More than a decade has gone by since Esther Cunningham, weakened by the consumption which would soon take her life, left her precious daughter in her mother's care. Now eighteen, Lorna Cunningham is eagerly awaiting the day when she can leave the Newcastle house in which she's known only heartache. The Arabian ancestry of the father she has never known has meant that she has been nothing more than an unwelcome guest in her grandmother's home, forced to take second place to her spoilt cousin, Rose, who has wanted for neither love nor material comforts. Lorna takes comfort from her growing friendship with bookseller Edwin Randall, who shares her love of reading and inspires her with his passion to improve the terrible conditions of the Newcastle slums. But their relationship is overshadowed by Lorna's infatuation with the handsome and charismatic Maurice Haldane - the man Rose is determined she herself will marry and who has the power to change all their lives for ever...

The BRAND NEW wartime saga from the much-loved author of THE TILBURY POPPIES. Perfect for fans of Annie Murray and Donna Douglas The war is over, but their friendship has just begun . . . Essex, 1918 Working at the local munitions factory has given Aggie the freedom she's long desired. But the Great War is coming to an end, and the men are coming home. Determined to hold on to her new-found independence, Aggie decides to join the Women's Police Service and become a Copperette. Like Aggie, Mim wants nothing more than to do her bit for her country. Never one to shy away from hard work, she's eager to help her fellow women and keep up morale - even if that does mean opening her home to Aggie and helping her train. With the last days of war upon them, Aggie and Mim face shocking loss. But in the face of great hardship, can they find a way to work together? A heart-warming story of love, loss and friendship, set against the backdrop of wartime England REAL READERS love Sue Wilsher's novels: 'I loved reading about the wartime challenges Mim and Aggie faced - a great combination of historical fact, emotion and grit. I couldn't put it down' 'Another brilliant book from Sue Wilsher bringing history alive. Unforgettable characters and great storytelling' Brilliant book . . . the third one I've read by this author and I can't fault it at all - would highly recommend' 'A great story with local interest for anyone who knows Thurrock. A tribute to those who lived through that time and endured so much'

The prefect seasonal gift full of nostalgia and charm, perfect for fans of Coronation Street and readers who love Fiction set in times past. When Lizzie moves with her mother and her brothers to No.9 Coronation Street at the end of the Second World War, it's a new start for all of them after the loses and heartache they've endured. Their new neighbour, Elsie Tanner, tells them that the house is said to have bad luck, but things look up for Lizzie when she lands a job as a barmaid in a local pub, the Pride of Weatherfield. There she makes friends with the young and giddy Hilda Ogden, still waiting for her wayward husband, Stan, to come home from the war. It isn't long before they realize that the place isn't quite it seems, but Lizzie has been keeping secrets too and as winter draws in, there are a few surprises in store for Coronation Street ...

A new standalone novel from the bestselling author Rosie Clarke.East End of London Maggie Bailey has not had an easy childhood. Her father, Michael, always too easy with his fists after spending the family's rent money down the pub. Just sixteen, in love and blinded by promises, Maggie sees marriage to handsome Jack as her great escape. However, she soon finds herself abandoned with a beautiful baby when Jack disappears. Maggie is forced to seek a new life away from the East End of London and finds herself a job at a hotel in Eastbourne. Here she must learn to fend for herself and also accept a shocking discovery that she was fostered as a babe and nothing is known of her real parents. Her employer, Aunt Beth, is kind and her life improves - but Maggie makes one mistake after another and, eventually, they lead to a terrible tragedy that will bring her to the point of no return. Will Maggie ever find true happiness and discover the secret of her birth? PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED as ALL MY SINS

A historic family drama based in and near 1640 Amsterdam, the wealthiest city on earth at the time, The Seventh Etching tells the story of two families over a one-year period. Both Griet and Johannes Verhoeven, farmers, in their early 20's and Jos and Myriam Broekhof, wealthy merchants in their 30's, face devastating losses that threaten their livelihoods and their marriages.

After a major flood, Griet and Johannes attempt to rebuild two combined family farms - a unique, promising inheritance that initially brought them together, but now overwhelms them. Myriam secretly sells her husband's valuable art collection to build a hidden monument to her deceased daughter. Jos suffers despair and defeat as he combs every corner of the city in his obsessive attempt to complete a set of playfully erotic etchings. It is a six-year old Gypsy orphan, Nelleke, who connects the two couples. Sprightly and spirited, Nelleke both delights and exasperates. Might this mysterious child have the power to heal struggling adults and find the permanent home she seeks? Does she, innocently and unknowingly, hold the clue to the missing etching, as Jos suspects?

