Laura is watching the world go by without her. Unable to leave her house since suffering a trauma, Laura is stuck gazing out of her window at Willow Crescent, relying on husband Jim and best friend Debbie for help.Then one day, Jim doesn't come home. A day becomes two, days become a week, and still no sign of Jim. And with the police half-hearted in their efforts to look for him, Laura is forced into a decision. She's going to have to face the world outside and find her husband herself.But what Laura hasn't realised is that Willow Crescent is a community, eager to help. From Arthur and Carol next door ready to rally the neighbours, to Marjorie and her daughter Faye at number nine looking for their own reasons to engage with the world. From Sonja at number seven who thinks she may have seen Jim in London, to widower Ben at number four who understands all about being lonely. Laura has a world ready to embrace her if she can just find the nerve. And when it slowly dawns on them all, that the Jim they thought they knew, may have been hiding some unfathomable secrets, Laura has a choice - retreat back behind her window, or start living the life that was waiting for her all along. This is Clare Swatman's tour de force. At the same time emotional, uplifting, page-turning and breath-taking, Laura is a character you will never forget. Praise for Clare Swatman:'I loved The Night We First Met by Clare Swatman. Warm, romantic and wonderfully written, it's an emotional and thought-provoking read with such relatable characters.' Debbie Howells 'The Night We First Met is a beautiful love story that vividly evokes time and place, transporting the reader... and leaves you rooting for everyone who is brave enough to follow their heart and not their head.' Victoria Scott'Heart-breaking and life-affirming in equal measures, Before We Grow Old is the tender story of a chance meeting between former childhood sweethearts Fran and Will, and is packed with secrets and revelations. Through her beautiful writing, Clare Swatman delivers a powerful lesson in learning to love with your whole heart and accepting the same, no matter what life throws at you.' Sarah Bennett'Irresistible . . . A delightfully bittersweet story that will appeal to fans of One Day' - Sunday Mirror 'The Night We First Met is a breathless story of enduring love that will fill your heart and give you hope.' Laura Kemp 'The Night We First Met is such a special book, filled with broken and relatable characters, who you can't help but love. Just Gorgeous!' Emma Cooper 'The Night We First Met' is a gorgeously romantic, sliding doors love story about how The One will find you in the end.' Katy Regan

The World Outside My Window (Unabridged)

Utterly gripping timeslip historical fiction, perfect for fans of The Witch's Tree, The Essex Serpent and Weyward. Now: When Adrianna arrives at the small, run-down cottage, near the sea in rural Norfolk, she can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Here she can forget her life in the city, and the problems she's left behind there, at least for a while. But - like Adrianna herself - the cottage holds secrets. And when Adrianna finds a mysterious bundle of notes hidden under a floorboard, she can't shake the idea that they've been waiting for her. Especially when - in the rambling, overgrown garden - she then finds a strangely-carved stone, drawing her into a centuries-old mystery... 1646: Between her work as the village midwife and the medicines she sells from her cottage, Ursula has no need for a man. But this ideal leaves her unprotected in a world where just one accusation of witchcraft can mean certain death. So when she catches the eye of a powerful new local doctor, she must use every part of her cunning, or risk becoming his prisoner...Can the two women - their paths bound by place and history - each find the keys to their own destiny? Bestselling authors are loving The House of the Witch: 'I was completely hooked by this brilliant timeslip novel. Unmissable!' Louise Douglas 'A haunting tale of one woman's struggle to be independent at a time when strong women were seen as a threat and dealt with accordingly. The House of the Witch gripped me from the first page and refused to let go.' Jenni Keer 'A page turning historical novel that kept me guessing until the very end.' Rachel Burton Readers love Clare Marchant: 'Wow!.... Simply stunning! I was absolutely hooked right from the beginning!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Oh my word... fantastic... [The] stories intertwine so beautifully, it's truly amazing.' NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Loved this... the characters were brilliant and the storyline was amazing... Could not put it down.' NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book has it all: history, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a gripping narrative that kept me engaged from beginning to end.' NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Loved this book!... Great characters and story that intertwined. Highly recommended.' NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Had me hooked from the first page and when I wasn't reading it, I found myself thinking about it... My favourite book of the year!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I loved this book so much - I couldn't put it down but was loathe to finish it.' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

House of the Witch - A BRAND NEW spellbinding historical mystery, for fans of Weyward, from Clare Marchant for Summer 2024 (Unabridged)

From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, now a Netflix sensation!WARNING: Will keep you up all nightLisa tells lies.Most of them are small white lies intended to make the life of her daughter, Ava, easier. But her biggest lie of all about to be exposed. Because Lisa is lying to everyone. Lisa isn’t who she says she is. Lisa isn’t even called Lisa at all. Her real name is Charlotte Nevill and as a child she was convicted of the brutal murder of her half-brother, Daniel. Someone out there knows the truth. They’re determined to make Lisa pay. And they won’t stop until everything she loves is destroyed. ‘Brilliantly clever and compelling, loved it!’ B A Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors ‘A pacy, twisty thriller that will hook you with its first few pages’Stylist ‘Cross Her Heart is about three interesting women and some nasty men. To say more would reveal a powerful plot’The Times ‘Heart-breaking in places, twisty as hell’ C.L. Taylor, author of Strangers ‘Sarah Pinborough does it again with this disturbing descent into a heart of darkness’ Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home ‘A powerful, twisty thriller’ Michelle Frances, author of The Girlfriend ‘Once the first reveal hits you in the face, you’ll be lucky if you can put the book down to go to bed… and if you can get to sleep when you do’Independent ‘A dark and compulsive read’Woman & Home

Cross Her Heart

A beautiful and eerie story of love and memory from the author of The Moon Field. Anyone who’s ever lost someone is haunted Rosie Milford inherits a house in an old silk factory after her mother’s death and moves there with her young children. The discovery of a shocking truth about her own childhood, when she is already reeling from the breakup of her marriage, fills her with distrust and fearfulness. Then she starts seeing a strange child, wandering in the garden, who seems as lost as she is. In 1812, silk master Septimus Fowler has grand plans to keep his factory in step with the industrial revolution: he will plant mulberry trees, rear silkworms and import new mechanized looms. Orphan Beulah Fiddement works as a bobbin winder and has secrets that the master would go to any lengths to get. Caught up in a dark adult world of illicit love, rebellion and revenge, Beulah must put away her childhood and draw on all her spirit to protect those she loves. Beulah’s story of guilt and bravery will echo down two centuries and change Rosie’s life as she struggles to overcome the hand of her own past and find redemption.

The Silk Factory

The unforgettable tale of an orphan in Victorian London, based on the boy whose plight inspired Dr Barnardo to found his famous children’s homes. When his mother dies, Jim Jarvis is left all alone in London. He is sent to the workhouse but quickly escapes, choosing a hard life on the streets of the city over the confines of the workhouse walls. Struggling to survive, Jim finally finds some friends… only to be snatched away and made to work for the remorselessly cruel Grimy Nick, constantly guarded by his vicious dog, Snipe. Will Jim ever manage to be free?

