A novel based on the lives of the brothers Mann has allowed the author to portray both the powerful story of their personal drama and the tragedy of a horrific era. Two of Germany's literary lions, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, are the central characters of Selig Kainer's novel, Brothers in Exile. Their rivalry is set against the background of Hitler's rise to power, and the novel opens in 1932 as Hitler becomes Chancellor. In real danger from the Nazi, Heinrich has already fled, while Thomas briefly nurtures the hope that his stature as a Noble Prize winner could be a balancing force against Hitler. The novel then takes the reader back to the powerful sturm und drang of Thomas and Heinrich's outwardly comfortable early family life. Their story is rife with love, rivalry, artistic strivings, and forbidden longings. With his deep affinity for the work of these two great writers, Selig Kainer has written an intimate account of them that reveals their rivalry and innermost conflicts, and illuminates the foreboding landscape of the demonic forces unleashed in Germany during their time. "It is a wonderful novel... One need not be a reader of either Mann brother to appreciate Brothers in Exile, for here the curious interplay between life and literature, between imagination and reality, is played out to the full." Jeffery Paine, former Literary Editor of the Wilson Quarterly, a judge of the Pulitzer Prize, author of Father India, Adventures with the Buddha, and Editor of Re-enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism comes to the West. "Thomas and Heinrich Mann grew up in Germany, portrayed Germany, then finally fled Germany, ending their lives in American and Swiss exile. Now, Selig Kainer has explored their early lives, not as an historian or biographer, but as a creative novelist, using the bones of their youth to X-ray their evolution as sons of imperial Germany, as nascent artists, and as siblings. Kainer's intricate fictional journey is a Bildungsroman at once tender, profound, epic and original. Enjoy " Nigel Hamilton, author of JFK: Reckless Youth and The Brothers Mann. "Selig Kainer dives into the complex relationship between Thomas and Heinrich Mann and comes back up with a pearl of a book. He transports us into the imagined landscape of their inner lives, their rivalries, discontents, desires and dreams. The vivid detail he brings to his story is gripping; his obsession with his characters thoroughly contagious." Andrea Weiss, author of In the Shadow of Magic Mountain: The Erika and Klaus Mann Story.

In post-WWII San Diego, Ben Prescott, an unhappily married lawyer, begins an affair with Aly, a mysterious young woman whose beautiful face hides a dark, dangerous core. When their relationship ends badly, Aly begins a vicious campaign to destroy him and everything he holds dear. Ben doesn't know it, but her actions will have devastating impacts for decades to come. As Ben tries to salvage what's left of his world, Aly aggressively pursues her dreams on her own terms. Her depraved lust for revenge cannot be sated by ruining Ben's life; Aly won't stop until generations of his family-including Zack and Alex, the two sons he had with Aly-pay as well. As she raises Ben's sons, even she has no idea that they may be the catalysts for her downfall as well as for the redemption of two families. Passion, regret, hate, love, and vengeance that crisscross a continent for thirty years finally collide in a serpentine showdown between a woman who would stop at nothing to gain her desires and the men whose lives she has inexorably altered. Those who survive will have to redefine a future that no one could ever have foreseen.

A classic novel, heartbreaking and emotional, from Sunday Times bestselling writer Josephine Cox, 'hailed quite rightly as a gifted writer in the tradition of Catherine Cookson' Manchester Evening News. A Time For Us is perfect for fans of Lesley Pearse and Rosie Goodwin. Lucy Nolan is the golden girl. The only daughter of local grocers, Sally and Mike Nolan, she's grown up in a home of total love and security. The one thing her heart desires is that Jack Hanson might ask her to marry him, and when he does eventually propose, Lucy is prepared to give up everything to be with him - even though it means leaving her beloved parents to live abroad where Jack has been offered an exciting business opportunity. But then, almost on the eve of the marriage itself, tragedy strikes. And for the first time in her life, Lucy is forced to realise that Fate, which has been so kind to her, can also be just as cruel.

