, supernatural monsters, and strange spirits all claw at the edges of this love triangle, but the power of the clan and the love of family and tradition helps sustain a culture on the verge of harrowing times. Beginning in 1588 and spanning twenty-five years, WINDIGO MOON encompasses warring tribes of the Upper Great Lakes, the onset of the Little Ice Age of the 1600s, the diseases introduced by foreign explorers, and, always and forever, the great love of Blue Heron and Red Bear. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, WINDIGO MOON will appeal to fans of Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear, Jean Auel, Alexander Thom, Anna Lee Waldo, and other top authors of historical fiction.

Her sister paid a terrible price. Can she avoid the same fate?A quest for revenge leads a young woman to a new friend, but also puts her in grave danger. Can love triumph over evil? Chester, 1907. Emma Griffiths' sister took her own life when she became pregnant out of wedlock to a man who refused to take responsibility. Now Emma is out to avenge her sister's death. Emma leaves her job as a maid, no longer willing to put up with unwanted attention from her employer. As poverty threatens to engulf her, she meets another young servant, Alice, who is struggling to escape her own unhappy past. Emma and Alice become close and it soon becomes apparent that the two girls' lives may be linked in more ways than one. Just as she finds love Emma's newfound happiness is threatened when she realises that she may not be the only one seeking revenge...

"An immersive, heartbreaking story about war, passion, and the road not taken." -- People One of the most beautiful and moving love stories you'll read this year. -- Nylon Magazine NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post - The New York Post - Vulture - Real Simple - Bustle - Nylon - Thrillist - Mental Floss - Self magazine - Booklist - Refinery 29 An emotionally riveting debut novel about war, family, and forbidden love--the unforgettable saga of two ill-fated lovers in Korea and the heartbreaking choices they're forced to make in the years surrounding the civil war that still haunts us today. When the communist-backed army from the north invades her home, sixteen-year-old Haemi Lee, along with her widowed mother and ailing brother, is forced to flee to a refugee camp along the coast. For a few hours each night, she escapes her family's makeshift home and tragic circumstances with her childhood friend, Kyunghwan. Focused on finishing school, Kyunghwan doesn't realize his older and wealthier cousin, Jisoo, has his sights set on the beautiful and spirited Haemi--and is determined to marry her before joining the fight. But as Haemi becomes a wife, then a mother, her decision to forsake the boy she always loved for the security of her family sets off a dramatic saga that will have profound effects for generations to come. Richly told and deeply moving, If You Leave Me is a stunning portrait of war and refugee life, a passionate and timeless romance, and a heartrending exploration of one woman's longing for autonomy in a rapidly changing world.

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

A gritty and compelling drama from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny Street. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Sheila Jeffries. Little twin sisters, Sarah and Samantha are all alone in the world. When their mother died giving birth to Sarah, she was blamed for the death by her father and her learning difficulties serve only to make him more angry and violent towards her. Now he's finally abandoned them both and they've found sanctuary at St Saviour's Children's Home in London's East End. It seems they're doomed to be separated; no one wants to take Sarah on, but life apart will break their hearts. Alice, a former worker at the home who is now a mother and happily married to Bob, finds her happiness under threat when a face from the past reappears. Jack Shaw, East End bad boy, has always been Alice's weak spot but is she really about to throw everything away? Angela Morton has her hands full; she's now in sole charge. But with Christmas approaching, and more than one orphan in desperate need, St Saviour's is crying out for a miracle...

Jo Melling has arrived in Birch End from Australia, still grieving her father's recent death. She's not intending to stay long, but after tracking down her distant family, Jo becomes more involved in village life than she could ever have imagined - and suddenly in danger too. Jo also finds herself drawn to Nick, a handsome newcomer to the village. Nick had planned to settle in Birch End and start a business, but as he grows closer to Jo, he realises he may have to choose between his dreams and a chance at love. Meanwhile, the new local council are faced with some tough decisions of their own. It's time to take a stand against the poor conditions in Backshaw Moss, the nearby slum, but some councillors want things to stay as they are - and will go to any lengths to make sure they get their way . . . Will the decent people of the valley win a brighter future for themselves? And can Jo find a way to stay with Nick in a place she's grown to love? Readers are loving A DAUGHTER'S JOURNEY! 'Amazing' - 5 STARS 'Thank you, Anna, for the pleasure you give in all your books' - 5 STARS 'Another brilliant, hard-to-put-down book' - 5 STARS 'Can't wait for the next instalment' - 5 STARS 'A real page turner, I can't wait to read the next one' - 5 STARS 'Another triumph for Anna Jacobs' - 5 STARS 'BRILLIANT READ' - 5 STARS

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.