Collins Modern Classics

Street Child

The dark, twisty new domestic suspense that will leave you gasping – from the author of Cuckoo She’s married to him. But does she know him at all?Claire lives with her family in a beautiful house overlooking the water. But she feels as if she’s married to a stranger – one who is leading a double life. As soon as she can get their son Joe away from him, she’s determined to leave Duncan. But finding out the truth about Duncan’s secret life leads to consequences Claire never planned for. Now Joe is missing, and she’s struggling to piece together the events of the night that tore them all apart. Alone in an isolated cottage, hiding from Duncan, Claire tries to unravel the lies they’ve told each other, and themselves. Something happened to her family … But can she face the truth? Perfect for readers who loved The Whisper Man, Here to Stay, and Sleep ‘A deftly dark, creepy and disturbing psychological thriller’ LoveReading ‘Great for anyone who loves an enticing thriller’ Marie Claire ‘An eerie page-turner’ Crime Scene Magazine ‘Chilling and heart-rending, a creepy, atmospheric story with a beautifully-drawn, bleak setting and memorably flawed characters’ Roz Watkins ‘Beautifully written, with a chilling mystery at its core, Magpie is a suspenseful and twisty pleasure of a read’ Howard Linskey ‘This eerie tale lingered with me for days after I’d read the final page. I didn’t see the final twist coming!’ Nicola Rayner ‘I could not stop reading this – creepy and compelling. I loved it’ Sarah Ward

Magpie

Heartache and hardship in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny Street St Saviours children’s home in London’s East End has provided a safe refuge for local children for decades and Sister Beatrice and her team are as busy as ever. New staff member Jinny is glad to escape the lewd advances of her drunken and slovenly mother’s rotten boyfriends, but can she prove she isn’t a chip off the old block? As ever, the staff are tested when orphaned brother and sister Andy and Beth are brought to the home – they are clearly terrified of something, and Andy refuses to be sent home, but can Sister Beatrice get to the bottom of their story before they are returned to their stepfather? It’s all in a day’s work for the home – but things are about to change forever – will they be ready to face the future?

An Orphan’s Courage

Heartbreaking and uplifting, the story of the workhouse orphan, Eliza, will touch your heart…Eliza was left as a small baby at the workhouse in Whitechapel, wrapped in her mother’s shawl, which is all she has of the mother she never knew. At eleven years-old, she has survived sickness, near starvation and harsh beatings. Master Simpkins and his cruel daughter rule the workhouse with a rod of iron, but when Romany boy, Joe, arrives at the workhouse, his spirit and courage give Eliza hope that another life is waiting for her outside. When she is sold into service, Eliza is relieved to be out of the workhouse and hopes her fortunes are changing for the better, but cruelty and unkindness are everywhere and her salvation could become her ruin…

The Children of the Workhouse

The Girl in the Ragged Shawl

All the Button Street children deserve a good home…Alone and on the streets after their mother ends up in hospital, Charlie has promised his little sister Maisie he’ll never let her feel frightened again. That promise is hard to keep when Maisie falls ill. Hope comes in the shape of Susan and the other nurses at the local hospital. Times are tough and lately they’ve seen even more children come through their doors who need kindness and a loving home. The only way to keep Charlie and Maisie out of the orphanage is to find them a good foster home, but there are far too many people who’d take them in for their own ruthless ends. With decent folk in short supply, can Susan help Charlie to keep his promise?

Button Street Orphans

An Orphan’s Promise

A terrifying enigma – with the power to destroy… Twenty years ago, Kate Maddox was a volunteer at a research centre where scientists hunted for a cure for the common cold virus. That summer, Kate fell in love with a handsome young doctor, Stephen, but her stay ended in his tragic death and Kate fled to a new life in the US. Now Kate is back in England and on the run with her young son, this time from her vile husband. But a chance encounter sets her on a terrifying path of discovery. What really happened at the Cold Research Unit two decades ago? Pursued by both her estranged husband and a psychotic killer who is obsessed with his prey, Kate must fight to solve the puzzle of the past – uncovering a sickening betrayal and a truth more horrifying than she could ever have imagined…

Catch Your Death

“Paula Byrne brings J.F.K.’s adored little sister, Kick, back to life.” —Vanity Fair From celebrated biographer Paula Byrne, the remarkable life of the vivacious, unconventional—and nearly forgotten—young Kennedy sister who charmed American society and the English aristocracy, and would break with her family for love. Encouraged to be “winners” from a young age, Rose and Joe Kennedy’s children were the embodiment of ambitious, wholesome Americanism. Yet even within this ebullient group of overachievers, the fourth Kennedy child, the irrepressible Kathleen, stood out. Lively, charismatic, extremely clever, and blessed with graceful athleticism and a sunny disposition, the alluring socialite fondly known as Kick was a firecracker who effortlessly made friends and stole hearts. Moving across the Atlantic when her father was appointed as the ambassador to Great Britain in 1938, Kick—the “nicest Kennedy”—quickly became the family’s star. Despite making little effort to fit into British high society, she charmed everyone from the beau monde to Fleet Street with her unconventional attitude and easygoing humor. Growing increasingly independent, Kick would also shock and alienate her devout family by falling in love and marrying the scion of a virulently anti-Catholic family— William Cavendish, the heir apparent of the Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth. But the marriage would last only a few months; Billy was killed in combat in 1944, just four years before Kick’s own unexpected death in an airplane crash at twenty-eight. Byrne recounts this remarkable young woman’s life in detail as never before, from her work at the Washington Times-Herald and volunteerism for the Red Cross in wartime England; to her love of politics and astute, opinionated observations; to her decision to renounce her faith for the man she loved. Sympathetic and compelling, Kick shines a spotlight on this feisty and unique Kennedy long relegated to the shadows of her legendary family’s history.

Kick

Two orphans must battle heartache and despair in the latest novel from the bestselling author of An Orphan’s Courage and The Orphans of Halfpenny Street.Jonny has had a bad start in life and has been taken in by a neighbour after the death of his mother. Small for his age, he is prey to a band of local thugs so joins the boxing club and learns to defend himself. When a violent altercation ends in tragedy, Jonny runs away and meets a homeless young girl called Cassie, who has been living in an abandoned house ─ touched by her predicament, Jonny vows to look after her, whatever that takes. Cassie desperately needs love and a safe place to call home and there are kind hearts who want to help. But sometimes kindness isn’t enough and Jonny’s wish to help her won’t be easy. Will there be a light at the end of the tunnel for both of them?

An Orphan’s Sorrow

The compelling new book from the author of The Girl in the Ragged Shawl and The Orphans of Halfpenny StreetDanny gets a terrible start in life and runs away from his drunken father when he thrashes him to within an inch of his life. But life on the streets is no better and he falls into the clutches of evil men, finding that being big and strong for his age is no protection from the people who want to do him harm. Help comes in the form of Constable Jones, who is determined to help out the children who need it, and new friends Ron and Cassie, who are also runaways. Can Danny’s dream of a loving home ever be a reality?