Bristol 1941 Having left her abusive husband for very good reasons, Mary Anne Randall finds herself judged harshly by her friends and neighbours, after courageously risking everything for a second chance at happiness with Michael. With Michael away fighting Mary Anne is less concerned by her tarnished reputation and focusses on keeping her beloved children safe. But with the bombs beginning to fall on Bristol, danger is all too close to home. Will Mary Anne rise above her tarnished reputation and protect those she loves from the uncertainty of a world at war? A sequel to A Wartime Wife. Praise for Lizzie Lane: 'A gripping saga and a storyline that will keep you hooked' Rosie Goodwin 'The Tobacco Girls is another heartwarming tale of love and friendship and a must-read for all saga fans.' Jean Fullerton 'Lizzie Lane opens the door to a past of factory girls, redolent with life-affirming friendship, drama, and choices that are as relevant today as they were then.' Catrin Collier 'If you want an exciting, authentic historical saga then look no further than Lizzie Lane.' Fenella J Miller

An absorbing tale of the strength and heartbreak of family ties - Winter, 1940. Anna MacRae is only five years old when her mother dies in childbirth and she is left with twin baby sisters. Anna is a gifted child, with a warm personality to match, but not so her sisters - and as, through the years, their pranks turn to stealing, bullying and worse, Anna must learn to cope with them if she is ever to find happiness of her own.

At first, the people of Ariana were little more than nomads with a few tricks for continuing their survival. Eventually, however, they developed agriculture and began to settle down, advancing as a society. As they progressed from small farming communities into a thriving civilization, they evolved in other ways as well. They developed a military composed of professional soldiers and a written language to act as a medium for complex messages. In this predecessor of ancient Persia, three generations of rulers fostered this change, beginning with a man called Hooman.

Despite being a son of an influential family, Hooman started at the bottom and rose to greatness, advancing to the rank of general at a surprising rate. Even so, he is surprised to find himself crowned successor to the throne of Ariana. A man of genuine character and remarkable kindness, he seemed the best choice. But can he handle this much responsibility?

A young man, Hooman is only learning the ways of the world. He must navigate love, hate, tradition and deceit all within the boundaries of his culture. He must embrace tragedy and hold happiness at bay in order to become the man who can lead and protect a fledgling nation.

An emotionally compelling family saga about second chances and regaining one's spirit. Newly widowed after a forty-year marriage, Margaret Wright is finding it hard to adjust to independence, having been stifled for so long by her overbearing, controlling husband. Is she up to the challenge? Margaret's decision to make a fresh start by redecorating her home has unexpected consequences when talented interior designer Jason Parker enters her life. Her growing closeness to a man twenty years younger than herself causes increasing tension among her family and friends. But having only just attained her longed-for freedom, is Margaret falling into another trap? If she rushes headlong into a new relationship, is she in danger of making the same mistakes all over again?

1950s Liverpool. In the tight-knit Irish Catholic community of the Four Streets, two girls are growing up. One is motherless - and hated by the cold woman who is determined to take her dead mother's place. The other is hiding a dreadful secret which she dare not let slip to anyone, lest it rips the heart out of the community. What can the people of the Four Streets do when a betrayal at the very heart of their world comes to light?

Sue Wilsher, author of When My Ship Comes In, makes an emotional return to 1950s Essex Tilbury, 1950s. The Empire is a boarding house run by Vi, Doris's mother - the Empire Girls of the title. When Doris becomes pregnant out of marriage, she is kicked out of the house and forced to fend for herself. Desperate to look after her daughter, she takes any job going. She falls in with the Windrush immigrants and finds herself helping one to a new life in Britain.

The friendship between five-year-olds Sara Miller and Judy Levine begins in the summer of 1941, when their families move into adjoining row houses in Washington, D.C. Almost immediately, the United States enters World War II, and their childhood is thrust into a world dominated by the consequences of history. When asked to help their sick friend, Su Ling, keep up with her studies as she recuperates from rheumatic fever, her grandmother, An Lei, teaches them the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong, destined to become an invariable part of their lives as it merges cultures, love, and friendship.

Separated for the first time when they enter college, their personal choices, shaped and impacted by half a century of unparalleled wars, loss, and heartbreak, only bring them closer together, as they marry, raise their families, and pursue their chosen careers. Their lifelong journey, caught in a web of intricate and surprising twists of fate, surfaces in the public eye when a Ukrainian farm girl inadvertently unlocks a thirty-five-year mystery that has haunted them since their graduation from high school.

From coast to coast and across the globe, their heartwarming and compelling story confirms the powerful bond of friendship.