Narrative theme: love / relationships

Book SynopsisHere is a collection of sexy, brief, fleeting poems about love, lust and longing. They originate from a time in Japanese history where aristocratic women of the Heian court were free to marry and conduct love affairs according to their desires. Education and refinement were so highly valued that the courtly manner of expressing oneself, whether to give condolences for a death, to send back a forgotten fan, or to heighten the anticipation of a lover's visit, was with a poem of just five lines. A convention of secrecy surrounding love affairs fills these verses with palpable emotion.These vivid and erotic poems express love in all its forms, and do so with amazing economy of words, unforgettable imagery and breath-taking modernity.INTRODUCED BY NIKITA GILL'They are full of dreams, of autumns, of lovers known or not yet met, of desire, wonderment, loneliness' Irish Times Translated by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani, this is an edition that brings the story of the poems to life with a detailed introduction and notes on the translation.Trade ReviewThese poems take us to the back corridors of Heian Period life and reveal the sexual intrigues that so often occurred under the cover of darkness... the seductive, free-spirited erotic environment unfolds through these sensuous poems * Japan Times *A thousand years later we can read poems that remain absolutely accurate and moving descriptions of our most common and central experiences: love and loss, their reflection in the loveliness and evanescence of the natural world, and the effort to understand better the nature of being -- Jane Hirschfield

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Book SynopsisEVERYONE THINKS MALA IS A MURDERER'A Caribbean classic' Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch-------Everyone in Paradise thinks Mala Ramchandin is a murderer. But with no body, no evidence and no witnesses, Mala is sent to an Alms House as a madwoman instead of prison. Here she meets Tyler, the only openly queer person on the island of Lantanacamara with whom she feels an affinity as an outsider. Despite Mala's muteness, she manages to communicate with Tyler about her missing sister, Asha.This is Mala's story, and an appeal to find Asha, told in Tyler's words. He dives deeply into Mala's family history, uncovering years of trauma passed down through generations and - staggeringly, beautifully - the love that has survived through it all.With an introduction by Ingrid Persaud.'Visceral, sensual and heartbreakingly tender' Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of When We Were Birds'A story of magical power' Alice Munro, author of Dear Life'Will remind many readers of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things' Kirkus'Clearly ahead of its time' BooksellerFINALIST FOR THE GILLER PRIZEFINALIST FOR THE ETHEL WILSON FICTION PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZETrade Review'A novel about otherness, queerness, and hidden domestic crimes, Shani Mootoo was writing well ahead of her peers around taboo subjects. Cereus Blooms at Night is of Trinidad's finest novels, a portrait of how things really are on an island where there's been so much past hurt. A Caribbean classic' -- Monique Roffey * author of THE MERMAID OF BLACK CONCH *'Visceral, sensual and heartbreakingly tender, Cereus Blooms at Night is that rare book which is not only critically acclaimed but has the devoted following of a cult classic. A generation of us in the Caribbean have held it close and pressed it into the hands and hearts of fellow readers knowing that it may never be returned, so strong was our desire to have others share in its wonder. It changed me, utterly, the first time I read it and there have been echoes of Mala Ramchandin and her teeming, crumbling house in everything I have written or tried to write since' -- Ayanna Lloyd Banwo * author of WHEN WE WERE BIRDS *'A story of magical power' -- Alice Munro * author of DEAR LIFE *'Vigorously inventive prose... The sinuous unwinding of Mootoo's clever plot will remind many readers of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things' * Kirkus *'My first experience of reading this novel was at university. Revisiting it, the novel was clearly ahead of its time, dealing with the complex issues of racial identity, diaspora, colonialism, desire and trauma' * Bookseller *

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Book Synopsis'Alison is a haunting book, complex and intimate. Lizzy Stewart has written and drawn the aches and confusions of love and growing up with immense skill' Posy Simmonds Alison is newly married, barely twenty and struggling to find her place in the world. A chance encounter with an older artist upturns her life and she forsakes convention and her working-class Dorset roots for the thrumming art scene of London in the late seventies. As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path - through art, friendship and love.Trade ReviewSubtle and deliciously complicated -- Tessa HadleyA delicious portrait of 80s and 90s London and a more universal tale of a working-class young woman making a life in a world that has not been designed for the likes of her. For all its effortlessness [...] Alison ends up carrying a great emotional heft. It's a lovely book, and I cried at the end. * Guardian *Every page is a marvel; I absolutely loved it to death -- Jenny ColganAlison is a haunting book, complex and intimate. Lizzy Stewart has written and drawn the aches and confusions of love and growing up with immense skill -- Posy SimmondsNuanced, lovely, and very real, Alison haunted me for days and left me wanting to give it to everyone I know -- Jessie Greengrass, author of The High HouseI totally loved Alison. It's the story of the life of an artist told with subtlety and truth. It made me cry and I immediately wanted to share it with female friends -- Amy LiptrotSad and sweet and joyful and hopeful. -- Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled GroundA genius graphic novel (but lots of words) about a young woman from Dorset who leaves her life to be with a much older famous artist in London. It's also brilliant on relationships, creativity and friendship (and the art world) -- India KnightHer compassionate depictions of women alone, women together, will undoubtedly find welcoming audiences * Shelf Awareness *Her every page looks exquisite, which is entirely fitting, given that this is a book about an artist. Alison is Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden - and really, what higher praise could there be? * Observer *A vivid and moving book about friendship, art and making hard choices to stay on a creative path -- Sinéad Gleeson, author of ConstellationsAlison absorbed, delighted and moved me with its quiet truthfulness. No shouting, no hatred, no bitterness-just a patient, determined tackling of the eternal question: how can a woman artist fight her way out of the back seat and get behind the wheel? -- Helen GarnerLizzy's work is beautifully executed with an eye for composition, colour and fine detail * It's Nice That *This book is a testament to the right to choose your own life. It is a tender, heartbreaking meditation on the bonds between women, the dazzle of the city, the struggle to become a female artist within the bounds of patriarchy, and the desire to make a mark on the world. It made me long for my friends; the dreams we have shared over the years and the ways in which they make the world feel possible. I want to give a copy to everyone I love. -- Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater and Milk TeethA captivating new graphic novel that could have been dreamt up by Edna O'Brien and Judith Kerr of The Tiger Who Came To Tea fame, had they ever collaborated. * The Gloss Ireland *What is it like to be a muse who is also an artist? Lizzie Stewart's Alison is a tender and powerfully precise work about class, gender, patriarchy and race in the art world of the late 20th century. And, like Alison's own paintings, its clear perspective on the wrongs of this world never overshadows its generous capacities for beauty, love and joy -- Joanna Walsh, author of Girl OnlineEvery now and again a book comes along that is such a bright joy, so true, so beautiful and moving. Alison is one of those books. I loved it -- Jessie Burton, author of The MiniaturistBeautiful ... A coming-of-age tale with stunning artwork that will resonate with women everywhere * Red *Alison's various relationships, which are few but complex, are beautifully drawn - both figuratively and literally - especially a friendship she strikes up with a female sculptor. And the author skilfully manages to tease out all the nuances of a life in a tale that, despite being as old as the hills, manages to feel fresh and relevant * the Crack *A beautiful depiction of life as an artist, of the movements of love and time. I absolutely loved it. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start FromStewart does a wonderful job * Buzz Mag *Alison is a marvel. A compassionate story of art, friendship, agency and desire, beautifully told through pictures and prose -- Chloë AshbyA highlight ... subtle and sympathetic * Daily Telegraph *Stewart's artwork is sensuous, lush and gorgeously textured. The best-looking book of the year * Herald *Praise for It's Not What You Thought It Would Be: 'This brilliant debut collection explores the intensity of teenage ennui and female friendship, with a deft feel for its slights and tensions -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian *Mournful, lovely ... Stewart's dynamic, warm, flowing art invites the reader in * The New York Times *A quietly powerful book, and Stewart's well chosen and often witty dialogue goes straight to the heart. Her artwork is filmic and beautiful -- Isabel Greenberg, author of Glass Town

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Ambitious and beautifully crafted' THE TIMES'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMESAmidst the letters of the alphabet, a life reveals itself. Flashing backwards and forwards through time, we meet Pietro Russell. As a photographer in Sri Lanka, a schoolboy in Fulham and even before he was born to his wounded English father and young Italian mother. The extraordinary moments of Pietro's life are navigated with unique imagination, giving the reader a chance to view a life from a new and moving vantage point.A Fool's Alphabet is a novel of true invention from a master storyteller that sees life in all of its compelling, poignant glory.Trade Review“A Fool’s Alphabet is a poignant and highly readable novel that runs the gamut of experience from well, from A to Z.”–Herald“Sebastian Faulks’s third and most magnificent novel is a feel-good experience from cover to cover. At a time when writers seem obliged to present the seedy or the wicked as reflections of the dirty, real world, we have here something that goes deeper than greed and explores our emotional rather than material being.”–Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisAn exquisite depiction of a doomed love affair, set in noirish 1950s New York In a hotel bar, a disenchanted writer tells a beautiful stranger the story of his latest doomed love affair. Sipping cocktails, the man reveals how he became transfixed by a lonely divorcée living in a cluttered apartment across the city. When they first met, he had been aloof, uncommitted. But this changed irrevocably when a millionaire waltzed into his lover's life, offering her a thousand dollars to spend the night. With betrayal lurking in the shadows and proclamations of feeling arriving too late, In Love is an exquisite examination of heartbreak set in 1950s New York.Trade Review'A little masterpiece' - Elizabeth Bowen'Moving and convincing ... a lyrical, intelligent book' - Guardian'My favorite of the Hayes novels... I have read and reread this small book as though it were a poem rather than a fiction: not a description of experience but the thing itself' - Vivian Gornick'A small masterpiece ... Compelling and flawless ... A gem' - Frederic Raphael'Hayes has done for bruised men what Jean Rhys does for bruised women, and they both write heartbreakingly beautiful sentences' - Paul Bailey

