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The Apple of her Eye
By Pamela Evans. 2015
Pam Evans' family saga brings post-war London vividly to life as, amid rationing and food shortages, a young girl finds…
a passion for growing her own vegetables. It is February 1945 and April Green and her cousin Heather wonder if the war will ever end. Then the local pub in Chiswick takes a direct hit and April's father is killed in the blast. Life without him is hard to bear and April and her brother do all they can to help, particularly when their mother announces she is pregnant. Volunteering to tend her father's allotment, April discovers a passion for growing vegetables. Meanwhile, Winnie Benson is coming to terms with her husband's spinal injuries. He may never walk again and, until their son, George, returns from the Merchant Navy, Winnie must run their greengrocer's on her own. Once the war is over and George is home, things start to improve but rationing remains in force and fresh vegetables are hard to find. April's supply of home-grown produce couldn't be more welcome. And, before long, George can't help wishing he was the apple of her eye...The Leopards of Normandy: Duke
By David Churchill. 2016
David Churchill's The Leopards of Normandy trilogy continues with Duke, as William of Normandy inherits his father's title and assumes…
command of his lands. Churchill's style brings to mind the vibrancy of Conn Iggulden and will enthral fans of Bernard Cornwell and Ben Kane.'An exciting mix of medieval betrayal, violence and sex' Wilbur SmithNormandy, 1037. Sparks fly from clashing swords as the game of thrones plays out in bloodshed. Of those named guardian to the boy Duke, all seek advantage and power. Most wish the boy dead. Some will go to any lengths to make it happen.Across the sea, the struggle for the English crown has seen Queen Emma's beloved son killed. She has two more sons waiting in the wings but Godwin, Earl of Wessex - kingmaker and arch manipulator - has other plans.As the noble families of Europe murder each other in their lust for power and fortune, the boy stands apart. His name is William. His destiny is to conquer.The Leopards of Normandy: Devil
By David Churchill. 2015
David Churchill writes with the immediacy of Conn Iggulden, the epic ambition of Bernard Cornwell and the plotting of CJ…
Sansom. The Leopards of Normandy trilogy tells the story of William the Conqueror in all its wild, intoxicating, unfailingly dramatic glory. The fate of England hangs in the balance of a fight between brothers The noble families of Europe are tearing themselves apart in their lust for power and wealth. Emma, Queen of England, is in agony over the succession to her husband Canute's throne ... while the sons of her brother, the Duke of Normandy, battle in the wake of his death. Robert, the younger son, has been cheated of Normandy's mightiest castle and sets out to take it by force. He emerges from a bloody siege victorious and in love with a beautiful - and pregnant - peasant girl. Robert's child will be mocked as William the bastard. But we have another name for him ... Conqueror. The first instalment in the Leopards of Normandy trilogy paints a world seething with rivalry and intrigue, where assassins are never short of work.The Protector
By S. J. Deas. 2015
Autumn,1646. The First Civil War is over, and England licks its wounds. But the killing is not yet done. William…
Falkland, former favourite of King Charles turned reluctant investigator for Oliver Cromwell, seeks his missing family. Time and again his hopes are destroyed. Then a figure from his past catches up with him - Cromwell is not finished with his intelligencer. Summoned to London, Falkland is introduced to a young man of letters - a polemicist and pamphleteer by the name of John Milton. His cherished sister Anne has vanished, apparently abducted by supporters of the king. Falkland's task - to identify the culprit and return Anne unharmed - will lead him to a brutal murder buried in the maelstrom of the War, to a ruined Lincolnshire manor house, and to a secret that must be snuffed out at all costs.Look for Me by Moonlight
By Harriet Hudson. 1989
The Wheatsheaf Inn, with its black-beamed frontage, peg-tiled roof and riot of hollyhocks, had stood bathed in the golden sunlight…
