Search results for ""author leah fleming""

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets, betrayal and redemption. Deep in the dales of the West Riding Fells lies Scarsbeck, a remote village peopled by a close-knit community of colourful characters: Ellie Birkett, steadfastly resisting her mother's attempts to marry her off; Vicar Hardy, wrestling with the temptations of the flesh; Ezra Bulstrode, village headmaster, with an unhealthy dedication to the education of his young students; and enigmatic woman Beth Wildman, who believes she can foresee the future. Surrounded by wild moorland and the majestic Yorkshire peaks, time seems to stand still in this magical corner of the world. But change is on its way. The dales echo with fearsome noise; construction scars the hillside: the railway is coming - right through Scarsbeck village. And with the arrival of a huge workforce charged with building the railway, the peaceful idyll is shattered for ever.Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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Can an island in the sun provide the second chance Sara needs? A warm and uplifting novel about love, friendship and new beginnings on the beautiful Greek island of Santaniki. Sara Loveday flees home and crisis to the beautiful island of Santaniki. Here, amid olive groves and whitewashed stone villas, where dark cypress trees step down to a cobalt blue sea, Sara vows to change her life. Spotting a gap in the local tourist market, she sets up a wedding plan business, specialising in 'second time around' couples. For her first big wedding, she borrows the olive garden of a local artists' retreat, but almost at once things begin to go wrong. To make matters worse, a stranger from Sara's past arrives on the island, spreading vicious lies. Can her business survive? And what will happen with the gorgeous new man who she's begun to love? This is a gorgeous, warm-hearted and uplifting novel conjuring the local colour, traditions and close bonds of island life.

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Can an island in the sun provide the second chance Sara needs? A uplifting novel about love, friendship and new beginnings on a beautiful Greek island.

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From the French Riviera between the wars to a terrifying endgame in World War 2 Occupied France, a gripping story of doomed but triumphant love from the author of A Wedding in the Olive Garden. High above the Mediterranean, on the French Riviera, stands a beautiful pink stucco villa. Once a playground for the rich and glamorous, now – in the aftermath of World War 1 – it is a convalescent home for sick and wounded nurses. Here Scottish Flora Garvie is recovering from four traumatic years on the ambulance trains. And here she will meet again charismatic but troubled Kit Carlyle, a regimental chaplain who no longer believes in his calling and certainly doesn't believe himself worthy of Flora's love. Their dramatic rollercoaster of a story will take them through death, separation and war, until a terrifying game of cat and mouse in Occupied France seals their fate. Praise for Leah Fleming: 'A born storyteller' Kate Atkinson 'A moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' Rachel Hore 'Fascinating and unputdownable' Trisha Ashley 'A fabulous story of people, places and pearls from a master storyteller' Lancashire Post

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It is 1939 and the eve of the Second World War when the handsome sailor Ewan Mackinnon returns to his childhood home on the remote Hebridean island of Phetray. He was forced to run from the ignominy of a terrible event, the disgraced Minister's son. Arriving home, many years later, he is reunited with Minn Macfee, a cottar's daughter, instantly falling for her graceful beauty and enchanting voice. But Minn and Ewan are bound by the same misfortune that caused their separation in childhood. When Ewan joins the Special Boat Squadron and embarks for France, leaving Minn behind, it seems fate has intervened once more. Touched by tragedy and the weight of the past, their love seems destined to die. Or will the tides of time bring them together again?

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An evocative novel of secrets, love and redemption under the Greek sun. Perfect for fans of Kate Furnivall and Julia Gregson. They have come to Santaniki for different reasons. Some with a dream of happiness. Some running from sadness and failure. But all of them have fallen in love with this most beautiful of Greek islands. When bossy retired bookseller, Ariadne Blunt, suggests that the English residents form a choir, she did not expect it would unleash quite so much drama. Secrets surface, old rivalries spring up, new friendships are formed and passions are rekindled. In this bittersweet tale of love and loss, people quite literally find their voices – showing that life can begin again when you let go of the past.