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDWhen is it wise to be a fool for something? From New York to India to Paris, from the Catholic Worker movement to Occupy Wall Street, the characters in Joan Silber's dazzling connected stories tackle this question head-on.Vera, the shy, anarchist daughter of missionary parents, leaves her family for love and activism in New York. A generation later, her doubting daughter insists on the truth of being of two minds, even in marriage. The adulterous son of a Florida hotel owner steals money from his family and departs for Paris, where he finds himself outsmarted in turn. Fools ponders the circle of winners and losers, dupers and duped, and the price we pay for our beliefs, offering readers an unforgettable look at work, faith, love and the eternal quest for personal integrity.Trade ReviewStructurally, the intricacy is skillful; emotionally, it's astounding...Beautiful, intricate and wise * New York Times Book Review *Excellent . . . the pleasure of Ms. Silber's overlapping tales is that in all of them characters do something to surprise you. * Wall Street Journal *Silber deftly constructs whole, fully realized lives in just a few pages, and her use of first-person narratives gives these stories an intimate, confessional feeling, as if you've struck up a conversation with a particularly talkative stranger. * Boston Globe *Astonishing for its range, for its sweeping sense of time and place, and most especially for its deep insight into the way small choices can circle out to shape lives, and even human history. This is a beautiful book and an important literary achievement. -- Dan ChaonJoan Silber's stories charm us. And amuse us. And engage us. And move us. And even enlighten us. Fools embraces us all. -- Amy BloomJoan Silber's stories are like compressed novels. They are interlocking tales that fill in the history of revolutionary politics in the twentieth century. -- Edmund WhiteFools consists of cunningly, surprisingly interlinked short stories, which in this case wind their way through the last American century - in particular, the last one hundred years of belief, commitment, monogamy, integrity, all the things that complicate our lives and take us out of ourselves..."You don't know what you're going to be faithful to in the world, do you?" asks the narrator of "Two Opinions" plaintively, and Silber's characters illustrate this unpredictability with a whole range of dilemmas, all of them carefully and intricately imagined. Silber, I can tell, is never going to let me down, and I will keep a copy of one of her books, one I haven't yet read, on a special emergency get-out-of-book-jail-free shelf. -- Nick Hornby * The Believer *

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Book SynopsisThis Side of Paradise charts the life of Amory Blaine, an ambitious young man loosely based on Fitzgerald himself, as he moves from his well-heeled Midwest home to study at Princeton and then starts frequenting the circles of high society as an aspiring writer. Experiencing failure and frustration in love and in his career, Blaine finds his youthful enthusiasm gradually giving way to disillusionment, cynicism and a life of dissolution. A critical account of its own era, introducing many themes which would be developed in later works, Fitzgerald’s first novel was an instant critical and commercial success, propelling him into the limelight as a literary celebrity.Trade ReviewHe was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a generation. * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisWhen the world-weary dandy Eugene Onegin moves from St Petersburg to take up residence in the country estate he has inherited, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with his neighbour, the poet Vladimir Lensky. Coldly rejecting the amorous advances of Tatyana and cynically courting her sister Olga – Lensky’s fiancée – Onegin finds himself dragged into a tragedy of his own making. Eugene Onegin – presented here in a sparkling translation by Roger Clarke, along with extensive notes and commentary – was the founding text of modern Russian literature, marking a clean break from the high-flown classical style of its predecessors and introducing the quintessentially Russian hero and heroine, which would remain the archetypes for novelists throughout the nineteenth century.Trade ReviewPushkin’s novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, is the book that has most influenced my life. -- Vikram Seth

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Book SynopsisMark Twain's gloriously funny Diary of Adam and Eve, which John Updike described as a paradigm of the relations between sexes, is presented here with a number of other Twain pieces on our two oldest ancestors, showing the writer's interest in this most famous episode of the Bible. By giving a voice to Adam and Eve, and by hitting all the notes on the literary scale - from the intimate to the comical, from the journalistic to the idyllic - Twain displays the brilliance and wit for which he is rightly considered one of the greatest satirists of all time.Trade ReviewThe father of American literature. -- William Faulkner

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Book SynopsisThere are many anthologies of love poems but friendship has proved a more elusive theme. Yet it is no less important. Like the Everyman Love Poems and Erotic Poems, to which it is a companion, the present selection draws on the literature of many periods and languages to illuminate aspects of friendship, ranging from social acquaintance through personal devotion to estrangement and antipathy. The tone ranges from comic to elegiac and there is certainly something here for everyone. The volume is divided thmatically into sections: What are Friends?; The Pleasure of Friendship; Good Neibours; Social Life; Dumb Chums; Portraits; Poets Together; Strangers; Absent Friends and Looking BackTable of ContentsWhat are friends?;the pleasures of friendship; good neighbours; social life; dumb chums; portraits; poets together; strangers; absent friends; looking back.

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Book SynopsisDream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé. A year in a gorgeous Italian castleWhen Anna Roberts' life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can't do it aloneWith the last man on earth she'd choose!The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake's had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn't exist is quickly proving impossible!Readers are loving Anna and Jake's romance:I see fake dating, I see Italy, I readIt felt like the author had gone into my brain and pretty much wrote the romantic comedy of my dreams' Trade Review Readers can’t get enough of The New Guy: ‘Seriously love this twist on an office romance’ Christina Parker, Netgalley ‘Their chemistry was off the charts’Mad Mom Life ‘Better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read!’ Jennifer Arnold, Netgalley ‘Reads like the perfect rom-com movie’ Sinead, Librarian ‘Very sexy and very sweet’ Morgan Shulman, Goodreads ‘Warmed my heart and read like a movie…What a beautiful sweet surprise this was’ Kelsey Peterson, Goodreads ‘You have yourself a page turning, don’t want it to end story, in essence an absolutely cracking read!’ Margaret Harris, Netgalley ‘A gorgeously sweet romance!’ From Rachael Claire ‘It's got laugh out loud moments, heart wrenching moments but most important that feel good factor’ Chantiece Bates, Goodreads

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Book SynopsisDespite living in an actual castle, happily ever after is evading Margaret Maggie' Moore.From her bedroom in the Tower of London, twenty-six-year-old Maggie has always dreamed of her own fairy-tale ending.Yet this is twenty-first century London, so instead of knights on white horses, she has catfish on Tinder. And with her last relationship ending in spectacular fashion, she swears off men for good.And then a chance encounter with Royal Guard Freddie forces Maggie to admit that she isn't ready to give up on love just yet But how do you catch the attention of someone who is trained to ignore all distractions?Can she snare that true love's first kiss or is she royally screwed?Love is in the heir in this royally good rom com perfect for anyone who likes relatable heroines (with great hair), hot and aloof book boyfriends (with great hats), near misses, almost kisses and a corgi or two.Readers are loving Falling Hard for the Royal Guard:As light and airy as meringue' Entertainment WeeklyA Trade ReviewReaders can’t put down FALLING HARD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD! ‘As light and airy as meringue.’ Entertainment Weekly ‘A towering love story.’ Daily Express ‘Readers will be charmed.’ Publishers Weekly ‘A novel that you’ll pick up for the promise of a very British romance story in a very unique setting, but will keep reading for the wonderful characters, sweet slow-burn relationship and Maggie’s heartwarming personal journey.’ Culture Fly ‘A perfect royal rom com.’ Bella ‘It’s fair to say I was captivated with this one… A great storyline, superb setting and a cheeky lead… Royally brilliant. I stand and salute this read.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I really loved this story and how much fun it was… The characters are great and the story was just spot on!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A great cast of characters… I read it in a day. Really enjoyed it!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I believe this author is new – you would never know this by reading the book. This has to be one of the best books I’ve read this year! Maggie was a phenomenal main character… Freddie was swoonworthy… I absolutely loved the facts woven into this story! Five stars!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I highly recommend Falling Hard for the Royal Guard. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and then you’ll swoon! For me, this is one of those books that you feel happy and glad to have discovered.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved the history of this book… Freddie and Maggie’s relationship gave me the warm fuzzies.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A brilliant debut! Completely unique… Great MC and perfect love interest.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This books was SOOO good!!! I loved the setting… the trials and tribulations of tinder dates was relatable and Freddie was just so charming!’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisA sad, beautiful novel, The Body Artist is an elliptical meditation on the mysteries of love, life and time.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *A novel that is both slight and profound, a distilled meditation on perception and loss, and a poised, individual ghost story for the twenty-first century. * Observer *A masterly portrait of the impact of death on those who live. * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 GORDON BURN PRIZE 'A page-turning blast.' Times 'Genuinely affecting … a very funny book.' Guardian 'Burstingly alive and engaging.' Telegraph FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOKER PRIZE-SHORTLISTED HIS BLOODY PROJECT. 'I have decided to write down everything that happens, because I feel, I suppose, I may be putting myself in danger.' London, 1965. An unworldly young woman suspects charismatic psychotherapist Collins Braithwaite of involvement in a death in her family. Determined to find out more, she becomes a client of his under a false identity. But she soon finds herself drawn into a world in which she can no longer be certain of anything. In Case Study, Graeme Macrae Burnet presents both sides: the woman’s notes and the life of Collins Braithwaite. The result is a dazzling, page-turning and wickedly humorous meditation on the nature of sanity, identity and truth itself, by one of the most inventive novelists writing today.Trade Review'Enormous fun … a mystery and a psychological drama wrapped up in one. Case Study is a triumph.' -- Alex Preston * Observer *'Brilliant, bamboozling … Burnet captures his characters’ voices so brilliantly that what might have been just an intellectual game feels burstingly alive and engaging.' -- Jake Kerridge * Telegraph *“Sinister and cleverly done … punctures the myth-making of the period.” -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Mail *“What’s real and what’s not is beside the point in this skilful portrait of a disturbed woman and her encounters with an experimental 1960s psychotherapist … Both strands quickly become compelling … I was hooked like a fish.” -- Leyla Sanai * Spectator *'A thrilling investigation into the nature of sanity and identity' -- Alice O'Keefe * Bookseller *“Poses questions about the nature of the self and the authenticity of identity … fine comic passages … shed[s] light on the dark places of the mind … He is an uncommonly interesting and satisfying novelist.” -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *“Undoubtedly one of the best books of the year.” -- Alistair Braidwood * Scots Whay Hae *'A masterclass of diversion … blurring the lines of fiction and reality … serious and witty at once … an enthralling read.' -- Heather McDaid * The Skinny *'A novel of mind-bending brilliance. Graeme Macrae Burnet is a master of muddying the waters, of troubling ideas of truth and identity, fiction and documentary, and Case Study shows him at the height of his powers' * Hannah Kent *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPreloved is one for your keeper shelves. * Red *An absolute gem of a novel, like finding vintage Dior in your local chazza. It's hard to believe that this tender-hearted, wryly observed and exquisitely written story is a debut and its heroine Gwen, as lost as the unwanted donations she prices up, will resonate with so many readers. Preloved is one for your keeper shelves. -- Sarra ManningI think I’ve been waiting for a novel like Preloved for my whole reading life. This is a luscious, shimmering book of depth and delicacy. It’s sad, hilarious, sad, tender, brutal, brilliantly observed – there is a sense of magic on every page. -- Daisy Buchanan, author of InsatiablePreloved is full of sharp observations on life, loss, regret and self-preservation... spilling over with wit and hope. Cleverly interwoven with stories of the myriad reasons items find their way into charity shops, the joy, friendship and ultimate enlightenment Gwen discovers offers a quirky and poignant reminder that one person's trash is always somebody else's treasure. -- Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing about Norman ForemanPreloved has taken up residence in my heart and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. It's completely enchanting, completely captivating, completely brilliant, I adored everything about it. It has so much heart and warmth, while Gwen is so well-written and relatable. I was already a fan of Lauren Bravo's writing, and now I'm officially obsessed. -- Lucy VineLaugh-out-loud funny but also poignant and tender, Preloved is an absorbingly special debut novel. I devoured in equal measure the delicious descriptions of food and the moving vignettes of preloved treasures peppered throughout the book, while the nineties and noughties nostalgia had me gasping with pleasure. -- Laura Price, author of Single Bald FemaleFull of relatable anecdotes, lively, funny and modern, Preloved is a moving tale of emancipation and friendship. I loved it! -- Margaux Vialleron, author of The Yellow KitchenBeautifully considered and wonderfully crafted with characters who feel true to life. Full of witty observations and dazzling retorts and withering reactions… it won’t disappoint. -- Justin Myers/The GuylinerPreloved is a beautiful, funny novel full of pitch perfect insight and detail. In a world of fast fashion, fast friendships and fast opinion, this is a refreshing and relatable alternative, celebrating and challenging our ideas about objects and ownership. For anyone (like me) who has ever stood behind the counter of a charity shop, it will spark particular joy. Political, delightful and very very funny. -- Nell Frizzell‘While all Gwen’s friends are “procreating in the countryside”, she is single, lonely and now, jobless. So she begins anew in the place where all things get a second chance: a charity shop. Preloved is a funny and touching read.’ -- The I, best April books‘When Gwen is made redundant she volunteers at a charity shop, where encountering objects that come with incredible stories changes her life. Poignant and funny’ -- BestA hot water bottle of a novel – in that it’s best enjoyed on the sofa when you’re in need of something warming and comforting -- StylistOptimistic and engaging… intimate and joyful… We’re waiting for Preloved to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon or at least adapted into a binge-worthy Netflix series… -- GlamourA love letter to charity shops and the treasures within, this is a tale that will warm your heart. -- My WeeklyGenerous, hopeful, and big-hearted, Preloved’s warm sweetness is perfectly balanced by sharp observation, and a deeply moving exploration of grief. A glorious find of a book; one worth holding onto -- Kate Young

