Historical Fiction Books

Book SynopsisJulian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d'honneur.Trade ReviewA beautiful and engrossing work * Independent on Sunday *Richly accomplished... Dazzling * Sunday Times *Excellent... Meticulously researched and vividly imagined, both gripping and thoughtful * Sunday Telegraph *From the first paragraphs we know ourselves to be in the hands of a major novelist... A compelling narrative, beautifully controlled... This novel is Barnes at his best -- P D James * The Times *As ever, Barnes serves up a master-class in character observation, lavishing attention on the minutiae of personality, the subtle and conflicting impulses that drive men and women. Barnes seems equipped to write with humour and elegance about anything he turns his attention to * Financial Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBehind the large house, the fragrant camomile lawn stretches down to the Cornish cliffs. Here, in the dizzying heat of August 1939, five cousins have gathered at their aunt''s house for their annual ritual of a holiday. For most of them it is the last summer of their youth, with the heady exhilarations and freedoms of lost innocence, as well as the fears of the coming war.The Camomile Lawn moves from Cornwall to London and back again, over the years, telling the stories of the cousins, their family and their friends, united by shared losses and lovers, by family ties and the absurd conditions imposed by war as their paths cross and recross over the years. Mary Wesley presents an extraordinarily vivid and lively picture of wartime London: the rationing, imaginatively circumvented; the fallen houses; the parties, the new-found comforts of sex, the desperate humour of survival - all of it evoked with warmth, clarity and stunning wit. And through it all, the cousins and tTrade ReviewProvides equal does of sex and repression in war-torn Britain with panache and pace * The Times *A very good book indeed...rich in detail, careful and subtle in observation, mature in judgement -- Susan HillExtraordinarily accomplished and fast-moving * Financial Times *It's hard to overpraise Mary Wesley's novel...so tingling and spry with life that put a mirror to the book and I'll almost swear it will mist over with the breath of the five young cousins * The Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrilliant and meticulously researched I loved it.' Santa MontefioreSister. Rival. Protector. Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. Although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society. But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever. Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys' story that she can undo the mistakes of the past. On her journey up the Nile she will meet unexpected allies and enemies and, along with long-buried secrets and betrayals, Clemmie will be forced to step into the light. Reveal the secret symbol of Nephthys when you take off the book jacket. Only available on the first printing. A dazzling debut and an irresistible page-turner. With an unforgettable heroine you cannot help but root for' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author PandoraAn intoxicating tale of adventure and obsession, told in prose that shimmers like the Nile' Emilia Hart, author of WeywardSo beautifully descriptive that I could imagine myself drifting down the Nile with Clemmie. A joy of a book to read' Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel

Read more less

Book SynopsisLove, Lies, and Survival: The Unforgettable Conclusion to the Cavanagh Family series!Will Kitty and her family break free from the mills of Blackburn and seize their chance at a new life in America?It's been several years since Kitty Cavanagh's life was turned upside down when her family made the perilous journey across the Irish Sea to Blackburn and she became a widow. After facing near destitution she's finally making enough to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.Until, that is, the day she is out rag collecting and finds a bag of coins coins that turn out to be counterfeit and Kitty soon finds herself caught up in a police investigation. If found guilty, Kitty could end up losing everything she's worked so hard to protect.Questioned by charming Constable Westwell, Kitty doesn''t know if she can really trust him. Dare she open her heart to him? But will the truth damn, or save, her?Readers love The Cavanah Family SeriesA really sad story but one of survival through the hard times. The determination of Kitty made a very enjoyable read' 5 ***** Reader ReviewWhat a story, full of hardship for a family of Irish immigrants, proving that above all Family is everything, as it should be!' 5 ***** Reader ReviewA wonderful story' 5 ***** Reader Review

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Stasi and MI6 clash in this gripping Cold War crime thriller, from the award-winning author of Stasi Child.______________________Dresden, East Germany, 1980 - A man's body is found buried in concrete at a building site in the new town district. When People's Police homicide captain Karin Müller arrives at the scene, she discovers that all of the body's identifiable features have been removed - including its fingertips.The deeper Müller digs, the more the Stasi begin to hamper her investigations. She soon realises that this crime is just one part of a clandestine battle between two secret services - the Stasi of East Germany and Britain's MI6 - to control the truth behind one of the deadliest events of World War II.The Stasi Game brilliantly fictionalises the true story of how Britain's wartime leaders justifed the fire-bombing of German city of Dresden, which many have since condemned as a war crime.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRepackaged to tie-in with hardback publication of The Reavers' and to appeal to a new generation of George MacDonald Fraser fans, Mr American' is a swashbuckling romp of a novel.Mark Franklin came from the American West to Edwardian England with two long-barrelled .44s in his baggage and a fortune in silver in the bank. Where he had got it and what he was looking for no one could guess, although they wondered at Scotland Yard, in City offices, in the glittering theatreland of the West End, in the highest circles of Society (even King Edward was puzzled) and in the humble pub at Castle Lancing. Tall dark and dangerous, soft spoken and alone, with London at his feet and a dark shadow in his past, he was a mystery to all of them, rustics and royalty, squires and suffragettes, the women who loved him and the men who feared and hated him. He came from a far frontier in another world, yet he was by no means a stranger even old General Flashman, who knew men and mischief better than most, never guessed the whole truth about Mr American.Trade ReviewPraise for ‘Black Ajax’: ‘Mr Fraser is a great historical novelist and in Black Ajax he is at the very top of his form. Damme if he ain’t.’Christopher Matthew, Daily Mail ‘This is not a flashy novel, wearing its learning noisily. It’s rigorous, intelligent, meticulously horrifying. Wonderfully well done.’Nicci Gerrard, Observer

Read more less

Book SynopsisLoving someone, in a time of war and divided loyalties, can be the greatest risk of all.Ordered home by despatch vessel, Captain Jack Aubrey and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin have been tasked with bringing the news of the latest victory in the war with America back to the government in Britain. But Maturin is a marked man for the havoc he has wrought upon the French intelligence network in the New World, and the attentions of two privateers who pursue their ship soon become menacing.In this man''s world of seamanship and war, will a dangerous but fascinating woman redress the balance?I have no particular interest in the sailing or fighting of square-rigged ships, but I've never been so attached to any fictional characters in my life.'MAILE MELOYA swelling tide of intrigue and adventure in the best tradition.'GuardianTrade Review‘If O’Brian’s novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. . . They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action.’Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph ‘The Aubrey–Maturin novels, by Patrick O’Brian, are so addictive that after I finish one I have to hide the next from myself for a little while in order to do anything else but read.’Louise Erdrich ‘In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O’Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. Their relationship sustains an absorbing and thrilling sequence of naval stories, unrivalled in their complexity, full of impeccable detail and psychological insight. O’Brian switches from the intimate to the epic with equal assurance. One of the greatest authors to sail with.’Michael Palin ‘My hero is Patrick O’Brian. It’s basically impossible to write that well.’David Mamet ‘One of the most compelling and brilliant novelists of his time . . . Beyond his superbly elegant writing, wit and originality, Patrick O’Brian showed an understanding of the nature of a floating world at the mercy of the wind and the sea which has never been surpassed.’Max Hastings, Evening Standard ‘I devoured Patrick O’Brian’s twenty-volume masterpiece as if it had been so many tots of Jamaica grog.’Christopher Hitchens ‘Written with most engaging enthusiasm that can’t fail to give pleasure to anybody who enjoys historical adventure flavoured with more than a dash of realism.’The Sunday Times ‘One of the most brilliantly sustained pieces of historical fictional writing this century.’James Teacher, Spectator ‘Patrick O’Brian brings depth to his sea-stories with outstanding dialogue, characterisation, humour and a golden thread of romance. You don’t have to love books about naval battles to become entranced.’Katie Fforde

