Aeschylus

Aesop lived in the early sixth century BC on the island of Samos, which lies off the coast of modern Turkey. He originally came from Thrace which was a separate country in those days, though it now forms part of Greece and Bulgaria. Very little is known about his life except that he worked as a slave on Samos for a master called Iadmon, and that he became a very famous storyteller. He was so famous that almost any fable which could have been told by him became attributed to him.

Aesop

Afsaneh Knight

Afsaneh Moqadam

Afua Hirsch is a writer, filmmaker, and journalist. She is the author of Brit(ish), the Sunday Times bestseller that explores Britishness, identity and belonging, for which she was awarded the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize for Non-Fiction. She co-presented Enslaved, a 6-part series about the transatlantic slave trade with Samuel L Jackson. She is the presenter of the Audible podcast series We Need To Talk About the British Empire, and Africa Rising, an ongoing flagship series about art and culture for the BBC, through her production company Born in Me Productions. She is a longtime columnist for the Guardian and is a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California.

Afua Hirsch

AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS is an author, blogger and international speaker who inspires audiences around the world. She has spoken at many corporations and conferences, such as Nike Women, Starbucks,Time Inc., Virgin, Johnson &amp; Johnson and the American Heart Foundation. She was born in Athens and trained in London at RADA before gaining a Master’s in psychology at the University of Santa Monica. She has collaborated with her sister, Arianna Huffington, to develop talks and seminars, and has worked with the Oprah Winfrey network. She is currently hosting a new podcast series in collaboration with The Huffington Post, entitled ‘Sundays with Agapi’, which includes guided meditations and interviews with prominent guests. She lives in Los Angeles.

Agapi Stassinopoulos

Agatha Christie

Aggie MacKenzie

Aghnia Mardiyah is a London-based Illustrator and Character Designer with a passion for children's books and animation. She is drawn to fun, bright and vibrant colours. When she isn't disappearing under piles of work, she loves to travel! Exploring foreign places, exciting new sights and sensations is what inspires her the most!

Aghnia Mardiyah

Agnes Callard is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago. Her primary areas of specialization are ancient philosophy and ethics. She has written for The New York Times, New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s, Boston Review, and penned a monthly column for the Point. From 2019 to 2020, she held a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for the research that contributes to this book.

Agnes Callard

Agnes Jekyll

Agnes Bertha Marshall (24 August 1855-29 July 1905) was an English culinary entrepreneur who became a leading cookery writer, dubbed the 'Queen of Ices'. Her 1888 cookery book included a recipe for 'cornets with cream', possibly the earliest publication of the edible ice cream cone. Marshall was born in Walthamstow. She wrote four books: Ices Plain and Fancy: The Book of Ices (1885), Mrs A B Marshall's Book of Cookery (1888), Mrs A B Marshall's Larger Cookery Book of Extra Recipes (1891) and Fancy Ices (1894).

Agnes Marshall

Agnes Prus

Agri Ismaïl is a Kurdish author based in Sweden who has worked as a corporate lawyer in London, Dubai, and Iraqi Kurdistan. His work has been published in The White Review, The Rumpus, Litro, 3:AM Magazine, and Asymptote amongst other places. His piece 'Haunted Home' won the 2016 Stack award for best non-fiction for The Outpost, runner-up in the Lifted Brow &amp; RMIT non/fictionLab Prize for Experimental Non-Fiction, and he was longlisted for the 2017/2018 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize. Hyper is his first novel.

Agri Ismaïl

Aharon Appelfeld authored more than 45 acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction and received many international awards including the MLA Commonwealth Award, the Independent Foreign Fiction prize, the prix Médicis étranger, the Israel prize, and the Nelly Sachs prize. Born in Czernowitz, Bukovina (now part of Ukraine) in 1932, he survived the Holocaust and passed away in Israel in 2018.

Aharon Appelfeld

Ahmadou Kourouma

Ahmed Alnaouq is a Palestinian journalist and human rights activist based in London. He is the co-founder and director of We Are Not Numbers and a journalist with Palestine Deep Dive. Ahmed holds a degree in English Literature from Al-Azhar university in Gaza, and an MA in International Journalism from Leeds University, where he was a Chevening Scholar. 
 
Pam Bailey is a social-justice activist and journalist based in Washington DC. She lived and worked in the Gaza Strip following the 2008/9 Israeli assault, and co-founded We Are Not Numbers. Today, in addition to her ongoing dedication to the Palestinian cause, she dedicates herself to two nonprofits that advocate for people detained in American prisons -- including one she co-founded in 2020, called More Than Our Crimes.

Ahmed Alnaouq

Ahmed Errachidi

Ahmed Rashid

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

Ahron Bregman is the author of four books about Israel and the Arabs: The Fifty Years War (with Jihan el Tahri), Israel's Wars, A History of Israel and Elusive Peace. He teaches at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Ahron Bregman

Ai Qing is regarded as one of the finest modern Chinese poets, whose free verse was influential in the development of new poetry in China.

