The master of alternative history asks the question, 'What would have happened if World War II had started in 1938?'. The results are thrilling. The two sides of the Spanish civil war are still locked in a blood-soaked stalemate. Stalin's purge of the Red Army is barely underway. And Neville Chamberlain - sickened by the arrogance and duplicity of the Germans- does not return from Munich waving the piece of paper that would give the Czech arms factories to Hitler and postpone the war until 1939. On October 1, German tanks cross the Czech frontier, touching off declarations of war from France, from England, from the USSR. Poland, fearing the Russians more than Hitler, declares war on the German side. Soon Fascist Spain attacks Gibraltar, the Japanese army crosses the Manchurian frontier into Siberia . . . and the British Army sets off for France, which has launched a pre-emptive attack on the Rhineland. The war we know as World War II has begun - a year early, in an entirely different way.

When everything you hold dear is torn apart by war, can love put you back together again? It's 1943, and the Second World War is raging. Ruby Mottram works for her local newspaper, the Bartonford Herald, typing up adverts and obituaries, whilst dreaming of a more exciting life. Between her shifts as an ARP warden and caring for her ailing father, the chance for escape doesn't come often to Devon. Meanwhile, in America's deep south, Sam Archer is hatching a plan to raise enough money to get his mother and sister away from his abusive stepfather. Using falsified documents to hide his age, he enlists with the U.S. Army. Two chance encounters bring Ruby and Sam together from opposite sides of the Atlantic, giving them the chance of love, hope and freedom from their troubled lives. But fate, in the shape of D-Day and Omaha Beach, has other ideas. When their very lives are at risk, will their promise to wait for one another be what keeps them alive? For fans of Suzanne Kelman, Ellie Midwood and Catherine Hokin. Readers love Before the Dawn: 'An absolutely stunning book... I adored everything about this. I would definitely watch this if it were a movie! I already can't wait to re-read this' NetGalley Reviewer, 'OH MY GODDESS this book has become a new favourite... Ruby and Sam's love is addicting and heart-warming, leaving me feel the same emotions alongside them through every bump in the road. Their love was so enchanting and strong' @haleyyneal, 'What a gorgeous book!!... It would make an exquisite movie. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts. This book kept me up late into the night turning page by page like it was on fire to see what happened next' NetGalley Reviewer, 'I need this to be a movie!... A beautiful story of love and the dual perspective was perfect! I am adding this to my historical fiction favourites' NetGalley Reviewer, 'I couldn't put this down! Beautiful writing kept me turning the pages!' NetGalley Reviewer, 'Lovely, raw WWII romance... Quite heart-breaking... Definitely a rocky and emotional one... A really great WWII historical romance' Wayfaring_reader, 'Wonderful book... If you are a fan of World War novels of history and romance, then you need to read this... A stunning book I couldn't put down. At the end I was overwhelmed with the story and replayed it in my mind for several days. A read not to be missed' Goodreads Reviewer, 'I read this over a rainy stormy weekend... Just what I needed to curl up with... This was an immersive, historically well researched story of WW2... All that one might want from this genre: romance, historical fact and some sense of suspense... 5 stars from me!' NetGalley Reviewer,

In a world of secrets, can Esme find the courage to be her true self?Happily in love, Esme Colborne is about to marry Richard Trevannion, descendant of one of the oldest families in England. But when Esme learns she is adopted - from a working class family - she cannot allow Richard to marry so far beneath his station. Fleeing the life she knew, a chance encounter leads Esme to work as a 'decoy woman', testing British undercover operatives who may otherwise reveal secrets in a moment of weakness. As dangerous as it is thrilling, she is soon captivated by this world of subterfuge - one wrong move, however, and Esme could lose everything. With her feelings for Richard as strong as ever, should she go back to him and reveal the truth of her birth? Is she brave enough to risk having her heart broken again? An enthralling Second World War saga for fans of Rosie Archer and Annie Murray.

#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events, the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome...in the creeping shadow of fascism.

Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kind-hearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta's heart. But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear--their families, their homes, and their connection to one another--is tested in ways they never could have imagined.

As anti-Semitism takes legal root and World War II erupts, the threesome realizes that Mussolini was only the beginning. The Nazis invade Rome, and with their occupation come new atrocities against the city's Jews, culminating in a final, horrific betrayal. Against this backdrop, the intertwined fates of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro, and their families will be decided, in a heartbreaking story of both the best and the worst that the world has to offer.

Unfolding over decades, Eternal is a tale of loyalty and loss, family and food, love and war--all set in one of the world's most beautiful cities at its darkest moment. This moving novel will be forever etched in the hearts and minds of readers.

A breathtaking and tumultuous love story of the secrets, hidden passions and loyalties that bind us together. THE SECRETS BETWEEN US is the latest mesmerising tale of drama and intrigue from Judith Lennox, the author of HIDDEN LIVES and THE JEWELLER'S WIFE. Not to be missed by readers of Rachel Hore and Kate Morton. 'I have fallen completely in love with Judith Lennox's writing - she's a fantastic storyteller!' Jill Mansell It is Christmas 1937 when sisters Rowan and Thea travel from London to Scotland to visit their dying father. Having lost their mother in a tragic sailing accident when they were young, the two women are accustomed to grief. But they have no idea that their father's death will expose a terrible deception... For back in London is his wife Sophie and their two sons. Neither family knows of the other's existence, and when news reaches Sophie of Hugh's death her whole world is turned upside down. Meanwhile, Rowan's marriage is crumbling, and Thea reluctantly finds herself acting as a go-between for her sister and her lover. But, with the onslaught of World War II, the lives of all three women will change for ever. And they must confront the secrets between them before they can seize their chance of happiness...

Death still comes to Everyman, but this study of three twentieth-century German plays shows the harder challenge of living without salvation in an age of war and unprecedented mass destruction. Death comes to everyone, and in the late-medieval morality play of Everyman the familiar skeleton forces the universalized central figure to come to terms with this. Only his inner resources, in the forms of Good Deeds and Knowledge, ensure that he repents and is redeemed. Three important twentieth-century German plays echo Everyman - Toller's Hinkemann, Borchert's The Man Outside, and Frisch's The Arsonists/Firebugs - but the unprecedented scale of killing in the First and Second World Wars changed the view of death, while in the Cold War the nuclear destruction literally of everyone became a possibility. Brian Murdoch traces the heritage of Everyman in the three plays in terms of dramatic effect, changes in the image of Death, and especially the problem of living with existential guilt. Death, now over-fed, still has to be faced, but Everyman has the harder problem of living with the awareness of human wickedness without the possibility of salvation. All three plays have tended to be viewed in their specific historical contexts, but by viewing them less rigidly and as part of a long dramatic tradition, Murdoch shows that all present a message of lasting and universal significance. They pose directly to the theater audience questions not just of how to cope with death, but how to cope with life.

Family history has always been a mystery to Will Latymer. His father flatly refused to talk about it, and with no other relatives to consult, it seems that a mystery it shall always remain. Until of course, Will meets Ghislaine, his beautiful French cousin, in a chance encounter that sends him headlong into the life of his longlost grandfather, Henry Latymer. Reading Henry's old letters and diaries for the first time, Will discovers an idealistic young man, full of hopes and optimism - an optimism that will gradually be crushed as the realities of life under the Vichy regime become glaringly clear. But the more Will delves into Henry's past, and into France's troubled history, the darker the secrets he discovers about his grandfather become, and the more he has cause to wonder if sometimes, the past should remain buried.