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn his first new paperback for HarperCollins, master storyteller Jack Higgins displays all his customary skills in a heart-pounding adventure with a less familiar setting 19th-century rural Ireland and featuring a swashbuckling new hero.At the end of the American Civil War, Confederate Colonel Clay Fitzgerald escapes to Ireland, where his uncle has left him an estate, only to find that Ireland is caught up in a civil war of its own. The struggle between the wealthy landlords and the impoverished tenant farmers is growing in intensity, and having just fought and lost a terrible war, Clay wants to avoid the coming conflict. But after witnessing the atrocities that the landowners visit upon the people, Clay is unable to stand by. Taking the guise of a legendary night-riding outlaw, he joins the fight against the landlords and wages a rebellion of his ownTrade Review‘Higgins is the master.’TOM CLANCY ‘A compulsively readable storyteller.’Sunday Express ‘Higgins makes the pages fly.’New York Daily News ‘Higgins is a master of his craft.’Daily Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Booker Prize.It is 1912, and at Cambridge University the modern age is knocking at the gate.Fred Fairly, a Junior Fellow at the college of St Angelicus, where for centuries no female, not even a pussy cat, has been allowed to set foot, lectures in physics. Science, he is certain, will explain everything.Until into Fred's orderly life come Daisy. Fred is smitten. Why have I met her? he wonders. How can I tell if she's quite what she seems? Fred is a scientist. To him the truth should be everything. But even scientists make mistakes.Trade Review‘Reading a Penelope Fitzgerald novel is like being taken for a ride in a peculiar kind of car. Everything is of top quality – the engine, the coachwork and the interior all fill you with confidence. Then, after a mile or so, someone throws the steering-wheel out of the window.’ Sebastian Faulks ‘Wise and ironic, funny and humane, Fitzgerald is a wonderful, wonderful writer.’ David Nicholls ‘A book which delights, amuses, disturbs and provokes reflection, in equal measure. It is a triumph of craftmanship, intelligence and sensibility.’ Scotsman ‘Contains more wit, intelligence and feeling than many novels three times its length.’ Observer ‘Formidable… no writer is more engaging than Penelope Fitzgerald.’ Spectator ‘Penelope Fitzgerald writes books whose imaginative wholeness and whose sense of what language can suggest is magical. Whichever way you twist the lens of this kaleidoscopic book, you see fresh things freshly.’ Evening Standard ‘The book is short and full of activity. The story moves swiftly in unexpected directions. It is inspiring, funny and touching.’ LRB ‘Gilbert could have written this and Sullivan set it to music. It shows an Edwardian university at Cambridge at its eccentric best. There are so many characters that are a delight. So many foibles and so much fancifying. Fitzgerald is the only author I know who regularly gets reviews pleading her to write longer books.’ Daily Mail

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE FINAL NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING RAVENSCAR TRILOGYElizabeth Turner, scion of the fabled Deravenel family, carries the red-gold hair and beautiful English complexion of her ancestors. And it is not just her colouring that she has inherited from Edward Deravenel. Astute and charismatic, she is also bold, daring and fiercely ambitious, with the same ruthless streak.Now, aged just twenty-five, she stands in the position she has dreamed of inheriting the family business, Deravenels. Over eight hundred years old, the company is a bastion of male chauvinism and the challenge that lies ahead of Elizabeth is immense.Cecil Williams acts as Elizabeth''s mentor while navigating the treacherous corridors of power with her. But her greatest ally is her childhood friend, handsome, charming Robert Dunley. Highly intelligent, he is her match in every way and there is a spark between them that is impossible to resist. Yet Robert is already married. When they begin an affair it scandalises those arouTrade ReviewPraise for Barbara Taylor Bradford: ‘The storyteller of substance’ The Times 'Queen of the genre' Sunday Times ‘Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is one of the world’s best at spinning yarns’ Guardian ‘Memorable and moving…a sure-fire winner’ Express

Read more less

Book SynopsisVividly imagined' Sunday TelegraphSex and death meet again in [a] marvellous evocation of Edwardian England' Daily MailThe girl reminded me of my favourite chocolates, whipped hazelnut creams, and I knew just from looking at her that I wanted her for my best friend.Queen Victoria is dead. In January 1901, the day after her passing, two very different families visit neighbouring graves in a London cemetery. The traditional Waterhouses revere the late Queen where the Colemans have a more modern outlook, but both families are appalled by the friendship that springs up between their respective daughters.As the girls grow up, their world changes almost beyond measure: cars are replacing horses, electric lighting is taking over from gas, and emancipation is fast approaching, to the delight of some and the dismay of othersTrade Review‘Sex and death meet again in Tracy Chevalier's marvellous evocation of Edwardian England’ Daily Mail ‘Cleverly atmospheric’ Sunday Telegraph ‘The author's grip on the reader is as powerful as in her first novel. It is almost impossible to break off reading this driving narrative’ Independent ‘A master stylist in the making’ Boston Globe ‘Writing about the past — especially this much written-about period — has its pitfalls, but Chevalier has triumphantly avoided them. The result is a novel that shows both the strangeness of the world as it was and its closeness to our own time’ The Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisA triumph. Excellent' Time OutA beautifully crafted story shot with vivid colours' The TimesAn intriguing and poignant read' Sunday ExpressSuch an achievement for a serious writer that you feel it deserves an award' IndependentShe was called Isabelle, and when she was a small girl her hair changed colour in the time it takes a bird to call to its mateMidwife Isabelle du Moulin is marked as different, by both her red hair and her love for the Virgin Mary in her rich blue robes. As religious fervour sweeps 16th-century France, Isabelle's striking likeness to the Madonna puts her in danger when her village is enraptured by new Protestant doctrine.Four centuries later, Ella Turner moves to the French village of Lisle-sur-Tarn and finds her dreams are haunted by the colour blue. Ella hopes to become both a midwife and a mother, but her plans unravel as she discovers her link to Isabelle, and her ancestor's shocking fate.Trade Review‘Tracy Chevalier’s first novel is a triumph. Excellent’ Time Out ‘An intriguing and poignant read’ Sunday Express ‘Such an achievement for a serious writer that you feel it deserves an award’ Independent ‘A beautifully crafted story shot with vivid colours’ The Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Time's Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, an epic story that spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day.Perfect for fans of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth.On the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk are ancient barns dating back to Anglo Saxon times within these walls lie secrets that have been buried for centuries.New arrivals Zoe and Ken move into one of the converted barns, ready to start a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To the outside world they seem happy, but they are growing further apart by the day. Meanwhile the strange presence Zoe feels within their home and the ghostly shapes she sees through the cloying mists on the river are getting harder to ignore.Nearby, farmers are ploughing the land beside the river and human bones are found. Are they linked to the Victorian tragedy the locals whisper about? The secret of the grassy mound has remained untouched through history, but now Trade ReviewPraise for Time’s Legacy: ‘Marvellous escapist stuff’ Woman and Home Praise for Warrior’s Princess ‘A riveting timeslip novel’ Fanny Blake ‘Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson’ Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times ‘Stephen King meets Ruth Rendell’ Frank Delaney ‘Barbara Erskine’s storytelling talent is undeniable’ The Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe second book in The Wilderness Series is set in Canada and Scotland.Now blissfully married, Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, the hero and heroine of Into The Wilderness, have settled into their new life together in the North American frontier. When Elizabeth gives birth to twins their happiness seems complete. However, it proves to be short-lived. While attempting to rescue his father, Hawkeye, who has been imprisoned in Canada, Nathaniel is arrested by British colonials for spying a hanging offence.Left alone in the wilderness with only her step-daughter Hannah and her newly-born twins, Elizabeth embarks on a desperate bid to save her husband. Gathering up the children, she sets out on a dangerous journey across unremittingly hostile terrain. However, the fate of the Bonner family appears to be in the hands of other forces, who intend to kidnap them to Scotland in order to engage them in a bitter family feud and a destiny they could never have imagained.Trade Review Dawn on a Distant Shore was on the NYT Bestseller’s list for 3 weeks Second in the 5-book Wilderness series Like Into the Wilderness, sequel of sorts to James Fennimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, incorporating many of the characters into the tale Author also writes under the name Rosina Lippi. Her very succesful Homestead, shortlisted for Orange Prize, is published in Flamingo

