In 1859, deep in the forests of Canada, an elderly woman sits behind bars. She came to Dunmore via the Underground Railroad to escape enslavement, but an American bounty hunter tracked her down. Now she's in jail for killing him, and the fragile peace of Dunmore, a town settled by people fleeing the American south, hangs by a thread.

Lensinda Martin, a smart young reporter, wants to gather the woman's testimony before she can be condemned, but the old woman has no time for confessions. Instead she proposes a barter: a story for a story.

As the women swap stories - of family and first loves, of survival and freedom against all odds - Lensinda must face her past. And it seems the old woman may carry a secret that could shape Lensinda's destiny.

Travelling along the path of the Underground Railroad from the American South to British Canada, from the Indigenous nations around the Great Lakes, to the Black refugee communities of Canada, In the Upper Country is an unforgettable debut about the interwoven history of peoples in North America, slavery and resistance, and two women reckoning with the stories they've been given, and the ones they want to tell.

The must-read romantic comedy for fans of Laura Jane Williams, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella. 'THE romcom of the summer... charming, funny and the romance is such a compelling slow burn. I cannot recommend it enough' Reader Review 'Hilarious and highly original' Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity... Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity. When a recap for The Stag - the must-watch dating show - goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby's big break. The bad news: the producers don't just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can't think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all... The must-read romantic comedy for fans of Laura Jane Williams, Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella. **Readers LOVE this upbeat, hilarious romcom** 'Highly recommended if you love romance, dating shows and swoon-worthy characters' '[More] than a typical romance' 'Hidden romance and plenty of laughs' 'Loved this book, an easy read' 'Fantastic' 'Full of Sandy's trademark warmth, wit and emotional angst... with heaps of friendship and female solidarity, as well as a hot love interest' Nikki Moore 'A gorgeous slow-burn romance with whip-smart humour... feel-good romcom escapism' Kitty Wilson 'Trust me, you won't want to miss this' Katie Ginger 'Original, witty and so much fun!' Rachael Stewart 'Fun, feisty and fabulous' Jessica Redland

The small island of Malaz and its city gave the great empire its name, but now it is little more than a sleepy, backwater port. Tonight, however, things are different. Tonight the city is on edge, a hive of hurried, sometimes violent activity; its citizens bustle about, barring doors, shuttering windows, avoiding any stranger's stare. Because tonight there is to be a convergence, the once-in-a-generation appearance of a Shadow Moon - an occasion that threatens the good people of Malaz with demon hounds and other, darker things ...

It was also prophesied that this night would witness the return of Emperor Kellanved, and there are those prepared to do anything to prevent this happening. As factions within the greater Empire draw up battle lines over the imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more ancient and potent presence for an all-out assault upon the island. Witnessing these cataclysmic events are Kiska, a young girl who yearns to flee the constraints of the city, and Temper, a grizzled, battle-weary veteran who seeks simply to escape his past. Each is to play a part in a conflict that will not only determine the fate of Malaz City, but also of the world beyond ...

Drawing on events touched on in the prologue of Steven Erikson's landmark fantasy "Gardens of the Moon, " "Night of Knives" is a momentous chapter in the unfolding story of the extraordinarily imagined world of Malaz.

One game. Six students. Five survivors. It was only ever meant to be a game. A game of consequences, of silly forfeits, childish dares. A game to be played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University. But then the game changed: the stakes grew higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round.

Mhudi, the first full-length novel in English by a black South African, was written in the late 1910s. A romantic epic set in the first half of the nineteenth century, the main action is unleashed by King Mzilikazi's extermination campaign against the Barolong in 1832 at Kunana (nowadays Setlagole), and covers the resultant alliance of defeated peoples with Boer frontiersmen in a resistance movement leading to Battlehill (Vegkop, 1836) and the showdown at the Battle of Mosega (17 January 1839). Plaatje's eponymous heroine is an enduring symbol of the belief in a new day.

On the verandah of a great New Orleans house, now faded, a mute and fragile woman sits rocking. And the witching hour begins...Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling and the creation of legend, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of witches - a family give4n to poetry and incest, to murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being. A hypnotic novel of witchcraft and the occult across four centuries, The Witching Hour could only have been written by the spellbinding bestselling author of The Vampire Chronicles.

