Family saga / generational saga fiction
Orion Publishing Co A Liverpool Secret
Book SynopsisLiverpool, 1925: Can a chance meeting lead to a fresh start?Lillian Taylor dreams of a world beyond the locked gates of the convent orphanage. For ten years she has survived the hard faith of the Mother Superior, but the arrival of a glamorous visitor changes everything.Claiming to be her aunt, Anna Ainsley offers the little orphan girl a home and opportunities she never could have dreamed of. But can Lillian seize her chance of happiness without facing the secrets of her past?A heartwarming Liverpool saga, perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Katie Flynn and Maeve Binchy.Praise for Geraldine O''Neill:''Absolutely brilliant. I couldn''t put it down. A real triumph'' Lyn AndrewsTrade ReviewO'Neill's warmth and Binchyesque ability to make the reader care about her characters does indeed put her in the storytelling league of Queen Maeve - IRISH INDEPENDENTAbsolutely brilliant. I couldn't put it down. A real triumph - LYN ANDREWS
£8.99
Orion Publishing Co Liverpool Annie
Book SynopsisA sweeping Liverpool saga following the fortunes of one woman from the 1940s to the 1990s, by the ever-popular, award-winning author.Annie Harrison has a difficult childhood, and she eventually goes to live in the Grand Hotel with a rich schoolfriend. Marriage follows and when her husband dies, she throws herself into providing for her children. Starting with a market stall, she discovers a talent for designing clothes that develops into a successful business.But there comes a time amid the success when Annie feel she can no longer go on. Then a chance meeting leads to events she has no control over, and at last she finds the happiness that has previously eluded her.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Love of a Family
Book SynopsisA heart-warming standalone novel from bestseller Rebecca Shaw about the importance of family and being there for one another.Trade ReviewRebecca Shaw mixes all the ingredients for a winning novel of village life - The Times
£18.00
Orion Publishing Co A Wartime Christmas
Book SynopsisA heartfelt wartime saga, following the highs and lows of the staff at Edwardes Hotel.
£7.99
Orion Publishing Co A Wartime Wish
Book SynopsisA seasonal saga perfect for fans of Fiona Ford and Elaine Everest. Spend your Christmas at the Edwardes Hotel and prepare to discover love, hope and the chance to change your stars...
£7.99
Hodder & Stoughton Nelly Kelly
Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of MAGGIE and AUTUMN ALLEY comes another unforgettable heroine.Trade ReviewLena Kennedy is the genuine article * Sunday Express *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Lady Penelope
Book SynopsisHistorical romance from the bestselling author of LIZZIE.Trade ReviewLena Kennedy is the genuine article * Sunday Express *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton The Inn On The Marsh
Book SynopsisTime alone would heal the sorrows of Hollinbury, bright dreams banish the old unhappy ghosts . . .The Malted Shovel, exuberant heart and soul of Hollinbury Hamlet, buzzed with talk while the ale flowed. Talk of Dumb Lukey''s crazed acts and the romance between Lucinda and Joe Lee, the Thames bargee. Talk of the Crimea and the terror of Napoleon.At the tavern, hard-headed Beatrice and her sister Dot care for their invalid father and for Lucinda, their pretty orphaned niece. The inn is their livelihood but village business is ever Beat''s business too. And now some dark cloud has descended on them all . . .Trade ReviewLena Kennedy is the genuine article * Sunday Express *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Kate of Clyve Shore
Book SynopsisThree haunting tales from the bestselling author of MAGGIE and NELLY KELLY.Trade Review'Lena Kennedy is a natural storyteller ... Dickensian energy, a huge range of vivid characters, and a clear delight in telling us about them' -- Daily Telegraph
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Ivy of the Angel
Book SynopsisA wealth of lively characters and true-to-life situations in this collection confirm Lena Kennedy's reputation as one of our most vivid and compelling storytellers.Trade Review'Lena Kennedy is a natural storyteller ... Dickensian energy, a huge range of vivid characters, and a clear delight in telling us about them' -- Daily Telegraph
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Queenies Castle
Book SynopsisA cruel twist of fate leads to Joe Walowski being sentenced for a crime he didn't commit. Compelling in its depiction of East End spirit, humour and intrigue, QUEENIE'S CASTLE is vintage Lena Kennedy.Trade Review'Lena Kennedy is a natural storyteller ... Dickensian energy, a huge range of vivid characters, and a clear delight in telling us about them' -- Daily Telegraph
£9.99
Pan Macmillan The Bells of Bournville Green
Book SynopsisAnnie Murray was born in Berkshire and read English at St John's College, Oxford. Her first 'Birmingham' novel, Birmingham Rose, hit The Times bestseller list when it was published in 1995. She has subsequently written many other successful novels, including, A Hopscotch Summer, Soldier Girl, All the Days of Our Lives and the bestselling Chocolate Girls. Annie Murray has four children and lives in Reading.
