Are these newly trained Wrens ready to protect Britain's coastline?Following a humiliating experience involving the man she thought she'd marry, Iris Tredwick signs up to the Wrens in order to escape and find 'the right sort' of man to please her mother. After a bumpy start, Iris manages to befriend outspoken Mary and dreamer Sally as they are sent to their first posting - in Orkney. There she meets mechanic Rob, whose flirtatious nature both charms and confounds straight-laced Iris. Much more appropriate for her is local doctor Stewart, if only she felt the same spark for him as she does for Rob... As Iris, Mary and Sally work to interpret signals from incoming ships, they realise the enemy is somehow one step ahead of their manoeuvres, dropping sea mines under the cover of darkness. Could there be a spy on the island? And can the Wrens prevent disaster striking before it's too late? A thrilling and lively Second World War saga for fans of Kate Thompson and Daisy Styles. Praise for A New Start for the Wrens 'This book is absolutely brilliant. I felt like I was one of the girls and was joining them in their adventure. I really cant wait to read more in this series' Reader review 'This book entertained and warmed the cockles of your heart. Being on duty with the Wrens and contributing to the war effort was a great way to spend the afternoon reading and I seriously loved it!' Reader review 'Loved this book! I binge read it as I wanted to know what would happen. The three main female characters Iris, Mary and Sally are all so easy to relate to and care about. Love the glimpses of Orkney and the poignant history.' Reader review 'A really thoughtful look at the work of the wrens in WWII and a brilliant new trio of girls to get to know. I cannot wait for the next one.' Reader review 'Another number one for Vicki Beeby. Loved this WWII story, highly recommended read' Reader review

A moving and dramatic World War II land girl saga by the author of Lily's War and Bobby's War, winner of the RNA romantic saga award. For readers of Nancy Revell and Annie Groves. It's 1942 and at nineteen years old Hannah Compton has the world at her feet. But with World War II raging, the country is in turmoil, and Hannah decides to do her bit for the War effort. Hannah's beloved grandfather taught her to grow vegetables in his market garden and inspires her to become one of over 200,000 women joining the Land Army. Posted to Salhouse Farm on the outskirts of Norwich, Hannah is excited for the adventure ahead of her. But soon reality hits. Hannah is a city girl at heart and life in the countryside is not what she imagined. It's cold, she hates the hard work, she misses her friends back in Manchester, and she has to share a double bed with a stranger. As Hannah gets used to the punishing farm work and makes some friends, she starts to settle in. But she simply can't get used to living side by side with the German prisoners of war. Then a young German doctor steps in to save Hannah's life and everything she thought she knew is brought into question. In a country at war, will Hannah be prepared to risk everything for the enemy? 'Another exciting, emotion-filled celebration of the role of women on the home front' Lancashire Evening Post - - - - - - Praise for Shirley Mann: 'What a brilliant read . . . Bobby is a wonderful heroine.' Ginny Bell, author of The Dover Cafe at War on Bobby's War 'Plucky and resourceful, Bobby is exactly the sort of person you'd want at your side in real life.' Kitty Danton, author of A Wartime Christmas on Bobby's War '[The story] read so true to me and I really didn't want to put it down. . .' Vera Morgan, wartime WAAF on Lily's War 'An impeccably researched and uplifting story of love, loss and courage.' Clare Harvey, author of The Gunner Girl on Lily's War

THE TULIP TEAROOMS is a heartwarming and poignant saga from Pam Evans, set in London just after the Second World War. Perfect for readers of Kitty Neale, Katie Flynn and Dilly Court. The Second World War is finally over when Lola Brown meets Harry Riggs at a dance. It is love at first sight but when Harry tells Lola that he is a policeman, her heart sinks. Lola's father is a petty criminal, and if Harry ever finds out and turns him in, it will destroy her family... Harry reluctantly accepts that Lola doesn't want to see him again, and eventually starts to find happiness without her. In the meantime, Lola encounters the eccentric Pickford sisters and sets about transforming their run-down tearooms in London's West End, only to find her own life transformed as well. Despite everything, Harry and Lola continue to feel drawn to each other, but the truth about Lola's family can't stay hidden for ever...