Ai Qing

Ai Weiwei

Aidan Chambers was born in County Durham in 1934. After national service in the Royal Navy he became a teacher and then, for seven years, a monk. His young adult novels have been widely acclaimed, with POSTCARDS FROM NO-MAN'S LAND winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal and the US Michael L Printz Award. With his wife Nancy he ran Signal magazine and he has served as the president of the School Library Association. His devoted services to children's literature were recognised by his receipt of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002.

Aidan Chambers

Aidan Higgins was born in 1927. Langrishe Go Down, his first novel, won the James Tait Black memorial Prize and the Irish Academy of Letters Award, and was later filmed for television with a screenplay by Harold Pinter. His second novel, Balcony of Europe, was shortlisted for the 1972 Booker Prize. The novel Lions of the Grunewald appeared in 1993 and a collection of shorter fiction, Flotsam and jetsam, in 1996. Donkey's Years and Dog Days were the first two volumes of the Higgins Bestiary which concludes with this volume.

Aidan Higgins

Aidan Mathews

Aidan Potts

Aidan Smith

Aidan Storey

Aidan Trimble is the Chief Instructor to the Federation of Shotokan Karate and a former British, European and World Karate Champion, winning the world title in Tokyo - the home of Karate. Aidan has trained with some of the world's leading teachers of 'traditional' and 'sport' karate and is now an award-winning instructor and teacher who is in demand throughout the world. He can be contacted via www.fsk-karate.com.

Aidan Trimble

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Ruth Hamilton

A gripping and heart-warming saga set in Lancashire from The Sunday Times bestseller Ruth Hamilton, perfect for fans of Catherine Cookson. Guaranteed to keep you turning the page... 
 
"Very much the successor to Catherine Cookson. Her books are plot driven, they just rip along; laughs, weeps, love, they've got the lot, and they're quality writing as well" - Sarah Broadhurst on Radio Four. 
"Brilliant! I have read this book so many times I've had to buy 2 paperback copies before finally getting it on KINDLE. This has it all, pathos, humour, tragedy and emotion. I recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I have." - ***** Reader review 
"One of Ruth Hamilton's finest." - ***** Reader review 
"Really good read and twist at the end..." - *****Reader review 
 
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AS THE WAR SIRENS SOUND, SO THEY BEGIN THEIR OWN BATTLE FOR NEW FULFILLING LIVES... 
 
Billy London is a mean, dark, secretive man who is interested only in lining his pockets at the expense of those around him - most especially his wife and daughters. 
 
When Ellen, his wife, who has put up with him for years, finds her children threatened, she prepares to fight like a tigress to protect the four girls, to give them a chance of a new and better life and a chance to escape from the evil and oppressive legacy of their father. 
 
There is Abigail, clever, ambitious, and with an outer shell of steel that is necessary if she is to survive; Tishy, overwhelmingly lovely, who lives in a world all her own; Marie, brisk, capable, and nearly strong enough to defy her father on her own; Theresa, more wounded, more vulnerable, more damaged by Billy than any of them. 
 
As the sirens of 1939 herald the advent of war, so Billy London's girls begin their own battle for new, triumphant, and fulfilling lives.

Billy London's Girls

A captivating and uplifting saga set in Bolton during WW2 from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton

Iris Gower

Jessie Price is young and beautiful, and has travelled the drovers' roads from South Wales to London's Smithfield Market. She is anxious to escape from her wicked boss, Jed Lambert, and becomes a milkmaid in London. Her ambition to own her own dairy grows, and she is helped by young Albie, who has fallen in love with her. 
 
Meanwhile, Non Jones is desperately unhappy. She knows that her husband Caradoc loves her despite the hostility of his family. Non is miserable when Caradoc leaves her and their son to go to London on the drove, and when she receives news of a terrible accident, her world falls apart. 
Jessie is fighting to make her business a success, but is devastated when Albie is arrested and sent to Newgate prison. She knows that he is innocent, and will rely on Non to speak for him in court. But Non has many worries of her own, and hasn't given up hope that she will be reunited with Caradoc, whatever it takes...

Halfpenny Field

If you like Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Kitty Neale, you will love this emotional and captivating saga, set amongst the romantic clay potteries of South Wales, from the pen of bestselling author Iris Gower. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING PARADISE PARK! 
"I loved every page of this book." - 5 STARS 
"Love Iris Gower books - [I] only wish someone could make them into movies - I'd buy the box sets. ABSOLUTELY brilliant author." - 5 STARS 
"Iris Gower triumphs again - another great story one that you don't want to put down. I read it in three days." - 5 STARS 
 
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FACED WITH CHALLENGE AFTER CHALLENGE, CAN SHE TURN HER LIFE AROUND? 
 