September 1940, Birmingham. While her husband and daughter work at the Cadbury's Bournville factory, Ann Gilby has her hands full at home with her youngest child Martin and her other daughter, Sheila, newly returned home with baby Elaine. With Sheila's husband away doing his bit in the RAF, Ann knows she should be grateful to have all her children safe under one roof. But as bombs fall ever-closer to her Birmingham home, she can't help but fear for their uncertain future. Part of her yearns for the carefree days of her youth when she also worked the line at Cadburys, filling trays of chocolate shells. But mostly Ann tries not to think of the past at all, since that would mean she would have to confront her oldest secret - one she's kept since the last war, and that could easily rip her family apart . . . From the bestselling author of Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green comes another gritty family saga about love, war and chocolate . . .

The new heart-stopping instalment in the Four Streets saga, from the Sunday Times bestseller Nadine Dorries. Summer is coming to the four streets - but so is trouble, especially for its redoubtable women, who've struggled through a bitter winter to put food on the table. The Dock Queen Carnival is only weeks away, but there's no money for the usual celebrations. No sign of a tramp ship with illicit cargo to be quietly siphoned off by the dockers. Peggy Nolan, with seven boys and a husband too lazy to work, has hit rock bottom and is hiding a terrible secret. Little Paddy, her mischievous eldest, is all too often in trouble, but he'd do anything for the mother he loves. How can he save her from selling herself on the streets - or worse? Maura and Tommy Doherty always looked out for any neighbour in trouble, especially Peggy, but they're far away, running a pub in Ireland and corrupt copper, Frank the Skank, is moving into their old house on the four streets. Can anything bring them home in time?

The King of Tyre is dead, his final words anointing his clever and strong-willed daughter, Elissa, as the new queen until his young son comes of age. But betrayal and danger soon haunt Elissa, and she is forced to flee the kingdom - exiled with a band of loyal followers and a broken heart.

After an arduous search for a new home, Elissa and her people settle in North Africa, and she is crowned Queen Dido: the ferocious and devoted ruler of her newly established city of Carthage. Soon a powerful trading hub, Carthage thrives under Dido's governance. But when a band of Trojan survivors, led by the valiant Aeneas, washes up on a nearby shore, Queen Dido is reminded of a promise she made long ago, never to trust or to love another again.

Can Dido overcome her past and open herself - and her city - up to Aeneas, or is their love doomed to burn everything to the ground?

Set twenty years after the dramatic events that unfolded in Abbeyford, Abbeyford Inheritance is the second volume in the moving and powerful saga from Margaret Dickinson. Lynwood felt a strange constriction in his chest. No! No - it wasn't possible! Caroline had come back . . . But this is 1815; Caroline had eloped in disgrace twenty years earlier, and the girl now standing before him speaks with a low husky drawl and an accent from America. Adelina Cole. Her daughter. Returned to Abbeyford in search of a grandfather she has never seen, and the estate which she, as closest living relative, has every right to inherit. Except that Lord Royston cannot bring himself to see Adelina - her disturbing beauty reminds too many people of the past. Reluctantly taken in by distant cousins, Adelina believes she has found an ally in Emily Langley and her betrothed, the handsome, ruthless Wallis Trent. A man with old scores to settle, Trent knows Lord Royston altered his will to make Emily the main beneficiary. But Adelina's return changes everything - perhaps now his hand may be more profitably played elsewhere? And there is Francis, Earl of Lynwood - the man who first discovered Adelina. He once adored her mother and now cannot forget the face which threatens his peace of mind again . . . Continue the popular Abbeyford Trilogy with Abbeyford Remembered.

Will an unlikely friendship be enough to save them?After escaping a train bound for a death camp with a trusty German Shepherd dog, a girl wakes to find that she has no memory of her former life. Lily is fostered by the kind RAF pilot who found her and his wife, Meg. It is not long before their lives are disrupted once again by the war and, with their home in ruins, they are forced to flee to the country. In the Somerset countryside, Lily is reunited with Rudy, the heroic German Shepherd. However it soon becomes clear that Rudy is not just her companion, he is protecting her too, and someone wants him out of the way... A gripping historical saga of friendship and family from bestselling author Lizzie Lane. 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

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'Bravo; this is a big, complex and utterly involving portrait of 19th-century China' THE TIMES The internationally bestselling author portrays the great clash of East and West in his new epic: China China in the nineteenth century: a proud and ancient empire forbidden to foreigners. The West desires Chinese tea above all other things but lacks the silver to buy it. Instead, western adventurers resort to smuggling opium in exchange. The Qing Emperor will not allow his people to sink into addiction. Viceroy Lin is sent to the epicentre of the opium trade, Canton, to stop it. The Opium Wars begin - heralding a period of bloody military defeats, reparations, and one-sided treaties which will become known as the Century of Humiliation. From Hong Kong to Beijing to the Great Wall, from the exotic wonders of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, to squalid village huts, the dramatic struggle rages across the Celestial Kingdom. This is the story of the Chinese people, high and low, and the Westerners who came to exploit the riches of their ancient land and culture. We meet a young village wife struggling with the rigid traditions of her people, Manchu empresses and warriors, powerful eunuchs, fanatical Taiping and Boxer Rebels, savvy Chinese pirates, artists, concubines, scoundrels and heroes, well-intentioned missionaries and the rapacious merchants, diplomats and soldiers of the West. Fortunes will rise and fall, loves will be gained and lost. This is an unforgettable tale told from both sides of the divide. The clash of worldviews, of culture and heritage, is shown in a kaleidoscope of jaw-dropping set pieces. China is a feat of the imagination that will enthral, instruct and excite, and show us how things once were, and how the turmoil of the nineteenth century led to modern China's revolution and rebirth.