£7.99
Pan Macmillan Some Luck
Book SynopsisSome Luck is the first novel in the dazzling Last Hundred Years trilogy from the winner of the Pulitzer Prize Jane Smiley; a literary adventure that will spans a century in America.1920. After his return from the battlefields in France, Walter Langdon and his wife Rosanna begin their life together on a remote farm in Iowa. As time passes, their little family will grow: from Frank, the handsome, wilful first-born, to Joe, whose love of animals and the land sustains him; from Lillian, beloved by her mother, to Henry who craves only the world of his books; and Claire, the surprise baby, who earns a special place in her father's heart.As Walter and Rosanna struggle to keep their family through good years and hard years - to years more desperate than they ever could have imagined, the world around their little farm will turn, and life for their children will be unrecognizable from what came before. Some will fall in love, some will have families of their own, sTrade ReviewSo here it is at last, the Great American Novel and, in retrospect, it seems obvious that the great Jane Smiley would be the one who wrote it. Some Luck is a Steinbeckian Little House on the Prairie: a rural tragedy, a domestic epic and an unassuming masterpiece. And, unlike most masterpieces, it's absorbing, witty, painful, pleasurable. You must read it. * Charlotte Mendelson, Booker/Orange Prize nominated author of Almost English and When We Were Bad *A masterpiece in the making . . . intimate, miraculous-the auspicious beginning of an American saga every bit as ambitious as Updike's magnum opus, anchored in the satisfactions and challenges of life on a farm, but expanding to various American cities and beyond . . . Frank is one of the most fascinating and complex characters in recent fiction. The way Smiley gets deep inside all the children's heads is a staggering literary feat in which we see human character being assembled in something that feels like real time. An abundant harvest. * USA Today *Some Luck is set in the rural farming community of the Midwestern America state of Iowa, the world previously evoked by Jane Smiley so successfully in her 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning hit A Thousand Acres . . . Fans of big-cast family sagas with love and death and the world at large impinging only lightly - but tellingly - on events will love Some Luck. It is an easy and engrossing read with the cornfields, the snowstorms and the technological developments of the 20th century vividly evoked. * Independent *Try to pin Jane Smiley down at your peril: she is as likely to write a campus novel (Moo) as a 14th-century historical saga (The Greenlanders) or a foray into the world of breeders and racetracks (Horse Heaven) . . . Some Luck is not simply an observation of family life and the pressures it is naturally susceptible to; it is also a dissection of the idea of family, and of the truths its facade will shield from view. * Guardian *Smiley's gifts as a storyteller are in full force from the first page, drawing us into the lives of the characters. The children especially, with their emerging personalities, are marvellously evoked. * Financial Times *Smiley is a master storyteller, with a penchant for turning archetypal allegories into seemingly straightforward, contemporary narratives . . . Jane Smiley is that rare three-fer: meticulous historian, intelligent humorist and seasoned literary novelist. But what makes a Smiley novel identifiably and deliciously hers alone is a unique brand of impassioned critical patriotism . . . Some Luck is the first in a trilogy to be called "The Last Hundred Years." Like Smiley herself, the project is ambitious and coyly clever. * LA TIMES *Audaciously delicious . . . Every character here steals our heart. Smiley has turned her considerable talents to the story of an Iowa farm and the people who inhabit it. The suspense is found in the impeccably drawn scenes and in the myriad ways in which Smiley narrows and opens her camera's lens. Her language has the intimacy of a first-person telling; her stance is in-the-moment. Always at the narrative hearth stand Walter and Rosanna and that Iowa farm, a character in its own right, a landscape remembered by those who flee to Chicago, Italy, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York . . . We read these lives, and we find our own. * CHICAGO TRIBUNE *Some Luck opens with a Langdon family tree. Even before we get to know Rosanna, Walter, and their children, the sprawling branches reveal the scope of this novel, which begins in 1920. Smiley, who devotes a chapter per year to the Langdons' Iowa farm life, depicts both disasters and heartbreaks in an unruffled tone. The good news? This is the first of a trilogy. The bad news? We have to wait for the next volume. * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *Engaging, bold . . . Smiley delivers a straightforward, old-fashioned tale of rural family life in changing times, depicting isolated farm life with precision . . . It is especially satisfying to hear a powerful writer narrate men's and women's lives lovingly and with equal attention. Subtle, wry and moving. * WASHINGTON POST *Moving and alert and alive . . . A book about the ordinary nothings that, in the end, are everything . . . To capture this experience - finitude, love, sorrow, the rise and fall of generations - is insanely difficult. To foster the illusion of realism in a novelistic fantasy, to convey the passage of time. * Spectator *Some Luck is as rich, beautiful and brilliant as Smiley's Pulitzer-Prize-winning A Thousand Acres. Place bets now for this year's Booker. -- Kate Saunders, Costa-winning author and critic * Saga magazine *
£17.09
Bonnier Books Ltd The German Daughter
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Dillys Hope
Book SynopsisHardworking widow Dilly Carey has struggled out of poverty to make a successful life for herself. Surrounded by her children and grandchildren, Dilly should be content, but she is still troubled by the one secret she must never share. Olivia, the daughter Dilly gave away at birth, cannot find out the real truth about her parentage.It''s time for Dilly to make her peace with the choice that she was forced to make. As Dilly finds the strength and courage to visit her son''s grave on the battlefields of the Great War, will she also find a way to a new happiness - and a new love?Trade ReviewGoodwin is a master of her craft: she excels in writing about the complexity of relationships, the hardships of life, the ties of family and the joys of love and friendship - Lancashire EveningRosie Goodwin excels at tugging-the-heartstrings - Lincolnshire EchoRosie is a talented storyteller - Dee Williams