An Orphan’s Dream

'ADDICTIVE, ORIGINAL AND BRILLIANTLY TWISTY' T. M. LOGAN Lisa is running. She has taken her child, Jack, and she has run from his father. Lisa thinks she's safe. She's found a remote house where no one will be able to find them. Lisa is about to wake up in her worst nightmare. And now she must face what she's tried to escape. Risking everything to protect her little boy, Lisa knows that in order to survive she will have to fight, but it's hard to face someone you loved, especially someone you still love, who knows who you really are - and what you are really capable of. Family is everything. What would you do to protect it? 'A breathless and heart-stopping book that will keep you guessing until the final page' Woman's Own

What I Did

'Wonderfully entertaining . . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly Cooper In A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran. Lifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun. Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app. But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with?

In a Country Garden

‘Riveting, tragic tale’ New Yorker‘Anna Pasternak has produced an irresistible account of joy, suffering and passion’ Financial TimesThe heartbreaking story of the passionate love affair between Boris Pasternak and Olga Ivinskaya – the tragic true story that inspired Doctor Zhivago. Doctor Zhivago has sold in its millions yet the true love story that inspired it has never been fully explored. Pasternak would often say ‘Lara exists, go and meet her’, directing his visitors to the love of his life and literary muse, Olga Ivinskaya. They met in 1946 at the literary journal where she worked. Their relationship would last for the remainder of their lives. Olga paid an enormous price for loving ‘her Boria’. She became a pawn in a highly political game and was imprisoned twice in Siberian labour camps because of her association with him and his controversial work. Her story is one of unimaginable courage, loyalty, suffering, tragedy, drama and loss. Drawing on both archival and family sources, Anna Pasternak’s book reveals for the first time the critical role played by Olga in Boris’s life and argues that without Olga it is likely that Doctor Zhivago would never have been completed or published. Anna Pasternak is a writer and member of the famous Pasternak family. She is the great-granddaughter of Leonid Pasternak, the impressionist painter and Nobel Prize winning novelist Boris Pasternak was her great-uncle. She is the author of three previous books.

Lara

The remarkable life of the vivacious, clever – and forgotten – Kennedy sister, who charmed the English aristocracy and was almost erased from her family history. The favourite child of Joe Kennedy and favourite sister of Jack, Kick Kennedy was spirited, vivacious and legendary for her charm. When the Kenndys sailed to Britain in 1938 she was presented as a debutante amid the pre-war social whirl of the British aristocracy. Here she met a shy, tall, handsome man called Billy, and, rebelling against family, faith, and country, soon married him. He was William Cavendish, heir to Chatsworth and the Duke of Devonshire, the most eligible bachelor in England. But their days of married bliss proved short, as war would bring tragedy and loss. Uncovering her spectacular life in full for the first time, Paula Byrne depicts a remarkable woman who bewitched the Churchills, Astors and Mitfords, and yet was almost erased from Kennedy family history.

'I relished every page … This is the best book on Jane Austen I have ever read’Spectator 'Compelling … a delightful and engrossing book … Byrne’s passion is nothing if not persuasive’Sunday Times Was Jane Austen a woman of prim manners and genteel calm? Or someone who behaved outrageously, filled with sharp wit and wild comedy? Jane Austen loved the theatre. She learned much of her art from a long tradition of English comic drama and took joyous participation in amateur theatricals. Her juvenilia, then Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma were shaped by the arts of theatrical comedy. Her admiration for drama’s dialogue, characterisation, plotting, exits and entrances is why she has been dramatised so successfully on screen in the last twenty years – and these versions are at the centre of her continuing fame, culminating in her celebration on £10 note. Austen expert and author of The Real Jane Austen, Paula Byrne looks at stage adaptations of Austen’s novels (including one called Miss Elizabeth Bennet by A. A. Milne) to modern classics, including the BBC Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility, and the phenomenally brilliant and successful Clueless, The Genius of Jane Austen presents an Austen not of prim manners and genteel calm, but filled with wild comedy and outrageous behaviour.

The Genius of Jane Austen

The heart-breaking and compelling new book set in a Victorian workhouse from the author of the The Orphans of Halfpenny StreetWhen Lucy and her brother, Joshua, are orphaned, it falls to Joshua to provide for them both, but he is barely into his teens and in his naivety, falls prey to bad influences and drink. Lucy is desperate to avoid the workhouse, but when Joshua loses their meagre savings they are thrown out onto the street and, in dire poverty, it isn’t long before Lucy finds herself at its gates – almost a fate worse than death. Inside the workhouse, Lucy meets with unkindness and cruelty and she knows she must dig deep within herself if she is to survive, let alone thrive. What Lucy needs is a friend and she is surprised to find one in the most unlikely place…

The Barefoot Child

Call the Midwife meets Dr Barnardo’s in this gritty drama that will appeal to fans of Katie Flynn. St Saviour’s will never turn a homeless child away… When there is nowhere else to turn, St Saviour’s will give them hope… It’s 1947 and London’s East End is still a bombed-out landscape. Sister Beatrice, who runs the St Saviour’s Children’s Home, knows that life is still a precarious existence for many children and it seems that there is no end to the constant stream of waifs and strays who appear at their door looking for a safe haven. One such arrival is Mary Ellen whose mother is gravely ill. The one silver lining is her best friend, the tearaway Billy Baggins, also a resident of the home, but Billy seems intent on falling foul of Sister Beatrice’s strict regime. New arrival on the staff, Angela, admires Sister Beatrice, but can see that the children need love and kindness as well as a strong hand. When an unwelcome face from Billy’s past arrives on the scene, things are brought to a head. Can the two women work together to keep Billy on the straight and narrow – or is it too late?

Halfpenny Orphans

The Orphans of Halfpenny Street

‘Open yourself up again to all that terrible light and savage bliss and deafening reverberation …’ In the Summer of 1971, a charismatic family seeks refuge in the quiet, English coastal backwater of Pett Level. Bran Cleary is a controversial Irish muralist; his fractious and promiscuous wife (and muse) 'Lonely' Allaway is half Aboriginal; their strange, sickly daughter, Orla Nor, is almost a Saint. Thirteen years later, a shifty individual turns up in Pett Level, apparently determined to get to the bottom of the bizarre and ultimately tragic events which unfolded in the aftermath of that arrival. But does he really want to understand, or is he just way too close to the story to make any clear sense of it? And what of the locals who seem so determined to resist and undermine his investigations? ‘In The Approaches’ is a fabulously twisted comedy of very bad manners which starts out as a seaside idyll and ends up as a pilgrimage – sometimes sacred, sometimes profane, and frequently both at once. Set in a 1984 which seems almost as distantly located in the past as Orwell’s was in the future, Nicola Barker’s tenth novel offers a captivating glimpse of something more shocking than any dystopia – the possibility of faith.