Back Cover Marketing Copy Two generations of a Southern family leave their mark on Florida, their adopted home. Ellen Adair is a vivacious beauty who weds Joseph White. Marrying about the time Florida is ceded to the United States, Ellen leaves Kentucky to trek with Joseph into half-civilized land of north Florida in the 1820

In this intriguing sequel to The Security of Silence, meet again the fascinating members of the Malin family and their dramatic lives as they struggle for survival in a new country. A Conspiracy of Silence follows the Malin family as they emigrate from Germany to the United States. The family's head thinks that moving to America presents far greater opportunities for economic success. However, they struggle to survive the hardships of learning a new language, extreme working conditions, and troubled personal relationships. This novel is a richly dramatic tale that vividly portrays one family's experiences, hardships, and personal tragedies. But there is a conspiracy of silence among its members -- though the shocking truth, sooner or later, will come out.

'I absolutely loved it! So different, clever, funny and charming' Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde 'Funny, wise, moving and full of lovely moments...The characters are endearing and unforgettable' Hazel Prior, author of the Richard & Judy Book Club Pick Away with the Penguins 'Janice is a wonderful woman whose authenticity pulls you along...the breadth and originality of supporting characters makes this debut an immersive delight' Dorset Magazine 'Absolutely spellbinding...a warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny and yet deeply poignant' Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory Lane 'A treasure of a book. Beautiful, emotional and heartfelt with a cornucopia of characters you'll love spending time with' Phaedra Patrick, author of The Library of Lost and Found She can't recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they always had done, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her... When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B - a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties - she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn't have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share. Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn't everyone have a story to tell? Readers are loving Sally Page: 'Oh my giddy aunt what an amazing book...absolutely adored it from start to finish' Jeannie 'Not what I was expecting at all...loved the way it ended' Julie 'An absolutely wonderful, unputdownable book full of delightful characters' Sue 'What a wonderful idea for a book...A joy to read' Angela 'Beautiful story...I loved every minute of reading it!' Rubie 'I felt every emotion reading this, and Janice was delightful - I was rooting for her the whole time' Kate 'An engaging debut featuring an unexpectedly heartbreaking story' Sarah

In 1900, Franca Raimondi lived a privileged life in Sicily. Franca puts aside her intellectual ambition and marries Edoardo Privitera, an American exporter. They marry and are blessed with a daughter, Giulia. In 1908, an earthquake buries their beloved child beneath the rubble. Miraculously, Franca and Edoardo rescue her, but the pain and suffocation foreshadow things to come. Giulia, too, nurtures her intellect, but her ambitions are thwarted by Mussolini's March on Rome and the impassioned love of Alissandru Leone. Although they marry and add two children to the family, Alissandru's philandering ways drive a wedge between them.

Seeking a better life, Franca, Giulia and their husbands move to the United States in the late 1920s, as the Great Depression rages. Again, their path to prosperity is impeded. As Alissandru's affairs and temper splint the family, Franca rescues her grandchildren. She's determined to oppose the forces of nature, love, and politics that have thus far divided their lives. Splintered Lives will invade your dreams and infuse your mind with romance gone adrift. Only the deep love of a grandmother can restore the family to splendor as she tells the children, "You come from intelligence and class; surely it must come through."

Woven in the grit of the Great Depression and the determination of the Second World War, "Some Trust in Chariots" is an endearing love story that will thrill fans of the "Intents of the Heart" Series while welcoming new readers to the joys and sorrows of the Preston family saga.

It is the story of Malcolm and Carolyn Thomas Preston, the Christian couple who would later open their home and hearts to Lauren Mitchell, the troubled youth who is the central character of the novel series. Discover childhood influences, such as the unflappable Granny Preston, and search the deep spiritual roots that grounded them not only in their faith in God but in their commitment to each other. Laugh as courtship mishaps abound as these two independent forces collide and weep with them as a global war turns their world upside down and separation must be endured.

Reunions are sometimes bittersweet, and difficulties are sure to follow. Faith and prayer are their only weapons.come along for the journey to the beginning of their remarkable legacy that will be revealed in "Intents of the Heart."