£11.22
Headline Publishing Group Wartime Girls
Book SynopsisSet in Liverpool during the Depression and the Blitz of the Second World War, Anne Baker''s dramatic saga brings a close-knit community vividly to life.It is the day of the Grand National, 1933, when Susie Ingram''s fiance, Danny, is killed in a tragic accident. In a cruel twist of Fate, Susie discovers she is carrying Danny''s child and, shunned by his parents, she turns to her mother for support. Louise Ingram, widowed during the First World War, knows how hard it is to bring up a family alone, but with the help of her eldest daughter, Martha, who lives next door, they manage to survive. When little Rosie is born there is no doubt that she is Danny''s daughter, but it is destined to take many more years of heartache before the two families are united again...Trade ReviewBaker's understanding and compassion for very human dilemmas makes her one of romantic fiction's most popular authors * Lancashire Evening Post *A stirring tale of romance and passion, poverty and ambition * Liverpool Echo *Truly compelling...rich in language and descriptive prose * Newcastle Upon Tyne Evening Chronicle *A heartwarming saga * Woman’s Weekly *With characters who are strong, warm and sincere, this is a joy to read * Coventry Evening Telegraph *
£9.99
Headline Publishing Group The Apple of her Eye
Book SynopsisPam Evans'' family saga brings post-war London vividly to life as, amid rationing and food shortages, a young girl finds a passion for growing her own vegetables.It is 1945 and April Green and her cousin Heather wonder if the war will ever end. Then tragedy strikes when the local pub in Chiswick takes a direct hit. April and her brother do all they can to help their grieving mother and, by tending her father''s allotment, April discovers a passion for growing vegetables.Meanwhile, Winnie Benson is facing the fact that her husband may never walk again and, until their son, George, returns from the Merchant Navy, Winnie must run their greengrocer''s on her own. Once the war is over and George is home, things start to improve but rationing remains in force and April''s supply of home-grown vegetables couldn''t be more welcome. And, before long, George can''t help wishing he was the apple of her eye...Trade Review'An unforgettable tale of life during the war' - Our Time'A touching novel' - Daily Express'Nostalgia, heartbreak, danger and war: all the ingredients of an engrossing novel' - Bolton News'There's a special kind of warmth that shines through the characters' - Lancashire Evening Post'This book touched me very, very much. It's lovely' - North Wales Chronicle
£8.50
Headline Publishing Group When the Lights Go Down
Book SynopsisThe irresistible, heartwarming new saga from Pam Evans, the bestselling author of IN THE DARK STREETS SHINING.It is 1938 and the threat of war looms on the streets of London. But, when the lights go down in the cinema aisles, usherette Daisy Blake is transported to a world of glamour and romance. Among the staff there is much merriment and Daisy soon falls in love with the handsome organist, Al Dawson. Then war is declared and, just after Al leaves for the frontline, Daisy discovers she''s pregnant. Her mother is distraught; she doesn''t think Al is right for her daughter and when Daisy''s letters to him go unanswered, her mother encourages her to marry John, the cinema''s projectionist, to spare her further heartache.As the blitz rages over London and disaster strikes, Daisy''s morale is boosted by her work and her young son, Sam, brings her comfort and joy in the troubled times ahead...Trade ReviewA touching novel - Daily ExpressVery readable - BellaA special kind of warmth with all the right ingredients - Lancashire Evening PostHistory and Romance. A touching saga - My Weekly
£8.50
Headline Publishing Group Dance Your Troubles Away
Book SynopsisPam Evans'' heartwarming London saga, DANCE YOUR TROUBLES AWAY, is set during the Second World War and is sure to appeal to fans of Katie Flynn and Cathy Sharp.When Polly Pritchard learns that her husband has been killed in action, she brings up their young daughter Emmie alone. To make ends meet she gets a job at the Cherry Ballroom in West London and it is here that she meets James, a Canadian airman, and they fall in love. But then Polly''s husband turns up, very much alive...Life is even harder for Polly after the war; James has gone; her husband is involved in a criminal gang; and their daughter suffers from an illness that leaves her deaf. But Polly''s spirit remains strong and with courage and determination she find the happiness she and her daughter deserve.Trade ReviewPraise for Pam Evans' well-loved family sagas: 'A touching novel' * Daily Express *An unforgettable tale of life during the war * Our Time *Nostalgia, heartbreak, danger and war: all the ingredients of an engrossing novel * Bolton News *There's a special kind of warmth that shines through the characters * Lancashire Evening Post *This book touched me very, very much. It's lovely * North Wales Chronicle *
£7.99
Headline Publishing Group The Songbirds of Colliers Row
Book SynopsisFrom the ashes of war rose a song of hope...A warm-hearted, nostalgic and uplifting saga, The Songbirds of Colliers Row by Jennifer Hart is perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Donna Douglas, Kate Thompson''s Secrets of the Singer Girls and for anyone with a song in their heart...A village without a voice. That''s what the locals are saying about Llandegwen, deep in the Welsh valleys. The village choir, once a source of pride for the small mining community, has been forced to disband; the elderly choirmaster heartbroken by the empty seats belonging to those who''ll never return from the battlefields. The arrival of a young war widow from the East End with her little boy sets tongues wagging, not least when rumours abound that she''s looking to revive the choir. Can the community set aside their grief and lift their voices, and the village''s hopes, once more?