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Book SynopsisThe Orphanage Girls come back together in The Orphanage Girls Reunited, the second installment of a moving wartime saga set in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Jam Factory Girls, Mary Wood.EllenAbandoned by her father for the second time, left scarred from the orphanage, Ellen finally finds happiness and hope – reunited with her long-lost gran. But it cannot compensate for being torn apart from her beloved friends Ruth and Amy. When a devastating encounter leaves Ellen broken and desperate, she is forced to fight her past demons.Ruth Ruth has found peace, building a new life as an actress and surrounded by new friends. But still she longs to be with Ellen and Amy, after everything they endured together in the orphanage. Amy was shipped to Canada with hundreds of other orphans – what hope have they of finding her?One wish comes true when Ruth’s acting career leads her to Ellen. No sooner than has the dust settled, war is on the horizon. Friendship locked them into each other’s her hearts forever.Will they find Amy? Can the Orphanage Girls ever unite?Trade ReviewWood is a born storyteller * Lancashire Evening Post *

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Book SynopsisA mother and son inhabit an isolated and increasingly dangerous private world.The third and final installment of Ariana Harwicz's "Involuntary Trilogy" finds us on familiar, disquieting ground. Under the spell of a mother’s madness, the French countryside transforms into a dreamscape of interconnected imagery: animals, desire, the functions of the body. Most troublingly: the comfort of a teenage son. Scorning the bourgeois mores and conventionality of their small town, she withdraws him from school and the two embark on ever more antisocial and dangerous behavior. Harwicz is at her best here, building an interior world so robust, and so grotesque, that it eclipses our shared reality. Savage, and savagely funny, she leaves us singed, if not scorched.Trade Review"As ever, Harwicz both impresses and repels with her blistering descriptions of the extremes of human behavior." —Publishers Weekly"It is hard to match this, or any of the books in this trilogy, for sheer searing memorability." —Irish Times"Disturbingly brilliant – and brilliantly disturbing – Tender is a satiating end to Harwicz’s unconventional collection." —The Wee Review**********Praise for Ariana HarwiczUncomfortable and fascinating, Harwicz drags us on a turbulent voyage of self-discovery via the characters’ analysis of their own past and present. VANITY FAIR (UK)Man Booker International Prize (Longlist)Society of Authors Valle-Inclán Prize (Shortlist)Best Translated Book Award (Finalist)Internationaler Literaturpreis (Shortlist)Republic of Consciousness Prize (Shortlist)"A touch of David Lynch." —The Guardian"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"The over-all effect is exacting…. And yet “Die, My Love” isn’t truly beholden to plot. The thrill is in the human as animal, and even as parasite." —The New Yorker"Die, My Love is impressive for the force of the narrator’s insatiable rage, which fragments the boundaries of the self. [Anne Enright]" —New York Review of Books"Unrestrained and unadorned, Harwicz’s writing has a wild beauty.... A portrait of motherhood, passion, and mental illness that cuts to the bone." —Kirkus"We are used to female narrators who occupy one of several familiar niches: blandly ‘likeable’, ‘flawed’, or pathological; murderers or abusers who are profiled with just enough sympathy to make us feel humane as we judge them. Harwicz takes us somewhere more profound and forces us to confront the thought that these easy fictional ‘explanations’ are specious. Lurking inside all of us is the potential for horror."" —Hari Kunzru , author of THE IMPRESSIONIST and GODS WITHOUT MEN"The prose of Ariana Harwicz embarks on a vertiginous linguistic journey that joyfully shreds all vestiges of common sense."" —María Sonia Cristoff , author of FALSE CALM**********"Dangerously addictive." —The Guardian"A precise, intense, ruthless mosaic that demands we read carefully, never quickly." —Literary Hub"Celebrating lust and bolshiness with an intensity worthy of Clarice Lispector." —The Times Literary Supplement"Harwicz succeeds in luring the reader into the darker aspects of the human mind." —Publishers Weekly"Ariana Harwicz is the real deal, the very definition of an artist."" —Adam Biles , author of FEEDING TIME"Ariana Harwicz is wet respite from deathless, sexless, bloodless art. "" —Melissa Broder , author of THE PISCES and SO SAD TODAY"Ariana Harwicz is an intensely passionate and fearless writer whose irresistible prose deserves to be read far and wide."" —Claire-Louise Bennett , author of POND"A kick up the arse to the literary novel. Feebleminded disassembles form, sensibility, everything... at once a riot (a revolution!) and a headtrip."" —Joanna Walsh , author of VERTIGO and BREAK.UP"Harwicz achieves an asphyxiating writing, saturated with images of great beauty despite their disturbing character." —El País"The acoustic quality of her prose, the pulse of her voice, the intensity of her imagery make her subjects so daring, so relentless, so damned and unconventional - very hard to drop or ever to forget."" —Lina Meruane , author of FALSE CALM"Unrelenting and unforgettable, the Argentine author’s latest novel is a breathtaking, hectic ride, as well as a strangely exhilarating story that confirms her as one of the most formidable writers at work today." —Jeremy Garber, Powell's BookshopGlobetrotting: Your sneak preview of books in translation —New York Times"This is a novel whose characters’s conflicts spill out of the page and into the prose used to tell their story, making for a searing read." —Volume 1 Brooklyn"Feebleminded is a nuclear bomb of recent literature from Argentina, a book of exceptional power with febrile characters." —Pagina/12**********

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Book SynopsisOn his way back to Russia after some years spent in the West, Grigory Mikhailovich Litvinov, the son of a retired official of merchant stock, stops over in Baden-Baden to meet his fiancee Tatyana. However, a chance encounter with his old flame, the manipulative Irina - now married to a general and a prominent figure in aristocratic expatriate circles - unearths feelings buried deep inside the young man's heart, derailing his plans for the future and throwing his life into turmoil.Trade ReviewTurgenev to me is the greatest writer there ever was. -- Ernest Hemingway

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Book SynopsisThe sizzling historical romance perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Jilly Cooper''A page-turner that swept me off fairytale-style and kept up the enchantment right through to the end'' 5* READER REVIEW''Swooningly romantic! From the moment I picked it up, I was hooked'' 5* READER REVIEW''No one writes historical romance like Mimi Mathews. I just can''t get enough'' 5* READER REVIEWA marriage of convenience. An unlikely couple. Sparks will fly in the English countryside . . .__________Captain Jasper Blunt requires a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.Julia finds navigating London''s high society torture. So she decides to swap the ballrooms for the countryside - she''ll marry the Captain. In exchange for her dowry and her hand, the Captain must promise to grant her freedom. This is to be no marriage of love, and Trade ReviewMimi Matthews never disappoints, with richly drawn characters and couples whose individual shortcomings become strengths, when paired together. In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, we get to root for two underdogs who get to rewrite their own stories * Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here *Shiveringly Gothic...Watching Julia blossom away from prying eyes is almost as satisfying as seeing Jasper Blunt pine for her from nearly the first page...For best effect, save this one for a windy night when trees scrape against the windowpanes * New York Times Book Review *The Belle of Belgrave Square is such tremendous good fun: a heroine with a big horse, an even bigger novel-reading habit, and a hidden anxiety; a hero with a crumbling estate, a trio of wary children, and a literary secret-what's not to love? Mimi Matthews paints Victorian England with vivid humor, and her Belles of London is set to go on for at least a few more much-anticipated installments. Julian Fellowes fans will rejoice! * Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye *Mimi Matthews just doesn't miss. The Belle of Belgrave Square is exquisite; a romance that delivers the perfect balance of passion, tension, and tender moments * Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author *This story unfolds like a rose blooming, growing more and more beautiful as each delicate layer is revealed. A tender, luminous romance. I loved it more and more with every chapter! * Caroline Linden, USA Today bestselling author *Absolutely enthralling: an endearing, novel-reading heroine who's in dire danger; a swoon-worthy war hero with a scandalous past; and secrets, lots of secrets. Mimi Matthews's The Belle of Belgrave Square is a thrilling, emotion-packed read from start to finish. I loved it! * Syrie James, USA Today bestselling author *[C]ombines deception, risk, and a resourceful heroine to create an intoxicating, suspenseful romance. Highly recommended * Library Journal (starred review) *A grand cross-class romance, a twisty mystery, and emotional internal struggles combine to excellent effect...fans and new readers alike will root for this well-earned love story * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *

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Book SynopsisWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR'If you buy one literary novel this year, make sure it's this' THE TIMES'The Romantics looks to Flaubert's Sentimental Education, to E.M. Forster, to Turgenev. But it is the product of a distinctive and sharp intelligence' HILARY MANTEL 'Grips the reader as artfully and as compellingly as the first page of A Passage to India' THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKSWINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ART SEIDENBAUM AWARD FOR FIRST FICTION1989. In the holy city of Varanasi, 19-year-old Samar rents a room to avoid a small-town job and lose himself in reading about worlds outside of India. But when he is thrust into local a circle of privileged European and American expats, led by the charismatic Miss West, Samar will soon face his own silent desires and crumbling beliefs.'A work of art' Financial Times'A supernova' The Washington Post'A charming debut' The Independent Trade ReviewThe Romantics looks to Flaubert's Sentimental Education, to E.M. Forster, to Turgenev. But it is the product of a distinctive and sharp intelligence -- Hilary MantelA sensitive and introspective novel . . . a meditation on hope and failure. Mishra's evocations of Indian landscape and customs are vivid and thoughtful; his prose clean and unhampered and his descriptive passages to be savoured * Guardian *Contemporary India is brought to vigorous, thrumming life in the pages of The Romantics * Sunday Times *If you buy one literary novel this year, make sure it's this -- Amanda Craig * The Times *This bright new star is the real thing -- David Robson * Sunday Telegraph *[A]n intriguing combination of casual grace and emotional intensity, peppered with discreet social comment on caste, class, sectarian strife, the state of the nation . . . a charming debut * The Independent *A work of art, a first novel of the highest achievement...a writer whose work will last. Read it and find yourself at the source of something great -- Candia McWilliam * Financial Times *A first novel of astonishing maturity * Daily Telegraph *[An] extraordinary debut novel . . . a supernova * The Washington Post *Mishra's lyrical descriptions . . . and the depth of culture the region offers, is a haunting reminder of India's power to bewitch * Time Out *Grip[s] the reader as artfully and as compellingly as the first page of A Passage to India * The New York Review of Books *If much of cosmopolitan Indian writing has valorized the immigrant and the foreign land, then The Romantics is a celebration of the home and its forgotten world -- Amitava Kumar * The Nation *A voice that fuses the lapidary precision of Flaubert with the meditative lyricism of Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, a voice that's alternately wry and ruminative, meticulous and expansive -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *Many treasures in this brilliant novel -- Elizabeth HardwickPankaj Mishra writes the most perfect prose of any Indian novelist of his generation -- William DalrympleMishra's eye is sharp, his prose flawless * Time *[A] surprisingly assured, provocatively balanced meditation on the familiar culture flash * Boston Globe *A truly ambitious attempt to compare the way people in the East and the West dream . . . Delicate and subtly tantalising in the way only a book can really be * Vogue *It is almost as if when everyone is flashing De Beers diamonds, Mishra traps the quiet luminescence of the moonstone in his theme and style * The Hindu *Mishra's writing has a lovely potency . . . subtly layered and compelling * Times Literary Supplement *Impressive . . . The Romantics turns its back on the exotic richness and the "teeming" panoramic quality which we readily assume to be expressive of Indianness itself * Sydney Morning Herald *A first novel whose achievement is something that most writers could be proud of at any stage in their careers * Vancouver Sun *

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Book SynopsisWhat if someone you loved who you believed was murdered came back into your life? This high-octane chiller from the No.1 New York Times bestseller gets under your skin, and then burrows deep' (Stephen King).A secret from the past could destroy his futureMallory Gray Chandler was the quintessential Southern Belle.She loved John Waters with a seething passion that threatened to destroy them both, until he ended the relationship. She was later found raped and murdered on a New Orleans pier.A decade later, a single word uttered by the stunning Eve Sumner turns John's world inside out. Exactly who is Eve? And how does she know so much about John's past with Mallory?Face-to-face with a memory from his past, John is plunged into the darkest depths of love and obsession. And a mass of secrets, lies and murder is about to explodeTrade ReviewPraise for Greg Iles: ‘A scorching read’ John Grisham ‘Iles is a phenomenal thriller writer’ Independent on Sunday ‘An engrossing page-turning ride’ Jeffery Deaver ‘A rarity. A thriller that really thrills’ Stephen King ‘Alarming, believable, and utterly consuming’ Dan Brown ‘Splendidly creepy … compulsive’ Daily Telegraph ‘An incredible web of intrigue and suspense, an avalanche of action from first page to last’ Clive Cussler

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Book SynopsisNobel Prize winner and author of One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez blends the natural with supernatural in Of Love and Other Demons - a novel which explores community, superstition and collective hysteria. ''An ash-grey dog with a white blaze on its forehead burst on to the rough terrain of the market on the first Sunday of December''When a witch doctor appears on the Marquis de Casalduero''s doorstep prophesising a plague of rabies in the Colombian seaport, he dismisses her claims - until he hears that his young daughter, Sierva María, was one of four people bitten by a rabid dog, and the only one to survive.Sierva María appears completely unscathed - but as rumours of the plague spread, the Marquis and his wife wonder at her continuing good health. In a town consumed by superstition, it''s not long before they, and everyone else, put her survival down to a demonic possession andTrade ReviewBrilliantly moving. A tour de force * A.S. Byatt *

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Book SynopsisBeautifully written and had me hooked from page one' Reader ReviewA gorgeous springtime read from the Sunday Times bestselling author, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Karen Swan.Will love bloom on the little Cornish Isles?Jess has lived at the idyllic flower farm on the Isles of Scilly her whole life, but when her boyfriend Adam leaves without explanation, Jess discovers that even her little slice of Cornish heaven can be lonely.For the first time in Will's life, he's met someone he can't stop thinking about. But nothing is simple when the woman of your dreams is working for you.Gaby is running away from painful memories, and where could be more perfect than a remote island off the Cornish coast? But to put the past behind her, she must keep moving however much she might want to stay.A gorgeous spring-time romance from Sunday Times bestselling author Phillipa Ashley. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Karen Swan and Heidi Swain.Authors and readers can't get enough of Phillipa AshlTrade ReviewPraise for Phillipa Ashley: ‘Sheer joy!’ Katie Ffforde ‘A lovely read full of secrets and hope.’ Jo Thomas ‘Will make you laugh and cry.’ Miranda Dickinson ‘Gloriously uplifting and unashamedly warm hearted!’ Faith Hogan ‘A blissful story, full of sunshine, secrets and Phillipa’s trademark romance.’ Cressida McLaughlin ‘Escapism at its very best, what a book!’ Milly Johnson ‘Filled with warm and likeable characters. Great fun!’ Jill Mansell ‘An utterly glorious, escapist read from a one of the freshest voices in women's fiction today. I loved every gorgeous page.’ Claudia Carroll ‘Serious escapism … like a big warm hug.’ Popsugar ‘Romantic and life-affirming.’ Woman’s Weekly ‘Full of genuine warmth and quirky characters.’ Woman’s Own

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Book Synopsis'Seven Exes made me laugh out loud. It's fresh, fast-paced and joyous. Lucy Vine's writing is so warm and funny - her books are the literary equivalent of an amazing girls' night out' BETH O'LEARY Esther is out with her two friends, bemoaning her lack of relationship, when she finds a magazine from the noughties. Seeking comfort – and a laugh – she turns to the dating advice only to find an article that feels a little too close to home. According to the journalist, there are seven people a woman will date before finding the one: The First Love, The Work Mistake, The Friend with Benefits, The Overlap, The Missed Chance, The Bastard and The Serious One.  Her friends laugh but Esther realises each of her exes fits these roles perfectly. Deciding that she’s mistaken her true love in the reject pile she decides to contact each of her exes to find out which is the one that got away...Trade ReviewClever, perceptive and screamingly funny, Seven Exes is a joyous commentary on the mores and mysteries of modern dating and how past loves can shape our future. Throw in some delicious nostalgia, some genuinely sexy love interests and Vine's mastery of female friendships in all their frank and messy glory, and it's a book you'll never, ever want to break up with. -- Lauren BravoFunny, hopeful and agonisingly relatable, Esther is all of us. Lucy Vine writes with such compelling honesty, Seven Exes made me laugh, made me cry and made me want to call all my friends to tell them I loved them then call my exes to apologize/punch them in the nuts. Equal parts romcom and life lesson, it's a must-read. -- Lindsey KelkOne of the freshest, funniest rom-coms I've ever read… with so much heart and depth. -- Daisy BuchananSeven Exes is a bit of me! A shimmering rom-com with plenty of gorgeous romance and even more achingly funny comedy. I loved the nostalgia, I loved the tenderness and I absolutely adored the friendship between Esther and her best pals. This is a joyous must-read. -- Hannah Doyle, author of The A to Z of UsBursting with sparky humour. Esther and her female friends are a joy and Esther’s search for the boy from her past who may or may not have got away is both funny & moving. -- Jill MansellHilarious, relatable, heart-warming, extremely binge-able -- Kate Weston-BrookesAppallingly funny, relatable and wise -- Rosie WalshLucy Vine always knocks it out of the park and Seven Exes is no exception. I couldn’t put it down! It’s so smart, so funny, and so warts-and-all real. A nostalgic, comforting romcom. I loved it! -- Lia LouisRiotously funny, charming, and nostalgic, Seven Exes is a truly optimistic look at turning 30 and all the mess that can come with. Superb! -- Laura Jane WilliamsFun, playful and warm, SEVEN EXES is a whirlwind of book. Riotous yet sincere, lighthearted yet thoughtful, this book is absurdly entertaining and will make you laugh like you’re with old friends -- Caroline HulseI really enjoy SEVEN EXES! It was like a therapy session cleverly wrapped up in rom-com packaging. A bright, sparky rom-com that will make you question your relationship with the past, for sure! -- Justin Myers/The GuylinerSEVEN EXES was such a joy to read. I adore everything Lucy writes but I think this is her best one yet. -- Holly BourneHilarious and heart-warming, SEVEN EXES is unputdownable and deeply relatable. I gobbled it up! Esther is endearing, realistic, and I was rooting for her every step of the way in her mission to track down her exes and take a look back on her journey so far. It's got gorgeously written female friendships and is packed with laugh-out-loud moments, SEVEN EXES is an absolute TRIUMPH. -- Beth ReeklesFun, funny, feisty, and fabulous. Lucy Vine is a firework. -- Milly Johnson'A beautiful testament to female friendship and the power of women in your life. Lucy Vine writes about the messy glory of female friendships with such ease and joy that you immediately want to exist in her world. Seven Exes is the only thing you need to pack this summer' Salma El-Wardany 'A rather lovely ode to the power of friends' Stylist 'A brilliantly absorbing tale' Women & Home ‘Funny and heart-warming’ Daily Mail ‘hilariously funny and sharply observed… fresh, sexy and smart romcom’ Heat ‘funny and frank’ Best ‘endearing’ Times 'The beauty of Lucy's writing is that you'll cry and laugh in the same chapter. With it tapping into 2023's dating culture... It feels both refreshingly modern and satisfyingly traditional in the same breath' Belfast Telegraph ‘A sweary, panic-sweaty but ultimately rather endearing take on facing your demons — and realising that women’s magazine features should rarely be believed. Definitely don’t try this at home’ The Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisShe''s planned the perfect Christmas. But fate might have other ideas... Krystle didn''t have a normal childhood and longed for warm family Christmases with presents under the tree. Now she makes sure everyone else has the perfect Christmas she never had,bringing beautiful decorations to cheer as many people as possible. With her festive business booming, she decides to celebrate by renting a secluded house in the Lakes, with a plan to make this the ultimate yuletide getaway. But fate immediately throws a spanner in the works in the form of a broken-down car, a flooded river and Max; a man who despises Christmas. Krystle becomes determined to show Max the joys of the holiday. She won''t take no for an answer. Can she melt Max''s Grinch-like heart? And can he show her that life doesn''t need to go to plan to take you somewhere magical--

