Kay Clifton has waited five, long, lonely years for her husband Bob to come home from the war. Despite her excitement at his return, their whirlwind romance prior to his departure makes her feel as though she hardly knows him, so it's not surprising that Kay is apprehensive when she meets him at the station. Kay's hopes of starting their blissfully happy marriage are dashed by the presence of Bob's fellow soldier Tony. Bob is indebted to Tony for saving his life and seems hell bent on repaying that debt to the couple's detriment. But as Tony starts acting more and more strangely, Kay worries that something else happened during the war that Bob is keeping secret. And Bob himself isn't behaving like the man whom she waved off so tearfully all those years ago. But with the love and encouragement of her family and friends, Kay is determined that whatever it takes she will bring out the Bob with whom she first fell in love and forge the future that they had envisaged before the war wreaked its havoc.

A captivating story of two young women, bound together by the tragedy of two very different wars. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maureen Lee. With the end of the First World War, Rose is looking forward to welcoming home her beloved husband ,Alfie, from the battlefields. But his return is not what Rose had expected. Traumatised by what he has seen, the Alfie who comes home is a different man to the one Rose married. As he struggles to cope with life in peacetime,Rose wrestles with temptation as the man she fell in love with seems lost forever. Many years later, Jess returns from her final tour of Afghanistan. Haunted by nightmares from her time at the front, her longed-for homecoming is a disaster and she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can comfort come through her great-grandmother Rose's diaries? For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible consequences. Can the Poppy Factory, set up to help injured soldiers, rescue them both from the heartache of war?

A heartwarming romance set in Merseyside during and after World War I. Lovely young Cathy is left pregnant with her first child when her husband is killed in the war. For a while she lives with her in-laws, but she leaps at the chance to return as a maid to the household where she worked before her marriage. With the birth of her daughter she is compelled to return to her parents-in-law, a less than ideal situation, particularly when in due course Cathy is being courted by dear old friend. When Cathy marries again and sets up in the antiques business with her husband, it looks like at last she will find the happiness she deserves, but she has made an enemy who can't bear to see Cathy enjoying her life...

It's July 1930 and Lorna Mathews couldn't be happier. She thought she was about to lose her job but instead the business's new owner, Mr Wyndham, wants to keep her on. Lorna's mother, though, is horrified by the news and finally confesses that Lorna was the result of an affair with Oliver Wyndham, whose family cast her out when Oliver died and the pregnancy was revealed. Shocked to the core to learn that the man she has always thought to be her beloved father simply adopted her at birth, Lorna resolves to find out everything she can about the past and especially about the tragic death of Oliver Wyndham. Working with the Wyndhams, she soon begins to stir up old secrets and the truth starts to emerge. But Lorna hasn't reckoned with falling in love with a member of the family she should hate...

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.

A perfect saga treat from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Mother's Grace, for fans of Dilly Court, Katie Flynn and Catherine Cookson. 'A vibrant page-turner with entrancing characters' Margaret Dickinson 'Rosie writes such heartwarming sagas' Lyn Andrews 'The new Catherine Cookson' Coventry Evening Telegraph Wednesday's child is full of woe . . . Warwickshire, 1865. Nessie Carson will do anything to keep her family together after her mother is killed, her father abandons them and they are evicted from their cosy little Nuneaton home. She and her brothers and sisters take on jobs as live-in assistants to a local undertaker. She is soon entwined in fortunes of her employer, Andre, who is forced to live a lie, and the local doctor - someone she's attracted to but can never have. But even in the darkest of times, and saddest of places, when you're as spirited as Nessie Carson, there is light, love and the promise of happiness if you're only brave enough to search for it . . . The Blessed Child is the fourth book in Rosie Goodwin's Days of the Week Collection. Why not try the rest, Mothering Sunday, The Little Angel, A Mother's Grace, A Maiden's Voyage, A Precious Gift and Time to Say Goodbye?

THE WORLD'S FAVOURITE STORYTELLER NEARLY ONE BILLION COPIES SOLD Living on the crest of a highly successful career, he was moving too fast to realise that he had everything - except what he wanted most . . . Sent to San Francisco to open the smartest department store in California, Bernie Fine becomes aware of the hollowness of his personal life. Despite his success he grows increasingly disenchanted with his existence - until five-year-old Jane O'Reilly gets lost in the store. Through Jane, Bernie meets her mother Liz, who finally offers him the possibility of love. But the rare happiness they find together is disrupted by tragedy and Bernie must face the terrible price we sometimes have to pay for loving . . . An epic and romantic tale from one of the best-loved writers of all time. Perfect for fans of Penny Vincenzi, Lucinda Riley and Maeve Binchy PRAISE FOR DANIELLE STEEL: 'Emotional and gripping . . . I was left in no doubt as to the reasons behind Steel's multi-million sales around the world' DAILY MAIL 'Danielle Steel is undeniably an expert' NEW YORK TIMES

