'An incredibly important book . . . a beautifully crafted, compelling story . . . which will undoubtedly break your heart but also make it sing' - Mike Gayle Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a secret. 1907: Twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of his time locked in an attic room of a large house by the sea. Taken from his homeland and treated as an unpaid servant, he dreams of his family in Africa even if, as the years pass, he struggles to remember his mother's face, and sometimes his real name . . . Decades later, Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege, will find herself banished to the same attic. Lying under the floorboards of the room is an old porcelain doll, an unusual beaded claw necklace and, most curiously, a sentence etched on the wall behind an old cupboard, written in an unidentifiable language. Artefacts that will offer her a strange kind of comfort, and lead her to believe that she was not the first child to be imprisoned there . . . Lola Jaye has created a hauntingly powerful, emotionally charged and unique dual-narrative novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging, seen through the lens of Black British History in The Attic Child. 'This is important storytelling about issues of race and privilege . . . that will stay with me for a long time' - Tracy Chevalier 'Just brilliant' - Dorothy Koomson 'Powerful and emotional' - Lisa Jewell

Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a secret. 1907: Twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of his time locked in an attic room of a large house by the sea. Taken from his homeland and treated as an unpaid servant, he dreams of his family in Africa even if, as the years pass, he struggles to remember his mother's face, and sometimes his real name . . . Decades later, Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege, will find herself banished to the same attic. Lying under the floorboards of the room is an old porcelain doll, an unusual beaded claw necklace and, most curiously, a sentence etched on the wall behind an old cupboard, written in an unidentifiable language. Artefacts that will offer her a strange kind of comfort, and lead her to believe that she was not the first child to be imprisoned there . . . Lola Jaye has created a hauntingly powerful, emotionally charged and unique dual-narrative novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging, seen through the lens of Black British History in The Attic Child. 'An incredibly important book . . . a beautifully crafted, compelling story . . . which will undoubtedly break your heart but also make it sing.' - Mike Gayle 'This is important storytelling about issues of race and privilege . . .that will stay with me for a long time.' - Tracy Chevalier 'Just brilliant.' - Dorothy Koomson 'Powerful and emotional' - Lisa Jewell

When he discovered that he had only six months to live, thirty-year-old Kevin Bates picked up his pen and wrote "The Manual"--advice for his five-year-old daughter, Lois, to live by, laugh at, and follow from twelve until thirty. Seven years later, when Lois is given "The Manual," she can barely bring herself to read her father's words, the pain of his loss is still so raw. Yet soon Kevin's advice is guiding her through every stage of life from teen angst to career arcs, to knowing when she's at long last met "the one." While "The Manual" can never be a substitute for having Kevin back, the words left behind become Lois's steady support through all of life's ups and downs, and prove invaluable to unlocking the key to happiness.

Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a secret. 1907: Twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of his time locked in an attic room of a large house by the sea. Taken from his homeland and treated as an unpaid servant, he dreams of his family in Africa even if, as the years pass, he struggles to remember his mother's face, and sometimes his real name . . . Decades later, Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege, will find herself banished to the same attic. Lying under the floorboards of the room is an old porcelain doll, an unusual beaded claw necklace and, most curiously, a sentence etched on the wall behind an old cupboard, written in an unidentifiable language. Artefacts that will offer her a strange kind of comfort, and lead her to believe that she was not the first child to be imprisoned there . . . Lola Jaye has created a hauntingly powerful, emotionally charged and unique dual-narrative novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging, seen through the lens of Black British History in The Attic Child. 'An incredibly important book . . . a beautifully crafted, compelling story . . . which will undoubtedly break your heart but also make it sing.' - Mike Gayle 'This is important storytelling about issues of race and privilege . . .that will stay with me for a long time.' - Tracy Chevalier 'Just brilliant.' - Dorothy Koomson 'Powerful and emotional' - Lisa Jewell

A warm and uplifting tale, perfect for fans of Dorothy Koomson. Lena has always kept her two sisters Millie and Cara in check. Beautiful but lazy Millie relies on her sister for everything. She needs to pull herself together and get a job but is constantly distracted by the string of men in her life... Cara runs a successful bar with her adoring boyfriend Ade.He can't wait to start a family but Cara isn't ready. Will she ever be? But when Lena is involved in an accident her sisters forget their own issues and rush to her side.As they desperately try to wake Lena from her deep sleep, they begin to learn things they never knew about themselves and discover their much-loved sister had a few secrets in her closet... A funny and heartwarming tale about family, love and living for the moment.

'A thought-provoking, lovely tale that will make you laugh and cry.' The Sun This is my (Kevin Bates) manual for my daughter Lois. The love of my life. Rules of the manual: 1.You must only read each new entry on your birthday 2.This is a private manual between you and me. 3.No peeping at the next entry unless it's your birthday! When Lois Bates is handed the manual, she can barely bring herself to read it as the pain of her dad's death is still so raw.Yet soon Kevin's advice is guiding her through every stage of her life - from jobs to first loves and relationships. The manual can never be a substitute for having her dad back, but through his words Lois learns to start living again, and finds that happiness is waiting round the corner ...

Lana and May are a very long way from home. Their Nigerian parents have emigrated to England in search of a better life for their family. Nineteen fifties London is a great adventure to the girls but not always welcoming. There are signs in windows of lodging houses warning: 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish'. When tragedy strikes and the girls lose their father, their mother is unable to cope. When she fails to recover from the surprise birth of another child, all three girls are sent to an orphanage. Lana is determined to keep her sisters together but when baby Tina is cruelly taken from them, she must face the possibility of their family being torn apart - perhaps forever... A heartbreakingly lovely and original saga celebrating black history which will appeal to historical fiction readers new and old.

What other explanation could there be? With her dark complexion and kinky hair, so unlike her fair-skinned parents, Lara knew she was different. At eight she finally learned the word "adopted." Twenty-two years later, a stranger arrives as she blows out the candles on her thirtieth birthday cake--a woman in a blue-and-black head tie who also claims the title "Lara's mother."

Lara, always in control, now finds her life slipping free of the stranglehold she's had on it. Unexpected, dangerously unfamiliar emotions are turning Lara's life upside down, pulling her between Nigeria and London, forcing her to confront the truth about her past. But if she's brave enough to embrace the lives of her two mothers, she may discover once and for all what it truly means to be Lara.

An English Girl. An American Soldier. A twin secret... When Rose meets American GI William there is no denying the attraction between them...And even though she knows her family would not approve of her relationship with a black soldier, they can't help but fall in love. However Rose has a secret of her own and when war separates the sweethearts before she can confide in William, it is Rose who will have to deal with the consequences... From the author of Orphan Sisters comes a moving and unique saga which gives a voice to the untold tales of our past.