In the Approaches

‘Captures both Barbara and her writing so miraculously’ JILLY COOPERPicked as a Book to Look Forward to in 2021 by the Guardian, The Times and the Observer A Radio 4 Book of the Week, April 2021 Barbara Pym became beloved as one of the wittiest novelists of the late twentieth century, revealing the inner workings of domestic life so brilliantly that her friend Philip Larkin announced her the era’s own Jane Austen. But who was Barbara Pym and why was the life of this English writer – one of the greatest chroniclers of the human heart – so defined by rejection, both in her writing and in love? Pym lived through extraordinary times. She attended Oxford in the thirties when women were the minority. She spent time in Nazi Germany, falling for a man who was close to Hitler. She made a career on the Home Front as a single working girl in London’s bedsit land. Through all of this, she wrote. Diaries, notes, letters, stories and more than a dozen novels – which as Byrne shows more often than not reflected the themes of Pym’s own experience: worlds of spinster sisters and academics in unrequited love, of powerful intimacies that pulled together seemingly humble lives. Paula Byrne’s new biography is the first to make full use of Barbara Pym’s archive. Brimming with new extracts from Pym’s diaries, letters and novels, this book is a joyous introduction to a woman who was herself the very best of company. Byrne brings Barbara Pym back to centre stage as one of the great English novelists: a generous, shrewdly perceptive writer and a brave woman, who only in the last years of her life was suddenly, resoundingly recognised for her genius.

The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym

‘Book of the month: An emotional and suspenseful page turner’ Bella‘Susan Lewis has a gift for telling warm family stories that also take you by surprise. One Minute Later will make you savour every second’ Jane CorryYou think your life is perfect. You think your secrets are safe. You think it’ll always be this way. But your life can change in a heartbeat. With a high-flying job, a beautiful apartment and friends whose lives are as happy as her own, Vivienne Shager is living the dream. Then, on the afternoon of Vivi’s twenty-seventh birthday, one catastrophic minute changes everything. Forced to move back to the small seaside town where she grew up, Vivi remembers the reasons she left. The secrets, lies and questions that now must be answered before it’s too late. But the answers lie in thirty years in the past… Shelley Raynor’s family home, Deerwood Farm, has always been a special place until darkness strikes at its heart. When Vivi’s and Shelley’s worlds begin to entwine, it only takes a moment for the truth to unravel all of their lives. Brilliantly emotional, suspenseful and page-turning, One Minute Later is the stunning new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Susan Lewis. Susan Lewis – behind every secret lies a story.

One Minute Later

Time to die… The explosive new thriller featuring Kate Maddox from the writers of Catch Your Death and Killing Cupid. Two years on from uncovering a terrifying conspiracy of rogue scientists, all Kate Maddox wants is to lead a normal life with her partner Paul and son Jack. But then a face from the past turns up, bringing chilling news. A devastating new strain of the virus that killed Kate’s parents is loose in L.A. – and when a bomb rips through a hotel killing many top scientists, it becomes clear someone will do anything to stop a cure being found. While Paul goes on the hunt for answers, Kate finds herself in a secret laboratory in the heart of California, desperately seeking a way to stop the contagion. But time is running out and soon it will be too late to save their loved ones, themselves, and the world…

All Fall Down

The heartbreaking story of the love affair between Boris Pasternak, the author of Doctor Zhivago, and Olga Ivinskaya—the true tragedy behind the timeless classic. When Stalin came into power in 1924, the Communist government began persecuting dissident writers. Though Stalin spared the life of Boris Pasternak—whose novel-in-progress, Doctor Zhivago, was suspected of being anti-Soviet—he persecuted Boris’s mistress, typist, and literary muse, Olga Ivinskaya. Boris’s affair with Olga devastated the straitlaced Pasternaks, and they were keen to disavow Olga’s role in Boris’s writing process. Twice Olga was sentenced to work in Siberian labor camps, where she was interrogated about the book Boris was writing, but she refused to betray the man she loved. When Olga was released from the gulags, she assumed that Boris would leave his wife for her but, trapped by his family’s expectations and his own weak will, he never did. Drawing on previously neglected family sources and original interviews, Anna Pasternak explores this hidden act of moral compromise by her great-uncle, and restores to history the passionate affair that inspired and animated Doctor Zhivago. Devastated that Olga suffered on his behalf and frustrated that he could not match her loyalty to him, Boris instead channeled his thwarted passion for Olga into the love story in Doctor Zhivago. Filled with the rich detail of Boris’s secret life, Lara unearths a moving love story of courage, loyalty, suffering, drama, and loss, and casts a new light on the legacy of Doctor Zhivago.

The Rule of St. Benedict (the rule) arose in an era when a great civilization was threatened by violence, economic forces that favored the wealthy, political leaders that lacked the trust of the public, and rampant xenophobia. The events that occurred in sixth-century Rome were much those like on the nightly news. Benedict was not a priest or religious official. He was just a young man disillusioned by a corrupt society that lacked compassion. He had a vision of a society in which human values reigned supreme; a vision of compassion, harmony, and hope. This is a book about living—not just surviving. It is a book about how to live a balanced, meaningful, and conscious life rooted in the ancient and time-tested wisdom of the rule. Valente's book reflects her training as a journalist. The narrative is engaging, conversational, and filled with anecdotes. It reflects the sensibility of someone who has struggled with balancing work and family with finding true meaning and happiness that is not dependent on externals. In 21 chapters, she explores the key elements of the rule and clearly demonstrates how incorporating this ancient wisdom can change the quality and texture of our lives. Included here are discussions of humility, waking up, silence, simplicity, trust, prayer, forgiveness, building consensus, listening, and living with awe. These fresh and profound explorations are inspiring, thoughtful, and motivational. This book is aimed at beginner and mature spiritual seekers alike. It should also appeal to non-traditionally spiritual people—the so-called “nones” (people who list “none of the above” as their formal religion), who are seeking a saner way to live in an increasingly violent, divided, and confusing world.

How to Live

Set amidst the gorgeous backdrop of Provence, Serena Kent’s second book in the deliciously entertaining Penelope Kite series finds the amateur sleuth romantically linked with the mayor of St. Merlot and dashing to solve the murder of an expat artist—perfect for fans of Peter Mayle and Agatha Christie. After an eventful first few months in Provence, it seems Penelope is finally settling into her delightful new life, complete with a gorgeous love interest in the mayor of St. Merlot. When Penelope and the mayor attend a glamorous gallery opening, Penelope’s biggest worry is embarrassing herself in front of her date. But the evening takes a horrifying turn when a controversial expat painter, Roland Doncaster, chokes to death. A tragic accident? Or a malicious plot? Reluctantly drawn into the murder investigation, Penelope discovers that any number of jealous lovers and scheming rivals could be involved. And with dashing art dealers to charm, patisseries to resist, and her own friends under suspicion, Penelope will need to draw upon all her sleuthing talents to uncover the truth. Set against the stunning vistas of Provence, Serena Kent returns with the second installment of her charming mystery series featuring the unflappable Penelope Kite.