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Compelling . . . Faulks has become an international sensation' GUARDIAN'Performs like an elegant melody' OBSERVER'Tense and affecting . . . A modern epic' SPECTATORLife at the British Embassy in Washington in 1959 is awash with parties, martinis, jazz, and for Mary van der Linden, the kind of happiness she has always dreamt of. With her diplomat husband Charlie busy and the children off at boarding school, she feels listless until news reporter Frank Renzo enters their lives. And when Frank and Mary begin a torrid affair, their passion will force an impossible decision.Set between Washington, New York and Moscow, On Green Dolphin Street, is a masterful exploration of Cold War chaos, and devastating love.

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Book SynopsisFascinating' ChoiceThis well-researched novel draws you straight into the heart of this engaging story' My Weekly'A stunning evocative novel I was completely captivated' Clare Marchant, author of The Queen's SpyCan she tread a dangerous line between love and duty?Raven-haired and fiercely independent, Joan Guildford has always remained true to herself. As lady-in-waiting and confidante to Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII, Joan understands royal patronage is vital if she and her husband, Sir Richard, are to thrive in the volatile atmosphere of court life.But Tudor England is in mourning following the death of the Prince of Wales, and within a year, the queen herself. With Prince Henry now heir to the throne, the court murmurs with the sound of conspiracy. Is the entire Tudor project now at stake or can young Henry secure the dynasty?Drawn into the heart of the crisis, Joan's own life is in turmoil, and her future far from secure. She faces a stark choice be true to her heart and riskTrade Review Praise for The Queen’s Lady: ‘A stunning evocative novel which weaves together the personal and the political, immersing the reader in vivid historical detail. I was completely captivated.’ Clare Marchant, author of The Queen’s Spy ‘Fascinating’ Choice ‘This well-researched novel draws you straight into the heart of this engaging story’ My Weekly Praise for Joanna Hickson: ‘An intriguing tale, told with confidence’ The Times ‘A great tale… the golden thread that led to the crown of England’ Conn Iggulden ‘Bewitching … the characters and the narrative work seamlessly together.’ Woman & Home ‘Evocative … well-researched’ Woman’s Weekly ‘Excellent’ Carol McGrath author of The Handfasted Wife ‘A great book… loving it!’ Joanna Courtney, author of The Chosen Queen ‘Rich and Warm’ Sunday Express 'Colourful and vivid' Elizabeth Chadwick ‘A big-hearted and engrossing novel.’ Elizabeth Freemantle ‘Thoroughly engrossing’ The Lady A gripping and emotional story’ Woman ‘I couldn’t have been more riveted’ For Winter Nights blog 'Well written, well researched and utterly captivating' 5*Netgalley review 'I found it very difficult to put down' 5*Netgalley review 'A most enjoyable read' 5*Netgalley review

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Book SynopsisAn island of secrets. A runaway. And a promiseA rebellious daughter1925. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name. Rosalie Delacroix flees Paris for a dancer's job in the bohemian clubs deep in its winding streets.A sister with a secret1944. Running from the brutality of war in France, Florence Baudin faces a new life. But her estranged mother makes a desperate request: to find her vanished sister, who went missing years before.A rift over generationsBetrayals and secrets, lies and silence hang between the sisters. A faded last letter from Rosalie is Florence's only clue, the war an immovable barrier and time is running outPraise for The Hidden PalaceCompletely swept me away to another place and time. Dinah is the queen of sumptuous settings, transporting the reader effortlessly from chocolate-box Devonshire to the cabaret clubs of 1920s Paris and war-torn Malta. A marvellous, multi-layered story,Trade ReviewPraise for Daughters of War ‘A wonderfully evocative and sensual writer’ SANTA MONTEFIORE ‘A warm and engrossing tale of passion and courage. I loved it’ RACHEL HORE ‘Love, grief, abandonment, betrayal and secrets … I adored it’ LIZ NUGENT ‘A stirring, richly-imagined novel about bravery and love and family loyalty tested to its limits’ RACHEL RHYS ‘As layers of long-hidden family secrets emerge, you are sure to be hooked to the very last page’ LIZ TRENOW ‘Rich in courage, love and sacrifice, but chilling and taut in its portrayal of the horrors of war’ KATE FURNIVALL ‘Lushly descriptive, exciting and vivid, this is a warm and exciting tale that will pull you in and refuse to let you go’ TRACY REES A tender, moving and at times heartbreaking story’ SINEAD MORIARTY

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‘A sweet, hilarious treat’ – Christina Lauren, author of The Soulmate EquationTheir love story has gone viral. But it hasn’t even begun . . .Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been sacked, the subway doors ripped her favorite dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the down side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her rescuer, Hayes Montgomery, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping the #SubwayQTs.Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other. It seems fate isn't done with the subway sweethearts just yet . . .Kate Spencer’s In a New York Minute is a fresh, modern take on romantic comedy for fans of The Flatshare, Our Stop and One Day in December.‘Spencer writes with a wry lilt and a gift for dialogue’ – Entertainment Weekly

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Book SynopsisPeople die. Love doesn't.A bitter-sweet pang in my heart' Monique RoffeyA beautiful book. Insanely romantic and utterly convincing' Julie MyersonA wonderful and inventive novel, sorrowful and hopeful in equal measure. It was a true pleasure to read' Miranda Cowley HellerLouisa Young is the great chronicler of romantic love and the pain of its loss' Linda GrantHeart-stoppingly romantic A lovely, moving, ultimately hopeful read' MirrorWhat a writer so beautifully earthed in the everyday. Terrific' Elizabeth BuchanA modern day Truly Madly Deeply Rasmus and Roisin both lose their partners, but the ghosts of Nico and Jay stay, unable to leave their loved ones alone as the broken-hearted pair find comfort in each other. Beautifully written, this is a haunting love story literally' Best magazine, Must-ReadsA skilfully calibrated love-after-death tale, it's a four course feast of hearts broken, hearts mended, of songs, laughter, old regrets and fresh desire, that demands a major film deal' PaTrade Review‘Sweetly comic yet deeply moving… Anybody who loves the film Ghost will feel the same way about this wonderful novel, which asks what happens when people cease to live – but love does not’ Daily Mail ‘A modern day Truly Madly Deeply… Rasmus and Roisin both lose their partners, but the ghosts of Nico and Jay stay, unable to leave their loved ones alone as the broken-hearted pair find comfort in each other. Beautifully written, this is a haunting love story – literally’ Best magazine, Must-Reads ‘A beautiful book. Insanely romantic and utterly convincing’ Julie Myerson ‘Heart-stoppingly romantic… A lovely, moving, ultimately hopeful read’ Mirror ‘Twelve Months and a Day is poignant and sad as well as funny and beautifully written and imagined… You will fall in love again as you read this clever book … Hugely engaging and readable. A bitter-sweet pang in my heart as it ended. A page-turner’ Monique Roffey ‘A wonderful novel, charming and surprising, filled with loss and its triumphant opposites’ Susie Boyt ‘A wonderful and inventive novel, sorrowful and hopeful in equal measure. It was a true pleasure to read’ Miranda Cowley Heller ‘A skilfully calibrated love-after-death tale, it’s a four course feast of hearts broken, hearts mended, of songs, laughter, old regrets and fresh desire, that demands a major film deal’ Patrick Gale ‘Louisa Young is the great chronicler of romantic love and the pain of its loss’ Linda Grant ‘Thoughtful, philosophical and clever, it is also funny, and full of poetry, and powered by an unflagging and irresistible belief in the redemptive power of love’ Perspectives magazine ‘What a writer. A raw and beautiful exposition on grief and loss but so beautifully earthed in the everyday. Terrific’ Elizabeth Buchan ‘A beautifully written story that’s very funny, and full of heart and hope’ Best