of Kent for four centuries. And the Ovendens had owned it for over a hundred years. To divide the Wheatsheaf from the Ovendens was unthinkable - though it wasn't easy keeping a small inn going in the village of Shepham miles from anywhere. Down at Faversham Station, waiting for the Hop-pickers' Special, laughing in the August sunshine with her friend Pippin, was Beth Ovenden, the landlord's daughter. The black-haired, dark-eyed, fiery belle of the village was just eighteen years old, with her life before her, carefree and heartfree. Until the steam engine arrived - bringing with it Richard Lyle, a handsome, daredevil student barrister - and changed Beth's life for ever. Until that moment, Beth's only passion had been the Wheatsheaf. But now Richard, with his dancing eyes and sophisticated London ways, seduced the naïve young girl, only to betray her, leaving her the bittersweet memory of his lovemaking - and the legacy of his child. As Beth struggled to come to terms with his desertion, she found herself in a desperate battle to save her pub from the grasp of the local brewery owner, who would stop at nothing to wrest it from her control ...The Wooing of Katie May
By Harriet Hudson. 1992
For Katharine Stowerton, saving Bocton, the ancient Kentish home of her ancestors, from falling into the rapacious hands of a…
railway company is the most important thing in the world. When she realises her Uncle Robert intends to sell it, she spurs on his younger brother, her own feckless father Alfred, to re-open The Case - a long-running and costly lawsuit which claims an equal share in Bocton and its lands for every surviving male Stowerton under the ancient custom of gavelkind. Ever a quarrelsome and litigious family, Stowertons all over the world rally to the summons. From Australia comes Joseph, still nursing a grudge against Robert for depriving him of victory in the family game over thirty years before. Roguish and unprincipled Albert arrives from the South of France, with his liquid-eyed and equally unscrupulous son Louis in tow, while from Baghdad comes jolly Aunt Mabel, widow of another brother, George, to safeguard the interests of her son. The family feud explodes once more - but it is the arrival of her cousin Luke, representing his dour mining magnate father Jeremiah, now living in America, that turns Katharine's world upside down. By now accustomed to a place high on the matrimonial shelf, she cannot believe that Luke is actually paying court to her, with a liveliness and determination that secretly delight her. But she makes it dauntingly plain that for her Bocton and its interests must always come first and Luke begins to despair. How can he turn bluestocking Katharine, with all her fierce and passionate love for the old house, into his own sweet Katie May - the girl he senses she is at heart? Family secrets, jealousy and the obsessive lure of silver open up a gulf of misunderstanding between Luke and Katharine, as the fast-moving action sweeps to the colourful boom town of Leadville, Colorado. The heritage of the past clashes head on with the material desires of the late Victorian age. Yet, with the solving of a centuries-old enigma as the family feud over the ownership of Bocton is settled, there may be hope. Can the gulf be bridged or is it too late for the romantic wooing of Katie May?When Nightingales Sang
By Harriet Hudson. 1990
For as long as she could remember, Jessica Gray had wanted to be a singer - until the terrible day…
when the powerful and famous band leader Ken Peters told her that her husky contralto voice would never be good enough for the stage. Every day for two years she had lived with the bitter disappointment, spending her time as a teacher in a small Kentish village, trying to keep her impossible mother from interfering in her life. Then came war, and Kent was in the front line. And just as the Battle of Britain was about to begin, two momentous events occurred: Jessica discovered the truth of what had happened two years previously, and she met John Gales, Spitfire fighter pilot. At first, Jessica saw John as a means to an end: through him she could sing with the squadron band, and through him she would meet the American pilot Will Donaldson, gifted clarinetist and inspired song-writer. Will had plans for their future. But, possessively, John extracted a promise from Jessica - to sing for no one but him - that would have far-reaching ramifications when tragedy struck, and would bedevil Jessica's path to fulfilment and happiness.The Girl from Gadsby's
By Harriet Hudson. 1993
Nell Watkins doesn't appear to be the ordinary star-struck girl to the burly doorman barring her way to the dressing…