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sinister Gothic tale in the tradition of The Woman in Black and The Fall of the House of Usher1891. In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. Left to her own devices she devours books in secret and talks to herself - and narrates this, her story - in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors like one of the old house''s many ghosts and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. Sometimes Florence doesn''t sleepwalk at all, but simply pretends to so she can roam at will and search the house for clues to her own baffling past.After the sudden violent death of the children''s first governess, a second teacher, Miss Taylor, arrives, and immediately strange phenomena begin to occur. Florence becomes convinced that the new governess is a vengeful and malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. AgTrade Review‘Real atmosphere is increasingly rare in novels and here it is in spades…A darkly glamorous tour de force.’Wendy Holden, DAILY MAIL 'Harding rings enough ingenious changes on James's study of perversity to produce his own full-blown Gothic horror tale. The climax of their struggle… is genuinely exciting and shocking.' THE INDEPENDENT ‘Florence and Giles is an elegant literary exercise worked out with the strictness of a fugue: imagine Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw reworked by Edgar Allan Poe…Nothing prepares you for the chillingly ruthless but inevitable finale.’ THE TIMES 'A tight gothic thriller… The climax becomes unbearably tense. Florence feels the horror of her situation "cheese-grating" her soul, which is just how Harding leaves the reader feeling at the end of this creepily suggestive story.' FINANACIAL TIMES ‘Harding’s creepy, ingenious tale slyly wrongfoots the reader, and its deliciously sinister conclusion is the stuff of troubled nights.’ THE LADY ‘Brilliantly creepy’ DAILY MIRROR ‘An intriguing read’ GRAZIA ‘A good, clever, modern take on old-style American gothic; a creepy haunted house tale in which the living are just as eerie as any real or imagined ghouls.’ NEW ZEALAND HERALD ‘a scarily good story, in an arrestingly unusual narrative voice.’ THE OXFORD TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn irresistible tale of swashbuckling pirates in the New World from master storyteller Michael Crichton now in paperbackJamaica, in 1665 a lone outpost of British power amid Spanish waters in the sunbaked Caribbean. Its capital, Port Royal, a cuthroat town of taverns, grog shops and bawdy houses the last place imaginable from which to launch an unthinkable attack on a nearby Spanish stronghold. Yet that is exactly what renowned privateer Captain Charles Hunter plans to do, with the connivance of Charles II''s ruling governor, Sir James Almont.The target is Matanceros, guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, and considered impregnable with its gun emplacements and sheer cliffs. Hunter''s crew of buccaneers must battle not only the Spanish fleet but other deadly perils raging hurricanes, cannibal tribes, even sea monsters. But if his ragtag crew succeeds, they will make not only history but a fortune in gold.Trade Review‘Fast-moving and gripping, this is a read-it-in-one-go adventure’ Daily Mail Praise for Michael Crichton: 'A gripping, impeccably researched thriller…we don't get much politically engaged fiction these days. Here is a fine example' Evening Standard 'Exciting…a master storyteller' Sunday Telegraph 'Terrific fun. The pages whip by' Independent 'Intelligent, readable and guaranteed to get the grey matter going' Mirror 'One of the most ingenious, inventive thriller writers around… another high-concept treat…written in consummate page-turning style…fascinating' Observer 'Mixing cutting-edge science with thrills and spills, this is classic Crichton' Daily Mirror

Read more less

Book SynopsisA moving family drama of one young woman's fight to survive and to find a place to call home1938: Sixteen-year-old Kate Monroe is living in Birmingham, far away from her family in Ireland. Her parents have always doted on her siblings, Sally and James, leaving no time for her. Kate harbours a dark secret, a deep longing for her cousin. Feelings she must suppress in this deeply staunch Irish-Catholic community even if they are reciprocated.Crazed by her infatuation, Kate is left with no option, other than to up-roots once more and seek out a new life, far away from the temptation of Tim Monroe.Will Kate find true love, or will distance make the heart grow fonder?Trade ReviewPraise for Anne Bennett: ‘A powerful, heart-wrenching saga … of love, loss and family ties’ Woman’s Weekly ‘[Anne Bennett] is blessed with a vivid imagination and a natural aptitude for writing’ Daily Post ‘The beauty of Anne’s books is that they are about normal people and are sewn through with human emotions which affect us all’ Birmingham Post ‘Powerfully written’ Woman Book Club ‘A brilliant story and very gripping … Anne Bennett really brings the characters to life. It’s a great read. You won’t be able to put the book down’ Yours