£8.50
Headline Publishing Group The Orphans Gift
Book SynopsisWhen all seems lost, will her mother''s legacy keep her safe?Praise for Anne Baker''s Merseyside sagas: ''A stirring tale of romance and passion, poverty and ambition'' Liverpool EchoAimee Kendrick is no stranger to heartache. Having lost her father during the Great War and her mother, a famous French impressionist painter, in a tragic accident, Aimee is brought up by her troubled grandparents on the banks of the river Mersey. She works hard at her art lessons and is encouraged to believe she has inherited her mother''s gift, but it is her childhood friend and fellow student Frankie Hopkins who shows greater talent. When Frankie joins the Kendrick''s textile mill to work on new fabric designs, Aimee begs her grandfather to teach her how to run the business. Working together, Aimee and Frankie become much more than friends but then they find themselves involved in family problems and it is impossible to know what the future holds.Trade ReviewPraise for Anne Baker's gripping Merseyside sagas: 'A stirring tale of romance and passion, poverty and ambition - Liverpool EchoA heartwarming saga - Woman s WeeklyBaker's understanding and compassion for very human dilemmas makes her one of romantic fiction's most popular authors - Lancashire Evening PostTruly compelling...rich in language and descriptive prose - Newcastle Upon Tyne Evening ChronicleWith characters who are strong, warm and sincere, this is a joy to read - Coventry Evening Telegraph
£10.98
Hodder & Stoughton The Silver Link
Book SynopsisA sweeping historical tale of family, passion and love from bestselling novelist Claire Lorrimer.Trade ReviewLovers of romantic fiction will love this book * Bookseller *Recommended for women of all ages who like a book they can't put down * Woman Magazine *Yet another successful historical family saga - the perfect holiday read * Yorkshire Post *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Banished from Bow
Book SynopsisA gripping romantic saga full of secrets and intrigue from the author of Time Will Tell and Jamaica Street.After being abandoned as a child in 19th-century London''s East End, a ragged and terrified Harriet was eventually found and taken into Mary Dean''s house in Bow. There it was decided she would be brought up as a sister to Mary and her younger brother Arthur. But seventeen years later, Harriet and Arthur have fallen in love, and Harriet is pregnant. Driven out of Bow by neighbours who spit at them, the pair are forced to seek refuge in Stepney where, for a time, they are happy. But it is not long before Harriet is forced to protect a dark secret once more. She has kept something she stole as a child: the diary of a criminal who committed terrible acts. Now the owner of the diary has returned to the East End in search of it, and will stop at nothing to get it back . . .Trade ReviewUnbridled passions run riot - Daily MailHere is a vivid evocation of a way of life - East Anglian Daily TimesSizzles with passion - GuardianShe brings the East End to life
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Jamaica Street
Book SynopsisA dramatic and gripping novel from the queen of the East End saga, Sally Worboyes, in which a friendship will be put to the ultimate test . . .
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Room for a Lodger
Book SynopsisFriendship alone might not be enough for the heroine in this enthralling East End saga from the bestselling author of Whitechapel Mary and Over Bethnal Green.Trade ReviewUnbridled passions run riot - Daily Mail on Wild HopsSizzles with passion - GuardianA rich, vivid, three-dimensional and gutsy narrative - Eastern Daily PressAn excellent book combining humour and passion - Telegraph and Argus
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Down by Tobacco Dock
Book SynopsisA historical East End saga full of secrets and intrigue, from the author of Banished from Bow and Room for a Lodger.Trade ReviewUnbridled passions run riot - Daily Mail on Wild HopsAn excellent book combining humour and passion - Telegraph and ArgusIt's a rich, vivid, three-dimensional, gutsy and sexy narrative which has you turning the pages into the early hours - Eastern Daily Express on Wild HopsShe brings the East End to life - Barbara WindsorSizzles with passion - Guardian on Wild Hops
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Over Bethnal Green
Book SynopsisA heartbreaking wartime saga from Sally Worboyes, author of Down Stepney Way and At the Mile End Gate.Trade ReviewUnbridled passions run riot * Daily Mail *She brings the East End to life -- Barbara WindsorA rich, vivid, three-dimensional, gutsy and sexy narrative which has you turning the pages into the early hours * Eastern Daily Press on WILD HOPS *Sizzles with passion * Guardian on WILD HOPS *
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Down Stepney Way
Book SynopsisA romantic saga full of life and set against a dramatic backdrop, from the author of At the Mile End Gate and Over Bethnal Green.Trade ReviewA rich, vivid, three-dimensional, gutsy and sexy narrative which has you turning the pages into the early hours * Eastern Daily Press on WILD HOPS *She brings the East End to life -- Barbara WindsorUnbridled passions run riot * Daily Mail *Sizzles with passion * Guardian on WILD HOPS *
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Dockers Daughter
Book SynopsisAn authentic and moving romantic saga set against the backdrop of the docks, streets, markets and pubs of Whitechapel, from the author of Wild Hops and The Dinner Lady.Young Kay Armstrong wants to break away from her tough East End background, where her friends are turning to crime. A job in the City seems like the perfect answer - but when she plans a holiday to Spain that involves forging her passport, she takes a step too far...Meanwhile her dad, Jack, is spearheading the great dock strike. He and his wife Laura worry about their headstrong daughter, especially the new set of friends introducing her to fashionable restaurants and the pleasures of drinking.And when Zacchi, the handsome gypsy boyfriend of her past reappears, Kay has some hard choices to make...Trade ReviewShe brings the East End to life -- Barbara WindsorA rich, vivid, three-dimensional, gutsy and sexy narrative which has you turning the pages into the early hours * Eastern Daily Press on WILD HOPS *Unbridled passions run riot * Daily Mail *Sizzles with passion * Guardian on WILD HOPS *
£11.22
Hodder & Stoughton Wild Hops