When Bull Beynon, her one-time lover, marries someone else, Rhiannon, is left alone in the world. Proud and spirited, she gains a respectable post as housekeeper to an elderly man, but when he dies, his waspish sister throws her out onto the streets where she faces destitution. 
 
Determined to become respectable once and for all, Rhiannon obtains a job as maid to unhappy Janey Buchan, who takes a liking to her. But her luck doesn't last long and she soon finds herself along on the streets again. 
 
 In desperation, knowing that little stands between her and a return to her old life, she finds herself at the Paradise Park Hotel. Once scarcely more than a bawdy house, it has now changed hands and Rhiannon starts working there, helping gradually to transform it from a place of ill-repute into one of the finest hotels in Swansea. 
 
The only thing lacking in her life is love, and with Bull Beynon married to sweet, gentle Katie, she fears that she may have to live out her life alone . . .

Paradise Park

the triumphant climax to Iris Gower’s sensational Firebird saga

Mary Jane Staples

The seemingly endless war was at last coming to a conclusion. But for the country and for the Adams family, there were still many tribulations to be overcome. Flying bombs - the deadly V1 buzzbombs - appeared over London, causing dreadful destruction, and the struggle continued to overcome the most powerful war machine the world had ever known. 
 
But amongst the Cockney community there were lighter moments, too. For Felicity, Eloise and Lizzy Somers there was the happiness of knowing that their menfolk were safe and well. Daniel Adams and his American girlfriend even had a brief meeting with Winston Churchill himself. And as the Third Reich began to show signs of collapse, the scent of victory was in the air.

Year Of Victory

An Adams Family Saga Novel

Danielle Steel

Annie Ferguson was one of Manhattan's brightest young architects. But overnight she became mother to her sister's three orphaned children. It wasn't the life she'd planned, but one that rewarded her tenfold for every sacrifice she'd had to make. 
 
Now, at forty-two, with a satisfying career and a fulfilling family life, Annie has reconciled herself to being single. With the children now grown into young adults and confronting major challenges of their own, she is navigating a parent's difficult passage between lending them a hand and letting them go. 
 
Then, an accident leads Annie to a man who will tempt her to reconsider her belief that it isn't too late to fall in love, after all...

Family Ties

A compelling story of love and family from the billion copy bestseller

Fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Kitty Neale will love this moving, emotional and riveting saga from the pen of bestselling author Iris Gower. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING DREAM CATCHER! 
"Captures the imagination" - 5 STARS 
"This was such a gripping story I enjoyed every page" - 5 STARS 
"Really captures the essence of the Welsh culture" - 5 STARS 
"Another fabulous book by Iris Gower" - 5 STARS 
 
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UNEXPECTED EVENTS THREATEN TO DESTROY HER MARRIAGE...AND HER LIFE. 
 
The wedding of Llinos Savage, the young saviour of the Savage Pottery, and the fascinating Joe Mainwaring sets the small sea front town of Swansea ablaze with gossip for Joe is always seen by the Swansea elite as a foreigner and an outsider. 
 
When Llinos's father dies after a long illness, she is devastated, but her grief turns to fear when Joe is accused of his father-in-law's murder by the local doctor and is imprisoned along with thieves and debtors. 
 
There among the filth and dirt, Joe makes friends with an old man, and this brief friendship, formed in the most ill-fated circumstances, proves to be the catalyst to a series of events which unexpectedly threaten to destroy the marriage and the very lives of Joe and Llinos... 
 
Dream Catcher is the second novel in Iris Gower's Firebird series. The saga continues in Sweet Rosie. Have you read Firebird, where the story began?

Dream Catcher

(Firebird:2) A dramatic and heart-wrenching romantic Welsh saga that will have you gripped

Johanna Lindsey

Beautiful but prim history professor Roseleen White cherished her new precious possession - a thousand-year old Scandinavian sword. Little did she realise that a careless caress of the sword's mighty hilt would conjure up no less a figure than the mighty Thorn Blooddrinker, a Viking warrior who was to fulfil Roseleen's every desire. 
 
Thorn had been the prisoner of a centuries-old curse, and now finds himself enslaved to a woman from an age very different from his own. Yet Roseleen is the true prisoner, held willing captive by a handsome barbarian who sweeps her back to the ancient past on a journey of sensual discovery. Only by banishing him from her life forever can Roseleen free Thorn from his enslavement - forcing her to make a devastating choice that will either emperil their future or preserve a love which will remain powerful... until forever.

Until Forever

Rachel Gibson

Hey, pretty lady, haven't we met? 
 
Yes, beautiful thirty-something Autumn Haven has definitely met hockey-superstar Sam LeClaire before. Several years ago she had a passionate, Vegas-inspired fling with him involving getting hitched in an Elvis-themed wedding chapel and ending with her waking up in a hotel room: alone, heartbroken... and pregnant. 
 