Read more less

Book SynopsisLove Miss Marple? Adore Holmes and Watson? Professor Morley's guide to Norfolk is a story of bygone England; quaint villages, eccentric locals and murder!It is 1937 and disillusioned Spanish Civil War veteran Stephen Sefton is stony broke. So when he sees a mysterious advertisement for a job where intelligence is essential', he applies.Thus begins Sefton's association with Professor Swanton Morley, an omnivorous intellect. Morley's latest project is a history of traditional England, with a guide to every county.They start in Norfolk, but when the vicar of Blakeney is found hanging from his church's bellrope, Morley and Sefton find themselves drawn into a rather more fiendish plot. Did the Reverend really take his own life, or was it murder?Beginning a thrilling new detective series, The Norfolk Mystery' is the first of The County Guides. A must-read for fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, every county is a crime scene and no-one is above suspicion!Trade ReviewPraise for ‘The Norfolk Mystery’: ‘A delightful, idiosyncratic mystery set in the Thirties … There is a touch of Sherlock Holmes and a dash of Lord Peter Wimsey, but the total is put together with a charm that is teasingly precious … Beautifully crafted by Sansom, Professor Morely promises to become a little gem of English crime writing; sample him now’ Daily Mail ‘Sansom is both celebrating and sending up the golden age of detective novels when, in the 1930s, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie were the queens of crime … A brilliant first outing that leaves you looking forward to the next maniacal mystery tour’ Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn emotional portrayal of the lives of four women as Valentine's day approaches, in 1941 wartime LondonLife brought enough problems and upsets for young hearts, especially young female hearts, without them having to carry the added burden of the war'Tilly is passionately in love with the dashing American journalist, Drew. But he is harbouring a secret that threatens their burgeoning love. At the same time, Dulcie's brother Rick walks back into her life, the man who she longed for all those years agoAgnes is comforted by the loving arms of her caring train driver fiancé Ted. And Sally could not be happier with her talented surgeon boyfriend at her side, especially since he's risked his life to visit her at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.For Tilly's mother, Olive, the cold heart that had been frozen since her partner died, is beginning to thaw. But the man she pines for is betrothed to another. The net curtains on the well-to-do Article Row have been twitching, and prying eyes Trade ReviewPraise for Annie Groves: ‘An engrossing story’ My Weekly ‘A stirring and heartrending family saga…Against a backdrop of change when the suffragette movement was coming to the fore, the choices and dreams of a generation of women combine to create this passionate story’ Liverpool Daily Post ‘Heartwrenching and uplifting in equal measure – a tragic indictment of what can happen when you swap passion for duty. Roll on the sequel!’ Take a Break ‘Written from the heart’ My Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn emotional and heart-warming portrayal of the lives of four women living in wartime London.For the girls living at No.13 Article Row, the war years have never been tougherTilly is heartbroken when Drew, the love of her life, returns to America and doesn't come back. Tilly can't believe that he would break their solemn promise to love each other for ever. Olive. Tilly's mother, knows the real reason that he has never been in touch but fears the truth will hurt her daughter even more.For Tilly's friends, Agnes and Sally, the war has also dealt them a cruel hand and, along with the rest of the country, they have had their share of pain. But they say that it is always darkest just before the dawn, so could it be that this war, and the girl's fortunes, are finally beginning to turn?Trade ReviewPraise for Annie Groves: ‘Heartwrenching and uplifting in equal measure – a tragic indictment of what can happen when you swap passion for duty. Roll on the sequel!’ Take a Break ‘A stirring and heartrending family saga…Against a backdrop of change when the suffragette movement was coming to the fore, the choices and dreams of a generation of women combine to create this passionate story’ Liverpool Daily Post ‘Written from the heart’ My Weekly ‘An engrossing story’ My Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisA compelling novel about four young women in wartime London, from the best-selling author of London Belles and My Sweet Valentine.In Article Row, in London's Holborn four young women, Tilly, Sally, Dulcie and Agnes have already been witnesses to the heartache and pain that Hitler's bombs have inflicted on ordinary Londoners.Tilly is desperate to wed her beau, Drew. Terrified that something will happen to prevent them from being together, her fears seem to be coming true when he is called back home to America.For her mother, Olive, this only adds to her worries for Tilly. But she has her own hands full when her friend and neighbour, Sergeant Dawson, gets some terrible news. When Olive lends a hand, she finds herself at the sharp end of some unwelcome gossip.For Dulcie, the war has brought an old flame, David, back into her life. But his terrible injuries have changed his life forever. Can something more develop out of their friendship? And for Agnes, she is about to find out somethingTrade ReviewPraise for Annie Groves: ‘An engrossing story’ My Weekly ‘A stirring and heartrending family saga…Against a backdrop of change when the suffragette movement was coming to the fore, the choices and dreams of a generation of women combine to create this passionate story’ Liverpool Daily Post ‘Heartwrenching and uplifting in equal measure – a tragic indictment of what can happen when you swap passion for duty. Roll on the sequel!’ Take a Break ‘Written from the heart’ My Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first novel in a beautiful, heartbreaking new saga from Paullina Simons, the international bestselling author ofTullyandThe Bronze Horseman.Can true love ever die?Julian lives a charmed life in Los Angeles. Surrounded by friends, he is young, handsome, and runs a successful business. Everything changes after he has a fateful encounter with a mysterious young woman named Josephine. Julian''s world is turned upside down by a love affair that takes himand everyone else in his lifeby storm. For the two new lovers, the City of Angels is transformed into a magical playground.But Josephine is not what she seems and carries secrets that threaten to tear them apartseemingly forever.A broken man, his faith in tatters, Julian meets a mysterious stranger who tells him how to find Josephine again if he is willing to give up everything and take a death-defying trip from which no one has ever returned.So begins Julian and Josephine''s extraordinary adventure of love, loss, and the mystical forcesTrade ReviewPraise for Tully: ‘Pick up this book and prepare to have your emotions wrung so completely you’ll be sobbing your heart out one minute and laughing through your tears the next… Read it and weep – literally’ Company Praise for Tatiana and Alexander: 'This has everything a romance glutton could wish for: a bold, talented and dashing hero, a heart-stopping love affair … It also has – thank goodness – a welcome sense of humour and discernible characters rather than ciphers' Daily Mail

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow much would you sacrifice for true love? The second novel in Paullina Simons'' stunning End of Forever saga continues the heartbreaking story of Julian and Josephine, and a love that spans lifetimes.Julian has travelled from the heights of joy to the depths of despair and back again. Having found his love twice and lost her twice, he is resolved to continue his search and find her in the past again. Perhaps this time he can save her.But the journey is never so simple and Julian will have to decide just how much one man can sacrifice. He is willing to give up everything but he must learn what that truly means, and how much more can be taken from you than you ever believed possible.Trade ReviewPraise for Paullina Simons ‘Pick up this book and prepare to have your emotions wrung so completely you’ll be sobbing your heart out one minute and laughing through your tears the next… Read it and weep – literally’ Company ‘This has everything a romance glutton could wish for: a bold, talented and dashing hero, a heart-stopping love affair! It also has… .a welcome sense of humor…..’ Daily Mail ‘This gorgeous book is much more than a conventional thriller … After finishing the novel, readers will only want one thing: more Paullina Simons.’ (Booklist)