Book SynopsisAn enthralling romantic saga and a vibrant tale of illicit love, firm friendships and the indomitable character of the East Enders.Trade ReviewA rich, vivid, three-dimensional, gutsy and sexy narrative which has you turning the pages into the early hours * Eastern Daily Press on WILD HOPS *She brings the East End to life -- Barbara WindsorUnbridled passions run riot * Daily Mail *Sizzles with passion * Guardian on WILD HOPS *
£11.22
John Murray Press A Hundred Small Lessons
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the highly acclaimed The Railwayman's Wife comes an emotionally resonant and profound new novel of two families, interconnected through the house that bears witness to their lives.Trade ReviewI love Ashley Hay's writing ... it's so poised and beautiful. And I know Ashley, and she writes as she is. I always like that in a person: when the writing that they do is very much the person that you get, it has an integrity about it that I enjoy ... She can't write a bad sentence * Guardian *A moving and lyrical story of marriage, motherhood and age. Highly recommend. * Cari Rosen, author of The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 1/4) *Hay's engaging third novel explores the lives of two women connected by a house. In Brisbane, Australia, Lucy Kiss; her husband, Ben; and their young son, Tom, have just moved into the home where Elsie Gormley lived for more than 60 years. Hay's perceptive prose illuminates both Elsie's and Lucy's lives, resulting in a rich dual character study that spans generations. * Publishers Weekly *Readers who loved the quiet introspection of Anita Shreve's The Pilot's Wife and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge will enjoy the detailed emotional journeys of Hay's characters. Their stories will linger. * Library Journal *Hay renders the small details of an undramatic, decent life with tenderness that is touching and compelling... a measured piece of writing that works carefully to create pensive and evocative images of time and place and people. * Katherine Gillespie, The Australian *Ashley Hay explores the ways in which we inhabit spaces: building homes and filling them with our possessions, dreams, regrets, fears and secrets. I was deeply touched by this graceful novel, with its unflinching approach to reality and its gentle undercurrents of sadness, nostalgia and hope. It is a highly recommended read for fans of literary fiction and Hay's own award-winning The Railwayman's Wife. * Books+Publishing *A Hundred Small Lessons holds powerful truths, simply told ... There is no definitive moment; instead, ideas are layered, one small action at a time, until the whole is revealed. Only then can we see the intricacy of the story, in which the river's flowing quality is present within each sentence, the moods and tides reflective of the transformative power of parenthood * Tessa Lunney, Australian Book Review *With a lovely attention to the detail of things and feelings, Hay enlists our concern for her characters and an appreciation for the revealing echoes they call up in our own lives * Katharine England, Adelaide Advertiser *
£8.99
Hodder & Stoughton A Widows Courage
Book SynopsisLancashire 1934. Three years after her husband''s sudden death, Stella comes into some money unexpectedly and decides to make a new start in the country. She settles on Ellin Valley, where she quickly begins to make friends. She falls in love with a cottage in Birch End, but an unscrupulous man wants it too. Will she be able to buy her dream home? Life has changed drastically for local handyman Wilf Pollard as well. When tragedy strikes, Wilf is left as the only support of his two young children. But his friends rally round to help so that he can pull his life together and take up an exciting new job with a well-respected builder. Some of the local council are eager to deal with the squalid conditions of the Backshaw Moss slum, but others will stop at nothing to keep their profitable rents. And Stella''s dream cottage is threatened by their plans to build yet more cheap housing. Can Stella, Wilf and the residents of Birch End pull together to make sure good triumphs Trade ReviewThis is that rare thing, a pacy page-turner with a ripping plot and characters you care about . . . [Anna Jacobs is] especially big on resourceful, admirable women. Great stuff! * Daily Mail *Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular. She is one of the best writers of Lancashire sagas around * Historical Novels Review *[Anna Jacobs' books have an] impressive grasp of human emotions * The Sunday Times *
£18.89
Hodder & Stoughton A Womans Promise
Book SynopsisThe third book in Anna Jacobs' wonderful Birch End sagaTrade ReviewThis is that rare thing, a pacy page-turner with a ripping plot and characters you care about . . . [Anna Jacobs is] especially big on resourceful, admirable women. Great stuff! * Daily Mail *Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular. She is one of the best writers of Lancashire sagas around * Historical Novels Review *[Anna Jacobs' books have an] impressive grasp of human emotions * The Sunday Times *
£18.89
Orion Publishing Co Out of Touch
Book SynopsisA powerful tale of betrayal and abandonment from a stunning new voice. When a brother and sister receive a letter from the father they haven't seen in twenty years, they must confront long-buried tensions in ways that will change them for ever.Trade ReviewOut of Touch is a careful examination of sibling relations, the rips in family life, and the choices that must be made after a person finds themselves to be an adult. Raw and hopeful, this book is about what pulls us apart and what keeps us together. * Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of HARMLESS LIKE YOU and STARLING DAYS *One of those books that had me ignoring my phone, family and sensible bedtimes. Immersive, gorgeously rich and beautifully written. I loved it * Lia Louis, author of SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO HAPPY *A brilliant meditation on the bonds of kinship. Agar delivers this potent, intricate tale with scalpel like precision and tenderness. * Irenosen Okojie, author of NUDIBRANCH *I love the way Haleh Agar writes about family and cities and parenthood and sex. Ava and Michael felt completely honest to me, finally a story about siblings I believed! Their fractured relationship really touched me and I think lots of people will relate to it * Luan Goldie, author of NIGHTINGALE POINT *I devoured this brilliant book - it's so wise and astute on families, relationships and the strange ties that bind us. I loved it. * Rachael Lucas, author of THE TELEPHONE BOX LIBRARY *Out of