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Book Synopsis*PRE-ORDER BRIDGET COLLINS'' STUNNING NEW NOVEL, THE SILENCE FACTORY, NOW*LOSE YOURSELF IN THE MOST EPIC BOOK OF THE YEAR.Mesmerising' Erin KellySumptuous' ObserverDizzyingly wonderful' The TimesWINNING WAS EVERYTHINGUNTIL IT DESTROYED THEMTwo young men, Léo and Carfax, close friends and fierce rivals.A family ripped apart by madness and tragedy.One woman, her life built upon a lie, with a mysterious connection to them allINGENIOUS' GUARDIANA STORYTELLER OF RARE IMAGINATION' MAIL ON SUNDAY''BEAUTIFUL'' JOANNA CANNONBRILLIANT' WOMAN & HOMEA RICH DELIGHT' SANDRA NEWMAN''TOTALLY ADDICTIVE'' JOANNA GLENCAPTIVATING' DAILY MIRRORAN IMMERSIVE, IMAGINATIVE SLICE OF STORYTELLING' DAILY EXPRESSMAGICAL' IRISH INDEPENDENTTrade Review‘Dizzyingly wonderful … a perfectly constructed work of fiction, with audacious twists that clumsier hands would fumble, and irresistibly moving emotional beats’ The Times ‘Another sumptuous act of imaginative world-building … If you’re looking for an absorbing, transporting work of fiction – and why would you not be? – The Betrayals is just the thing … settle in, and enjoy getting lost in this captivating book’ Observer ‘Ingenious … Collins’s story holds everything up its sleeve for as long as possible’ Guardian ‘The Betrayals is a beautiful dystopian romance about coming of age as an artist and the love affair artistic collaboration can be, while also being an acute political novel about the fate of spiritual values in a totalitarian system. A rich delight’ Sandra Newman ‘Captivating’ Daily Mirror ‘An immersive, imaginative slice of storytelling’ Daily Express ‘It’s just beautiful – written with such elegance and poise. What I love about Bridget's books is her ability to write the most magical worlds of escapism and yet anchor those worlds very much in today’ Joanna Cannon ‘She’s done it again: this is another triumph from the incomparable imagination of Bridget Collins. The Betrayals sinks its teeth into you and won’t let you go. It’s a mesmerising, intimate and ambitious story about art, love and what it means to be human. If you loved The Binding, you’ll adore The Betrayals’ Erin Kelly ‘More lavish magical escapism from the unit-shifting author of The Binding’ Irish Independent ‘Brilliant … a captivating, imaginative tale’ Woman & Home ‘A storyteller of rare imagination … This intricate symphony of a novel is both a disturbing portrait of fascism and a soaring meditation on artistic expression’ Mail on Sunday

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Book SynopsisA proper lovely romance, and a fabulous spirit-lifter' Ruth JonesHeart-warming and believable. This is Miranda Dickinson at her very best' Sarah MorganThe Start of Something is a wonderfully romantic story about the healing powers of love. Gentle and romantic, a wonderful salve for the soul, it is a charming joy of a read' Milly JohnsonMiranda is such a big-hearted, generous writer, full of warmth and love' Jenny Colgan* * *Two lonely people.One note in the window.And what happens when they reach outLachlan Wallaceis stuck at home after a car accident stalled his army career. With months of physiotherapy still to endure and only his rescue dog and cat for company, he's taken to gazing out of the window, watching the world spin on without him. And then he notices a vase of flowers on the windowsill of the apartment opposite his. Drawn to their hope and colour, he decides to reach out and sticks a message in his windowBethan Gwynneis a stranger in a new town. Bringing up her son Noahby hTrade Review Praise for The Start of Something ‘A proper lovely romance, and a fabulous spirit-lifter’ Ruth Jones, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘Heart-warming and believable. This is Miranda Dickinson at her very best’ Sarah Morgan, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘The Start of Something is a wonderfully romantic story about the healing powers of love. Gentle and romantic, a wonderful salve for the soul, it is a charming joy of a read – this is Miranda at her very best’ Milly Johnson, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘Miranda is such a big-hearted, generous writer, full of warmth and love’ Jenny Colgan, Sunday Times bestselling author ‘Charming, quirky and properly romantic, The Start of Something is a wonderful engaging story of love, the blossoming of hope and the power of a good pack of felt-tipped pens! Perfect’ Mike Gayle, bestselling author of Half a World Away and All the Lonely People ‘The Start of Something is a truly heart-warming novel about hope, loneliness and the power of reaching out. Charming and romantic, Bethan and Lachlan's story will move anyone who's ever taken a chance on love. A magical read’ Holly Miller, bestselling author of The Sight of You ‘Charming, relatable and sweet – I was fully invested in the heartwarming love story of Bethan and Lachlan’ Laura Jane Williams, bestselling author of Our Stop ‘The Start of Something is the perfect story to remind us all to reconnect: insightful, clever, and with a gentle humour that left me wanting more. A beautiful summer read from Miranda Dickinson that will captivate and maybe even inspire you to reach out of your comfort zone’ Penny Parkes, author of Best Practice ‘A story about love, fear, trust; this is a big warmhearted hug of a book’ Nina Pottell, Prima

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Book SynopsisWill a tropical escape lead to a perfect romance?It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime for Samantha: the launch of her travel blog, her best friend's wedding and hopefully her own marriage proposal. Until she finds herself on her way to Tobago single.Disillusioned with his corporate job on Wall Street, Roman is starting afresh in Tobago. He doesn't need a distraction, especially in the form of a a free-spirited travel blogger. But something about Samantha intrigues him.As romance blossoms, Roman and Samantha must learn to risk their hearts. But when secrets are revealed, their new relationship is put in jeopardy. Now Samantha and Roman must decide what they really want. They came to Tobago to find themselves, but could finding each other be what they needed all along?Perfect for fans of:?? Friends to lovers?? Opposites attract?? InternationalReaders love Until I Met You!Fresh, flirty and gloriously escapist' Alex Brown, No. 1 bestselling author of A Postcard from ParisA sparkling five-star read the setting was done so well' ?????Full of fun, flirty romance that came along with its fair share of drama!' ?????I couldn't put it down! Totally recommend' ?????A perfect beach read funny and sweet' ?????I loved everything about this!' ?????A really fun read I would hands down recommend' ?????A real pleasure to read I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!' ?????Looking for another beach read? Pick up another Mills & Boon tropical summer romance!Destination Weddings And Other Disasters by M.C Vaughn Future stepsiblings with a shared history and undeniable chemistry? This story is THE spicy forbidden romance!Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgina Toffolo A fresh start. A surf school. Can these two wounded souls find common ground?Forbidden Games by Katee Robert Holiday sex with a strangerwho turns out to be your biggest investor. A dark, spicy billionaire opposites romance from TikTok's bestselling sensation!Trade Review Readers love Until I Met You! ‘A sparkling five-star read… the setting was done so well’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Full of fun, flirty romance that came along with its fair share of drama!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I couldn’t put it down! Totally recommend’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A perfect beach read… funny and sweet’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved everything about this!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A really fun read… I would hands down recommend’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A real pleasure to read… I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book SynopsisUnputdownable A perfect summer holiday read' ????? Reader ReviewSparkling sun, strolls in the gorgeous French countryside, that first sip of cool, crisp wine Summer is Kat's favourite season. And this year should be no exceptionFun, emotional and packed with French sunshine. I adored it!' Sunday Times bestselling author Milly JohnsonAs soon as Kat Jenson set foot in the idyllic French village of Kirchhoffen, she knew she'd found her home. Now she has a dreamy boyfriend, a delightful dog and the perfect job managing a bustling book café in the vibrant Parc Lemmel.But when she learns her boyfriend isn't all he seems, it's the start of a difficult summer for Kat. Vindictive troublemakers, work woes and family heartache follow, and the clear blue sky that was her life suddenly seems full of clouds.Then she gets to know the mysterious Noah, and her sun begins to shine brighter than ever. But Noah has problems of his own ones that could scupper their new-found happiness. Together, can theTrade ReviewPraise for Sue Moorcroft: ‘A joyous slice of summer sunshine, gloriously uplifting and the perfect escape.’ Alex Brown 'I was whisked away to sunny France in this fabulously engaging story full of warmth and charm with the added benefit of books and pastries!' Bella Osborne ‘An absolutely gorgeous French escape full of sunshine – I loved it!’ Rachael Lucas ’Sue Moorcroft whisks you away to a stunning French setting with lashings of romance – sheer delight!’ Fiona Gibson ‘Must read!’ Daily Express ‘I love all of Sue Moorcroft’s books!’ Katie Fforde

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Book SynopsisNow a Major FilmYou pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever.'Anne Elliot is persuaded to reject a marriage proposal from handsome Captain Wentworth because he lacks rank or fortune. But when he returns home from the Navy, more than seven years later, Anne realises she still has strong feelings for him, despite the fact that his attentions have now turned towards her friend.Moving, tender and intrinsically Austen' in style, with its satirical portrayal of society in eighteenth-century England, Persuasion is a story of heartache and missed opportunities, and a celebration of enduring love and hope.

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Book Synopsis''A dazzling, subtle, skilful knockout I loved it'' Charlotte MendelsonOne of our finest living authors propulsively entertaining' New York TimesWonderfully strange and alive' Jon McGregorA propulsive, seductive new novel about friendship, exploitation and intimacy from the prize-winning author of Where Reasons EndFabienne is dead. Her childhood best friend, Agnès, receives the news in America, far from the French countryside where the two girls were raised the place that Fabienne helped Agnès escape ten years ago. Now, Agnès is free to tell her story.As children in a backwater town, they'd built a private world, invisible to everyone but themselves until Fabienne hatched the plan that would change everything, launching Agnès on an epic trajectory through fame, fortune, and terrible loss.A dark, ravishing tale winding from the rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school, to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a storyTrade Review‘Fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan trilogy won’t be disappointed, but the comparison undermines the skill with which Li tells her story, peeling back the layers to reveal the dark truths at the heart of Agnes and Fabienne’s friendship’ Marie Claire ‘[Li] has become … one of our finest living authors: Her elegant metaphysics never elide the blood and maggots … The most propulsively entertaining of Li’s novels… an existential fable that illuminates the tangle of motives behind our writing of stories’ New York Times ‘Beguiling … A shimmering, unsettling tale of exploitation and manipulation’ Daily Mail ‘These two perverse, dangerous, glorious girls are their own creation and their own destiny, captured in the high noon of their lives’ Observer New Review ‘Resonant with echoes of… My Brilliant Friend, as well as authors including Elizabeth Strout and William Trevor … For all its surface lushness, this is a novel of meticulous philosophical inquiry’ Observer ‘Brilliant … A novel of deceptions and cruelty’ Spectator 'Dazzling, subtle, skilful … I loved it' Charlotte Mendelson, author of The Exhibitionist ‘In a story about love and creation, Yiyun Li slips in a satire of the business of marketing authors… deft and delicious’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days ‘Yiyun Li has, again, done something new and gone somewhere wonderfully strange and alive. Beautiful, sad, funny and claustrophobic’ Jon McGregor, author of Lean Fall Stand ‘A haunting novel about loss, friendship and storytelling … Few writers match Yiyun Li’s ability to explore human desire and ambition’ Tash Aw, author of Strangers on a Pier ‘Meet Agnès and Fabienne…Come for the writerly scheming, stay for the exquisitely calibrated examination of how our most tender and important bonds involve the manipulation of power and devotion’ LA Times