Penelope Kite

Death in Avignon

'Engrossing, emotionally honest and forensically fascinating' - Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes In Traces, Professor Patricia Wiltshire will take you on a journey through the fascinating edgeland where nature and crime are intertwined. She'll take you searching for bodies of loved ones - through woodlands, along hedgerows, field-edges, and through plantations - solving time since death, and disposal of remains, from ditches to living rooms. She will give you glimpses of her own history: her loves, her losses, and the narrow little valley in Wales where she first woke up to the wonders of the natural world. Pat will show you how her work with a microscope reveals tell-tale traces of the world around us, and how these have taken suspects of the darkest criminal activities to court. From flowers, fungi, tree trunks to car pedals, walking boots, carpets, and corpses' hair, Traces is a fascinating, unique, and utterly compelling audiobook on life, death, and one's indelible link with nature.

Traces

""Sarah Pinborough is about to become your new obsession.""—Harlan Coben The New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes returns with a twisty, hair-raising psychological thriller about a single mom, her daughter, and her best friend, the secrets they hide, and the danger they can’t escape. Lisa lives a very quiet life. A single mother nearing forty, she devotes herself to raising her sixteen-year-old daughter, Ava. Wary of men, Lisa doesn’t speak of her past or Ava’s absent father. Her best friend Marilyn wishes she would open up more and maybe finally go on a date—with the sexy new client who’s obviously keen—but Marilyn has problems of her own. Ava is getting tired of her overprotective mother. She wants to live like a normal teenager—chill with friends, go to swim practice, study for exams, have a boyfriend. Her mom would freak if she knew that Ava’s already got someone special, someone who makes her feel sophisticated—and wanted. Lisa has spent a long time looking over her shoulder, but lately she’s been especially uneasy. Small things from the past have begun to appear in the present, feeding her anxiety. As her life begins to unravel, Lisa knows that the only way she can protect herself and her daughter is to face her fears. Yet courage won’t be enough. She’ll need help from the only person she can trust—Marilyn. Between them they have to save Ava, and to do that, they have to be honest with each other. Truly honest. Marilyn did promise she’d do anything to help. But a long time ago, Lisa made a promise too. Then she broke her word. And that betrayal hasn’t been forgotten—or forgiven. Now, someone is going to make her pay for her sin.

International bestselling author Susan Lewis’s riveting, unforgettable novel of a woman determined to protect her children—at all costs. A mother's worst nightmare becomes a reality… Angie Watts once had what seemed like an idyllic life: a house in a small town in the English countryside with her beloved husband Steve and their three adored children. She never could have predicted how her life would one day turn out. When her oldest son, Liam, grows from a sweet-natured boy to a troubled teen, Angie’s world begins to crumble. Expelled from school and disappearing from home for days on end, Liam falls in with a notorious local gang. After arriving home one day to find their 5-year-old son with a syringe Liam has left lying around, Steve makes a rash decision that will have lasting repercussions on their family. Two years later, Steve is gone, Liam is missing, and with money running out, Angie and her other two children are on the brink of eviction. Then Angie is called into the police station and informed that there’s been a murder—and Liam is a suspect. As Angie’s desperation to save her family leads her to take drastic measures, her daughter secretly devises her own plan to save the family…which could put everyone in danger. Alternating between Angie’s blissful life as a young mother and her present-day nightmare, Home Truths is a searing exploration of the lengths one mother will go to survive and protect her children.

Home Truths

The first entry in a clever, lighthearted mystery series set in modern Provence—a delightful blend of Agatha Christie and Peter Mayle—featuring the irrepressible Penelope Kite, a young-at-heart divorcee with a knack for stumbling across dead bodies. It’s love at first sight when Penelope Kite sees Le Chant d’Eau—The Song of Water—the stone farmhouse tucked high in the hills above the Luberon valley, complete with a garden, swimming pool, and sweeping mountain vistas. For years, Penelope put her unfaithful ex-husband and her ungrateful stepchildren first. Since taking early retirement from her job in forensics at the Home Office in England, she’s been an unpaid babysitter and chauffeur for her grandchildren. Now, she’s going to start living for herself. Though her dream house needs major renovations, Penelope impulsively buys the property and moves to St. Merlot. But Penelope’s daydreams of an adventurous life in Provence didn’t include finding a corpse floating face down in her swimming pool. The discovery of the dead man plunges her headlong into a Provençal stew of intrigue and lingering resentments simmering beneath the deceptively sunny village. Having worked in the forensics office, Penelope knows a thing or two about murder investigations. To find answers, she must carefully navigate between her seemingly ubiquitous, supercilious (and enviably chic) estate agent, the disdainful chief of police, and the devilishly handsome mayor—even as she finds herself tempted by all the delicacies the region has to offer. Thank goodness her old friend Frankie is just a flight away . . . and that Penelope is not quite as naïve as her new neighbors in St. Merlot believe. Set against the exquisite backdrop of Provence, steeped in history, atmosphere, and secrets, Death in Provence introduces an irresistible heroine and a delightful new mystery series.

Death in Provence

An unforgettable story about learning to love again and living life to its fullest, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver. ""A poignant and uplifting read about loss, love and learning to put yourself back together again after facing the unimaginable."" —Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year Lost love. A second chance. A hidden secret. Spencer was the love of Anna’s life: her husband, her best friend, her rock. She thought their love would last forever. But three years ago, Spencer was tragically killed in an accident and Anna’s world was shattered. How can she ever move on, when she’s lost her soulmate? On New Year’s Eve Anna calls Spencer’s phone number, just to hear his old voicemail greeting. But to her shock, someone answers… Brody has inherited Spencer’s old number and is the first person who truly understands what Anna’s going through. As her and Brody’s phone calls become lengthier and more frequent, they begin opening up to each other—and slowly rediscover how to smile, how to laugh, even how to hope. But Brody hasn’t been entirely honest with Anna. Will his secret threaten everything, just as it seems she might find the courage to love again?

The Last Goodbye

‘I DEVOURED THIS STORY IN ONE SITTING’ Louise Jensen, author of The Sister A teenage girl is missing. Is your daughter involved, or is she next? Your daughter is in danger. But can you trust her? When Karen Finch’s seventeen-year-old daughter Sophie arrives home after a night out, drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state. Twelve hours later, Sophie’s friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found. Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack. As she becomes convinced that Sophie is not only involved but also in danger, Karen must confront her own anxieties to stop whoever killed one young girl moving on to another – Sophie. A taut psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and I Let You Go.

Saving Sophie

A gripping, festive novel, Christmas Under the Stars by Karen Swan reveals the devastating power of secrets. 'Tuck yourself in under a blanket and get lost in the adventure' – Heat Worlds apart. A love without limit. In the snow-topped mountains of the Canadian Rockies, Meg and Mitch are living their dream. Just weeks away from their wedding, they work and play with Tuck and Lucy, their closest and oldest friends. But when a polar storm hits, tragedy strikes. Alone in the tiny mountain log cabin, Meg desperately tries to radio for help – and it comes from the most unexpected quarter, a lone voice across the airwaves that sees what she cannot. As the snow melts and they try to live with their loss, the friendship Meg thought was forever is buckled by tensions, rivalries and devastating secrets. Nothing is as she thought and only her radio contact understands what it is to be truly alone. As they share confidences in the dark, Meg feels her future begin to pull away from her past and is forced to consider a strange truth – is it her friends who are the strangers? And a stranger who really knows her best? Enjoy more of Karen Swan's captivating seasonal novels: Christmas on Primrose Hill and Midnight in the Snow.