room of beautiful musical comedy star Melissa Hargreaves. 'Tell her,' Nell insists, 'I'm the girl from Gadsby's.' Earlier in the day, Melissa's petulant complaint to the management of Gadsby's famous fashion store led to Nell being promptly and unfairly dismissed. And now Nell wants Melissa to know just what her thoughtless words have resulted in. But unknown to Nell, Melissa is engaged to Tom Gadsby - with whom Nell is in love from afar. Conscience-stricken and distressed, Melissa uses her influence not only to get Nell her job back but in a more senior position, as buyer in the fashion department. Nell is consequently torn with conflicting emotions. She is thrilled with this opportunity to put into practice the innovative ideas she has to bring Gadsby's back into the forefront of fashion retailing, in direct opposition to Jonathan Gadsby, the stubborn owner of the store, and excited at the possibilities her friendship with the glamorous Melissa brings. But her new life also brings a loss - for Tom is totally under Melissa's spell, and even when she deceives him, he forgives her - time and time again. Yet, Melissa and Nell's friendship seems destined to survive against all the odds.The Sun In Glory
By Harriet Hudson. 1991
When eccentric industrialist William Potts and his wife Mildred adopt Rosie, orphaned in a railway crash, they almost rue the…
day. Born in the East End, Rosie is pugnacious and difficult. But one summer day, standing on a Kentish hillside, she sees a kite rise high into the sky, and knows that in the future she too must fly. William Potts becomes involved in the race to conquer the science of flight, and with his gentle daughter Polly interested only in painting, it is the hoydenish Rosie who works indefatigably alongside him in the workshop. But William will not countenance the idea of a woman flying. The ambitious and skilled Harry Clairville Jones brings further tensions to the venture. By 1906 their flying machine, Pegasus, is almost ready. Into this smouldering situation comes a man with a hard upbringing and bitter-sad memories, who has as deep a love of the air as Rosie herself. Jake Smith's arrival sparks off a deadly rivalry. And the triumph of flight twists inexorably into tragedy and a harrowing world war.Murder At Plums (Auguste Didier Mystery #3)
By Amy Myers. 1990
The third Auguste Didier mystery.For the first time in its history, Plum's, that palace of respectability where English gentlemen can…
find refuge from the world, has agreed to admit ladies. Nothing has been right since.A series of bizarre incidents plague the club. A rat appears on the dining table, newspapers are mutilated, obscene letters are sent to the doorman, and a member's portrait is slashed. 'Pranks,' say the members. Then a slightly less than lethal dose of poison in the brandy cream dessert turns master chef Auguste Didier into the Master Detective again. And just in time. Then the impossible happens - a murder at Plum's! One of the members is found dead - and Auguste and his friend Inspector Egbert Rose of Scotland Yard are on a not-so-discreet hunt for a demonically clever and ruthless killer. A gentleman perhaps.Murder in the Limelight (Auguste Didier Mystery #2)
By Amy Myers. 1987
The second Auguste Didier mystery.Auguste Didier, master chef, has been enticed by Robert Archibald to desert Kent and the Duke…
and Duchess of Stockbery to bring his talents to the Galaxy Theatre in London's West End. In the two years that have passed, Auguste has all but forgotten he was once suspected of that most foul of crimes - murder.Then, amid the glamour of the chorus line, the excitement of a first-night opening, and the electric atmosphere of the stage, a killer strikes. And Auguste is drawn once more into a murder investigation.Watching the petty jealousies and fears that abound in the theatre, he follows each clue with the same fastidious dedication that he applies to his culinary art, and soon uncovers a multitude of motives. But will he catch the killer before there is another death...?Wednesday's Child: A moving saga of family and the search for love
By Margaret Thornton. 2005
A mother and daughter, separated by a generation, yet united in their search for love... Wednesday's Child is a powerful…