The Creator invented the game. The stakes were nothing less than the immortal fate of mankind. Yet when fallen angel Jim Heron was challenged to play, he had no idea the voracious demon Devina would be so formidable an adversary-or that the carnal depths to which he was willing to go could prove so fatal. Devina's more than ready to claim victory in this war and has her next scheme already underway: Sissy, a defenseless woman under the influence and an unwitting player in the fight for Heron's heart. At the defining crossroads between salvation and damnation, Heron is ready to do anything it takes to succeed-a suicide mission that will take him into Heaven and Hell, and into the darkest and most sensual shadows that lie in wait at the end of the world ...'Everything J.R. Ward writes is a must read ...she never disappoints' Christine Feehan

Writers are monsters. We eat everything we see...

In a windswept cottage overlooking the sea, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of his childhood companions and the shadowy figure of the Daggerman, who stalked the New England town where they spent their summers. Of a horror that has followed Wilder through the decades. And of Sky, Wilder's one-time friend, who stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a lurid bestselling novel, The Sound and the Dagger.

This book will be Wilder's revenge on Sky, who betrayed his trust and died without ever telling him why. But as he writes, Wilder begins to find notes written in Sky's signature green ink, and events in his manuscript start to chime eerily with the present. Is Sky haunting him? And who is the dark-haired woman drowning in the cove, whom no one else can see?

No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder feels his grip on reality slipping. And he begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.

An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment.

Old alliances quickly fracture as the initiates take opposing strategies as to how to deal with the deadly bargain they have so far failed to uphold. Those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities, while elsewhere, an unlikely pair from the Society cohort partner to influence politics on a global stage.

And still the outside world mobilizes to destroy them, while the Caretaker himself, Atlas Blakely, may yet succeed with a plan foreseen to have world-ending stakes. It’s a race to survive as the six Society recruits are faced with the question of what they're willing to betray for limitless power―and who will be destroyed along the way.

The Witch’s Heart meets The Foxglove King in this debut fantasy about a woman who can bring people back from the dead, and the princess she must protect, no matter the cost.

The first time Hellevir visited Death, she was ten years old…

Since she was a little girl, Hellevir has been able to raise the dead. Every creature can be saved for a price, a price demanded by the shrouded figure who rules the afterlife, who takes a little more from Hellevir with each soul she resurrects.

Such a gift can rarely remain a secret. When Princess Sullivain, sole heir to the kingdom’s throne, is assassinated, the Queen summons Hellevir to demand she bring her granddaughter back to life. But once is not enough; the killers might strike again. The Princess’ death would cause a civil war, so the Queen commands that Hellevir remain by her side.

But Sullivain is no easy woman to be bound to, even as Hellevir begins to fall in love with her. With the threat of war looming, Hellevir must trade more and more of herself to keep the princess alive.

But Death will always take what he is owed.

James Falconer returns in the third House of Falconer historical novel from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford.

The Somme, 1916. James Falconer, once a barrow boy on a London market, stands in the trenches, awaiting the command to go over the top. Away from his business empire in London, he is simply a soldier, war the great leveller. But, unlike his men, and unknown to them, deep down, Falconer doesn’t care if he lives or dies.

When a face from the past offers James the chance to repair his fractured relationship with his estranged daughter, Leonie, he must decide if he can hold different things dear – and make space in his life for love.

But the war has left terrible scars, both personal and professional, and swept huge changes through the glittering world he once inhabited. James must weather myriad storms as he attempts to right past wrongs and build a new life.

After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.

Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.

But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.

But there is that foreseen unexpected thread―the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…

Rosamund Lupton meets Lupin in this accomplished debut from an eclectic, cut-throat new voice in thriller writing.

Wealthy and privileged, Alex has an easy path to success in the Parisian elite his father mingles with. But the two have never seen eye to eye. Desperate to escape the increasingly suffocating atmosphere of their apartment, Alex seeks freedom on the streets of Paris where his new-found friend Sami teaches him how to survive. But everything has a price - and one night of rebellion changes their lives forever.

A simple plan to steal money takes a sinister turn when Alex's father is found dead. Despite protesting their innocence, both boys are imprisoned for murder. Seven years later Alex is released from prison with a single purpose: to discover who really killed his father. Yet as he searches for answers and atones for the sins of his past, Alex uncovers a disturbing truth with far-reaching consequences.

Playing out against a backdrop of corruption, fake news and civil unrest, The Messenger exposes the gritty reality of a changing city through one son's journey to redemption and the truth.

Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another delightful, escapist historical romance, led by an audacious heroine who has suddenly inherited a fortune—but it has strings attached…

When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza wanted.