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Book SynopsisA Provencal sun drenched read that conjures up the scent of summer in France.' Julie CaplinA newly single woman. A tall, dark and handsome stranger. A chateau that keeps bringing them together. What could go wrong?When Lizzie Summers is jilted at the altar, she's left completely heartbroken. But then she receives news that she has inherited a beautiful chateau in Provence, and it seems like the perfect escape.Upon arrival, she discovers she is now the proud owner of . . . a crumbling ruin. A decrepit chateau with nothing but dust and a goat for company.Intending to head straight back to the airport, Lizzie instead gets caught in a freakish summer storm and finds herself trudging through a vineyard for help. Bedraggled and furious, she enlists the help of her nearest neighbour, the enchanting Luc. Perhaps she should stay and mend the chateau and her broken heart after all?The perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will leave you falling head over heels. Fans of Katie Fforde, Debbie MTrade Review‘A Provencal sun drenched read that conjures up the scent of summer in France. I completely fell in love with Luc and Lizzie as they brought sunshine and love back to the dilapidated chateau.’ Julie Caplin ‘Have some crisp French wine and a wedge of creamy camembert on hand when you read Summer at the Chateau! A charming and evocative read that will have you dreaming in French and wishing you were there.’ Rebecca Raisin ‘Swoony and romantic! As relaxing as a hot summer's day in Provence…I swear I could smell the lavender fields!’ Leonie Mack ‘Oh la la! This is the perfect French escape.’ Bella Osborne ‘The kind of romance that ticks all my boxes. Lizzie is a relatable and appealing heroine and grumpy, sexy Luc is the neighbour we all dream of! Summer at the Chateau is the perfect, escapist holiday read.’ Sarah Bennett ‘Beautifully written – a real gem of a read! Inheriting a chateau sounds like a dream for broken-hearted Lizzie but it turns out to be the start of an amazing and unexpected journey.’ Lucy Coleman

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Book Synopsis'The most gripping account of motherhood since Rachel Cusk's A Life's Work' IndependentA single mother wakes to blood in her mouth and flesh under her fingernails. A severed toe on the doorstep. A boy missing.But her child needs to get to school. There's a food shop to be done. Parents evenings, play dates and pasta for tea.Raising her child alone, she's done all she can to protect them. But what if she's the thing they need protecting from the most?Trade Review‘Punches you in the guts with beauty, pain and brevity, and pulls you along with the compulsion of a thriller. Lean, exquisite prose that shoots a dart to the heart. It’s about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, trying to grapple with her sanity, as she unravels and makes sense of her present by reaching back into her past. I adored it.’ Abi Morgan

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Book Synopsis''A sparkling bookish story about rules just begging to be broken'' Abby Jimenez, bestselling author of The Friend ZoneA charming romcom about finding your own path and never being scared to break the rules' Freya Sampson, author of The Last LibraryMaggie Banks loves books. And running a bookstore sounds like the best job in the world. Except in Bell River, a place that refuses to let her sell anything written this century.But in Maggie''s world, book rules are made to be broken.And what better way to break tradition than by starting an underground book club. But keeping her new club quiet, selling forbidden books and dodging the strict literary society is proving harder than it seems. Especially when Maggie unearths a secret that could upend everythingEarly readers love The Secret Book Club:''Sometimes you just need a hug in a book and this is the one I needed.' ?????''Something about reading about books is so fun. The setting in this book was amazing and the romance was top tier.' ??Trade Review Praise for Must Love Books: ‘A wise and honest story of how it feels to be a young woman in search of yourself’ Taylor Jenkins Reid ‘It was really nice to be able to identify with the character’ ‘A good storyline and entertaining’ ‘An enjoyable read’ ‘An easy and relatable read’ ‘A book for book lovers . . . it’s impossible not to root for Nora! Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties ‘It’s refreshing to read a book about publishing with a half-Black heroine who’s wryly aware of the way she stands out in a very White field’ Kirkus Reviews ‘With emotional honesty and a surprising wit that I found addictive, Robinson’s debut is everything a book-about-books fan wants’ Kelly Harms, bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler ‘Get comfy because you won’t be able to put this book down’ Sajni Patel, award-winning author of The Trouble with Hating You

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Book Synopsis***Pre-order Caroline James' new romcom The French Cookery School now, coming April 2024!***Three women.One widowed.One unmarried.One almost divorced.All aged 63, but not ready to give up on life!Leaving behind the heartache, guilt and disappointment of their real lives, three friends decide that now they're in their sixties, it's time they finally did something for themselves!Swapping Christmas turkeys and BBC reruns for crystal waters, white sandy beaches and smooth golden rum, Anne, Jane and Kath throw caution (and tradition) to the wind as they set sail on a luxury two-week Christmas cruise around the Caribbean.Will the three friends find the comfort and joy they seek aboard the Diamond Star?Praise for Caroline James:Fabulous to readIt's about a girls' weekend with characters in their 60s and determined to have a good time' Woman & Home A laugh out loud, naughty, enlightening heart-warming story about friendship and discovery' Yours MagazineGirl power for the over sixties!' ?????ThTrade ReviewReaders are loving The Spa Break: ‘Finished it in one sitting and loved every page!’ Bee ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Really fun story about friendship, love, getting older, taking chances… So hard to put down!’ Kristin⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Had me smiling, had me inspired and generally had me loving every page, to the extent I read the second half of the book in one sitting…utterly fabulous’ Rachel⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A laugh from start to finish this book shows you that although you grow older in years, you don't have to grow older in attitude’ Lilac ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I laughed so often reading this, the ladies are amazing’ Georgina ‘A compelling and uplifting storyline and well developed characters that were relatable and likeable’ Aria ‘How marvellous to have a book about four women in their sixties going away on a girls’ weekend…a gorgeously warm, witty book and I would totally recommend it as a feelgood weekend or holiday read’ Jane

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Book SynopsisAnne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her bestselling novels include Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Ladder of Years, Back When We Were Grown-ups, Digging to America, A Spool of Blue Thread, Clock Dance, Redhead by the Side of the Road and French Braid.In 1989 she won the Pulitzer Prize; in 1994 she was nominated by Roddy Doyle and Nick Hornby as 'the greatest novelist writing in English'; and in 2012 she received the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. In 2015 A Spool of Blue Thread was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize; and in 2020 Redhead by the Side of the Road was longlisted for the Booker Prize.Trade ReviewAs exquisitely observed and quietly brilliant as the rest of Tyler's fiction * Guardian *Anne Tyler draws a comedy that is not so much brilliant as luminous - its observant sharpness sweetened by a generous understanding of human fallibility * Daily Telegraph *Noah's Compass is immensely readable. It displays many of Tyler's finest qualities: her sharp observation of humanity, her wry comedy; the luminous accuracy of her descriptions... a novel by Anne Tyler is cause for celebration * Sunday Telegraph *Anne Tyler is a novelist who has elevated pitch-perfect observation of everyday detail into an art form... a beautifully subtle book, an elegant contemplation of what it means to be happy and the consequences of a defensive withdrawal from other people * Observer *One of my favourite authors, one of the very few I rush out to buy in hardback. * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisLore Rivera was married to two men at once. She led a secret double life - until one man shot the other.That''s the story the world knows.But true-crime writer Cassie Bowman wants to know more - about the mysterious woman at the heart of it all, and about what really happened the night of that tragic murder. How did Lore lead two lives? How did it feel when it all came crashing down?After years of hiding, Lore is finally ready to tell her story. But as her tragic tale unfolds, will either woman be ready for the consequences when the long-buried truth comes to light?Trade ReviewIntelligent and nuanced . . . raises a host of difficult but fascinating questions * GUARDIAN *A sprawling, stunning, twisting triumph. By turns heart-pounding and heart-wrenching, this is a story of marriage and murder, of the secrets we endure and the lies we tell ourselves to keep them. So achingly clever and stylish, More Than You'll Ever Know is a special novel from a very special writer -- Chris WhitakerBreath-taking and brimming with empathy, exploration of motherhood, marriage, and the consequences that come from obsessions with true crime * Cosmopolitan *I was enthralled with More Than You'll Ever Know from the very first pages of Gutierrez's rich and assured writing. A gripping and thoughtful exploration of motherhood and marriage, the complexity of female desire, and the consequence of our obsession with true crime, it's one of the best suspenseful dramas I've read in years. An exceptional, stunning debut-I absolutely loved it -- Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The PushA sweeping novel, unflinching and evocative in its engrossing study of love, motherhood, sex, Mexico, journalism and more * Washington Post *A stunning portrait of female reckoning - Katie Gutierrez creates layered and vivid characters, forced to confront the complexities of their own desires. An immaculate novel that explores marriage and choice, partnership and autonomy, More Than You'll Ever Know is a wonder to behold -- Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Notes On An ExecutionSmart, sophisticated and sly, Katie Gutierrez masterfully weaves a tale of two families, a double life and an ultimate act of passion that will have you on the edge of your seat as the truth is revealed. There are thrillers that tease, but More Than You'll Ever Know will haunt your dreams. A stunning debut from a magnificent storyteller -- Adriana TrigianiA tale of two women, two timelines, two sides of a border and two husbands, More Than You'll Ever Know is a novel both compelling and resonant - a novel which grips you like a thriller as you are reading it, with characters and themes which linger in the mind like the best literary fiction. This is an unforgettable story, told brilliantly - one of those novels where from the first page you know you are in the hands of a writer of verve, confidence and conviction -- Ellery LloydA taut, unputdownable thriller, but also a gorgeously written examination of motherhood, ambition, and sacrifice, set between Texas and Mexico city. I loved every moment. -- Grace Li, Sunday Times bestselling author of Portrait of a ThiefThis is a crime book unlike any I've read before. More Than You'll Ever Know is written with such beauty and tenderness - about the ferocity of love, the lure of desire, and the strength of family bonds. It blew me away -- L.V. Matthews * bestselling author of Richard & Judy pick, The Twins *What happens when a mother wants more? A seductive, urgent tale about desire, family, the pursuit of truth, and the art of storytelling, More Than You'll Ever Know will astonish readers with its vastness, romance, tragedy, and abundant heart. I became obsessed with Katie Gutierrez's restless, secret-keeping heroines and didn't want this book to ever end -- Jessamine Chan, New York Times bestselling author of The School for Good MothersI love a complicated female character, someone who doesn't behave as society dictates, and I was hooked by both Cassie and Lore's stories. A brilliant debut that doesn't just tiptoe around the grey edges of morality, but dives right in -- Louise HareMy favourite book club book so far . . . Brilliantly observed, psychological drama -- Tim Smith * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *Enthralling, breathtaking, and propulsive, MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW is the kind of book that only comes around once every decade. With hypnotic, shimmering prose set against a masterful plot, Katie Gutierrez has crafted an explosive modern classic--a groundbreaking, razor-sharp exploration of what it means to be a woman in all its complexity, as well as a deep dive into the morally gray areas of the double lives we all lead. Equal parts literary tour de force and domestic suspense, with a sweeping, sprawling narrative, More Than You'll Ever Know is poised to become the buzziest book of the year -- May Cobb, author of The Hunting WivesSuch a great story . . . with a sense of time and place in America and Mexico -- Bobby Pryor * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *I love this book more than Dolores "Lore" Rivera loves both her families and now you have to read this book to understand what I mean * CrimeReads *Every book here does something new and exciting within the genre, managing to tackle big, weighty themes while also being exceptionally readable . . . An unapologetic, unflinching examination of love, sacrifice and desire -- Grace Li, Sunday Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief * Washington Post *As addictive as a real-life who-dunnit, with thoughtful attention to the ethical implications of the true crime genre, More Than You'll Ever Know explores how we entangle ourselves one choice at a time, and what it costs to unravel the damage. Crystalline and multi-faceted, this is a page-turner brimming with empathy, a window into 1980s Mexico City and Laredo, and the ways community both bouys and pulls us under. Katie Gutierrez is a force, and she writes fabulously complicated, fully-realized characters who will linger with you long after the final page -- Julia Fine, author of The Upstairs House and What Should Be WildIt's difficult to believe that this masterful novel is a first book. Katie Gutierrez handles its dangerous turns like a Formula One driver. That elegance, darkness, even fear are deftly intertwined in the story make it a wonderful read. More books, please -- Luis Alberto UrreaI really enjoyed this book . . . A warning against self-deception . . . Appeals to people who enjoy domestic noir -- Ann Cleeves * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *An electrifying debut * Woman's Own *Doesn't read like a debut . . . Everybody should be picking this book up * BBC Radio 2 Book Club *With thrilling, atmospheric prose set against an intricate plot, Katie Gutierrez's debut More Than You'll Ever Know is both a suspenseful mystery, a family drama, and an astute examination of motherhood, love, and secrets. I read this morally complex novel ravenously, desperate to discover the fates of the two women at its center. You won't be able to put this book down -- Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We KeptWith beautifully written prose and razor-sharp insight, Katie Gutierrez draws us into More Than You'll Ever Know's gripping and complex world. Even as the dual storylines left me breathless, I found myself more captivated by Gutierrez's intimate and compassionate portrayal of these women, their men, and the many secrets they kept. Passionate, supremely intelligent, and thrilling -- Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie LeeA complex portrait of marriage and desire, a thought-provoking exploration of motherhood, and a fascinating look at our collective obsession with true crime . . . Combining domestic drama, crime, slow-burn psychological mystery and a touch of historical fiction, More Than You'll Ever Know is a true page-turner * Culturefly *Enthralling and beautifully written * Boston Globe *An evocative drama . . . This masterful work of literary suspense marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer * Mummy Pages UK *Suspenseful, seductive, gorgeously written * Minneapolis Star Tribune *An intriguing story of complex characters and their long-buried secrets * Daily Express *A must-read for true crime lovers * Buzzfeed Books *'I can hear the book club discussions now... undeniably powerful' -- New York Times * Chandler Baker *Infuses the summer mystery genre with some serious ideas about our obsession with crime stories and our sense of women's identities. -- Los Angeles Times