Christmas Under the Stars

International bestselling author Susan Lewis’ riveting, unforgettable novel of a woman whose life changes in an instant and the handsome young man with whom she shares a secret history—perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, and Susan Wiggs. How well do you know the people you love? For one young woman returning to the past, the answer could be heart-shattering... Vivi Shager is living her dream. Raised with drive and ambition by a resolutely single mother, Vivi has a thriving law career, a gorgeous apartment in London, and a full calendar that keeps her busy at work and at play. Then on the day of her twenty-seventh birthday, an undiagnosed heart condition sends Vivi’s prospects for the future into a tailspin. After escaping her roots nearly a decade ago, she’s forced to return to her childhood home to be cared for by her devoted and enigmatic mother. Vivi has always known the woman is hiding something and now she’s determined to find out what it is. Though her condition makes her fragile and vulnerable and she’s afraid of what may happen, her spirit remains strong. Then comes an unexpected ray of light. Josh Raynor, a local veterinarian who his sisters claim is too handsome for his own good, brings a forbidden love to Vivi’s world. Josh and Vivi are soon inseparable, unaware of the past their families share. All Vivi knows is that Josh is wrestling with a demon of his own… Then quite suddenly the awful truth is staring Vivi in the face and it changes everything.

The “supremely perceptive writer of formidable skill and intelligence (New York Times Book Review) turns her astute eye to a dramatic family reunion, where simmering tensions and secrets come to a head over three long, hot summer weeks. “Deliciously precise. . . . Built in a Chekhovian manner, handily assembling the grown members of an extended family and their offspring under one roof.”—New York Times Book Review Winner of the Windham Campbell Prize • A Washington Post Best Book of the Year • A Time Best Book of the Year • A San Francisco Chronicle Top 10 Book of the Year • A Huffington Post Best Fiction Book of the Year • A New York Times Editors’ Choice Three sisters and a brother, complete with children, a new wife, and an ex-boyfriend’s son, descend on their grandparents’ dilapidated old home in the Somerset countryside for a final summer holiday. The house is full of memories of their childhood and their past—their mother took them there to live when she left their father—but now, they may have to sell it. And beneath the idyllic pastoral surface lie tensions. As the family’s stories and silences intertwine over the course of three long, hot weeks, small disturbances build into familial crises, and a way of life—bourgeois, literate, ritualized, Anglican—winds down to its inevitable end.

The Past

A gritty drama that will appeal to fans of The Throwaway Children and authors Nadine Dorries and Kitty Neale. When little Terry and Nancy arrive at the door of St Saviour’s Children’s Home, they seem shellshocked after being orphaned in the fire that killed their parents. Terry is terribly damaged by his experiences, though the concerned staff, especially Angela Morton, suspect that there is something more sinister behind his disturbing behaviour. Angela shares her anxieties with Mark Adderbury, a psychiatrist volunteering at the home. They’ve grown closer recently but Angela, still grieving the loss of her husband, feels that Mark needs more from her than she can give. Then why does she feel so jealous at the arrival of Staff Nurse Carole, who seems to have captured Mark’s attention? They must all pull together to get to the bottom of what really happened to Terry and Nancy, but the truth may be harder to take than they realise . . .

The Little Runaways

Some secrets can never be concealed . . . Nell Galilee, her husband and twelve year old step-daughter Maude rent a holiday cottage by the sea, needing time and space away from home after Maude became involved in some troubling events. Nell grew up in this small, wind-blown town and has mixed feelings about returning, and it isn't long before she is recognised by a neighbour, seemingly desperate to befriend her. The cottage too has been empty for some time, and from the start Nell feels uncomfortable there. Something isn't quite right about this place . . . Maude, furious about being brought here against her will and her father's attention falling so often elsewhere, soon finds herself beguiled by the house's strange atmosphere. There are peculiar marks in the roof beams above her bedroom, and in another room, a hiding place, concealing a strange, unnerving object. As the house gradually reveals its secrets, Nell becomes increasingly uneasy - and Maude spellbound. But these women - and the women that surround them - are harbouring their own secrets too, and soon events will come to a terrible head . . . A brilliant, unsettling and chilling novel of mothers and daughters, truth and deception and the lengths people will go to, to obtain power over their own lives, The Hiding Place is the second chilling novel from the acclaimed author of The Wayward Girls. 'The Hiding Place has everything; chills that build, an immersive setting and a wonderful clash between the present and the past, the living and the dead. At the heart of this haunting novel are characters so real and compelling their stories continue to resonate long after reading' Jess Kidd

The Hiding Place

** Never Forget You, the newest emotional love story from Fiona Lucas, is available to pre-order now!** How can you ever move on, if you can’t let go?‘A gorgeous book about second-chances, brimming with love and overflowing with hope’ Milly Johnson *** A beautiful and poignant story of love, loss and finding hope where you least expect it, perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover and Lucy Score. Anna’s world was shattered three years ago when her husband Spencer was killed in a tragic accident. Her friends and family think it’s time she moved on, but how can she when she’s lost her soulmate? On New Year’s Eve, Anna calls Spencer’s old phone just to hear his voicemail greeting. But to her surprise someone picks up. Brody answers and is the first person who truly understands what Anna is going through. As they begin to speak regularly, Anna finds herself opening up and slowly she discovers how to smile again, how to laugh, even how to hope. But Brody hasn’t been entirely honest with Anna. Will his secret threaten everything, just as it seems she might find the courage to love again? ***** Readers are falling in love with The Last Goodbye:‘Left me smiling through the tears, I absolutely loved it’ ‘An emotional ride and the best book I’ve read in ages’ ‘Wow, what a book! I found it hard to put down’ ‘Perfect for fans of Kate Eberlen and Holly Miller’ ‘A gorgeous novel about grief and moving on. Funny, heart-breaking and oh so human’ ‘Brilliant and original, it will be a long time before I read a book as good as this’ ‘Beautiful, heartbreaking and full of hope’ ‘A truly romantic and feel-good story that will warm the heart’ ‘Breathtaking! I was so invested and couldn’t put it down’

Soon to be an Amazon Prime TV series starring Robin Wright, Olivia Cooke and Waleed Zuaiter. She loves your son. She wants your life. How far would you go to protect your son? ‘I was blown away’ – Jilly Cooper * * * A gripping and chilling debut psychological thriller, The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances is the story of a mother, a son, his girlfriend and an unforgivable lie. Laura has it all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a twenty-three year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome, and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart – but hasn’t led Laura’s golden life. And she wants it. When tragedy strikes, a decision is made and a lie is told. A lie so terrible it changes their lives forever . . . * * * 'The mother-son psychological drama that'll have you racing to the end' – Good Housekeeping 'Sharp, sinister and addictive' – Sunday Mirror 'A wildly delicious psychological thriller' – Red Magazine