Touch is a deftly intimate, touching story with crisp prose. In this engaging debut, Agar introduces complex characters and their often painful and always moving pursuit for closure, family, belonging, love, and a place to call home. * Yvonne Battle-Felton, author of REMEMBERED *MUST READ... [a] moving debut novel. * S MAGAZINE, SUNDAY EXPRESS *Spanning a year, this thoughtful debut tackles both emotional and physical vulnerability while bravely challenging the orthodoxy that we can overcome anything if we only set our minds to it. It's a sensitive portrait of the prickly awkwardness of relations in a fractured family that finds a way of combining down-to-earth realism with compassion and hope. -- Stephanie Cross * DAILY MAIL *Heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measures. -- Zoe West * WOMAN'S WEEKLY *A riveting and captivating new novel about the complexities of sibling relations. * GRAZIA *I thoroughly enjoyed this great debut about an estranged family, and found the fractured relationships fascinating. -- Nina Pottell * PRIMA *
£8.99
Kensington Publishing One House Over
Book Synopsis
£8.54
Atria Books The Forgotten Kingdom
Book Synopsis
£25.20
Pan Macmillan Sisters of Gold
Book SynopsisWhat could tear the sisters apart?Sisters Margaret and Annie lost their mother years ago, they long for her every day. Their frightfully protective father keeps the girls close but he can’t protect them forever . . . When a scandal rocks the family, the girls are forced to leave their home.The girls flee to Birmingham’s jewellery quarter to stay with the one person they can rely on – their uncle, goldsmith Ebenezer Watts and his warm-hearted wife, Hatt. Annie takes up work at a nearby factory, where she learns to forge cutlery, and Margaret is employed as a chain maker. By day Margaret works in cramped confines, alongside a local silversmith, and soon the links between the pair begin to bond . . . Annie’s work in the factory exposes her to great horrors but it also opens her heart to great possibility. But what are the Sisters of Gold hiding? They’ve escaped their past once – can it remain hidden?Sisters of Gold is an emotional and heart-warming story set against a richly imagined Birmingham setting, from Annie Murray, author of The Doorstep Child.Trade ReviewThis heart-warming story is a gripping read, full of drama, love and compassion (Soldier Girl) * Take a Break *This epic saga will have you gripped from start to finish (Chocolate Girls) * Birmingham Evening Mail *A tale of passion and empathy which will keep you hooked (Birmingham Blitz) * Woman's Own *
£18.00
Pan Macmillan Turn a Blind Eye
Book SynopsisTurn a Blind Eye is the third instalment in the gripping story of Detective Inspector William Warwick, by the master storyteller and Sunday Times number one bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles.William Warwick, now a Detective Inspector, is tasked with a dangerous new line of work, to go undercover and expose crime of another kind: corruption at the heart of the Metropolitan Police Force. His team is focused on following Detective Jerry Summers, a young officer whose lifestyle appears to exceed his income. But as a personal relationship develops with a member of William’s team, it threatens to compromise the whole investigation.Meanwhile, a notorious drug baron goes on trial, with the prosecution case led by William’s father and sister. And William’s wife Beth, now a mother to twins, renews an old acquaintance who appears to have turned over a new leaf, or has she?As the undercover officers start to draw the threads together, William realizes that the corruption may go deeper still, and more of his colleagues than he first thought might be willing to turn a blind eye.‘Peerless master of the page-turner’ – Daily Mail
£24.63
Pan Macmillan Wartime for the Chocolate Girls: A gritty and
Book SynopsisApril 1941.Almost losing her life in a bomb blast while serving in the Women's Voluntary Service has made Ann Gilby take stock of what's really important - her family.With daughter Sheila back home, and Joy still working munitions at the Cadbury factory and engaged to her soldier sweetheart, home life feels more settled too. Ann has even come to an uneasy truce with her husband, Len, despite her recent discovery of his infidelity and the fact that he has fathered a child with another woman.But what Ann has not reckoned with is, Marianne, Len’s mistress, turning up on her doorstep - a woman with a mysterious past.Only Ann has secrets of her own and one day soon she knows she will have to tell her youngest child, Martin, who his father really is . . .From Annie Murray, the bestselling Chocolate Girls, The Bells of Bournville Green and Secrets of the Chocolate Girls, Wartime for the Chocolate Girls is a gritty family saga about love, war and chocolate . . .Trade ReviewA heartwarming tale of secrets and lies, mystery and drama...the fourth book in her tasty Chocolate Girls series . . . Murray, whose home was in Birmingham when she began her writing career, invests hours of local research and her own powerful gift of imagination into her action-packed, family-based stories, and her genuine affection for the city and its people always shines through. And this warmhearted and gritty chapter for the Chocolate Girls packs in all those ingredients – relationships, romance, the uncertainties of wartime and human compassion – which have made this series such a delicious treat for all saga fans. * Lancashire Post *
£18.00
Hodder & Stoughton The Manhattan Secret: An absolutely heartbreaking
Book SynopsisAn absolutely heartbreaking and gripping historical novel based on a true story, for fans of Suzanne Goldring, Bridgerton and The Girl Behind the Gates.***FROM THE 4-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR******RATED 5 STARS BY REAL READERS***"A wonderfully romantic novel that will capitvate you instantly" -Hart, 5* Amazon reviewer"A fantastic story - I can't wait to read the next volume!" -Michele, 5* Amazon reviewerOctober 1886. Catherine and Guillaume Duquesne set off to New York with their six-year-old daughter Elisabeth. But the young couple's dreams of freedom and independence soon turn into a nightmare when Catherine dies during the journey and Guillaume is assaulted and left for dead soon after their arrival on American soil. A wealthy family adopts Elisabeth, who grows up spoiled and happy. But when she turns 16, she learns the truth about her origins and decides to return to France to meet her real family. Upon her arrival she realises that her grandfather's house, too, is seething with secrets...What readers think"The author is hugely talented." -Julie, 5* Amazon reviewer"Very attaching characters ... I'm impatient to read the next installment!" -5* Babelio reviewer"I just have to read the rest of the series." -Jean-Pierre, 5* fnac.com reviewer"Reads very well - wait until you read the ending!" -Françoise, 5* Amazon reviewer"An extraordinary author. I strongly recommend!" -Nathalie, 5* Amazon reviewer"I didn't know the author - it's an excellent novel. -Mimi, 5* Amazon reviewer