So these days, reminding her ex-husband that she even exists isn't high on Autumn's to-do list. But they have a child, Conner, and suddenly Sam claims to have grown up, wanting to be more involved with his son. And handsome, drop-dead sexy Sam always gets what he wants. Being a good dad to Conner is one thing, but to her horror, Autumn realises she still finds it practically impossible to be around Sam without falling for his charms once again. And that's the last thing she wants... isn't it? 
 
Sexy, funny, unputdownable - there's no one quite like Rachel Gibson.

Any Man of Mine

Jilly Cooper

Etta Bancroft - sweet, kind, still beautiful - adores racing and harbours a crush on one of its stars, the handsome high-handed owner-trainer Rupert Campbell-Black. When her bullying husband dies, Etta's selfish, ambitious children drag her from her lovely Dorset house to live in a hideous modern bungalowin the Cotswold village of Willowwood. 
 
Etta's life is transformed when she finds a horribly mutilated filly wandering in the woods. She names her Mrs Wilkinson and nurses her back to health. The filly charms everyone in the village, and when tests reveal her to be a spectacularly well-bred racehorse a village syndicate is formed to put the filly into training. 
 
Captivating vast crowds as she progresses from point-to-point to major races, she brings fame and fortune to the syndicate, until, at last, she is entered in the greatest jump race of them all. Can Mrs Wilkinson win the Grand National? And can Etta gain her heart's desire?

Jump!

Another joyful and dramatic romp from Jilly Cooper, the Sunday Times bestseller

Joyful entertainment from the Sunday Times bestseller

Giles Kristian

When raiders ransack his village, Osric is taken prisoner - and into the good graces of the raiders' chief. Immersed in the Norsemen's world, Osric provides a natural warrior and forges a deep bond with the chief, who renames him Raven. But the Norsemen's world is a savage one, where loyalty is often repaid in blood, and a young man must become a killer to survive . . . 
Raven is the thrilling Viking series that launched the career of acclaimed historical novelist Giles Kristian.

From Giles Kristian, THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LANCELOT, comes this brutal, bloody and captivating Viking adventure, continuing the story begun in the bestselling Raven: Blood Eye. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Robert Low and Game of Thrones. 
 
"Kristian can really write...He weaves in rich historical detail with a light touch...His battle scenes are bone-crunchingly good, his descriptions of the Viking world bright and evocative...Giles Kristian is a great storyteller." -- BEN KANE 
 
"An all-action adventure...a brilliant story, beautifully told" -- SUNDAY EXPRESS 
 
"This was a brilliant read for me as a weathered historical fiction reader." -- ***** Reader review 
 
"The action oozes energy...so that for those precious hours you are happily lost within this book's own universe..." -- ***** Reader review 
 
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IF YOU BETRAY A FELLOWSHIP YOU ARE A DEAD MAN... 
 
Raven and the Wolfpack plough the sea-road in pursuit of the Saxon traitor, Ealdred, who has left the Fellowship for dead and fled to the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne and the promise of untold riches. 
 
Sailing in search of revenge, the pagan Norsemen venture into the heart of a Christian empire that would wipe their kind from the face of the earth, a place where danger lies in wait around every bend of the great river up which they travel. 
 
A young man with no memory and a blood-tainted eye, Raven has found friendship and purpose amongst this fierce band of warriors. Having proved himself in battle, he is now certain that Viking blood flows in his veins. 
 
But to survive this adventure, his cunning must be as sharp as his blade... 
 
Raven: Sons of Thunder is the second title in the Raven trilogy. The story continues in Raven: Odin's Wolves. Have you read Raven: Blood Eye, the first in the trilogy?

Raven 2: Sons of Thunder

(Raven: Book 2): A riveting, rip-roaring Viking saga from bestselling author Giles Kristian

Jo Carnegie

SEX IN THE CITY OR SEX IN THE COUNTRY? 
 
Saffron loves the London party and fashion scenes. So she's extra nervous about abandoning it all for six months in the country to Write Her Novel. Of course, she'll miss gorgeous boyfriend Tom but at least his supermodel twin brother will be there to keep her company. 
 
So when does keeping her company cross the line? 
 
Harriet has swapped her country life for a London career and a part time job at a community centre desperately in need of saving. Here she meets Zack . . . but what secrets lurk behind those sexy blue eyes of his? 
 
New lives, new temptations. Have both girls bitten off more than they can chew?

Dirty Tricks

the sexy, irresistibly fun page-turner to indulge in

Val Wood

Hull, 1874. The beautiful, mysterious Jewel Newmarch, adopted as a baby, turns heads wherever she goes - her exotic looks point to her origins far away from the streets of Hull. Even at her cousin Elizabeth's wedding, she is the belle of the ball. But as she looks on at the happy, newly-married couple she feels a restlessness and intense longing to know her own roots. 
 