saga from Margaret Thornton of the bond between mother and child, and the reminder that love can sometimes be found where you least expect it. Perfect for fans of Annie Murray and Nadine Dorries. When Rachel Watkins gives birth to her daughter on Ash Wednesday in 1953, she prays the old saying - Wednesday's child is full of woe - won't be proved true. She's shed enough tears over her troubled marriage to Derek, and she hopes that Lorna will be the sunshine to light up their unhappy home. But Derek's overnight 'business trips' continue - until one day he announces he's never coming back, and Rachel and Lorna must get by without him. As the 1960s beckon, Rachel marries again, but Lorna resents her new dad and half-brother, and soon the rebellious teenager is anxious to spread her wings and leave the nest. Rachel is worried about her daughter. Lorna's looking for love, but in all the wrong places, and there's a danger she'll miss the happiness waiting for her, closer to home... What readers are saying about Wednesday's Child: 'What a cracking story. I couldn't put it down''Margaret Thornton is a brilliant storyteller. Her books draw you in, so you feel you know the characters. Hard to put down''Five stars'There's a Silver Lining: An evocative Blackpool saga full of warmth and colour
By Margaret Thornton. 1995
Two young women face the consequences of the Great War... As the First World War draws to a close, the…
lives of two young women become entangled in love, ambition and trouble in Margaret Thornton's engaging saga, There's a Silver Lining, the sequel to A Pair of Sparkling Eyes. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Katie Flynn. It's 1918, the war is finally over, and Sarah Donnelly and her cousin Nancy are filled with hope for the future. In particular, Sarah eagerly awaits the safe return of her cousin Zachary, whom she has adored since childhood. But when Zachary returns to Blackpool, shattered by the horrors of war, he can barely face his family let alone reciprocate Sarah's affections. Refusing to be thwarted by rejection, Sarah throws herself into her job at Donnelly's tea rooms, where her father, the owner of Blackpool's most popular department store, has allowed her to work. Then Sarah spies a run-down building to let near North Shore, and decides to set up in business, running her own tea rooms. Meanwhile, Nancy, forever a dreamer, has chosen to follow in her mother's footsteps onto the stage, but it is not long before her youthful naivety lands her in trouble... What readers are saying about Margaret Thornton: '[Margaret Thornton is] one of those writers with a sure skill in creating characters who become real to the reader. Indeed, so much so that they seem to leap out of the pages and make the story of which they're a part even more compelling''Margaret Thornton is a brilliant storyteller. Her books draw you in, so you feel you know the characters. Hard to put down' 'Five stars'The Miner's Daughter (The Families of Fairley Terrace #2)
By Jennie Felton. 2015
A heartrending saga in the grand tradition of Katie Flynn, Dilly Court and Josephine Cox, of one woman's quest for…
happiness after a bitter tragedy, filled with romance, drama and triumph in adversity. When Annie Day at number four, Fairley Terrace, loses her beloved husband in a tragic mining disaster, she cannot afford the luxury of grief. For now she must find a way to support herself and her two young daughters, Kitty and Lucy, and marriage to widower Algernon Pierce seems to be the answer to Annie's prayers.For a time, all is well. But beneath her new husband's respectable veneer, lies a darkness which deepens as the years roll by. Annie begins to fear for her daughters' futures, particularly vibrant, headstrong Lucy, whose defiance of Algernon alters the course of their lives for ever...Don't miss the rest of the compelling, heartwarming sagas of the Families of Fairley Terrace, which began with Maggie's story in All The Dark Secrets, as well as the short story The Birthday Surprise in the saga collection A Mother's Joy.All The Dark Secrets: The Ten Houses Sagas 1
By Jennie Felton. 2014
A powerful new saga in the grand tradition of Katie Flynn, Dilly Court and Josephine Cox, of one woman's quest…
for happiness after a bitter tragedy, filled with romance, drama and triumph in adversity. When terrible tragedy strikes at the local colliery, the residents of Fairley Terrace's ten houses suffer more than one loss and for Maggie Donovan the word turns upside down. Turning for comfort to the one man she can trust, she finds a sudden and undeniable passion instead. But any future with Josh Withers seems a betrayal of her past, and Maggie realises the only way to survive is to conceal a very dark secret of her own...Counting the Days
By Benita Brown. 2014
After the fall of France, three young evacuees from the east end of Newcastle are sent to the safety of…