The second book in the page-turning Worktown Girls at War series, from the bestselling author of A Shilling for a Wife, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin. At seventeen, Renee Rushmore lives at home with her father Ivan - a cruel man who rules the house with an iron fist and keeps Renee isolated and alone. She is desperate to escape him, but with no friends to help her, what hope does she have? Then war breaks out. With factories and farms looking to take on female workers, Renee dares to hope that her freedom might be within grasp. And when she hears through a kindly local farmhand named Jimmy that Oak Valley Farm is in need of help, she might just have found her chance. But her father's eyes are on her day and night. With the help of Jimmy, will Renee be able to escape Ivan's cruelty and find happiness at last? Readers love Emma Hornby: 'Similar to Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, Emma Hornby tells a brilliant story' 'Emma Hornby's books just keep getting better and better' 'Keep writing Emma, you are very talented and can't wait for your next book' 'Emma is a wonderful storyteller and I can't wait for the next one!' 'Thank you again Emma Hornby for a captivating read' 'Another beautifully written story by Emma Hornby'

A gripping and poignant wartime saga following the highs and lows of the young, courageous members of the Women's Army. January 1941. Peggy Collins has learned a lot during her time as a Spark Girl. Posted to Swansea, as a driver to the squadron leader, she often hears things she shouldn't and she knows to be discreet, understanding how serious the phrase loose lips sink ships really is. Peggy meets and falls in love with pilot Jim Hudson, but her heart is broken when he becomes missing in action and Peggy is left fearing the worst. That isn't the end of the shocks in store for Peggy and she is forced to remember a promise made long ago. But can she keep her word while the bombs fall? Full of wartime adventure, romance and heartbreak, A Wartime Promise is perfect for fans of Daisy Styles, Kate Thompson and Ellie Dean. Praise for The Spark Girl, Ruby's heart-warming debut (published as Fiona Ford): 'A fabulous debut from an immensely talented author' Annie Groves 'A compelling first novel which I promise you won't be able to put down' Daisy Styles 'Ford gets to the heart of what it was like to live through the dangerous war years in this warm, captivating, down-to-earth story which is brimming with engaging characters, adventure, romance and heartbreak.' Lancashire Post

Michael Zabinsky is an iconoclastic science teacher with a revolutionary zeal to enrich the lives of his pupils and create a better world. Driven by the idealism of youth as a volunteer in 1970s Botswana, he finds his dedication to teaching tested to destruction on returning to England. But Michael doesn't just teach - he thinks. He contemplates the human condition. He confronts racism and political correctness, and after 9/11, Islamism. He tries to juggle the demands of his job with those of his personal life. And there is a twist. At a reunion with Michael's fellow Botswana volunteers, it transpires that something unforeseen has happened to the village where they used to teach. What has become of their former pupils? Does Michael need to reevaluate his time in Africa?

When Suzy Lunt's widowed mother Josie marries Luke Palmer, it's mainly to keep a roof over their heads. But soon Josie realises she's made a mistake, and she and Suzy flee Liverpool and a man they now fear. But will they be safe from the past in Birkenhead?

When Ruby's father returns, shell-shocked, from the front lines of the Great War, the young girl realises that things will never be the same again. Forced to leave school and help her mother wash clothes, Ruby closes the door on her childhood. When she takes a job at the local laundry, Ruby enjoys the friendship of the other women there, but there's also bitchiness and jealousy amongst the workers. At home there's growing tension with the live-in landlord as Ruby grows into an attractive woman, but not the kind who's willing to use her charms to win favours. Ruby's heart belongs to one man only, a local boy she's known all her life, but there are many battles to be fought before they start a life together...

From debut Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Mapepa comes the saga of the four Taha sisters, and the indomitable matriarch who carried her daughters—and her community—through times of drought and violence in their Harare neighborhood.

From the red soil of her garden in Southgate 1, a crowded suburb of Harare, Nyeredzi watches the world. She knows not to venture beyond the grasses that fence them off from the bush, where the city’s violent criminals and young lovers claim the night. But on this red soil, she is sovereign. It is here where she learns how to kill snakes, how to fight off a man, and how to take what she is due. It is here where Nyeredzi and her three older sisters are raised, and where they will each find a different destiny.

Decades prior, a young woman abandons a position of great power to seek justice in the second Chimurenga War, only to return to find her world in shambles. So Zuva Mutongi sets off to build a world of her own, raising four daughters—Nyeredzi, Hannah, Abigail, and Ruth—and defending them from the evils beyond their small Harare home. But when a letter from her long-estranged brother calls her back to a past life, Zuva must reconcile with her duty and heal the broken community she left behind.

Tsitsi Mapepa’s vibrant debut is the history of a new Zimbabwe, with resilient women and men who raised a nation from its ashes. It is the chronicle of an L-shaped house, long awaited and much beloved, and the guests, welcome and unwelcome, who cross its threshold. It is the coming-of-age of four sisters, who will discover the secrets of womanhood on the volatile streets of Harare. But above all, it is a love song to one woman—a soldier, healer, chief, and mother—whose fierce devotion to her people is a testament to the bonds of blood that bind us all.