Read more less

Book SynopsisAbsorbing and brilliant Game of Thrones without the dragons' THE TIMESThe third book in Sidebottom's epic series set in third century Rome; a dramatic era of murder, coup, counter-rebellions and civil war.Rome AD238. The Year of the Six Emperors.The empire is in turmoil. With the Gordiani, father and son, dead in Africa, the tyrant Maximinus Thrax vies to reclaim the throne.The Senate, who supported the revolt of the Gordiani, must act quickly to avoid the vengeance of Maximinus. They elect two Senators to share the imperial purple. But fighting erupts in the streets as ambitious men call for violent revolution.Can the new Augusti hold the city together as the empire's farthest territories fight off bloody attacks from the Goths and the Persians in the east?In the north of Italy, Maximinus descends on Aquileia. Against the odds, Menophilus, an old friend of the younger Gordian, prepares to defend the town. In one of the greatest sieges of the empire, its fate will be decided in a fighTrade ReviewPraise for BLOOD & STEEL: ‘Absorbing, rich in detail and brilliant’ THE TIMES Praise for IRON & RUST: ‘An amazing story of bloodlust, ruthless ambition and revenge’THE TIMES Praise for Harry Sidebottom: ‘Sidebottom’s prose blazes with searing scholarship’ THE TIMES ‘Superior fiction, with depth, authenticity and a sense of place’ TLS ‘A storming triumph…wonderful fight scenes, deft literary touches and salty dialogue’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the No. 1 bestselling author of THE AMERICAN BOY comes a brilliant new historical thriller set during the French Revolution. Selected as Historical Novel of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times, and picked as one of Radio 4's Crime Books of the Year.Paris, 1792. Terror reigns as the city writhes in the grip of revolution. The streets run with blood as thousands lose their heads to the guillotine. Edward Savill, working in London as agent for a wealthy American, receives word that his estranged wife Augusta has been killed in France. She leaves behind ten-year-old Charles, who is brought to England to Charnwood Court, a house in the country leased by a group of émigré refugees.Savill is sent to retrieve the boy, though it proves easier to reach Charnwood than to leave. And only when Savill arrives there does he discover that Charles is mute. The boy has witnessed horrors beyond his years, but what terrible secret haunts him so deeply that he is unable to utter a word?Trade ReviewPraise for The Silent Boy: ‘In this taut thriller, Andrew Taylor deftly weaves unobtrusive historical research with a page-turning plot’ The Times, Books of the Year ‘Great tale, great history, great Taylor’ Radio 4, Crime Books of the Year ‘Taylor has not only succeeded in constructing a labyrinthine plot that is gripping to the last page, but he also created an entirely believable child, traumatised but resolute, whose plight is the fuel for true suspense’ Guardian ‘As a writer, Taylor wears his learning lightly and shares with Hilary Mantel the capacity to take the reader directly into a vanished world’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Taylor is a wonder; once again he marries flawlessly integrated historical detail … and a knotty and involving mystery as strong as anything in the historical crime fiction field. I suspect Taylor should start clearing a space next to his current writing trophies’ Financial Times ‘Don’t keep quiet about The Silent Boy. Tell everyone: it’s a really excellent page-turning thriller set in a fascinating period in Anglo-French history’ Robert Goddard ‘Many elements of The Silent Boy bring Dickens … It is utterly gripping, extremely well executed and suspenseful to the last’ Spectator 'Taylor's mastery of plot and character show to great effect in a story that has a depth few other historical crime novels can match' Sunday Times 'I enjoyed this book very much indeed. I found the evocation of late 18th Century England, and the French exiles, effortlessly authentic, the hunt for Charles gripping, and the portrayal and first-person narrative of the helpless, traumatised, yet strong and resourceful little boy moving and believable. An excellent work.' C J Sansom, author of Revelation ‘A gripping and atmospheric thriller – the perfect blend of dark suspense, appealing characters and fascinating history. I loved it!’ Antonia Hodgson, author of The Devil in the Marshalsea

Read more less

Book SynopsisA stunning novel from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE KASHMIR SHAWLLondon 1919Born into a down-at-heel family, Nancy Wix is more than her past dictates more ambitious than the daughter of a faded showman, more original than a woman who will be confined by polite conventions. The end of the Great War has left a stricken London on the brink of an uncertain future, and with their hard-won freedoms now in doubt Nancy and her fellow suffragettes must strive all over again for the right to control their own destinies.At a time when shattered families are struggling to let go of their dead, Nancy discovers she has a gift that offers hope to the loved ones of the lost generation, and a chance encounter reveals a way in which she might use it for her own ends.As Nancy struggles to break free from the rigid bonds of society and find her place in the world, the only thing that could hold her back is her love for an unattainable manTrade Review‘Wonderful…a spellbinding, romantic story’ WOMAN AND HOME ‘Vintage Thomas, with all her trademark richness and depth … The thinking woman’s popular novelist’ SAGA ‘An atmospheric tale of a woman breaking boundaries in early 20th-century London’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘Lush and satisfying … Brimming with magic, love and brilliantly realized characters’ SUNDAY MIRROR ‘Heartfelt, poignant and moving’ LOVEREADING ‘A gorgeous glimpse of the 1920s’ BELLA Praise for THE ILLUSIONISTS: ‘Love, seduction, magic and illusion collide as Rosie Thomas takes us on a spellbinding journey through an extremely shadowy world’ Daily Express ‘A brilliant Gothic mix of glitter and grime and so atmospheric you can almost see the pea-soupers’ Daily Mail ‘Always engaging: a beautifully written novel that will magic you away to the seedy streets of turn-of-the-century London’ Stylist Praise for The Kashmir Shawl: ‘A superbly researched and vivid evocation of wartime Kashmir and Ladakh’ Daily Mail ‘A spellbinding tale. Beautifully written, honest and compassionate…a delight from start to finish’Daily Express ‘An epic tale…A complicated entanglement of family secrets, love during wartime and dangerous liaisons. For fans of Maggie O’Farrell’Red

Read more less

Book SynopsisWorldwide bestselling author Wilbur Smith will take you on an incredible journey on the thrashing seas off the coast of Africa in this glorious return to the series that made him who he is: The Courtney series.East African Coast, 1670.In a time of brave and brutal adventure, one man will journey across land and sea to pursue his greatest enemy The Golden Bough, captained by Henry Hal' Courtney, is running south from Ethiopia to Zanzibar. Below deck, both his crew and his lover, the fearless warrior Judith Nazet, sleep. As the moon glints through clouds, Hal sights a ship passing close by. Although there is an uneasy truce between the warring English and Dutch, Hal scents danger. When the Bough is boarded, the crew must go hand to hand to defend their ship and their lives.But soon Hal will face even graver danger, as he discovers his mortal enemy still lives and is hell-bent on revenge. he must pursue his nemesis across desert savannah, through the seedy underbelly of Zanzibar's slave markets and shark-infested waters, imperilling his own life at every turn. But it will take more than a slave's shackles to hold Hal CourtneyA thrilling blend of extraordinary drama and epic storytelling, Golden Lion sees Wilbur Smith return in triumphant form to the adventures of his beloved and bestselling Courtney family.Trade ReviewPraise for Golden Lion: ‘Golden Lion is vintage Smith’ DAILY MAIL ‘Smith will take you on an exciting, taut and thrilling journey you will never forget’ The Sun ‘Smith tells a fast-paced story with a certain Edwardian flair’ The Times Praise for Wilbur Smith: ‘NO ONE DOES ADVENTURE QUITE LIKE SMITH’ DAILY MIRROR ‘THE WORLD’S LEADING ADVENTURE WRITER’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘WILBUR SMITH IS ONE OF THOSE BENCHMARKS AGAINST WHOM OTHERS ARE COMPARED’ THE TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisBernard Cornwell's brilliant novel, reissued for fans to find out the story behind the stones. This is the tale of three brothers and of their rivalry that created this great temple.One summer's day, a dying stranger carrying great wealth in gold comes to the settlement of Ratharryn.The three sons of Ratharryn's chief each perceive the great gift in a different way. The eldest, Lengar, the warrior, harnesses his murderous ambition to be a ruler and take great power for his tribe. Camaban becomes a great visionary and feared wise man, and it is his vision that will force the youngest brother, Saban, to create the great temple on the green hill where the gods will appear on earth. Saban' s love for Aurenna, the sun bride whose destiny is to die for the gods, finally brings the rivalries of the brothers to a head. But it is also his skills that will build the vast temple, a place for the gods, certainly, but also a place that will confirm for ever the supreme power of the tribe that builtTrade Review‘An epic story told with a master’s skill. Bernard Cornwell now burrows into prehistory to suggest an answer to the puzzle of why and by whom Stonehenge was built. The result is an epic story told with a master’s skill, presenting powerful personalities, high dramas and terrific climaxes with colour and pace.’TLS ‘A fantastic story of intertribal rivalries, Machiavellian scheming by rival sect leaders and fierce battles over talismans’ NEW YORK TIMES