Now, ten years later, Eliza is widowed. Suddenly, she is left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. She’s always lived by society’s conventions, but now, Eliza has resolved to do as she wants. And what she wants is to head to Bath with her cousin Margaret, pursue painting, learn to drive, and flirt with Bath’s most alluring new resident, the infamous Lord Melville.

But when the ripples of Eliza’s behavior reach her late husband’s nephew—who broke Eliza’s heart, years ago--Eliza will learn that freedom does not come without consequences. The only way to ensure she can keep her fortune is to avoid all scandal—but where’s the fun in that?

From the author of SOPHIE'S WORLD, a modern fairy tale with a philosophical twist. 'It should be read by all' VOGUE 'My father died eleven years ago. I was only four then. I never thought I'd hear from him again, but now we're writing a book together' To Georg Roed, his father is no more than a shadow, a distant memory. But then one day his grandmother discovers some pages stuffed into the lining of an old red pushchair. The pages are a letter to Georg, written just before his father died, and a story, 'The Orange Girl'. But 'The Orange Girl' is no ordinary story - it is a riddle from the past and centres around an incident in his father's youth. One day he boarded a tram and was captivated by a beautiful girl standing in the aisle, clutching a huge paper bag of luscious-looking oranges. Suddenly the tram gave a jolt and he stumbled forward, sending the oranges flying in all directions. The girl simply hopped off the tram leaving Georg's father with arms full of oranges. Now, from beyond the grave, he is asking his son to help him finally solve the puzzle of her identity.

With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighbouring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion. But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling - and that of Kelsea's own soul - may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out. In this dazzling sequel to her bestselling debut The Queen of the Tearling, Erika Johansen brings back favourite characters, including the Mace and the Red Queen, and introduces unforgettable new players, adding exciting layers to her multidimensional tale of magic, mystery and a fierce young heroine.

The Witches of Sark is Shiloh’s first novel, written on the heels of his 4 star Rolling Stone award winning rock history book, ‘Seeker’s Guide to the Rhythm of Yesteryear’. The Gothic fantasy novel was briefly aborted and then came to life in 2023, in parallel with his fascinating ‘Swimming with Salamanders.

Largely a gothic novel with the erring’s of HP Lovecraft, the book is set in the seventies backpacking era, where the quest for truth was the overriding goal. The dark adventures are so realistic, that one finds it hard to equate fantasy when the descriptive passages enter one’s subconscious. From hunting vampires in Prague alongside the Russian mafia, to unravelling the dark rites of Satanism on the Island of Sark, to uncovering the last dragon wing, preserved under the sands of the Sahara or the mystical Amazon excursions, very few books have expressed such widespread adventure. This is truly the ultimate fantasy novel that opens portals, closer to Nick Cave’s lyrical Edgar Alan Poe perspective.

The book is not some pretty witchy wonder, but the real deal, while its sexual adventures hold little back as they shatter all shades of grey and leave no prisoners.

As much as this compendium of short stories is fantasia, the title came from a hallucinogenic experience where the author swam in a drinking well with hundreds of Salamanders, and the strange events that followed. The book is enriched with fifty tales from the in between, which range from stories of the Great War to Tiger hunting in India; from adventures in the Kalahari with The San to the Anglo Zulu War. They all have a strange hook in the swell of Roald Dahl.

It’s rare to find a compendium of short stories these days that captivate the mind with intrigue, as you go back for more and more. The stories leading up to the epitaph hook are truly creative and within the pages are clues to life and secrets revealed, the ultimate book to be beside your bed, as a story a night will hook like ‘Scheherazade and 1001 nights’

From the bestselling author of The Roanoke Girls comes a riveting mystery and poignant exploration of guilt, loss and devastation.

A murdered girl. A convicted killer. Justice served… Or is it?

It’s been fourteen years since Greer’s older sister Eliza was murdered. Her family has never been the same. Nor has the small town of Ludlow.

The killer was convicted and executed but another body has been found.

A copycat, according to the authorities, but Greer is convinced there is more to the story.

And she is returning to Ludlow in search of the truth.

Ná die trauma van ʼn onstabiele verhouding bedank Laynie as onderwyseres en verkoop haar woonstel. Sy gebruik ʼn deel van die opbrengs om ʼn lang vakansie te neem op Klippiesbaai waar sy ʼn krimi wil skryf.