An orphaned young woman must decide whether to follow her head or her heart in June Francis's absorbing new Liverpool saga. 1961. Nineteen-year-old Lucia Brookes and her five younger siblings are facing their first Christmas alone since their parents were killed in a car crash. Once, Lucia had dreamed of meeting a man who would love, cherish and provide for her. Now she has lost hope because what man would want to take her on with all her responsibilities Everything changes when Tim Murphy enters the Liverpool coffee bar where Lucia works, looking for a room to rent. Although she knows of Tim's troubled past and his recent spell in prison, Lucia can't help being charmed by the lovable rogue. Ignoring the warnings from her family and friends, she accepts Tim's offer of a date. But has Tim really changed his ways . and will his shady past catch up with him?

A dramatic and heartwarming Victorian saga, perfect for fans of Maggie Hope and Anne Bennett. Shropshire, 1875. Hettie Jones has grown up in Ironbridge. She has never known her father and, since her mother's death, has been brought up by the Malone family, who treat her as one of their own. She works as a pit girl at the local coal mine, alongside her childhood playfellow, Evan - although lately, their friendship seems to be blossoming into something more. But when Queenie King takes a fancy to her, Hettie's life is transformed. Trained first as a lady's maid, and then hurtled into a world of luxury and gentility, she finds her new position difficult to reconcile with her past life. And with Queenie's daughter-in-law scheming against her, Hettie's situation becomes dire. Can Hettie really use her new position for good, and will she find a way to bridge the divide between rich and poor? 'A compelling blend of real history, rich period detail, and a gritty, authentic story brimming with love, loss, intrigue, hope, and bitter revenge, The Orphan of Ironbridge delivers a dramatic final chapter to this exciting trilogy.' Lancashire Evening Post Praise for The Daughters of Ironbridge: 'A Journey. Compelling. Addictive.' Val Wood 'Evocative, dramatic and hugely compelling . . . The Daughters of Ironbridge has all the hallmarks of a classic saga. I loved it' Miranda Dickinson 'Feisty female characters, an atmospheric setting and a spell-binding storyline make this a phenomenal read' Cathy Bramley 'The Daughters of Ironbridge has that compulsive, page-turning quality, irresistible characters the reader gets hugely invested in, and Walton has created a brilliantly alive, vivid and breathing world in Ironbridge' Louisa Treger 'Such great characters who will stay with me for a long time' Beth Miller 'The attention to period detail and beautiful writing drew me right in and kept me reading' Lynne Francis 'Vivid, page-turning drama' Pippa Beecheno 'A powerful sense of place and period, compelling characters and a pacy plot had me racing to the end' Gill Paul 'A story that is vivid, twisting and pacy, with characters that absolutely leap off the page' Iona Grey 'Beautiful and poignant. I'll definitely be reading The Secrets of Ironbridge' Tania Crosse

Decades before the bitter war of independence between Ptolem and Osiron end, two royal brothers grow into manhood while on a path intended to define the history of their family and their world. Shayne and Sar-Chay, born to the most powerful Kindred on Osiron, are groomed and indoctrinated in the ways of the Separatae, a fiercely determined group that demands nothing less than independence from their increasingly totalitarian motherworld, Ptolem.

Despite their deep fraternity, mutual respect, and love, Shayne and Sar-Chay are too different in spirit and goals to maintain a tranquil relationship. As their differing concepts of love and loyalty to the women in their lives pit them against one another, the brothers battle in equally desperate desires to control the lynchpin of their next generation, the warrior Vin-Chay. As the men prepare for the deciding conflict to gain Osiron's independence, they clash with one another in a relentless cornucopia of hate, vengeance, passion, and unwavering determination.

The souls of three men precariously balance on the precipice of obliteration as the final battle nears, and all three are forced to make decisions that will either save them or destroy everything they hold dear.

This entertaining and emotionally passionate new novel, by this first time author, reveals the dark and sinister events that surround a Louisiana family as it struggles to overcome a voodoo curse that has tormented the love life of its beautiful women since the days just after slavery. In 1949 Elizabeth Lafayette, the family s matriarch sets off a chain of tragic events after she tampers with an erotic fragrance the community root doctor has concocted to protect her naive daughter and granddaughter from deadly effects of the curse. Explicit and shockingly bold, Reginald Wyatt skillfully touches on the social and cultural realities that have intimately affected all of our lives.

Daisy Corkill has never known who her parents were - or why they left her to be brought up by the couple she calls 'Uncle' Ern and 'Aunt' Gladys. Daisy yearns for the love and security that a family of her own would give her, but she finds comfort in her relationship with Brenda, her older 'sister'. One day in 1919 Brenda arrives home flushed with excitement. She has agreed to marry businessman Gil Fox. Daisy is horrified, for she doesn't trust the handsome Gil. And soon after their wedding, Brenda realises that Gil isn't the man she thought he was. But Daisy's dreams are about to come true; a family of her own is finally within her reach. But will it be enough to get her through some stormy times?