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Book SynopsisVladimir Nabokov''s Lolita is one of the best-known novels of the 20th century: the controversial story of Humbert Humbert who falls in love with twelve year old Lolita, beautifully repackaged as part of the Penguin Essentials range.''Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of my tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.''Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged, frustrated college professor. In love with his landlady''s twelve-year-old daughter Lolita, he''ll do anything to possess her. Unable and unwilling to stop himself, he is prepared to commit any crime to get what he wants.Is he in love or insane? A silver-tongued poet or a pervert? A tortured soul or a monster? Or is he all of these?Trade ReviewA masterpiece. One of the great works of art of our age * Independent *There's no funnier monster in modern literature than poor, doomed Humbert Humbert. Going to hell in his company would always be worth the ride * Independent *A great novel . . . It widens our own humanity * Guardian *You read Lolita sprawling limply in your chair, ravished, overcome, nodding scandalized assent -- Martin Amis * Observer *Nabokov's command of words, his joy in them, his comic and ecstatic use of them, makes reading his work such an intense joy * Daily Telegraph *Lolita is more the shocking because it is both intensely lyrical and wildly funny ... a Medusa's head with trick paper snakes * Time *

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Book SynopsisA stunning epic novel of secrets, betrayal and passion, from 1933 to the 1960s1933. Tessa and Frederica Nicolson enjoy one last idyllic summer at the beautiful Villa Millefiore, overlooking Florence. Four years later, Italy is a distant memory and Tessa is revelling in the glamour and excitement of modelling in London, until a passionate affair with married author Milo Rycroft leads to tragic consequences. Tessa returns to Florence, and, missing her sister desperately, Freddie, too, travels to Italy, where she is swept up in adventure, danger and romance, and makes a chance encounter that will change her life.With the outbreak of World War Two, Tessa and Freddie must fight for their own survival and happiness, while they wonder whether they will ever see each other again...Trade ReviewPraise for Judith Lennox's novels: 'A fast-moving, complex story * The Times *A beautifully turned, compassionate novel. Judith Lennox's writing is so keenly honest it could sever heartstrings * Daily Mail *Great, old-fashioned storytelling in the best sense * Daily Express *A definite contender for Rosamunde Pilcher's crown * Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisWe were bound by the same dreamTo be there and to own itor to destroy itNearly two years after the end of their affair, John and Aga meet once more. Each has filled the void left by the other: he has withdrawn into his world of wealth and privilege; she has found herself working as a chambermaid to support her family. Both recognise that the spark between them is still there. Will they rekindle what they had, or is an altogether darker game about to be played out?Magdalena Miecznicka's Nineteen Gardens is a lyrical human comedy, by turns seductive, enigmatic and explosive. The author of several novels and plays in Polish, this is Miecznicka''s first play in English.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London''s Hampstead Theatre, in November 2023.

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Book Synopsis''Kept me spellbound...You can practically feel the heaviness and sumptuousness of the velvet and other lush materials of the vintage gowns in your hands. Secrets and heartbreak come alive in this book I was unable to put down!'' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Each Dior dress tells a story...London, 2017: When her beloved grandmother, Sylvie, sends her to Paris to retrieve a dress she wore decades before, Lucille sees the perfect opportunity to briefly escape the pressures of her own life. But not everything is as it seems, and the long-buried secrets she discovers, hidden in a collection of priceless Dior gowns, could change everything.Paris, 1952: Postwar France is full of glamour and privilege, and Alice Ainsley is in the middle of it all. As the wife to the British ambassador to France, her life is a whirlwind of jewels, banquets and couture dresses, but beneath the glittering facade, Alice is suff

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Book SynopsisThe heartwarming and uplifting new Wartime Midwives novel perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Nancy Revell''A rousing tale of integrity and heroism, and an endearing story of a group of women working together'' WOMAN__________Cumbria, 1944: as Christmas comes to Mary Vale, mothers and midwives alike seek a miracle . . .Newly trained midwife Libby is forced to work in the neighbouring villages as well as at the Mother and Baby Home, trying her best to help the many desperate new mums.Meanwhile, Margaret arrives at Mary Vale heartbroken after losing her man and facing having a child alone.Yet it isn''t long before Libby and Margaret discover someone with bigger problems. Beth, along with her young children and desperately ill husband, face eviction from their home just before Christmas.As time starts to run out, so does her hope.But can Libby and Margaret save Beth and her family with a quick-witted plan and some festive magic?After all, it''s Christmas . . . and a time for miracles.__________Praise for Daisy Styles''An absolute joy to read'' Kate Thompson''Will tug at the heart strings of readers everywhere!'' Fiona Ford ''Truly endearing characters'' Annie MurrayTrade ReviewA rousing tale of integrity and heroism, and an endearing story of a group of women working together * Woman *Praise for Daisy Styles * - *Well done Daisy for creating characters that are real women in the best sense. Funny, scheming, loyal and witty, but about all, hardworking and proud. An absolute joy to read * Kate Thompson, bestselling author of, Secrets of the Home Front Girls *A cracking story with truly endearing characters * Annie Murray, bestselling author of, Now The War Is Over *This is her best yet. I devoured it in one sitting - it's a real page turner that will delight and tug at the heart strings of readers everywhere. Wonderful! * Fiona Ford, author of, The Liberty Girls *

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Book SynopsisDISCOVER THE EMOTIONALLY CHARGED AND UNPUTDOWNABLE NEW NOVEL FROM HILARY BOYDBel Carnegie''s life is not perfect. Still recovering from her ex-husband''s betrayal she lives with her narcissistic father in the family flat in Earl''s Court.Then one summer she decides to swap the sweltering city for beautiful Cornwall. While renting a little cottage she finds that the sea, sunshine and new friends help heal her damaged heart.But Bel soon learns that you can''t run from the past and it isn''t long before it comes knocking once more . . .Praise for Hilary Boyd''Hilary Boyd nails family dynamics and misplaced loyalties with pin-sharp precision in an impressively well-written tale'' Daily Express''I was ripping through this book . . . addictive'' Evening Standard''Boyd is as canny as Joanna Trollope at observing family life'' Daily MailTrade ReviewPraise for Hilary Boyd * - *As canny as Joanna Trollope at observing family life - and better at jokes * Daily Mail *Boyd is terrific at cutting to the quick of modern relationships * Woman & Home *Smart, with true-to-life characters whose dilemmas will tear at your heartstrings * Sunday Mirror *

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