1820. Alice Lee, middle-aged and unmarried, takes in a young murderer, Zebediah Bailey, when he's released from Durham gaol. Their acquaintance had begun when Alice's local Methodist minister had asked his congregation if anybody would help the young man, and Alice had volunteered. Alice dutifully writes him every week, sending him sweets from her shop. And when Zeb comes out and has nowhere to go, Alice takes him back to Stanhope in Weardale with her, much to the horror of her neighbours. A tale of an unlikely friendship set in the atmospheric world of 19th century Durham, this is the first in a new series set in Weardale.

A heartwarming novel from Dilly Court, the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller. With the fate of her family in her hands, Rose has to make a terrible choice. Be thrown onto the streets without a penny to her name, or watch her loved ones fall into ruin . . . Rose is keeping a dreadful secret, and too scared to ask her strict father for help, it's down to her to keep her brother from the hangman's noose - whatever it takes. Her innocent sister Cora is on a different road to ruin, bewitched by a handsome cad whose intentions are anything but gallant. When Rose's father discovers that his children have disgraced his name he turns them onto the street. Penniless, homeless and with the noose tightening, Rose must rescue her brother and keep her sister from the streets, even if it means putting herself in the most terrible danger . . .

Meet the Deans
"The fact is, the whole of Australia despises my father more than any other man, just as they adore my uncle more than any other man. I might as well set the story straight about both of them . . ."
Heroes or Criminals?
Crackpots or Visionaries?
Families or Enemies?
." . . Anyway, you know how it is. Every family has a story like this one."

Most of his life, Jasper Dean couldn't decide whether to pity, hate, love, or murder his certifiably paranoid father, Martin, a man who overanalyzed anything and everything and imparted his self-garnered wisdom to his only son. But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure.
As he recollects the events that led to his father's demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries--about his infamous outlaw uncle Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin's constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It's a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafes of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a rollicking rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings.
"A Fraction of the Whole" is an uproarious indictment of the modern world and its mores and the epic debut of the blisteringly funny and talented Steve Toltz.

THE TULIP TEAROOMS is a heartwarming and poignant saga from Pam Evans, set in London just after the Second World War. Perfect for readers of Kitty Neale, Katie Flynn and Dilly Court. The Second World War is finally over when Lola Brown meets Harry Riggs at a dance. It is love at first sight but when Harry tells Lola that he is a policeman, her heart sinks. Lola's father is a petty criminal, and if Harry ever finds out and turns him in, it will destroy her family... Harry reluctantly accepts that Lola doesn't want to see him again, and eventually starts to find happiness without her. In the meantime, Lola encounters the eccentric Pickford sisters and sets about transforming their run-down tearooms in London's West End, only to find her own life transformed as well. Despite everything, Harry and Lola continue to feel drawn to each other, but the truth about Lola's family can't stay hidden for ever...

Her Father's Sins by Josephine Cox, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lonely Girl and Whistledown Woman, is a classic that will appeal to fans of Catherine Cookson and Lyn Andrews alike. 'Cox's talent as a storyteller never lets you escape' - Daily Mail. Queenie seemed born to suffer. Her mam died giving birth to her, her drunken father George Kenney ignored her unless he was cursing her, and only beloved Auntie Biddy provided an anchor for the little girl. Growing up in post-war Blackburn, life could be tough when Biddy had to take in washing to make ends meet - at a time when the washing machine began to gain popularity. After Auntie Biddy's death there was only Queenie to care for the home and to earn money, and no one to protect her from the father who blamed his daughter for her mother's death. But Queenie was resilient. And in spite of hardship, she grew up tall and strikingly beautiful with her deep grey eyes and her abundant honey-coloured hair. Love, in the shape of Rick Marsden, might have released her from the burden of the drink-sodden George. But the sins of the fathers would not be easily forgotten . . .