The Girlfriend

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE ‘A wake-up call’ Amal Clooney ‘Devastating… rape and sexual abuse continue to be a pervasive and all-too-often hidden feature of conflict zones the world over’ HM Queen Camilla From award-winning war reporter and co-author of I Am Malala, this is the first major account to address the scale of rape and sexual violence in modern conflict. Christina Lamb has worked in war and combat zones for over thirty years. In Our Bodies, Their Battlefield she gives voice to the women of conflicts, exposing how in today’s warfare, rape is used by armies, terrorists and militias as a weapon to humiliate, oppress and carry out ethnic cleansing. Speaking to survivors first-hand, Lamb encounters the suffering and bravery of women in war and meets those fighting for justice. From Southeast Asia where ‘comfort women’ were enslaved by the Japanese during World War Two to the Rwandan genocide, when an estimated quarter of a million women were raped, to the Yazidi women and children of today who witnessed the mass murder of their families before being enslaved by ISIS. Along the way Lamb uncovers incredible stories of heroism and resistance, including the Bosnian women who have hunted down more than a hundred war criminals, the Aleppo beekeeper rescuing Yazidis and the Congolese doctor who has risked his life to treat more rape victims than anyone else on earth. Rape may be as old as war but it is a preventable crime. Bearing witness does not guarantee it won’t happen again, but it can take away any excuse that the world simply didn’t know.

Our Bodies, Their Battlefield

A gritty and compelling drama from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny Street. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Sheila Jeffries. Little twin sisters, Sarah and Samantha are all alone in the world. When their mother died giving birth to Sarah, she was blamed for the death by her father and her learning difficulties serve only to make him more angry and violent towards her. Now he’s finally abandoned them both and they’ve found sanctuary at St Saviour’s Children’s Home in London’s East End. It seems they’re doomed to be separated; no one wants to take Sarah on, but life apart will break their hearts. Alice, a former worker at the home who is now a mother and happily married to Bob, finds her happiness under threat when a face from the past reappears. Jack Shaw, East End bad boy, has always been Alice’s weak spot but is she really about to throw everything away? Angela Morton has her hands full; she’s now in sole charge. But with Christmas approaching, and more than one orphan in desperate need, St Saviour’s is crying out for a miracle…

Christmas for the Halfpenny Orphans

The No. 1 ebook bestseller, Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller and USA Today bestsellerThe real nightmare starts when her daughter is returned… A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless. The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved. But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned. She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, C. L. Taylor and Lucy FoleyPraise for Alex Lake ‘Relentlessly fast paced, a compelling plot and anxiety inducing finale. A cracking read’ John Marrs, bestselling author of The One ‘Opens with a nightmare scenario and races to a gripping, horribly tense ending – I think I actually stopped breathing several times. Loved it!’ Jackie Kabler, bestselling author of The Perfect Couple 'With an unrelenting sense of urgency, this brilliant book will get under your skin. Great hook, fast-paced, fully engrossing. Don't miss out – read it now!' Sam Carrington, author of The Missing Wife ‘This is creepy storytelling of the highest order: spine-chilling and difficult to put down’ Daily Mail ‘A superb read for suspense fans, this taut thriller will have you racing for the finish’Heat ‘A gripping page turner’Closer ‘The emotional rawness will take you to dark depths, but the journey towards that last flicker of hope is one you can’t pull back from’ Woman & Home ‘Evocative writing and emotional rawness’Woman’s Weekly ‘A thoroughly entertaining, gripping read’ Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage In a Wood

After Anna

Heartache and hardship in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny Street It’s the 1950’s and the orphans of Halfpenny Street have found a new home in the Essex countryside at Halfpenny House. Meanwhile, back among the slum clearances of Bethnal Green, St Saviour’s has now been partially given over to a home for disturbed girls though it still serves as a reception centre for local children who are in desperate need. Amongst these are Archie and his sister June. They’ve been ‘latch key’ kids; fending for themselves while their caring but harassed and careworn mum tries to make ends meet. Now she’s been accused of theft and prison seems inescapable. Archie has no intention of letting his mum go down. He knows she’s innocent and will do anything to prove it. But can he help his mum before adoption, and the authorities, take him and June away forever?

The Boy with the Latch Key

'However much you thought you knew about The Stones before you read it, afterwards you'll know more. It's glittering' - Simon Napier-Bell 'Special [...] it's brilliant' Johnnie Walker From Sunday Times bestselling author Lesley-Ann Jones On 12 July 1962, the Rollin' Stones performed their first-ever gig at London's Marquee jazz club. Down the line, a 'g' was added, a spark was lit and their destiny was sealed. No going back. These five white British kids set out to play the music of black America. They honed a style that bled bluesy undertones into dark insinuations of women, sex and drugs. Denounced as 'corruptors of youth' and 'messengers of the devil', they created some of the most thrilling music ever recorded. Now, their sound and attitude seem louder and more influential than ever. Elvis is dead and the Beatles are over, but Jagger and Richards bestride the world. The Stones may be gathering moss, but on they roll. Yet how did the ultimate anti-establishment misfits become the global brand we know today? Who were the casualties, and what are the forgotten legacies? Can the artist ever be truly divisible from the art? Lesley-Ann Jones's new history tracks this contradictory, disturbing, granitic and unstoppable band through hope, glory and exile, into the juggernaut years and beyond into rock's ongoing reckoning . . . where the Stones seem more at odds than ever with the values and heritage against which they have always rebelled. Good, bad and often ugly, here are the Rolling Stones as never before.

The Stone Age

The brand new psychological thriller from Alex Stone, bestselling author of The Perfect Daughter and The Other Girlfriend.Appearances can be deceptive... I was taught that life is pain. That love is pain. It was unavoidable. Acceptable. I never had anything, or anyone I could count on. Not really. Not even myself. Until I met Dr Menon... To the outside world Lauren Taylor's relationship with her boyfriend Josh is perfect. He is supportive and loving and has been there for Lauren during her darkest moments. But behind closed doors, secrets and lies can be hidden... And when Lauren wakes up in a hospital bed and is told Josh is missing, those secrets come bubbling up to the surface. Because the police think Lauren knows exactly what's happened to Josh; that she could even be capable of his murder... The only person who believes in Lauren's innocence is Dr Menon, who has cared for Lauren as his patient for the last few weeks. He can't believe she's capable of murder. He knows just how good she really is. Isn't she? A gripping new psychological thriller from bestselling author Alex Stone. Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Shalini Boland and S.E.Lynes Chillingly Compelling 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Bestselling author Diane Saxon I just finished #TheOtherGirlfriend by Alex Stone Author and OMG. I had such an ominous feeling of uncertainty as I turned the pages. It was tense, engrossing and twisty! Loved it. Full review for publication on #CrimeBookJunkie. Recommend you add it to your TBR! Bestselling author Noelle Holton A brilliant debut 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Bestselling author Erin Green I loved it!!! Couldn't put it down⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Life coach and author Lisa Phillips