Met haar aankoms kruis haar paaie met haar buurman, Stefan Koeglenberg. Die stormagtige ontmoeting tussen Laynie en Stefan is nie die ideale afskop vir goeie buurmanskap nie en in Laynie se gedagtes is hy ná hierdie voorval “die willewragtig langsaan”.

ʼn Wapenstilstand en versigtige vriendskap ontwikkel tussen hulle, maar Stefan sukkel om die dood van sy vrou en hul seuntjie te verwerk en sluit sy hart vir ʼn kans op nuwe geluk. Die liefde loop egter sy eie pad en het die vermoë om selfs die diepste seer te genees.

Jare gelede het Amelia Henning haar hart gesluit vir enige vorm van die liefde. By Enigma, die wildreservaat waar sy werk, staan sy bekend as die katvrou met haar kennis en liefde vir luiperds.

Amelia vind dit moeilik om vriende te maak totdat sy vir Justin Mills ontmoet. Met sy grasgroen oë en terglustige glimlag help hy haar om uit haar dop te kruip. Hoe meer tyd hulle saam deurbring, hoe sterker word haar gevoelens vir hom. Sy veg daarteen, maar tog kan sy nie ontken dat sy begin verander nie. Sy is nie meer die kwaai, stroewe mens van voorheen nie en weet Justin is deel van die verandering.

Haar verlede bly egter in die pad staan van haar emosies. Gaan sy toelaat dat die verlede haar toekomstige geluk steel, of gaan sy haar hart oopmaak teenoor Justin?

Ná Elmien haar verlowing verbreek, stuur haar pa haar vir ʼn wegbreek na ʼn geheimsinnige bestemming om die hartseer van die mislukte verhouding te verwerk.

Vanaf die eerste oomblik word sy betower deur die Wildekus en Sewes Streicher, ʼn man met blou oë en krullerige bruin hare wat sy onweerstaanbaar vind. Daar is 'n sterk aantrekkingskrag tussen hulle, maar daar is iets waarop sy nie haar vinger kan lê nie.

Hoekom kry sy die gevoel dat sy al voorheen hier was? Hoekom voel Sewes en sy ma vir haar so bekend? En hoe pas haar pa by alles in?

Her rival Is her most dangerous temptation! Astrid Viggosdottir’s father has ordered a competition between her and new arrival Viking Ulrik to prove who is the better boat-builder! If she loses, Princess Astrid will be duty-bound to marry a Jarl. If Ulrik loses, he will be banished, leaving his motherless daughter homeless. With the stakes so high, Astrid should hate this man—but during the long hot summer their rivalry turns to a heated passion that neither can ignore!

An irresistible story of love, family, women, secrets and mystery set in the lush region of tropical north Queensland. For readers of Lucinda Riley and Kate Morton.

1958. When It-girl Vivienne George flees on the eve of her wedding, she seeks refuge in a secluded lodge surrounded by the lush rainforest of tropical North Queensland. There, she is relieved to find that the small farming town couldn't be further from the high society she's left behind. Now, Vivienne spends her days swimming in the beautiful Lake Evelyn where she befriends the larger-than-life Josie. But all is not as it seems in this quiet, close-knit community.

Vivienne soon learns that over a decade earlier, Celeste Starr, a beautiful actress, died tragically in the lake's dark waters, spawning a curse that has plagued the girls of the town ever since. Fascinated by Celeste's tale, Josie decides to stage a play about her death, with Vivienne in the lead role, setting off a chain of disturbing events . . .

Can the girls of Lake Evelyn be freed from the curse as Vivienne escapes her past?

#1 bestseller and soon to be motion picture, Newark Minutemen has bridged generations. The epic based-on-true story of forbidden love and unholy heroism is set against the backdrop of an America ripped apart by the Great Depression and on the brink of war. Newark, NJ, 1938. Millions are out of work and robbed of dignity. A shadow Hitler-Nazi party called the German-American Bund that is led by an American Fuhrer threatens to swallow democracy. In this dangerous time of star-spangled fascism, a romance forms between the Jewish boxer, Yael and the daughter of the enemy, Krista. But 1930s America pulls them apart as Krista's people want Yael's dead. Then Yael is recruited by the mob to go undercover for the FBI against her people and bring down the German-American Bund. Author Leslie K. Barry captures an authentic and brave portrait of a lost America searching for identity, preserving legacy and saving its soul. It is a heartbreaking novel that crosses generations as it honors the fragility of freedom.