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Kashmir ShawlBorn into an aristocratic family, beautiful Amy Lovell leads a whirlwind life of extravagant parties and debutante balls.But Amy, curious about the world beyond the narrow confines of her class, is ill-suited to a life of indulgence. Eagerly embracing a nursing career, she is drawn into the radical politics of the day.As the spectre of war looms, Amy''s bittersweet love for the proud miner Nick Penry a love which defies the differences between them leads them to the conflict in Spain, where love and pain become inseparable agonies.Trade Review‘Beautifully constructed and written . . . A treat’ Marie Claire ‘Love, seduction, magic and illusion collide as Rosie Thomas takes us on a spellbinding journey through an extremely shadowy world’ Daily Express Praise for The Kashmir Shawl: ‘A superbly researched and vivid evocation of wartime Kashmir and Ladakh’ Daily Mail ‘A spellbinding tale. Beautifully written, honest and compassionate…a delight from start to finish’Daily Express ‘An epic tale…A complicated entanglement of family secrets, love during wartime and dangerous liaisons. For fans of Maggie O’Farrell’Red ‘A superbly written novel, marvellously descriptive and especially evocative of the war years . . . a gorgeous treat’ Choice ‘Thomas’ portrayal of a young wife struggling to cope with life in wartime Kashmir, her husband’s indifference to her and her attraction to a charismatic mountaineer is beautifully written, touching and believable’ The Daily Express

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Written by an anonymous poet between the 8th and 11th centuries, this Old English epic poem follows the story of Beowulf, courageous hero of the Geats in Scandinavia. The King of the Danes has found his hall and his people under attack by a monster known as Grendel, and Beowulf fearlessly offers to defend them. The fearsome warrior defeats Grendel with his bare hands, only to find that Grendel's mother is hot on his heels. Beowulf defeats this second ferocious monster with the skill of his sword, and returns to Geatland, victorious.Fifty years pass, during which Beowulf has become King of the Geats, and his bravery is once more called to task. This time, Beowulf must defeat a clever and vicious dragon, but now in the hopes of defending his own people and land, or risk losing everything.One of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature, Beowulf is the thrilling tale of the eponymous hero in

Read more less

Book SynopsisCall the Midwife meets Dr Barnardo's in this gritty drama that will appeal to fans of Nadine Dorries and Kitty Neale.When there is nowhere else to turn, St Saviour's will give them hopeIt's 1947 and London's East End is still a bombed-out landscape. Sister Beatrice, who runs the St Saviour's Children's Home, knows that life is still a precarious existence for many children and it seems that there is no end to the constant stream of waifs and strays who appear at their door looking for a safe haven.One such arrival is Mary Ellen whose mother is gravely ill. The one silver lining is her best friend, the tearaway Billy Baggins, also a resident of the home, but Billy seems intent on falling foul of Sister Beatrice's strict regime.New arrival on the staff, Angela, admires Sister Beatrice, but can see that the children need love and kindness as well as a strong hand. When an unwelcome face from Billy's past arrives on the scene, things are brought to a head. Can the two women work together tTrade Review.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of The HWA Gold Crown 2020From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood at the time of King Charles II.Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold!A royal scandal In the Court of Charles II, it's a dangerous time to be alive a wrong move may lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a body at the home of one of the highest courtiers in the land could therefore have catastrophic consequences.A shocking murder James Marwood, a traitor's son, is ordered to cover up the killing. But the dead man is known to Marwood as is the most likely culprit, Cat Lovett.The stakes have never been higherMarwood is sure Cat is innocent so determines to discover the true murderer. But time is running out. If he makes a mistake, it could threaten the King himselfPraise for Andrew TaylorOne of the best historical crime writers today' The TimesIf you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary MantelTrade Review‘I loved this! It's a treat to read a book that is so immersive, that pulls the reader into an entirely different world…This is a complex story told with clarity – a masterclass in writing for the genre’ Ann Cleeves, bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope series 'The King’s Evil is an absolute treat from start to finish – a hugely engaging, atmospheric historical thriller with not one but two smart and lovable protagonists. Andrew Taylor is one of our finest storytellers' Antonia Hodgson ‘Taylor, one of the best historical crime writers today, is on great form with this novel. The plot weaves in and out of Restoration politics with seamless grace’ The Times ‘Few historical novelists write with more authority and a greater sense of authenticity than Andrew Taylor’ Sunday Times ‘This is historical crime fiction at its dazzling best’ Guardian ‘Another fine outing from one of the best historical novelists around’ Sunday Times ‘Taylor has a rare knack for conjuring up an authentic historical atmosphere, and his description of a teeming, uncertain London in a state of flux is vivid and compelling’ Observer ‘A novel filled with intrigue, duplicity, scandal and betrayal, whose author now vies with another master of the genre, C. J. Sansom’ Spectator ‘Another rich, sumptuous glory of a novel: perfectly plotted, perfectly peopled, perfectly thrilling and with enough twists to keep a maze-maker happy…I love all of Andrew Taylor’s writing and this is a novelist of consummate skill at the absolute peak of his power’ Manda Scott ‘Glorious’ Sunday Express ‘Taylor’s mantelpiece already groans under awards for his nonpareil historical crime novels, and this latest is as striking as anything he has written’ Financial Times ‘An involving detective tale’ The Sunday Times Praise for Andrew Taylor: ‘If you like C. J. Sansom, or Hilary Mantel, you’ll love Andrew Taylor’ Peter James

Read more less

Book SynopsisSpeak out for the fate of millions or turn a blind eye? We all have choices.Absolutely exceptional. So beautifully written, with precision and wisdom and real emotional acuity A remarkable achievement' STEPHEN KELMAN, author of Pigeon EnglishErfurt, Germany, 1944.Ernst Beck has a new job at prestigious engineering firm, Topf & Sons: finally, he can make a contribution to the war effort, provide for his beautiful wife, Etta, and make his parents proud. But there is a price.He is assigned to the firm's smallest team, the Special Ovens Department. Reporting directly to Berlin his role is to annotate plans for new crematoria that are deliberately designed to burn day and night. Their destination: the concentration camps. Topf's new client: the SS. Ernst must choose between turning a blind eye, or speaking out for the fate of thousands.Bold and powerful, The Draughtsman shines a light on the complex contradictions of human nature and examines how deeply complicit we can become in the face Trade ReviewPraise for THE DRAUGHTSMAN: ‘Absolutely exceptional. So beautifully written, with precision and wisdom and real emotional acuity. The horrors are illuminated and rendered on a human scale by Lautner’s wonderfully gripping narrative, drawing me in to the intimate story of Ernst and Etta, and their very affecting portrayal as individuals caught up in larger events. With outrage and tenderness he describes a moment in time most of us would say we knew too much about already – and sheds new light on it. A remarkable achievement.’ Stephen Kelman, author of PIGEON ENGLISH ‘Gripping from beginning to end, The Draughtsman is a highly accomplished second novel … one of [its] greatest strengths is in offering a human side to the instigators of oppression and suffering, making each character even more complex and fascinating to pore over … Lautner skilfully links history with the present, and offers a beautifully written, painful reminder that history is often bound to repeat itself’ IRISH INDEPENDENT Praise for THE ROAD TO RECKONING: ‘It’s a thrilling, violent, dangerous piece of old-fashioned storytelling that is also humane and unshowily moving’ THE TIMES ‘A compelling read: wise, touching and with just the right amount of gun fights’NATHAN FILER, author of The Shock of the Fall ‘As simply told tales go, this is one of the best. It shares with its hero a plain eloquence and a determination and a grace rare in the world and in books. Give The Road to Reckoning to every man you know and they'll thank you for it’ JOSHUA FERRIS, author of the Man Booker-shortlisted To Rise Again at a Decent Hour ‘This quiet triumph of a novel, a sad and impeccably nuanced tale set against a finely drawn landscape of early pioneer America, left me just amazed and delighted: it will surely establish Robert Lautner as a storyteller of the first order’ SIMON WINCHESTER, author of Atlantic: A Vast Ocean of a Million Stories