To what lengths will the British go to smuggle a secret weapon into Nazi Germany? An unmissable Second World War thriller from bestseller Alex Gerlis.'Absorbing ... Gerlis directs his cast with verve' Financial Times Hiding in the horror of Warsaw's Jewish Ghetto with his family, scientist Roman Loszynski has a secret: a means of making aerial bombing raids frighteningly accurate. Codenamed Tatra, it could change the course of the war. With British agent Jack Miller now in Switzerland, back in Berlin undercover spy Sophia von Naundorf is determined to escape Germany come what may. As the RAF look to destroy the Ruhr through its bombing raids, Barnaby Allen and British intelligence will need everything Jack and Sophia have to help find, test and deploy these devices. But that will mean getting Loszynski out of Poland, and themselves re-entering the Reich. Both seem, on the face of it, impossible, desperate missions filled with danger. Every second a chance for discovery. Every second a moment of peril. An intense and unputdownable espionage thriller from modern master Alex Gerlis, this is perfect for readers of Robert Harris, Charles Cumming and Rory Clements.

Zvi Preigerzon (1900-1969), a Hebrew writer in the Soviet Union, wrote this book in complete secrecy, to the extent that he even hid its existence from his own family. The book is about the Jewish community in Hadiach, a small town in Ukraine where Shneur Zalman Schneerson, the founder of the Chabad movement, is buried. The town was occupied by the German army during the war and most of its Jewish population perished. Zvi Preigerzon describes the life of the simple Jewish people and their suffering under the Nazis, with a Kabbalistic spiritual touch: the Perpetual Flame of the Menorah at the grave of Shneur Zalman Schneerson symbolizes the very spirit of Jewish life, which it is said will persist as long as the flame is burning.

1941, Estonia. As Stalin's brutal Red Army crushes everything in its path, Katarina and her family survive only because their precious farm produce is needed to feed the occupying forces. Fiercely partisan, Katarina battles to protect her grandmother's precious legacy - the weaving of gossamer lace shawls stitched with intricate patterns that tell the stories passed down through generations. While Katarina struggles to survive the daily oppression, another young woman is suffocating in her prison of privilege in Moscow. Yearning for freedom and to discover her beloved mother's Baltic heritage, Lydia escapes to Estonia. Facing the threat of invasion by Hitler's encroaching Third Reich, Katarina and Lydia and two idealistic young soldiers, insurgents in the battle for their homeland, find themselves in a fight for life, liberty and love.

INDO-CHINA 1941Cruising somewhere off Saigon is the world's largest and most dangerous submarine - the French SoufriFre. A rich prize for the enemy, the British navy must capture her for themselves before she is used against them.For Commander Robert Ainslie, it represents the greatest challenge of his career. He must take the foreign submarine and use her against the enemy in the defence of Singapore . . .

From the INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING author of The Paris Seamstress comes a story of courage, family and forgiveness from New York to war-torn Europe. Perfect for fans of Kate Furnivall, Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton and Gill Paul 'Divine' GILL PAUL, bestselling author of The Secret Wife 'An emotional and sweeping tale' CHANEL CLEETON, bestselling author of Next Year in Havana 'A splendid, breathtaking novel, full of mystery and passion...a must read!' JEANNE MACKIN, author of The Last Collection ******** 1942 When Jessica May's successful modelling career is abruptly cut short, Vogue send her to war-torn Paris to cover the conflict as a correspondent. She's courageous and a fast-learner, but of course the military men make her life as difficult as possible. Three friendships change that: journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules; paratrooper Dan Hallworth shows her how to take pictures and write stories that matter; and a little girl, Victorine, who shows Jess how to open hear heart. 2005 Australian curator D'Arcy Hallworth arrives at a beautiful French chateau to manage a famous collection of photographs. What begins as just another job becomes far more disquieting as D'Arcy uncovers the true identity of the mysterious French photographer...

Even though there was a war on, the Woolworths girls brought Christmas cheer to their customers Best friends Sarah, Maisie and Freda are brought together by their jobs at Woolworths. With their loved ones away on the front line, their bonds of friendship strengthen each day. Betty Billington is the manager at Woolworths, and a rock for the girls, having given up on love . . . Until a mysterious stranger turns up one day - could he reignite a spark in Betty? As the year draws to a close, and Christmas approaches, the girls must rely on each other to navigate the dark days that lie ahead . . . With so much change, can their friendship survive the war? Christmas at Woolworths is the heartfelt sequel to Elaine Everest's bestselling debut The Woolworths Girls.