The Good Patient (Unabridged)

'Utterly believable, charming and immersive. Highly recommended.'F.L. EverettStarting over can be hard to do...So when mum of two Beth moves out of her beloved marital home and into an unloved and unkempt cottage, she can't help but feel demoralised. Faced with months of DIY and dust, her children Jacob and Olivia aren't impressed either. But when Beth finds a box of letters while she's clearing out the children's room, things start to look up.The correspondence is decades old, between agony aunt Evelyn and those in need of solace. Intrigued as to why the letters have been kept safe all these years, Beth can't resist reading them, and as the wisdom and kindness of Evelyn falls off the pages, so Beth starts to feel she has a friend and champion in this woman she has never met.Good advice doesn't age, and as life starts to look brighter, Beth begins to wonder if she could track down Evelyn and thank her for her help. But as Beth uncovers more about Evelyn's story, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. And now Beth is determined to bring peace to Evelyn as she has to her.A spell-binding, heart-warming story of friendship, love and being brave enough to be yourself.Praise for Clare Swatman:'Utterly believable, charming and immersive, full of acute emotional insights and truths, this is a novel every women will identify with. Highly recommended.' F.L. Everett'It was so easy to get absorbed into the world Clare Swatman has created for Beth. I felt her losses and disappointments acutely, which only made the ending more satisfying. It really kept me guessing, too.' Laura Pearson'Warm, immersive and hugely relatable, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright really tugged at my heartstrings. I galloped through this story of friendship, motherhood and love in all its forms in two days, and I'll miss Beth and the characters she gathers around her as she navigates her new life after heartbreak.' Lisa Timoney'A sensitive, touching story with emotional depth and page-turning quality' Helen Rolfe'I loved The Night We First Met by Clare Swatman. Warm, romantic and wonderfully written, it's an emotional and thought-provoking read with such relatable characters.' Debbie Howells'The Night We First Met is a beautiful love story that vividly evokes time and place, transporting the reader... and leaves you rooting for everyone who is brave enough to follow their heart and not their head.' Victoria Scott'Heart-breaking and life-affirming in equal measures, Before We Grow Old is the tender story of a chance meeting between former childhood sweethearts Fran and Will, and is packed with secrets and revelations. Through her beautiful writing, Clare Swatman delivers a powerful lesson in learning to love with your whole heart and accepting the same, no matter what life throws at you.' Sarah Bennett'Irresistible... A delightfully bittersweet story that will appeal to fans of One Day' - Sunday Mirror'The Night We First Met is a breathless story of enduring love that will fill your heart and give you hope.' Laura Kemp'The Night We First Met is such a special book, filled with broken and relatable characters, who you can't help but love. Just Gorgeous!' Emma Cooper'The Night We First Met is a gorgeously romantic, sliding doors love story about how The One will find you in the end.' Katy ReganReaders love Clare Swatman:'I've enjoyed all of Clare's books, but this one I just couldn't put down. I was hooked from the first page.''Another amazing read from Clare x another must read from her! You can't wait to get to the bed.''I really enjoyed this book, a real page turner. Great characters in a brilliant mystery story. Worthy of a book club, I wish I had someone to discuss it with!!''Clare Swatman weaves a beautiful tale that grips you from the first page, leaves you wanting to travel on this journey and ultimately tells a beautiful story. I heartily recommend this book, I loved her style of writing and will be reading more from this author.''This is another great, page-turner from Clare Swatman. A really enjoyable read, as are all her books. The characters are believable and you are rooting for Laura right from the off. The book does not disappoint, give it a go. A great summer holiday read.'

The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright (Unabridged)

A secluded house. A lost notebook. A wartime secret.1942: Young Irish nurse Ellen arrives at May Day House, tasked with helping the men there rehabilitate. But there's something strange about the house, surrounded by water, on its own island in the Thames. And then there are the men: traumatised by their experiences of war, and subject to troubling methods in a desperate race to get them back to duty. As Ellen gets drawn into the world of May Day House, she starts to realise this will be no place to hide away from her own troubles...2013: Philip and Meredith are the proud new owners of May Day House. Following a string of tragedies, the couple have moved to the area in search of a new start. But all is not what it seems in the riverside community. As their plans for the rundown house meet resistance from the neighbours, Meredith finds herself slowly unravelling: she hears voices on the water, sees figures where there can be no one there. When she finds an old notebook from the war, she seeks solace in the stories about the former patients of the island.But will shadows from the past threaten her future happiness - and even her life?Curl up with this rich and spellbinding story of love and war, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley.

House in the Water (Unabridged)

'A wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.' Louise DouglasA tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested.Present dayAs a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn't long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden. 1682Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett's healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace's fate looks set... Separated by three hundred years, two women are drawn together by a home bathed in blood and magic. Grace Cotter's spirit needs to rest, and only Selena can help her now.USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this unforgettable, heart-breaking, gripping timeslip novel set in a world when women were hung as witches, and fates could be sealed by a wrong word. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.Praise for Elena Collins:'A profoundly moving, beautifully written and emotional story that skilfully combines two time frames into one unputdownable book. I was completely immersed in Grace's story from the beginning: despite it taking place 400 years ago. The modern day storyline was also delightful with some wonderful characters. In short a wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.' Louise Douglas

The Witch's Tree (Unabridged)

Everything can change - In Just One Day Flora has always adored her brother Billy. Born just eighteen months apart, their childhood was spent like two peas in a pod - no one could separate them. Now, as adults, they remain the best of friends. And as Flora is immersed in family life, Billy is always there to lend a hand. But, in just one day, everything changes. In just one day, Flora's life falls apart. In just one day, Flora has to learn how to live again. From the nostalgia of seaside Britain to the breath-taking beauty of Venice, in tears and laughter, join Helen McGinn for this emotional, uplifting and joyful story about love in all its guises. But above all, this is an unforgettable story of one little girl and the brother she adores. Helen McGinn has written a novel to recommend to all your friends, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Noble, Cathy Kelly and JoJo Moyes. Praise for Helen McGinn: 'Escapist, warm, witty and wise' Daily Mail' This is a lovely, uplifting book that transported me away, firstly to the beautiful city of Rome and then to gorgeous Cornwall. It's a moving and emotional story of families in all their messy wonderfulness, of people losing one another, and then coming together again - sometimes in unexpected ways. A hugely enjoyable family tale, it was exactly what I wanted to read at this time.' Louise Douglas 'This Changes Everything is the perfect tonic. An uplifting, forget-about-everything-else read that I couldn't put down. Romantic, emotional and page-turning, Helen McGinn's debut novel can't fail to cheer you up!' Zoe Folbigg 'I loved reading this book. I needed escapism - don't we all need escapism right now - and it gave me Rome, Cornwall and a family who immediately felt like old friends. I took it to the bath, to bed and had finished it within 24 hours. It was the perfect antidote to tough times.' Victoria Moore, The Daily Telegraph

In Just One Day - Brand new from TV wine expert Helen McGinn (Unabridged)

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