ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS! NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). "Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America...Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve."-Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and The House Girl Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women's Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris. In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago's Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women's delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America's Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything. Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team. From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life. These three athletes will join with others to defy society's expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

The thrilling sequel to Alistair MacLean's masterpiece of World War II adventure, The Guns of Navarone. Now reissued in a new cover style. The guns of Navarone have been silenced, but the heroic survivors have no time to rest on their laurels. Almost before the last echoes of the famous guns have died away, Keith Mallory, Andrea and Dusty Miller are parachuting into war-torn Yugoslavia to rescue a division of Partisans ... and to fulfil a secret mission, so deadly that it must be hidden from their own allies.

'One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written' LEE CHILD Summer 1942. When Bernie Gunther is ordered to speak at an international police conference, an old acquaintance has a favour to ask. Little does Bernie suspect what this simple surveillance task will provoke... One year later, resurfacing from the hell of the Eastern Front, a superior gives him another task that seems straightforward: locating the father of Dalia Dresner, the rising star of German cinema. Bernie accepts the job. Not that he has much choice - the superior is Goebbels himself. But Dresner's father hails from Yugoslavia, a country so riven by sectarian horrors that even Bernie's stomach is turned. Yet even with monsters at home and abroad, one thing alone drives him on from Berlin to Zagreb to Zurich: Bernie Gunther has fallen in love.

'Haunting and enchanting by turns. This book will stay with me for a long time. Utterly magnificent' Jenni Keer Can the truth about her family's past unlock her future? Normandy, 1937. Sixteen-year-old Elise embarks on a whirlwind romance with a young American man, which transports her from the drudgery of her everyday life caring for her mother. But neither she nor William is prepared for the war that will threaten to tear them apart... Boston, 2009. Lucy has been left reeling by the death of her beloved grandfather. They had always planned to visit France together after her college graduation; now, still aching from his loss, Lucy decides to take the trip alone. As Lucy traces the steps of her grandfather through the French countryside where he once served as a GI, a powerful story of love, loss and destiny emerges - but can the truth about her family's past unlock her future? Or are some scars too deep to heal? Readers love The Time Between Us: 'Poignant, haunting story took my breath away. A simply stunning debut' Clare Marchant 'Emotional story of love and loss, beautifully woven' Liz Fenwick 'Left me breathless. My emotions were crushed and revived and tangled... I cried and felt heartbreak for the characters. Time stood still and supper cooled while I finished living it... Unmissable... I cannot stop thinking about it' Goodreads reviewer, 'Emotional rollercoaster of love and loss... An excellent read which kept my interest right through to the last page' Jo Lambert 'Fabulous, emotional... This is a beautifully written story of war, love and loss... Pulled me in from the first page and I loved the story of Elise' NetGalley Reviewer, 'Emotional and heart-breaking... If you like WWII books then you will love this one' NetGalley reviewer, 'Fantastic... Hooked me and kept me invested... McCarron was able to capture the sights, smells, sounds, touch and tastes to the extent that I felt I was in the soldier's boots. It was phenomenal!... I was emotionally wrung out by the end of the book... This is the best book out there... Spectacular... Magnificently written, five-star historical fiction must be on your radar' NetGalley Reviewer, 'Very beautiful read. I highly recommend this one. I really like the writer's style and look forward to her future books' @IslaRoseReads, 'Heart-breaking dual timeline story of love, loss and the reality of life' NetGalley Reviewer 'Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and this one did not disappoint... I recommend this book if you like to read historical fiction' NetGalley Reviewer 'Poignant and emotionally complex. Loved it' NetGalley Reviewer

A masterpiece of literary craft and concision; sparse, beautiful and hugely affecting - Daily Mail Since the liberation of the Netherlands, Emma Verweij has been living in Rotterdam, in a street which became a stronghold of friendships for its inhabitants during the Second World War. She marries Bruno, they have two sons, and she determines to block out the years she spent in Nazi Berlin during the war, with her first husband Carl. But now, ninety-six years old and on the eve of her death, long- forgotten memories crowd again into her consciousness, flashbacks of happier years, and the tragedy of the war, of Carl, of her father, and of the friends she has lost. In The Longest Night, his impressive, reflective new novel after News from Berlin, Otto de Kat deftly distils momentous events of 20th-century history into the lives of his characters. In Emma, the past and the present coincide in limpid fragments of rare, melancholy beauty. Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson

'This book's power lies in its depiction of civilians trying to lead ordinary lives during the horror of war . . . It is shattering stuff, but Rothmann is tender towards his characters and this book is as memorable as his last.' The Times, 'Historical Fiction Book of the Month' As the Second World War enters its final stages, millions in Germany are forced from their homes by bombing, compelled to seek shelter in the countryside where there are barely the resources to feed them. Twelve-year-old Luisa, her mother, and her older sister Billie have escaped the devastation of the city for the relative safety of a dairy farm. But even here the power struggles of the war play out: the family depend on the goodwill of Luisa's brother-in-law, an SS officer, who in expectation of payment turns his attention away from his wife and towards Billie. Luisa immerses herself in books, but even she notices the Allied bombers flying east above them, the gauntness of the prisoners at the camp nearby, the disappearance of fresh-faced boys from the milk shed - hastily shipped off to a war that's already lost. Living on the farm teaches Luisa about life and death, but it's man's capacity for violence that provides the ultimate lesson, that robs her of her innocent ignorance. When, at a birthday celebration, her worst fears are realized, Luisa collapses under the weight of the inexplicable. Ralf Rothmann's previous novel, To Die in Spring, described the horror of war and the damage done on the battlefield. The God of that Summer tells the devastating story of civilians caught up in the chaos of defeat, of events that might lead a twelve-year-old child to justifiably say: 'I have experienced everything.'

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a sweeping and achingly romantic story of the course of fate, the meaning of family and the power of love. . . Genoa, Italy, 1946. Vincenzo and Giovanna fall in love the moment they set eyes on each other. The son of a count and the daughter of a tailor, they belong to opposing worlds - but the undeniable spark between them quickly burns into a deep and passionate relationship, played out against their post-war city, and Vincenzo's family's beautiful vineyard. But when shifts in political power force them each to choose a side and commit what the other believes is a betrayal, the bright future they dreamed of together is shattered. New York, 2017. Cassandra and Luca are in love. Although neither quite fits with the other's family, Cass and Luca have always felt like a perfect match for each other. But when Luca, an artist, convinces his grandfather and Cass's grandmother to pose for a painting, past and present collide to reveal a secret that changes everything . . . *** 'A gorgeous, epic novel . . . Jill Santopolo writes heartbreak like no other' Emily Giffin, author of Meant to Be 'A shimmering love story for the ages. Stars in an Italian Sky is about the course of fate, the meaning of family and the power of love. Bellissima!' Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone 'Woven together as intricately as the fine fabrics of the Genoese tailor shop where the star-crossed lovers meet . . . A poignant tale of love, loss, class, and fate, infused with the hopefulness of true love written in the stars' Kristin Harmel, author of The Book of Lost Names and The Winemaker's Wife 'A spellbinding, deeply compassionate story centered around the fraught legacy of a pair of young lovers. Sensual, heartfelt, and incredibly moving, Santopolo's latest will bring you to tears' Fiona Davis, author of The Magnolia Palace 'I was swept away by Stars in an Italian Sky, Jill Santopolo's charming novel of love, both lost and found' Lisa Scottoline, author of Loyalty 'Filled with pathos, longing and romance, this book is a love letter to the human heart, and a testimony to the timelessness of true and lasting love' Allison Pataki, author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post 'A warm, poignant story of enduring love and loss, spanning generations and set against the background of post WWII Italy' Rhys Bowen, author of The Tuscan Child and The Venice Sketchbook 'Powerful, emotional, and steeped in beauty and romance, Stars in an Italian Sky is a breathtaking tale of star-crossed lovers that stretches across generations. A sweeping story brimming with passion' Ann Mah, author of The Lost Vintage and Jacqueline in Paris

The hero of this book was not a saint, nor even a tzadik - the nearest Jewish equivalent - but he was a hero. Someone who risked his own life to make a difference to the life of another. Were his motives selfless? No. He was after all flesh and blood. A man. And a very young one. But life is not black and white. Heroes are not without their flaws. This is his story. Tholdi is a romantic. A musical prodigy whose brilliant future is extinguished when the horror unfolding across Europe arrives at his door. One day he's captivated by the beautiful, mysterious Lyuba who he meets on his sixteenth birthday; the next he wakes to the terrors of war as the Nazi-allied Romanians attack his town of Czernowitz. A ghetto is built to imprison the town's Jews before herding them onto trains bound for the concentration camps of Transnistria. With each passing day, Tholdi and his parents await their turn. And then Fate intervenes, giving them all a reprieve. At the weaving mill Tholdi secures work that spares him. He is elated. Until he discovers the two brothers who run the mill are Nazi collaborators hiding a terrible secret: the threat of transportation remains. When Tholdi sees one of the brothers with Lyuba, he glimpses a way to save himself and his family. But the stakes of his gamble are high. Will Lyuba be the key to their survival, or will Tholdi's infatuation with her become a dangerous obsession that guarantees their death? NIGHT LESSONS IN LITTLE JERUSALEM is an unforgettable debut novel of war, family and love.