And so she decides to return to her birthplace in America, taking the bride's twin sister Clara as her companion. In discovering the mysteries of Jewel's past the girls realise that this is a life-changing voyage of discovery for both of them, as they learn important lessons about family, friendship, love and home. But most importantly, love... 
 
If you enjoy books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.

Homecoming Girls

Sarra Manning

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don't get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William's been in LA for three years, and Neve's been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he'll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her. 
 
So she's not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she'd better get some, well, experience. 
 
What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia's colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he's such a man-slut, and so not Neve's type, she certainly won't fall for him. Because William is the man for her... right? 
 
Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve's lost her heart - but to who?

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

By the year 1949, life in Walworth has almost returned to normal. Sammy and Boots, now in a highly successful partnership, are rebuilding the old family firm. But an old enemy resurfaces - Mr Ben Ford, better known as the Fat Man, who seems determined to ruin the various branches of this growing business. It takes all the well-known Adams ingenuity and determination to outwit the thugs in the Fat Man's pay. 
 
Meanwhile, an attractive blonde woman shopping in the market has caught Boots's eye. But Polly does not need to feel apprehensive - the sight of this woman has stirred the worst of memories for Boots, from the darkest days of the war. And on a happier note, there is some surprising news for Chinese Lady - news which will affect the whole of the Adams family.

Sons And Daughters

At eighteen Jennifer Crawley led a strange and lonely life - her days in the spinning room of the cotton mill, her nights with possessive - and slightly mad - Aunt Mavis. Jenny didn't even know who her parents were. Aunt Mavis never spoke of them. 
 
Then came the chance to better herself - to work as a servant at Skipton Hall. And there Jenny found a household as dangerous and weird as the one she had left behind. Mrs Sloane, the terrifying housekeeper, was as cruel as she was ugly, taking pleasure in bullying and frightening the young maids. Henry Skipton was an embittered, solitary man who took care never to see his invalid wife. And Eloise Skipton lay bed-ridden, a beautiful woman in a beautiful room, feeding on hatred and plotting vengeance on the man she had married. When she first set eyes on young Jenny, she realised she had found the perfect weapon for revenge. 
 
But Jenny, for the first time in her life, had a friend. Maria Hesketh, a gutsy, talented Liverpudlian, her character as fiery as her hair, was determined that she and Jenny would make something of their lives, would succeed in spite of everything.

Spinning Jenny

An uplifting and inspirational page-turner set in Bolton from bestselling saga author Ruth Hamilton

It is 1944, and the Adams family, along with the rest of the people of the United Kingdom, are beginning to weary of the seemingly never-ending war against Hitler's Germany. Bobby Somers and Helene, living dangerously in the French countryside with a group of Resistance fighters, find themselves in great peril. Boots returns from the war in Italy, to the delight of Polly and their two little rascals, twins James and Gemma - but he brings with him a German prisoner who has a horrifying story to tell of the concentration camps. And while Sammy and Susie Adams are keeping the family business going as best they can during the privations of wartime London, their son Daniel catches the eye of a lively young American girl who brings a welcome breath of fresh air to the Adams household, so many of whose younger members are doing their bit for the war in various far-flung places of the world. 
 
As plans for the long-awaited invasion of France get under way there is excitement and danger, but love continues to blossom in the most difficult of circumstances.

The Way Ahead

James Irvine Robertson

Not long after he inherited the Highland estate of Kynachan, young David Stewart was shown, in a dream, the image of his future wife. When, at a ball in Perth, he saw the beautiful Jean Mercer - the woman of his dream - he proposed at once, determined that she should become his Lady of Kynachan. 
 
The marriage was passionate and happy, and Jean learned to love the life of the Scottish Highlands. But when Prince Charles landed in 1745 and summoned his men to follow him, David Stewart, a devoted Jacobite, went to fight for the Cause, perishing on the field of Culloden with all the men of Kynachan save one. 
 
As the British government ruthlessly set out ot destroy the Highland way of life, the Lady of Kynachan summoned all her courage, her wit and strength, to build a new life for herself, her children, and the people of Kynachan.

Lady Of Kynachan

In 1941, the United Kingdom was in desperate straits, standing alone with its troops against the colossal war machine of Nazi Germany. There was always Prime Minister Winston Churchill, however, who growled his defiance to Hitler and induced in his people a determination to endure. 
 
The Adams family shared that determination and their own kind of optimism. Emma went happily into her marriage with Jonathan, while Boots's son Tim, in between his hazardous exploits as a Commando, helped his fiancee Felicity in her courageous fight against blindness, the result of a terrible injury in the bombing. Rosie Adams was due to marry Matthew Chapman from Dorset, but Chinese Lady was unsure about it. He seemed a fine enough man, but what with a lame leg that prevented him from doing his bit for his country, and the uncertainty of his garage business, she felt that he was hardly the ideal choice for such an eligible young woman as Rosie. As for Boots and his new wife Polly, they came up with some very unexpected news for the family...