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets and redemption.How far will one woman journey to uncover a long-lost family secret? 1930s, London. Having grown up on a secluded Scottish estate with her aunt Phoebe, Caroline is shocked to discover that Phoebe is actually her mother and flees to Egypt in rebellion. Quickly finding herself in an unhappy marriage, Caroline has an affair with an old flame, but soon finds herself pregnant with his child. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers to smuggle valuable information into Europe for the British government. But when Caroline finally returns from war, her baby is gone. Will she be able to track him down? 2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans to discover more about her family's past . . . Praise for Leah Fleming: 'I enjoyed it enormously. It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE, bestselling author of LAST LETTER HOME 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about one magnificent gem, and three lives bound together by fate ...1879, York. Greta Costello must rely on her wits to survive. She finds refuge as a Saturday girl for an old jeweller, Saul Abrahams, and her eye for detail, her long fingers and appreciation of beauty persuade Saul to train her as a pearl stringer. This skill will lead her through hardship and pain towards a new life.1879, Scotland. Jem Baillie knows the immense power of a perfect pearl. His father was a fisher on a tributary of the Tay river in Perthshire, Scotland, and together they found the rarest of pearls, a great white pearl they call Queenie. When this is stolen from them, Eben vows revenge.Spanning generations and continents, tracing the rivers of Scotland and the Mississippi, The Last Pearl is a sweeping novel of desire and revenge, of family and freedom, and of one woman's journey to open the shell she has built around herself to reveal the true beauty within. Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously. It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets, wartime betrayals and redemption. May 1941 and the island of Crete is invaded by paratroopers from the air. After a lengthy fight, thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers are forced to take to the hills or become escaping PoWs, sheltered by the Cretan villagers. Sixty years later, Lois West and her young son, Alex, invite feisty Great Aunt Pen to a special eighty-fifth birthday celebration on Crete, knowing she has not been back there since the war.Penelope George - formerly Giorgidiou - is reluctant to go but is persuaded by the fact it is the 60th anniversary of the Battle. It is time for her to return and make the journey she never thought she'd dare to. On the outward voyage from Athens, she relives her experiences in the city from her early years as a trainee nurse to those last dark days stranded on the island, the last female foreigner. When word spreads of her visit, and old Cretan friends and family come to greet her, Lois and Alex are caught up in her epic pilgrimage and the journey which leads her to a reunion with the friend she thought she had lost forever - and the truth behind a secret buried deep in the past...Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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A warm, compelling historical story of love, loss and triumph. Yorkshire, 1945: Netta Nichol lives in the shadow of a terrible disgrace. After bearing a son out of wedlock, Netta was banished from her beloved Galloway to a Yorkshire mill town. She must stand aside as her son is raised by family back home. Bereft and broken-hearted, Netta finds solace in the quiet pleasure of sewing. Despite the shortages of wartime, she becomes known for her beautiful wedding dresses, made with ingenuity and skill. With the help of her dressmaking, Netta begins to win back her self-respect. But will it be enough to claim back her child?

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about dark family secrets, betrayal, love and redemption.1666. A child is born in the farmhouse at Windebank, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Named Rejoice (Joy) by her dying father, Joy grows up witness to the persecution of the farming community for following a banned faith. Defying the authority of the local priest, she joins a group of Yorkshire pioneers travelling to the New World to form a colony close to Philadelphia - a passionate, rebellious and courageous woman fighting against the constraints of the time. Will she find peace and love? 2014. A leather-bound book is found buried in the walls of the Meeting House in Good Hope, Pennsylvania. Its details trace the owner back to a Yorkshire farm in the Dales. And so a correspondence begins between Rachel Moorside and the man who found the journal, Sam Storer, as Rachel uncovers the tumultuous secrets of her family’s history.Praise for Leah Fleming ‘A moving and compelling story about a lifetime’s journey in search of the truth’ Rachel Hore ‘Grand opening and even more heartfelt ending’ Historical Novel Society ‘Delves deep into the human spirit, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses’ Monique Mulligan ‘Fleming has created the perfect wartime heroine’ Writing.ie ‘Fleming handles the narrative deftly . . . the time flew by’ If These Books Could Talk ‘Rich and enticing and the book is brimming with secrets and mysteries’ Dot Scribbles ‘Fascinating and unputdownable’ Trisha Ashley ‘A fabulous story of people, places and pearls from a master storyteller’ Lancashire Evening Post ‘Evokes war-time Britain in bright, patriotic colours’ Publishers Weekly

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about family secrets and redemption.1930s, London. Caroline grew on a secluded Scottish estate with her 'Aunt' Phoebe. But the shocking realisation that Phoebe is actually her mother fuels a rebellious streak in Caroline, who elopes to Cairo to get married. But her marriage quickly turns sour and leads to an affair with an old lover, and to a baby boy, Desmond. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers as a secret agent, smuggling valuable information into Europe for the British government. But when Caroline finally returns from the war, Desmond is gone. Will she be able to track him down?2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans to discover more about her family's past.Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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A heart-warming story of female friendship in the tumultuous days of the Suffragette movement...Sophia Seddon and Grace Thompson are poles apart - the one a member of the notorious Seddons of Plover Street, the other the vicar's spoilt only child. But their childhood friendship is revived when they find themselves fighting a common cause: women’s rights. And the ties of friendship prove stronger and more enduring than those of background or family, even in the face of danger.Both incredibly moving and engrossing, this is period drama for fans of Dilly Court, Margaret Dickinson and Annie Murray, from an experienced and acclaimed storyteller.

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FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE LAST PEARL AND THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER, this is a beautiful and dramatic novel about family secrets, wartime betrayal and redemption. When Isobel Morton takes over the café in Lichfield’s market square, she has big plans. Soon renamed The Victory Café, with a menu that delights despite rations, the girls who work at the Vic are swept away by Belle’s lust for life. Among the regular customers is a trio of soldiers from the nearby American base and waitress Dorrie Goodman soon befriends them, learning about jazz and romance in the process. But the stifling morality of a Midlands town in the 40s cannot accommodate such a friendship; jealously, hatred and the weight of public disapproval combine to precipitate a tragedy. It is not until many years after the war that friendship and reconciliation can begin to heal the wounds of the past …Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

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