As war is declared can The Variety Girls keep smiling through...Cleethorpes - September 1939 Struggling to keep their spirits up as the reality of war hits home and theatres are closed, friends Jessie Delaney and Frances O'Leary search for work to see them through until they can sing and dance again. Frances, once upon a time followed her dreams of becoming a dancer but soon found herself with a broken heart and a precious secret when her lover abandoned her. Keeping her secret from her friends grows more difficult as time passes and their friendship grows.. But with her lover returning to England from a successful tour of America, how long will it be before the truth comes to light? Secrets aren't good for anyone and Frances isn't the only one hiding things from her friends. Ginny Thomspon, another Variety Girl is hoping for the best. But is hope enough? Can the Variety Girls pull together to help each other through the tough times or will their secrets tear them apart? A gritty and heart-warming saga perfect for readers of Elaine Everest, Nancy Revell and Pam Howes. Praise for Tracy Baines: 'A charming, heart-warming saga about ambition, hard work and courage in the cut and thrust of a world often driven by jealousy and spite'. Rosie Clarke 'Immerse yourself in the exciting, evocative world of Wartime musical theatre. I highly recommend this book.' Fenella Miller 'An emotional, entertaining read that had me gripped!' Sheila Riley 'An absorbing and poignant saga. I loved it from the very beginning and would highly recommend it...' Elaine Roberts 'Terrific - beautifully written. The book twinkles. A well-crafted and satisfying story' Maisie Thomas 'A pleasure from start to finish.' Glenda Young '...you will have to read this well-researched song and dance of a novel in great gulps as I did' Annie Clark 'I just loved this book! Molly Walton The Variety Girls is terrific - beautifully written & with an unusual background. The stage costumes twinkle with sequins and the book twinkles with tiny details of theatre life that add depth and atmosphere to this well-crafted and satisfying story. Maisie Thomas, The Railway Girls 'A pleasure from start to finish.' Glenda Young, Belle of the Backstreets '...you will have to read this well-researched song and dance of a novel in great gulps as I did' Milly Adams 'an evocative, busy, entertaining read, which has well balanced touches of humour, vying with angst, and of course, more than a dollop of tension.' Margaret Graham, Frost Magazine 'Characterisation is one of the book's strong points - the individual characters stay in your mind long after you finish the story.' Barbara Dynes, The Voice

The Crescent Moon Fox is a compassionate, heart-breaking, brutal, and occasionally, humorous, novel about Cypriot Turks. The reader experiences the lives of the inhabitants of one particular village during the lead-up to Independence from Britain and the tragic aftermath of the post-Colonial era in Cyprus - and in particular, of two of its young men: Zeki and Aydin. Zeki who, shaped and nurtured by the British Colonial system, is destined for great things; and Aydin, a misfit in his community who, in his own complex and disturbing way, achieves greatness and redemption. The span of the novel is from the nineteen thirties to the first decade of the twenty first century - showing the life of the Cypriot Turks, unique and distinct as a minority, in the lead-up to Independence and to what they become in the modern era. It gives a voice to Cypriot Turks, of all different backgrounds, and particularly to the illiterate rural women of the Colonial Era. The Crescent Moon Fox is also a poignant journey of discovery of one's true identity...

When I was a youngster growing up in Texas my dad worked in a number of fields. From the Oil Patch of West Texas, to farming in the Panhandle or in security in central Texas the family usually enjoyed evening meals together. After supper Dad enjoyed drinking a cup of coffee and telling us stories ranging from his experiences in the army during World War II, where he was wounded during a German artillery barrage, or his dreams for our futures or sometimes stories from his childhood. On one such occasion he told of two young men who were separated during the Civil War. One was raised by a family in the North and the other was raised by a family in the South. Years later when both boys were grown and had families of their own they were reunited. I have taken this event to construct the story of Josh and Jim, two young boys who were separated by the Civil War. The names, characters, locations and events are entirely fictitious and are presented for the readers' enjoyment. I hope that you enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

It's 1968, and Herb Royce, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military Police, has been married for less than two weeks when he receives his orders to ship out. To his surprise, he's not heading off to fight in the jungles of Vietnam; he is being sent to Korea instead.