Walter Urban and Friedrich 'Fiete' Caroli work side by side as hands on a dairy farm in northern Germany. By 1945, it seems the War's worst atrocities are over. When they are forced to 'volunteer' for the SS, they find themselves embroiled in a conflict which is drawing to a desperate, bloody close. Walter is put to work as a driver for a supply unit of the Waffen-SS, while Fiete is sent to the front. When the senseless bloodshed leads Fiete to desert, only to be captured and sentenced to death, the friends are reunited under catastrophic circumstances.

In a few days the war will be over, millions of innocents will be dead, and the survivors must find a way to live with its legacy.

An international bestseller, To Die in Spring is a beautiful and devastating novel by German author Ralf Rothmann.

It is Rosh Hashanah -- the Jewish New Year and Day of Judgment -- in Moscow during the Stalinist purges of 1936. In the Lubyanka secret police prison, senior investigator Grisha Shwartzman masterfully pursues the rigorous logic and obsessive legalism of the Soviet witch-hunt. Facing an extraordinary prisoner, Grisha realizes that the Soviet system he has faithfully served is murderously corrupt and that he himself will be the next victim -- but not an innocent one. In despair, he flees to his home, where his deranged wife and an unexpected Rosh Hashanah letter from his father-in-law, the enigmatic Krimsker Rebbe in America, await him. The Day of Judgment proves to be a startling experience as Grisha, the once idealistic radical, judges himself, accepts his responsibilities, and is guided to sublime passion and possible redemption by his mad wife, who for twenty years has been patiently awaiting him in a closed wardrobe.

In 1942 a train of imprisoned Jews leaves the Warsaw ghetto for "resettlement in the East". It is Yom Kippur -- the Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. In a crowded cattle car stands a lonely, defeated individual who is ashamed that he cannot even remember his own name. During the tortuous journey Yechiel Katzman will overhear a talmudic debate and meet a dull-witted giant who turns out to be none other than Itzik Dribble, also from Krimsk. As they arrive in the death camp of Treblinka, Yechiel remembers not only his name but also the Krimsker Rebbe's prophetic curse that exiled him from Krimsk forty years earlier. Yet as death approaches, that curse will prove a blessing.

Stalin and Hitler decree certain death, but Grisha and Yechiel discoverJewish fates. The devil incites loneliness, degradation, despair, and even complicity; through memory, the victims elicit community, dignity, and the awareness of sanctity. Grisha's "Soviet" Rosh Hashanah and Yechiel's "Nazi" Yom Kippur are truly "Days of Awe". Even when death is certain, life can be lived.

An extraordinary narrative inspired by true events. 1938. Eli Stoff and his parents, Austrian Jews, escape to America just after Germany takes over their homeland. Within five years, Eli joins the US Army and, like all those who became known as Ritchie boys, he works undercover in Intelligence on the European front to help the Allies win World War II. In A Ritchie Boy, different characters tell interrelated stories that, together, form a cohesive narrative that follows Eli from Vienna to New York, from Ohio to Maryland, and then to war-torn Europe before he returns to the heartland of his new country to set down his roots. Set during the dawn of World War II and the disruptive decade to follow, A Ritchie Boy is the poignant, compelling tale of one young immigrant's triumph over adversity.

War is coming, but can she weather the storm?It is the summer of 1939, and Kathie and Dennis Hawthorne are utterly content. They run a thriving market garden called Westways, and their lives are just as they always imagined. But when war arrives, Dennis, a member of the TA, is called up immediately, leaving Kathie to engage helpers and run the garden. As Kathie's narrow existence widens, her confidence grows, but with Dennis far away and his safety under threat, her world begins to fall apart. She is stirred by previously unknown emotions that bring her to despair. She must lean on her new friendships and the community that has blossomed around the garden to find the strength to overcome her own struggles, and to ensure Westways blooms. A charming and uplifting wartime saga for fans of Rosie Clarke and Kate Thompson.