Churchill's People

The house in Caulfield Place, off Browning Street in Walworth, was haunted, or at least that's what the street kids said. So when two men, a woman, and a parrot moved in, everyone was very interested, especially fourteen-year-old Cassie Ford, who was particularly fascinated by the parrot. And it was just about this time that Mr Finch, Chinese Lady's husband, and Boots's stepfather, began to get mysterious telephone calls. Mr Finch had never told the rest of the Adams family - except for Boots - the secrets of his past, or what kind of work he did for the government, and he decided not to tell them about the slightly sinister telephone calls either. It was when he took Chinese Lady on a summer's day jaunt in his Morris motorcar that things began to happen. For, in the Hog's Back Hotel, Chinese Lady went to the cloakroom, and when she came back Mr Finch had vanished. It took all of Boots's ingenuity to discover what had happened, and Cassie's knowledge of the Caulfield Place parrot was to prove a vital clue in unravelling the mystery.

Missing Person

By Sunday Times bestseller Mary Jane Staples, this is the gritty and uplifting next instalment in the Adams Family saga. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford and Kitty Neale and Donna Douglas. 
 
PRAISE FOR THE ADAMS FAMILY SERIES! 
"Mary Jane Staples makes you care about her characters, which explains why her books have enjoyed so much popularity" -- Take a Break 
"Forget Eastenders, this it the London of old, when people knew each other's names and communities really pulled together." -- Woman's Realm 
"Mary Jane Staples completely capture the feel of the period and the essence of the people...has warmth, humour and charm. An ideal book for you holiday reading." Finesse 
"I get so engrossed in the stories I feel like one of the family." - ***** Reader review. 
"These books about the Adam's family are fantastic! These books are the kind you can read, leave a while and read again &amp; again!" - ***** Reader review 
 
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AS WEDDING BELLS RING, WALWORTH IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BY TRAGIC EVENTS ... 
 
Susie Brown is overjoyed when her brother, Will, turns up unexpectedly on leave from service in time for her wedding to Sammy Adams. 
 
But Will's leave is an extended one due to bad health and he's unsure whether the army will keep him or whether he'll be able to find a job in the slump of the Twenties. To make matters worse, he's at risk of falling in love with the young and personable Annie Ford ... 
 
Amidst the joyous wedding preparations, a cloud hangs over Walworth - the mystery of three young girls missing from their homes. A mystery that will culminate - along with Will's personal problems - on the night of the wedding. 
 
On Mother Brown's Doorstep is the fourth in Mary Jane Staples's Adams Family series. Their story continues in A Family Affair. Have you read Down Lambeth Way, Our Emily and King of Camberwell - the first three Adams Family novels ?

On Mother Brown's Doorstep

(The Adams Family: 4): A wonderfully heart-warming and funny Cockney saga you won’t want to end

Elvi Rhodes

Let multi-million copy seller Elvi Rhodes sweep you away with this moving and heart-warming saga set by the sea. Perfect for fans of Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING PORTRAIT OF CHLOE! 
"Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with its descriptive story and characters involved and I would recommend the reading of this to anyone" - 5 STARS 
"What a good writer [Elvi Rhodes] is...!" - 5 STARS 
"Magic" - 5 STARS 
 
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IS THE GRASS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE? 
 
She was born plain Dora, in a bleak northern town where her future seemed all too predictable. But from the moment she was born, she went after what she wanted, and got it. 
 
When, at the age of eighteen, she decides she wants freedom, a new life - and a new name, Chloe, she goes to Brighton to work as a help to a MP and his wife, and glimpses for the first time a life of luxury and wealth - a life which, she believes, could be hers. 
 
But her new circumstances bring with them difficulties: the passionate interest of her boss and the unexpected bond she discovers with the small children she cares for. Torn between the interest of an attractive older man and her feelings of affection and loyalty towards his wife and children, Chloe embarks upon a dangerous course. 
 
Then a near tragedy changes everything for her...

Portrait Of Chloe

a heartening and uplifting story of a girl seeking her fortune from multi-million copy seller Elvi Rhodes

Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, this is the powerful fifth instalment of the Cordwainers series from bestselling author Iris Gower. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING THE CORDWAINERS! 
"I have really enjoyed reading this whole series...I would recommend the reading of any of the books by this author." - 5 STARS 
"Loved these books [-] definitely recommend this series: once you start you will want to read them all" - 5 STARS 
"You finish one book and you just have to start the next one." - 5 STARS 
"The best book I've read in a long time..."-Reader review 
"A great read - hard to put down" - 5 STARS 
 
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WHEN HER WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, CAN SHE TAKE BACK CONTROL? 
 