A heart-warming story of friendship and family during the first Christmas of World War Two. Autumn 1939 and London prepares to evacuate its young. In No 5 Jubilee Street, Bermondsey, ten-year-old Connie is determined to show her parents that she's a brave girl and can look after her twin brother, Jessie. She won't cry, not while anyone's watching. In the crisp Yorkshire Dales, Connie and Jessie are billeted to a rambling vicarage. Kindly but chaotic, Reverend Braithwaite is determined to keep his London charges on the straight and narrow, but the twins soon find adventures of their own. As autumn turns to winter, Connie's dearest wish is that war will end and they will be home for Christmas. But this Christmas Eve there will be an unexpected arrival... Praise for The Evacuee Christmas: 'A heart-warming tale of friendship and family' Woman

Ashes of Berlin is shortlisted for the CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger World War II is over, and former German intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has returned to Berlin. He's about to find that the bloodshed has not ended - and that for some, death is better than defeat. A year after Germany's defeat, Reinhardt has been hired back onto Berlin's civilian police force. The city is divided among the victorious allied powers, tensions are growing, and the police are riven by internal rivalries as factions within it jockey for power and influence with Berlin's new masters. When a man is found slain in a broken-down tenement, Reinhardt embarks on a gruesome investigation. It seems a serial killer is on the loose, and matters only escalate when it's discovered that one of the victims was the brother of a Nazi scientist. Reinhardt's search for the truth takes him across the divided city and soon embroils him in a plot involving the Western Allies and the Soviets. And as he comes under the scrutiny of a group of Germans who want to continue the war - and faces an unwanted reminder from his own past - Reinhardt realizes that this investigation could cost him everything as he pursues a killer who believes that all wrongs must be avenged...

The next heartwarming instalment of the Timber Girls Series. Perfect for fans of Elaine Everest and Pam Howes. Trixie and her fellow lumberjills are back in Scotland, newly stationed at the MacKay estate. When they arrive, they are shocked to find the place dilapidated and neglected and the taciturn and secretive Noah MacKay not at all happy to be meeting them. It quickly becomes apparent that MacKay was expecting men from the forestry commission to take charge, rather than four young women. Trixie, Jo, Hen and Vi decide he needs to be proven wrong - after all, don't they have stamina, skill and strength? But as the girls work to prove their worth, secrets from their own pasts threaten to follow them to Sutherland.

Originally published in 1949, Storm Below tells the story of a fictional Royal Canadian Navy ship and its crew. The adventure unfolds over six days of an escort run across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland during the Second World War. The ship, the HMCS Riverford, is a composite of the vessels, mostly corvettes, that author Hugh Garner served on during his time in the Canadian navy, and the Canadian sailors whose experiences he relates are masterfully drawn from the crewmen he knew during his months at sea.

In his preface to Storm Below, his first novel, Garner says: "It takes all kinds to make a world, and it also takes all kinds to make a war -- or fight one after some of the others make it.... They his characters] are not even 'typical' sailors, if such exist. All I can say to justify them is that they are drawn in the image of hundreds who made up the Royal Canadian Navy. They do not need an apology -- they were out there, and we won."

Young Paul Goetz loves aeroplanes and so joins the Luftwaffe as soon as he can. Like so many, he's taken in, swept along in the unquestioning tide of excitement, keen to be airborne as a fighter pilot. His first posting sees him sent to Leningrad in December 1941. His squadron shoot down huge numbers of enemy aeroplanes and victory seems certain, but the war drags on for a second winter, becoming increasingly difficult. Comrades are lost or reported 'Vermisst' - missing - and he learns of terrible German activities across the east. Then, Paul's nightmare becomes reality, when his engine fails behind enemy lines, and he is captured... Vermisst: Missing in Russia is a rarity; an English-language novel written from a German viewpoint. Rich in historical details and packed with exciting aerial combat scenes, it is a gripping war story of extreme conditions, and survival in the harshest captivity.