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Silver Wishes: Book 1 in the brand new Jubilee
Book SynopsisThe first novel in the heartwarming and gripping new Jubilee Lake series, from million-copy bestseller Anna JacobsLancashire, 1895. When her controlling stepfather suddenly dies, it seems that Elinor Pendleton finally has a chance of freedom. But her hopes are soon dashed when she learns that the thuggish Jason Stafford has inherited every penny, and is determined to have Elinor too.Forced to flee with her beloved maid, Maude, Elinor finds shelter with Maude's distant cousin in the remote village of Ollerthwaite, on the shore of Jubilee Lake.But Walter Crossley has troubles of his own. Having lost his closest family in a tragic accident, he needs one of his grandsons to return from America to inherit his farm - and when practical, kindhearted Cameron arrives, he appears to be the perfect heir.But is this young man everything he seems? And will Elinor's secret wish to have a family of her own ever come true...?Readers love Anna Jacobs' novels!'Amazing' - 5 STARS'Thank you, Anna, for the pleasure you give in all your books' - 5 STARS'Another brilliant, hard-to-put-down book' - 5 STARS'Can't wait for the next instalment' - 5 STARS'A real page turner, I can't wait to read the next one' - 5 STARS'Another triumph for Anna Jacobs' - 5 STARS'BRILLIANT READ' - 5 STARSTrade ReviewIn Silver Wishes Anna cleverly introduces the main characters then brings them all together as the story builds leaving you to speculate how it is going to play out. It draws you in from the start, but be prepared for twists along the way. An absolutely brilliant read * Female First *
£19.80
Hodder & Stoughton The Spectacular
Book Synopsis'A total joy to read' Torrey Peters, author of Detransition BabyA rebellious young musician reconnects with the matriarchs in her family as three generations of women strive for real freedom in this brilliant novel of family, sexuality, and feminism from the acclaimed author of The Best Kind of People. It's 1997 and Missy's band has finally hit the big time as they tour across America. At twenty-two years old, Missy gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous. Missy is the only girl in the band and she's determined to party just as hard as everyone else, loving and leaving someone in every town. But then a forgotten party favor strands her at the border.Fortysomething Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga center where she has been living when she sees her daughter, Missy, for the first time in ten years--on the cover of a music magazine.Ruth is eighty-three and planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood. But when her granddaughter Missy winds up crashing at her house, she decides it's time that the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand each other again.In this sharply observed novel, Zoe Whittall captures three very different women who struggle to build an authentic life. Definitions of family, romance, gender, and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular.Trade ReviewZoe Whittall has this incredible ability to go straight at the honest emotional heart of a story, and yet even with that ferocity, her writing is always graceful, a total joy to read. It makes it so easy to love her characters. In the best books characters feel like my friends, but with the mothers of The Spectacular, they came to feel like my family. * Torrey Peters, author of Detransition Baby *A fascinating stunner of a novel * Kristen Arnett, Author of Mostly Dead Things *Zoe Whittall's engrossing and epic novel paints an indelible portrait of three women, each of them navigating the complex constraints of their bodies, their families, their obligations, and their desires. A daring and beautiful examination of motherhood, The Spectacular left me breathless. * Robin Wasserman, author of Mother Daughter Widow Wife *Both raw and refined, The Spectacular is an insightful, poignant exploration of family and relationships from one of my favorite writers working today. A multigenerational story that's fully alive. * Iain Reid, author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things *Birth, identity, sex, what a woman wants, the vagaries of desire, love nibbling at the heart, independence, forfeiture of self, mother . . . Zoe Whittall carves at all of this with her pen and lays it out on the page in this fierce and tender novel. * David Bergen, author of Here the Dark *The Spectacular gives us three brilliantly distinct voices of women challenging the societal expectations of who they should be . . . Zoe Whittall has a gift for vividly capturing our human behaviours, and for dialogue that will grab your heart. Both expansive and intimate, wild and tender, I loved it. * Ashley Audrain, author of The Push *
£16.14
Hodder & Stoughton The Spectacular
Book SynopsisA rebellious young musician reconnects with the matriarchs in her family as three generations of women strive for real freedom in this brilliant novel of family, sexuality, and feminism from the acclaimed author of The Best Kind of People. It's 1997 and Missy's band has finally hit the big time as they tour across America. At twenty-two years old, Missy gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous. Missy is the only girl in the band and she's determined to party just as hard as everyone else, loving and leaving someone in every town. But then a forgotten party favor strands her at the border.Fortysomething Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga center where she has been living when she sees her daughter, Missy, for the first time in ten years--on the cover of a music magazine.Ruth is eighty-three and planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood. But when her granddaughter Missy winds up crashing at her house, she decides it's time that the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand each other again.In this sharply observed novel, Zoe Whittall captures three very different women who struggle to build an authentic life. Definitions of