Bridie leads what some might call 'a charmed life': a wealthy background, a convent education, and a father who eventually willed her a fleet of merchant sailing ships. When she marries Paul Marchant it seems a perfect match - for Paul, owner of a much smaller fleet of ships, could take care both of Bridie and of her business interests. 
 
But slowly Bridie begins to have her doubts about Paul, about his love, and about his business dealings. When his actions become too much to bear, Bridie decides she must fight back. With the help of Ellie Hopkins, she seeks to trap Paul in a web of his own making... 
 
In the dramatic events that follow, both Ellie and Bridie are nearly destroyed - can they find happiness with the men they love? 
 
Sea Mistress is the fifth title in Iris Gower's Cordwainers series. Have you read The Shoemaker's Daughter, The Oyster Catchers, Honey's Farm and Arian, the previous titles?

Sea Mistress

(The Cordwainers: 5): A gripping and moving Welsh saga that will keep you turning the pages

Susan Sallis

Fans of Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy and Fiona Valpy will love this beautifully moving and evocative novel from multi-million copy seller and Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis. Can one place and one woman really make a family whole? 
 
'Love this book - I've read it several times' -- ***** Reader review 
'Excellent story - true Susan Sallis' -- ***** Reader review 
'A great read' -- ***** Reader review 
'This book kept my interest up to the last page' -- ***** Reader review 
'Captures the reader so thoroughly that you just cannot put it down' -- ***** Reader review 
 
*********************************************************** 
ONE FAMILY, ONE PLACE AND THE WOMAN WHO HELD THEM TOGETHER... 
 
Madge was four years old when she first saw the Cornish sea and fell in love with it, and it was there that her family grew and suffered and loved. 
 
It was there she and her mother went to recover from a heartrending family tragedy; there she was forced reluctantly into marriage; there she fell into a wild and passionate wartime love. 
 
And it was there she saw her children grow and love and cope with the secret legacies the years had left them, until finally they became more than just summer visitors.

Summer Visitors

the magnificent story of a family and its relationship with a Cornish idyll from bestselling author Susan Sallis

If you like Kitty Neale, Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, you'll love this emotional and powerful saga by multi-million copy seller Elvi Rhodes. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING THE BRIGHT ONE! 
 
"I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with all the characters and imagination that follows with the ups and downs of life and I would recommend the reading of this to anyone." - 5 STARS 
 
"I loved and enjoyed reading all Elvi Rhodes' books. She is fun, interesting and you get a feeling of being inside the story! She is a great author!" - 5 STARS 
 
"I loved it. Ms. Rhodes makes great and rich characters that she writes with such detail. I loved this book and I can wait to read by Ms. Rhodes. Anyone looking for a great saga, they should check out Elvi Rhodes." - 5 STARS 
 
******************************** 
 
AFTER HEARTBREAKING TRAGEDY, CAN SHE FACE THE CHALLENGES OF HER NEW LIFE? 
 
Molly O'Connor's life was not an easy one. With six children and a husband who earned what he could it was a constant struggle to keep her family fed and raised to be respectable. 
 
Of all her children, Breda - the Bright One - was closest to her heart. As, one by one, her other children left Kilbally, so Breda, the youngest, was the one who stayed close to her parents, saying she never wanted to leave the West of Ireland. 
 
When tragedy strikes the O'Connors and the structure of their family life is irrevocably changed, Breda decides to make a new life for herself - in Yorkshire with her Aunt Josie's family. 
 
There she discovers a totally different world from the one she has left behind, with new people and new challenges for the future.

The Bright One

An inspiring and uplifting saga set in Ireland and Yorkshire, guaranteed to stay with you for a long time

Perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin and Cathy Sharp, this is the moving second instalment of The Cordwainers series by bestselling author Iris Gower. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING THE CORDWAINERS! 
"I have really enjoyed reading this whole series...I would recommend the reading of any of the books by this author." - 5 STARS 
"Loved these books [-] definitely recommend this series: once you start you will want to read them all" - 5 STARS 
"Read it in one sitting..." - 5 STARS 
"Couldn't put the book down." - 5 STARS 
"You finish one book and you just have to start the next one." - 5 STARS 
 
****************************************************************** 
 
CAN SHE CLING ON TO HER HOPES FOR THE FUTURE? 
 
When her father dies, Emmeline Powell finds herself married to fisherman Joe Harries - rough, stoic, sturdy and many years her senior. But the other fishermen's wives are unwelcoming and she soon finds herself lonely, isolated and trapped in an ill-matched marriage. 
 
But then she meets Will Davies, who teaches her things about herself and about love that she never knew. 
As tragedy and feuding erupt in the village, will the promise of a new life still be open to her? 
 
The Oyster Catchers is the second title in Iris Gower's Cordwainers series. Have you read The Shoemaker's Daughter, the first book in the series?

The Oyster Catchers (The Cordwainers: 2)

A sweeping, emotional Welsh saga of love and determination...