The brand new novel from bestselling author Evie Grace, set amongst the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Poldark. _______________________ KENT 1815 Her heart led her to him, but will loyalty be enough to make her stay . . . When the beautiful but naive Grace Lennicker falls for Isaiah Feasey, son of a rival smuggling family and owner of a local tavern, her sisters try to intervene. But as tensions grow, there is another suitor also hoping to win her hand in marriage, the dashing and more favourable Albert Enderby, a young lieutenant in the Revenue. Grace is unwittingly drawn back into the world of smuggling that her sisters fought hard to leave behind, and as violence erupts, she finds herself unable to stand by, knowing the rival gangs will kill anyone who stands in their way. When her husband becomes involved, Grace is forced to make a difficult decision - turn him in and risk her life, or stay loyal and risk the lives of those she loves . . . Praise for Evie Grace 'Intriguing' Val Wood 'A charming historical read that hits all the right notes' Woman's Weekly 'Heart-tugging saga of which Catherine Cookson would've approved' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

A brand-new comic collection spinning out of the world-wide smash video game series! Karl Fairburne, legendary sniper for the Special Operations Executive, must parachute into occupied France on a mission to destroy a secret weapon, but instead of a silent mission of sabotage he finds the local resistance compromised and the SS waiting to play a deadly game of cat and mouse in the terrified streets of an ancient town.

Based around the pivotal WWII battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), where the German advance into Russia was eventually halted by the Red Army, and around an extended family, the Shaposhnikovs, and their many friends and acquaintances, Life and Fate recounts the experience of characters caught up in an immense struggle between opposing armies and ideologies. Nazism and Communism are appallingly similar, 'two poles of one magnet', as a German camp commander tells a shocked old Bolshevik prisoner. At the height of the battle Russian soldiers and citizens alike are at last able to speak out as they choose, and without reprisal - an unexpected and short-lived moment of freedom. Grossman himself was on the front line as a war correspondent at Stalingrad - hence his gripping battle scenes, though these are more than matched by the drama of the individual conscience struggling against massive pressure to submit to the State. He knew all about this from experience too. His central character, Viktor Shtrum, eventually succumbs, but each delay and act of resistance is a moral victory. Though he writes unsparingly of war, terror and totalitarianism, Grossman also tells of the acts of 'senseless kindness' that redeem humanity, and his message remains one of hope. He dedicates his book, the labour of ten years, and which he did not live to see published, to his mother, who, like Viktor Shtrum's, was killed in the holocaust at Berdichev in Ukraine in September 1941.

'A wonderful rediscovery. . . human, suspenseful, shot through with hard-earned wisdom' - Lee Child One of the first bestsellers in Germany after the Second World War, Berlin Finale is a breathtaking novel of resistance set against the downfall of the Third Reich April 1945, the last days of the Nazi regime. While bombs are falling on Berlin, the Gestapo still search for traitors, resistance fighters and deserters. People mistrust each other more than ever. In the midst of chaos, a disparate group - a disillusioned young soldier; a trade unionist and saboteur; a doctor helping refugees - continues to fight back. And in Oskar Klose's pub, the resistance plan their next move, hunted at every step by the SS. Published in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Berlin Finale is an unforgettable portrait of life in a city devastated by war. Translated by Shaun Whiteside

SHORTLISTED FOR HWA Crown Awards 2021 'A book to be treasured and returned to again and again' The Independent 'Funny, moving and utterly life-enhancing' Daily Mail With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans elegantly summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war. ___ It's late 1944. Hitler's rockets are slamming down on London with vicious regularity and it's the coldest winter in living memory. Allied victory is on its way, but it's bloody well dragging its feet. In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by, with a herd of lodgers to feed, and her young charge Noel ( almost fifteen ) to clothe and educate. When she witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvellous and potentially disastrous - disastrous because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel. The end of the war won't just mean peace, but discovery... ___ Readers love V For Victory: ***** 'The characters stay in the memory and heart.' ***** 'It's pitch perfect - funny, sad, moving, compelling' ***** 'Full of warmth, wit and wisdom, an absolute joy'

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.

'The evening the men came I fled through the garden gate...' The Netherlands, World War II When the Nazis invade the Netherlands in May 1940 it's clear that life is changing for the girl and her family. Step by step, the Nazis close in on the Dutch Jews. But when the authorities finally come to the family home a split decision will have devastating consequences. Marga Minco's autobiographical novel Bitter Herbs is a Dutch classic that has been translated into more than fifteen languages. This deceptively simple and profoundly moving tale is now reissued with a new translation by Jeannette K Ringold.

'Look for your sister after each dive. Never forget. If you see her, you are safe.' This is the story of Hana and her little sister Emi, who are part of an island community of haenyo, women who make their living from free diving off the southernmost tip of Korea. One day Hana sees a Japanese soldier heading for where Emi is guarding the day's catch on the beach. Saving her sister, Hana herself is captured and forced to become a "comfort woman" in a Japanese military brothel. Moving between Hana in 1943 and Emi as an elderly woman today, White Chrysanthemum sheds light on a devastating history - and how the bond of sisterhood is strong enough to endure the evils of war. Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.