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe gripping new bestseller from the nation's favourite storyteller.Are some memories best forgotten?Maureen Bancroft has never learned the art of putting herself first. As a widow with a gentle temperament and humble ways, she's been easy to take advantage of.All that changes when an unexpected windfall comes her way. Determined to make up for lost time, she decides to take a holiday and, needing a companion, looks up her friend, Barbara Hayle.Glamorous, and with a successful career on the stage, Barbara seems to be everything that Maureen is not. But things aren't as they seem, and what starts out as a nostalgic trip between friends, becomes something different altogether. Much has changed in the years since they first met ? now Maureen has something that her friend desperately needs, and Barbara is used to getting exactly what she wants.As their journey takes them down some dark byways, will this be the one friendship that Maureen should have left firmly in the past?Praise for JosepTrade Review Praise for Josephine Cox’s previous novels: 'Thanks to her near faultless writing, sympathies will lurch from one character to another, and as events reach their dramatic conclusion readers will find it impossible to tear themselves away.' News of the World 'Another hit for Josephine Cox' Sunday Express 'Another masterpiece' Best ‘Another beautifully spun family epic' Scottish Daily Echo 'A born storyteller' Bedfordshire Times

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA heartwarming and gripping novel from No. 1Sunday Times bestselling author, Dilly Court.Clara held onto the precious button, glimmering like a jewel in the dark alleyways of London's notorious Seven Dials. She needed to save her family but who was going to save her?There was a time when the Carter sisters' father was their hero. Now he's a drunk who's gambled away everything they had and put them all in peril. It''s on Clara''s shoulders to save the four sisters from destitution. Clutching her precious button box, the only thing of value they have left, Clara dreams of starting a shop that could put a roof over their heads and keep them safeBut in debt to the terrifying Patches Braggs, leader of one of the East End''s roughest gangs, Clara is in fear for her life. When a mysterious benefactor seems to offer an escape, Clara realizes too late that it comes at a terrible priceCheated, abandoned and alone can Clara save her family and hold onto her dreams?Trade ReviewPraise for Dilly Court: ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Dilly Court’s latest novel is another page-turner that will keep you gripped to the end – 5 stars’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisA story of struggle and hardship and one girl's battle for survival from the best-selling author of If You Were the Only Girl and Another Man's Child.Angela McCluskey comes to Birmingham from Ireland with her family as a young girl to escape the terrible poverty in her homeland. But the dream of a better life is dashed as bad fortune dogs the family.When Angela marries her childhood sweetheart, she has hopes of a brighter future, which are dashed when her husband is called up to fight in the Great War. Tragedy strikes and Angela is left to rear her frail daughter on her own, though the worst is yet to come when Angela suffers another terrible misfortune.Pregnant and destitute and already with one mouth to feed that she can ill afford, there is nowhere left to turn. What destiny awaits Angela and her unborn child? Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, will Angela forever be punished for the choices that she makes?Trade ReviewPraise for Anne Bennett: ‘A powerful read that will have you gripped’ Yours ‘Another Man's Child is a fantastic book’librarianlavender.com ‘[Anne Bennett is] blessed with a vivid imagination and a natural aptitude for writing’ Daily Post ‘An affecting story, populated with rich, beautifully drawn characters.’ Choice ‘The beauty of Anne’s books is that they are about normal people and are sewn through with human emotions which affect us all’ Birmingham Post

Read more less

Book SynopsisHeartache and hardship in London's East End, from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny StreetAmy Robinson and her fiance Matthew are struggling to resist the temptations faced by a soon-to-be-wed couple. To avoid these, Matthew throws himself into a new job and she goes to work in an exclusive new dress shop, where she meets Mary Maitland. As her relationship with Matthew deteriorates, Amy becomes increasingly attracted to Mary''s cousin, Paul, and a bitter rivalry ensuesTrade Review.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe brand-new, gripping historical novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lady of Hay!Warmth, depth, mystery, magic and the supernatural such a beautiful book!' bestselling author Santa Montefiore A dazzling roller-coaster of a book that will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural' bestselling author Alison WeirA love story that will echo through the centuriesA couple torn apartThe year is 775AD, and the Saxon King Offa rules with cold ambition. His daughter, Eadburh, destined for an arranged marriage, is devastated when her true love is torn from her. Angry and passionate, she rebels and her defiance may lead to war.A past that will not stay buriedCenturies later, unsettling visions disturb a cottage hidden amongst the Welsh hills, and Bea begins to have haunting nightmares. The past is calling and Eadburh is trying to exact her revenge. As dreams and reality weave closer together, will Bea have the strength to resist the secrets of the Trade Review“Barbara Erskine is an astonishingly good writer. I have always been a massive fan and admirer of her talent. I feel that she has written this book especially for me. It has everything I love, and is so compelling I drop everything to get back to it. Warmth, depth, mystery, magic and the supernatural, I’m just so excited to be engrossed in such a beautiful book!’ bestselling author Santa Montefiore ‘A dazzling roller-coaster of a book that will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural’ bestselling author Alison Weir ‘The story of Eadburh is brilliantly imagined and the novel is so atmospheric and suspenseful, full of myth and magic and hauntings … such vivid and well-rounded characters. Wild Wales and the contrasting ordered life of the Cathedral are beautifully evoked, too’ bestselling author Rachel Hore