A must read for fans of Cecelia Ahern, Fiona Valpy and Katie Flynn - this is an enthralling and gripping romantic adventure from the multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING NATASHA'S DREAM! 
"Another winner for this author. I absolutely love her books, she really makes the characters come to life." - 5 STARS 
"A really enjoyable read; difficult to put down!" - 5 STARS 
"Good book, well written, very entertaining and another one to add to my collection of Mary Jane Staples, well done Mary..." - 5 STARS 
 
****************************** 
 
CAN THE SECRETS OF THE PAST BE FORGOTTEN? 
 
1925: Berlin. Englishman Philip Gibson, in Germany to seek the answers to a tantalising mystery surrounding the Grand Duchess Anastasia, witnesses an attack on Natasha, a young woman who has fled from Russia. 
 
When Philip takes the fragile, lonely Natasha in to help her recuperate, she quickly falls for his kind and caring nature. But when further threats are made on her life, Philip finds himself at the heart of another mystery. 
 
What is it that links Natasha to this mysterious, damaged woman? And will her love for Philip survive the secrets that will be unearthed?

Natasha's Dream

An enthralling, thrilling and emotional romantic adventure you won’t be able to put down

Austria, 1938. Anne von Korvacs watches in horror as Hitler's tanks roll through the streets of Vienna, amid crowds of cheering supporters. Her embittered ex-husband, now a fervent member of the Nazi cause, is among the cavalcade - he is burning with hatred for Anne, seeing her as a symbol of the old Austrian empire he once served. A chance encounter with a British journalist leaves Anne with a secret that must be smuggled out of the country, and Anne knows that she must forsake her beloved Vienna and with her children flee to Britain. 
 
In a thrilling journey that will separate sisters and brothers, parents and children, Anne and her family escape to freedom, to dream of a reunion in far-away London. 
 
Mary Jane Staples introduces a cast of gloriously warm characters in this wartime romantic adventure.

Escape To London

Emmie Dart was nearly forty years old and servant to old Canon James when Walter asked her to marry him. He was the Canon's son, younger than she was, and a gentleman - even though a rather dilettante drifter who had really done very little with his life. 
 
But Walter had a secret in his past that he asked Emmie to share with him - and she, in turn, told him of her harsh and cruel background that made her feel unworthy to be anyone's wife. In spite of everything the marriage worked. Walter became Station Master at the lazy, sundrenched little country station of Dymock. Emmie set about rearing her three children, all so different. 
 
As Walter and Emmie watched their children grow, marry, have children of their own, so three women began to dominate the family - Dorothy, who was proud, loyal, strong, and frequently extremely angry with the James family into which she had married, Kildie, illegitimate, manipulative, and causing constant strife and drama, and Holly, the third generation, whose loving spirit often held them all together. 
 
It was more than fifty years before Walter James's secret was revealed - a secret that nearly broke the family apart.

Water Under The Bridge

In the shadow of the Althorpe mills, the Myrtle Street residents endure cramped and often verminous conditions. 
 
Joe Duffy, a Bolton tradesman, strives to lift his family out of the 'garden' streets. But as more children are born, Joe's wife Tess sinks deeper into the obsession that will be her undoing. When Tess screams her belief that the area is cursed, few people heed her ravings. She is ignored, even as the Myrtle Street tragedies become more frequent and begin to feature in local gossip. 
 
It is left to Megan, the third Duffy child - the one who felt she was unworthy and unloved because she had been born a girl - to end the curse. When she becomes embroiled in a web of deceit, Megan needs all her strength, talents, and wit in order to survive. But it is her capacity to give love that ensures her family's stability, the future of the Althorpe cotton mills, and the safekeeping of the Hall i' the Vale.

A Crooked Mile

An emotional and uplifting saga set in Bolton from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton

From the pen of bestselling author Susan Sallis comes a moving and heart-warming novel that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. Readers of Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy and Fiona Valpy will simply love The Keys to the Garden. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING THE KEYS TO THE GARDEN! 
"This writer never lets you down. You just have to keep page turning." - 5 STARS 
"Enjoyed reading this book very much" - 5 STARS 
"[Couldn't] put this book down" - 5 STARS 
 
********************************************************************* 
A MOTHER'S LOVE ENDURES THROUGH ALL... 
 
Widowed Martha Moreton is a devoted mother to her only child, Lucy. When Lucy marries Len, Martha tries hard to make the best of things: Len is a good man, they won't be living far away... and the arrival of grandchildren is something she anticipates eagerly. 
 
Unexpectedly, Len's job takes the newly married couple overseas, where their first child is born. But sorrow, not joy, comes with Dominic's birth. On their return, Lucy's best friend, Jennifer, is anxious to provide her own kind of consolation... 
 
Martha, herself experiencing unlooked-for and unwelcome changes in her own life, clings fast to the maternal bond that means so much to herself and Lucy. Together, can they find their own kind of happiness?

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