RueAnn Boggs meets Charles Tolliver, a handsome Brit with a secret job, and in the course of twenty-four hours, RueAnn is swept off her feet-seduced, wed, and then left by dashing Charlie, who hastily departs for an assignment in England. When weeks go by and she hears nothing from her new husband, RueAnn becomes determined to find out if she's a wife in name only, and she travels to London for answers. But what she finds there is not at all what she expects... Susan Blunt has spent her life staying put, retreating into her books while her vivacious twin sister, Sara, lives life to the fullest. The start of the war hasn't stopped vibrant Sara from collecting a throng of beaus in uniform, including Paul Overdone, an RAF pilot heading for the front. When Sara pressures Susan into switching places and going to a dance with Paul, Susan reluctantly agrees. Little does Susan know that a single night is more than enough time to fall deeply in love with Paul-who returns her ardor, even though he thinks she is someone else... When the Blitz begins and bombs start raining down on London, both RueAnn and Susan must find the strength and courage they never knew they had in order to survive. They form a friendship out of the city's ashes, one that helps them weather the storm as they wait for news from the front-from the men they love, have lost, and hope desperately to find once more. Set against the backdrop of a remarkable era, Into the Storm brilliantly explores relationships in wartime, when the passion shared in just one day could sustain love for a lifetime and the love borne of one night's deception could become the truth that saves a life. "Lisa Bingham is a master storyteller." -AFFAIRE DE COEUR

Author shortlisted for the Romantic Novelist Association's 'The Romantic Saga Award 2023' for A Mother's War North Yorkshire, September 1940. It's a year since war was first announced and the dangers are becoming all too real for Rosina Calvert-Lazenby and her courageous daughters. When Raven Hall is requisitioned by the army, Rosina must do all she can to protect her family home from the rowdy troops. After Rosina's burgeoning relationship with young sergeant Harry is interrupted as he's posted abroad, the arrival of an older officer who takes a keen interest in her could also spell trouble... Meanwhile, Rosina's fearless second daughter, twenty-year-old Evelyn Calvert-Lazenby, decides to join the Auxiliary Fire Service. Determined to help with the Blitz effort in London, she faces extreme danger. Two kind professional firemen, the Bailey brothers, take her under their wing to help protect and guide her. But with the bombings getting worse, there can be no guarantees... Who will be safe? How can Rosina protect all those she loves? And is love still possible with such high stakes? Praise for Mollie Walton: 'A Journey. Compelling. Addictive' Val Wood 'Beautiful and poignant' Tania Crosse 'Feisty female characters, an atmospheric setting ... A phenomenal read' Cathy Bramley 'Great characters who will stay with me for a long time' Beth Miller 'Evocative, dramatic and hugely compelling. I loved it' Miranda Dickinson

A heart-breaking and moving story of love and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of the Blitz. Inspired by true events, and perfect for readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Dear Mrs Bird *** Is love strong enough to survive a war? September 1940. As enemy fighter planes blacken the sky, Susan Shepherd finds comfort at her home in Epping Forest, where she and her grandfather raise homing pigeons. Of all Susan's birds, it's Duchess who is the most extraordinary, and the two share a special bond. Thousands of miles away, Ollie Evans, a young American pilot decides to travel to Britain to join the Royal Air Force. But Ollie doesn't expect his quest to bring him instead to the National Pigeon Service - a covert new operation involving homing pigeons - and to Susan. The National Pigeon Service has a dangerous mission to air-drop hundreds of pigeons into German-occupied France. Despite their growing friendship Ollie and Susan must soon be parted - but will Duchess's devotion and sense of duty prove to be an unexpected lifeline between them? Based on true events, The Long Flight Home is an uplifting and timeless wartime novel, that reminds us how, in times of hardship, hope is never truly lost.

Europe, 1945: no longer at war but not yet at peace. The gripping finale to the bestselling Richard Prince espionage thrillers.British agent Richard Prince and the Danish spy Hanne Jakobsen come together for a vital mission: to find a Nazi war criminal responsible for the murder of fellow British agents. The hunt takes them on a perilous journey through Europe, a continent living on its nerves in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. They unearth a secret Nazi escape line funded by British traitors - and it's one which could lead them to Hitler's trusted deputy, Martin Bormann. But when the Americans become involved it is no longer certain who's on which side. Help might come in unlikely places. Can justice be found against the odds... Or are they too late? An unputdownable spy thriller with a twist you won't see coming, this is the brilliant conclusion to Alex Gerlis' masterful Richard Prince spy thrillers, perfect for fans of John le Carre and Alan Furst. Praise for End of Spies 'A page turning read, guaranteed to entertain' Evening Standard

April 1945. The Third Reich is collapsing. In Berlin, surrounded by Soviet troops, a small aircraft lands under enemy fire. Daring pilot Hanna Reitsch escorts an important officer to Hitler's bunker - and is granted an audience with the Fuhrer, from which she emerges visibly upset. Meanwhile, in a German hospital in the countryside, Max comes to after a long coma. His task remains the same: to kill Hanna. But what new mission has she been given?