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe heartwarming historical novel from Sunday Times bestseller, Dilly CourtIt's Christmas Eve. Flurries of snow fall on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel and an abandoned baby, swaddled in a blanket, is found on a doorstep in Angel Lane . . .Named after the street on which she was found, Angel Winter was blessed to be taken from the harsh streets into a loving home. But fate deals a cruel blow and she's torn from the only family she has ever known, and thrown onto the cobbles of Covent Garden to fend for herself.With winter closing in, Angel scratches a living selling mistletoe to the City gentlemen who pass through the market, hoping they will take pity on her as she shivers in the snow. The only way she can survive is to make her own luck. She will never sell the one treasure that could feed her for a month, the gold and ruby ring that was hidden in her swaddling it could hold the key to the secrets of her past . . .Trade ReviewPraise for The Mistletoe Seller: ‘Wonderfully festive’ The Sun Praise for Dilly Court: ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Dilly Court’s latest novel is another page-turner that will keep you gripped to the end – 5 stars’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe second book in a stunning new series from Sunday Times bestseller, Dilly Court1873. When Carrie Manning's father dies her mother, Esther, is heartbroken. Essie leaves London to convalesce with her good friend Lady Alice, and it is down to Carrie to look after her family and take charge of the shipping company that her father has left behind.But the company is in dire straits, forcing Carrie seek work as a companion to Maria Colville. When Carrie and Maria try to track down Maria's mother, they have no idea of the secrets that they will discover. Secrets that link the Colvilles, the Mannings and figures from the past who return to England.Carrie's journey is as unpredictable as the waters that link the rival shipping companies, but will her determination be enough to preserve the legacy of her family's name?Trade ReviewPraise for Dilly Court: ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Dilly Court’s latest novel is another page-turner that will keep you gripped to the end – 5 stars’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisStanding on London's Victoria docks with the wind biting through her shawl, Rose Munday realises she's been abandoned by her sweetheart. She had risked everything to get to London but, stumbling through the peasoup fog, she has nowhere to go, and no one to turn to.Scared and alone, Rose steps straight into danger, only to be rescued by two women with even less to their names a woman of the night and her young sidekick, Sparrow. With only a cluster of love letters to her name and all hope of her sweetheart's return fading, Rose finds herself forging a new life with her unlikely companions.But when a good deed turns sour, a dangerous enemy threatens to ruin them all. Will Rose be able to save her new friends and her future? If she can, a Christmas gift awaits that will change her life foreverThe third book in the stunning River Maid' series from Sunday Times bestseller, Dilly Court!Trade ReviewPraise for Dilly Court: ‘Feisty female characters to fall in love with in a spirited, adventurous novel’ Sunday Express ‘Dilly Court’s latest novel is another page-turner that will keep you gripped to the end – 5 stars’ The People’s Friend ‘As always Dilly keeps you absorbed right to the end’ Choice ‘A rollicking, fast-paced adventure with a hint of romance!’ My Weekly ‘Spellbinding . . . you just keep turning the pages’ Daily Mail ‘A fast-paced, riveting read’ Sunday Express ‘A heart-warming, fast-paced story that will keep you gripped till the end’ The People’s Friend ‘This rollicking romp of a story moves at breakneck pace and involves street urchins, dangerous criminals and even Egyptian rebels. A suitably gripping end to Dilly Court’s The River Maid trilogy.’ Sunday Express ‘Atmospheric, vivid and compelling’ My Weekly ‘An excellent, well-researched read’ People’s Friend ‘Perfect for Downton Abbey fans … heart-tugging’ Peterborough Telegraph

Read more less

Book SynopsisA heartwarming historical novel set on the Homefront during World War Two. For fans of Kathryn Hughes.Land Girl Connie Carter thought she'd finally left her past behind once and for all when she married Henry Jameson, Helmstead's vicar and the love of her life. Headstrong Connie and mild-mannered Henry might be different as chalk and cheese, but she's determined to be the best wife she can be and prove the village gossips wrong! But Connie doesn't really believe that she belongs in Henry's genteel world of tea-drinking and jam-making, and the cracks are already starting to show.When Connie's heroism makes her front page news, her past comes back to haunt her in a terrifying way. A different kind of war has come to Helmstead, and soon it's a fight for both their marriage and their livesFollow the lives and loves of the Land Girls in this moving saga from the creator and writer of the popular, award-winning BBC dramaTrade ReviewPraise for BBC TV series Land Girls: ‘An evocative recreation of the past’ BBC History Magazine ‘Girl Power!’ TV Choice ‘Charming’ TV Easy ‘A sparkling jewel’ TV Times ‘A real daytime drama treat’ Inside Soap Magazine ‘Classy drama’ TV and Satellite Week ‘Fabulous new drama’ Hot TV

Read more less

Book SynopsisA cosy historical mystery set during the Second World WarI'll come for you, Iris. Mark my words!'When a murder rocks the quiet village of Helmstead, seventeen-year-old Land Girl, Iris Dawson, is determined to prove her friend and local gamekeeper Frank Tucker's innocence. But when she exposes Vernon Storey, the real murderer, her once happy life at Pasture Farm soon becomes a nightmare. Already running from the ghosts of her past back home in Northampton, Iris is now haunted by Vernon, who is out there somewhere and has promised to have his revenge.Iris has never forgiven herself for the tragedy that destroyed her family and how, as a child, she failed her mother, and now the new surrogate family she has at Pasture Farm is fracturing around her. No one believes she is in danger, or that those she loves could also be Vernon's targets in his bid to escape the law, so she must face this battle on her own. A battle that this time, Iris cannot afford to lose, culminating in a desperate raceTrade ReviewPraise for BBC TV series Land Girls: ‘An evocative recreation of the past’ BBC History Magazine ‘Girl Power!’ TV Choice ‘Charming’ TV Easy ‘A sparkling jewel’ TV Times ‘A real daytime drama treat’ Inside Soap Magazine ‘Classy drama’ TV and Satellite Week ‘Fabulous new drama’ Hot TV

Read more less

Book SynopsisSuperb radically new and beautiful' ObserverMagical and evocative' Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid and Mrs. HancockHeartachingly poignant' Lucy Holland, author of SistersongAn ancient tapestry of legend brilliantly rewoven' Francis Spufford, author of Light PerpetualThe new novel from the Costa-Award winning author of In The Days of Rain.AD 500. An island in the Thames.Isla has a secret: she has learned her father's sophisticated sword-making skills at a time when even entering a forge is forbidden to women. Her sister, Blue, has a secret, too: at low tide on the night of each new moon, she visits the bones of the mud woman, drowned by the elders of her tribe who wanted to make a lesson of someone who wouldn't hold her tongue.When the local Seax overlord discovers Isla''s secret there is nowhere for the sisters to hide, except across the water to the walled ghost city, Londinium. Here Blue and Isla find sanctuary in an underworld community of squatters, emigrants, travellerTrade Review ‘Superb … This is a book that seeks to do for British myth what Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller have done so brilliantly for classical literature: uncovering stories of feminine power that have been occluded by the male hand of history’ Observer ‘Gripping … puts a female perspective right at the centre of a time period usually dominated by men’s stories’ Independent ‘Female defiance blazes through as Stott’s women reclaim this brutal period…this novel will make you appreciative of the revelatory historical treasures beneath our feet’ Telegraph ‘An eloquent and heartachingly poignant story of sisterhood that echoes across the centuries. Evocative and richly mythic, Dark Earth pays homage to the quiet triumph of women working together to build a better world. A truly beautiful book’ Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong ‘A thrilling exploration of human kindness, ingenuity and cruelty, told through a tale of ancient London at one of its iconic points of destruction and rebirth’ Alice Albinia, author of Cwen ‘A magical and evocative book … Dark Earth delights, transports, chills and charms’ Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock ‘An ancient tapestry of legend brilliantly rewoven: hope, courage, men’s violence and women’s magic in an age of ruins and new beginnings’ Francis Spufford, author of Light Perpetual ‘Skilfully imagines a past world in which women must use everything they have – kinship, secrets, spells and above all the power of stories – to survive the blood feuds and land grabs of national-building tyrants’ Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory ‘This novel pulses with the energy of a brave new world, a world as beautiful as it is dangerous, where a belief in myth and magic can save your life’ Katherine J. Chen, author of Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc

Read more less