family, romance, gender, and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular.Trade ReviewZoe Whittall has this incredible ability to go straight at the honest emotional heart of a story, and yet even with that ferocity, her writing is always graceful, a total joy to read. It makes it so easy to love her characters. In the best books characters feel like my friends, but with the mothers of The Spectacular, they came to feel like my family. * Torrey Peters, author of Detransition Baby *A fascinating stunner of a novel * Kristen Arnett, Author of Mostly Dead Things *Zoe Whittall's engrossing and epic novel paints an indelible portrait of three women, each of them navigating the complex constraints of their bodies, their families, their obligations, and their desires. A daring and beautiful examination of motherhood, The Spectacular left me breathless. * Robin Wasserman, author of Mother Daughter Widow Wife *Both raw and refined, The Spectacular is an insightful, poignant exploration of family and relationships from one of my favorite writers working today. A multigenerational story that's fully alive. * Iain Reid, author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things *Birth, identity, sex, what a woman wants, the vagaries of desire, love nibbling at the heart, independence, forfeiture of self, mother . . . Zoe Whittall carves at all of this with her pen and lays it out on the page in this fierce and tender novel. * David Bergen, author of Here the Dark *The Spectacular gives us three brilliantly distinct voices of women challenging the societal expectations of who they should be . . . Zoe Whittall has a gift for vividly capturing our human behaviours, and for dialogue that will grab your heart. Both expansive and intimate, wild and tender, I loved it. * Ashley Audrain, author of The Push *
£8.99
Little, Brown & Company How to Win a Wallflower
Book SynopsisWhen John Barnesworth inherits unexpectedly, he abandons his solitude and returns to London to settle his brother's affairs, only to discover his estates are crumbling and he is now betrothed to his brother's unpleasant fiancée. Her dowry might save him from ruin, but at what cost? His only hope lies with the vivacious, charming Lady Charlotte Stirling, whose audacious solution to John's troubles might actually work. If only he can keep his feelings for her out of the equation . . .Lady Charlotte Stirling knows she can't fall for John. He's her brother's best friend, he's engaged to her mortal enemy, and he wants to return to America. Not to mention he'd never survive in her bustling social life. She can, however, try to solve his money problem. But the closer she gets to ensuring his freedom, the harder it is to let him go . . .
£7.99
Little, Brown & Company How to Deceive a Duke
Book SynopsisFiona McTavish is an engineer, a chemist, a rebel-and no one's idea of a proper lady. She prefers breeches to ballrooms, but her new invention-matches-will surely turn as many heads. There's just a little matter of her being arrested for a crime she didn't commit. And the only person she can turn to for help is the man who broke her heart years ago.Edward Stirling, Duke of Wildeforde, will do anything to restore his family's name and put his father's scandalous death behind them. But when Fiona needs his help getting released from prison, he can't deny her-even though it means she must live with him as a condition of her freedom. With the desire between them rekindling as fast as the gossip about their arrangement is spreading among the ton, Edward will have to choose what matters most to him-his reputation or his heart.
£7.99
Little, Brown & Company Lowcountry Summer: 2-in-1 Edition with Sanctuary
Book SynopsisTake a visit to the South Carolina's Cavanaugh Island in these two novels filled with small-town secrets, coastal charm, and heartwarming romance.Sanctuary CoveStill reeling from her husband's untimely death, Deborah Robinson needs a fresh start. So she decides to pack up her family, box up her bookstore, and return to her grandmother's ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island. The charming town of Sanctuary Cove holds happy memories for Deborah. And, after she meets a gorgeous Dr. Asa Monroe in the local bakery, it promises the possibility for a bright, new future. As friendship blossoms into romance, Deborah and Asa discover they may have a second chance at love. But small towns have big secrets. Before they can begin their new life together, the couple must confront a challenge they never expected . . .Angels LandingKara Newell has a big-city life that needs a major shake-up. Her dedication as a social worker is unwavering, yet her heart tells her that there is more to life than just work. Kara gets the push she needs when she shockingly inherits a large estate on an island off the South Carolina coast. Now the charming town of Angels Landing awaits her . . . along with a secret family that she never knew she had. But when she steps into the crosshairs of angry local residents after arriving in town, ex-marine turned sherrif Jeffrey Hamilton is the perfect person for the job of watching over her. But as Kara becomes more than just a responsibility to Jeffrey and they confront the town gossips together, they'll learn to face their fears and forgive their pasts in order to find a future filled with happiness in Angels Landing.
£11.90
Little, Brown & Company Some Dukes Have All the Luck
Book SynopsisAsh Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she'll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn't need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.
£7.99
Little, Brown & Company What’s a Duke Got to Do With It
Book SynopsisThe last thing Katrina Denby expected to find in her garden is the body of the man who ruined her three seasons ago. No matter that his death is a tragic accident, the rumors are enough to kill any woman's prospects. With two scandals now hounding her, the best she can hope for is a hasty marriage of convenience-until her first love shows up in her drawing room, reminding her of all the reasons why she wanted a love match. If only he weren't already engaged. . .Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, knows what he has to do to save the dukedom from the crushing debts and scandal his father left: marry and marry well. He's picked the lady, too-a baron's daughter who is pleasant, if a little boring. But seeing Katrina again makes him want to throw all those perfectly laid plans out the window. The first chance he had with her, he chose his duty over his heart. Doing so again might prove utterly impossible.
£7.99