Not willing to be left behind, his wife, Joyce, a headstrong Canadian nurse, follows him and gets a job in a Korean hospital next to Herb's camp. But little do the two realize just what they've got themselves into. North Korea's dictator is desperate to start a second Korean War in parallel with the Vietnam conflict. The snatching of a U.S. Navy ship, the "USS Pueblo," is just the beginning of a murderous yearlong struggle.

Unfortunately, Herb has more than a maniacal dictator to deal with. His unstable, alcoholic colonel commands a tactical nuclear rocket outfit and clearly hates Herb's guts. It's soon evident that the colonel wouldn't mind sending Herb back to the United States in a body bag.

In as increasingly hostile environment, Joyce and Herb find their relationship tested in a strange and deadly world filled with spies, black marketeers, thieves, prostitutes and murderous North Korean army commandos. But when Herb rescues an abandoned Korean infant, the couple embarks on a truly extraordinary journey, one that will define them in ways they never thought possible.

Set during the turbulent era of the Vietnam War, "Counters" is a quirky, thrilling story of air combat and of the young fighter pilots who blend the harsh reality of war with youth's untamed urges.

As the pilot of a sleek F-4C Phantom II, self-doubting Lieutenant Steve Mylder fights for his life in the skies above Vietnam in 1967 but battles for his soul against the Red Baron of his imagination. His cocky friend Avery-womanizer and master of the art of combat seduction-thunders fifty feet over a North Vietnamese beach, looks down, locks eyes with an improbable woman, and falls into hopeless love.

Steve and Avery count their missions, hoping against the odds that they'll make it back home alive instead of in a body bag. But liberating the recklessness in their souls is sometimes the only way to deal with the unknown, and the two friends soon realize that growing up is a lot harder than they thought.

In "Counters," humor and whimsy counteract with authentic details of air combat brought to life by former air force pilot Tony Taylor, illuminating a brooding yet fanciful look at the hormones and "warmones" that impel young men to war and stupidity.

THINK YOU KNOW THE SAS? THINK AGAIN... From no.1 bestselling SAS hero Chris Ryan, comes MANHUNTER: the first book in an explosive new series featuring Josh Bowman, a battle-worn Regiment soldier hand-picked to join a shadowy unit within the SAS. _________________ When foreign governments act like gangsters, a new kind of SAS is needed . . . In London, assassins carry out a deadly chemical weapons attack at the royal wedding. All the signs point to a Kremlin-sanctioned hit. Their victim: a notorious mobster. 'The Cell' is a shadowy unit within the SAS, dedicated to fighting global organised crime. In a world where the Russian government is the real mob, it's the job of the Cell to defend British interests at home and abroad. Only the elite are selected; only the very best will survive. For SAS staff sergeant Josh Bowman, whose young family was brutally murdered by an Albanian crime gang, it's a chance for revenge - and to bury his secret opioid addiction. But the Russians have only just begun. When the Cell uncovers a sinister plot against a British-backed tyrant in Africa, they are quickly drawn into a deadly race against time. Soon they find themselves fighting a terrifying enemy in a brutal fight to the death. Outnumbered, outgunned and with no military support, Bowman and his comrades are all that stand between Moscow and ultimate victory . . . _________________ Praise for SAS legend Chris Ryan: 'Ryan writes with the authority of a man familiar with every nuance of the regiment's tactics, training, weapons and equipment' - SUNDAY TIMES 'Nobody takes you to the action better than Ryan' - EVENING STANDARD 'Intelligent and enthralling' - FINANCIAL TIMES 'The action comes bullet-fast' - THE SUN 'Fearsome and fast-moving' - DAILY MAIL