a country village. Billeted in a grand house with a spinster and her niece, Hazel, Irene and Carol's futures will be irrevocably changed by their new lives. When peace is declared, and Hazel and Irene return to the families they were forced to leave, they find Newcastle very different to the home they remembered. Mourning the people they love, they try to start again. But when they're invited back to celebrate the Coronation of young Queen Elizabeth, they must find a way to come to terms with the past...Penance of the Damned
By Peter Tremayne. 2016
Sister Fidelma returns in this brand-new 7th-century Irish mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE DEVIL'S SEAL and THE…
SECOND DEATH.Ireland, AD 671. King Colgú of Cashel is shocked to learn that his loyal Chief Bishop and advisor has been murdered in the old enemy fortress of the Uí Fidgente. When word reaches Cashel that the culprit will be executed under new law, a larger conflict threatens. Dispatched to investigate, Sister Fidelma and her companion Eadulf discover that the man facing punishment is Gormán - commander of the King's bodyguard. But Fidelma cannot believe Gormán would carry out such an act - and yet he was found locked in a chamber with the body, weapon in hand. The evidence is stacked against him. If they are to save Gormán and keep the peace between the kingdoms, Fidelma and Eadulf must find the true culprit. As the threat of war looms, the date of execution drawers ever closer...The Second Death
By Peter Tremayne. 2015
Peter Tremayne, highly acclaimed author of The Devil's Seal and Atonement of Blood, returns with The Second Death, his new…
Celtic mystery featuring super-sleuth Sister Fidelma. Ireland, AD 671. The Great Fair of Bealtain is almost upon the fortress of Cashel, and a line of painted wagons carries entertainers to mark the occasion. But preparations take a deathly turn when one of the carriages is set alight, and two corpses are found, lying poisoned, within. As Sister Fidelma and her companion, Eadulf, investigate, they are quickly plunged into the menacing marshlands of Osraige - where the bloody origin of the Abbey of Cainnech is wreaking his revenge. What is the symbolism of the Golden Stone, and who are the mysterious members of the Fellowship of the Raven? Fidelma and Eadulf must face untold mortal danger before they can untangle the evil that strikes at the very heart of the kingdom.The Devil's Seal
By Peter Tremayne. 2014
When a local Abbess is murdered, Sister Fidelma and her companion Brother Eadulf are called to investigate. An Anglo-Saxon deputation…
arrives in Cashel to debate the new religious rules from Rome with an Irish delegation. The Abbot of Imleach leads the Irish delegation who are hostile to the new rules, and among the Anglo-Saxon delegation is Brother Eadulf's own younger brother, Egric. There is also an observer appointed from Rome - the Venerable Favorinus. The debate is bad tempered and acrimonious, and local Abbess Dar Óma has to step in as a mediator between the two sides. But that evening her body is discovered, she has been bludgeoned to death. The animosity between the two sides is heightened as the Chief Brehon Aillín accuses young Egric of murder. The Venerable Favorinus counter claims that the murderer is Brother Madagan, who is steward to Abbot of Imleach. Suspicions and tempers run high. With the war of words threatening to spill over into bloodshed, Fidelma is compelled to resolve the mystery as she is sure there is something more sinister behind the murder than religious differences.Empire of the Moghul: Traitors in the Shadows
By Alex Rutherford. 2015
A new emperor, Aurangzeb, sits on India's glittering Peacock Throne - the throne he seized from his father while the…
old emperor still lived. He has paid for it with blood: during the brutal civil war he hunted down and killed his brothers. Now he must return the Moghul Empire to the true path and achieve new glory. But the exercise of great power is isolating. With enemies everywhere, who should he trust? Certainly not his sons. He must rely on himself and the knowledge that there are more ways to subdue a man than on the battlefield.But as the years pass memories haunt him - memories of a father who never loved him and a mother who lies in the Taj Mahal; of murdered brothers and of sons and daughters locked in sunless prisons. He tells himself that everything he has done has been necessary - moral, even. But how will his God judge him?