Historical Romance
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A Great Deal of Ingenuity: A Collection of Pride and Prejudice Short Stories
The pages of Pride and Prejudice sparkle with household names. Proud Darcy and prejudiced Elizabeth, book-loving Mr Bennet, the snobbish Bingley sisters, predatory Mr Wickham and oily Mr Collins.But what about all the other people busy cooking, mending, flirting, walking and socialising in the background?
In this entertaining collection of short stories, Ruth Leigh shines a light on the lives of nine characters from the novel. For instance, how is married life at Hunsford for Mr and Mrs Collins? Will mousy Maria Lucas ever find a husband? How does Sally the maid feel about mending Lydia’s worked muslin gown? Which Meryton matron will triumph in luring a respectable and marriageable young man into their parlour? These stories give the reader a window into the worlds of Meryton, Rosings Park, Pemberley and Hunsford as you’ve never seen them before.
Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer, the author of the Isabella M Smugge series, contemporary humorous page-turners. She lives in rural Suffolk with three children, one husband and a cat. Ruth has been an Austen devotee since the age of fifteen and is a proud member of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Nerd community. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter at ruthleighwrites and at her website, www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk.
What People Are Saying
“Cleverly thought-out and brilliantly executed, Ruth Leigh bestows upon us the backstories we never knew we needed. Leigh has breathed life into those who made but a cameo appearance in Pride and Prejudice. Delightful!”
Rose Servitova, author of “The Longbourn Letters,” “The Watsons” and “A Season at Sanditon.”
You will love these glimpses into the lives of minor Pride and Prejudice characters. With warmth, wit and a detailed understanding of the period, we are drawn effortlessly into the social niceties and small calamities of everyday Georgian life. These are fascinating cameos of minor characters in this timeless book, brought to life with skill and artistry.
Deborah Jenkins, author of, “The Evenness of Things” and “Braver” (shortlisted for the Writers’ Guild Best First Novel Award).
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A Valley Wedding: Book 3 in the uplifting new Backshaw Moss series
The third novel in the brand new Backshaw Moss series by beloved million-copy bestselling author Anna Jacobs
Lancashire, 1936. With her son Gabriel finally married, and her youngest following his dreams of becoming a doctor, Gwynneth Harte finds herself with an empty nest – until a fire forces her to move in with Gabriel and his wife Maisie at their home on Daisy Street.
Arthur Chapman has been at a low ebb ever since the death of his wife. Turning to drink in his grief, he lost both his job and contact with his grandchild, Beatie – but now the inheritance of a house from a distant relative is the fresh start he needs.
When Beatie runs away from her cruel grandmother and takes refuge with Gwynneth, she and Arthur are thrown together – and find themselves growing closer. But trouble is brewing in the valley, from the ambitions of the bullying local landlord to rumours of a Fascist spy. Can the residents of Backshaw Moss band together to keep each other safe, and will there be wedding bells on Daisy Street?
Readers love Anna Jacobs’ heartwarming sagas!
‘Amazing’ – 5 STARS
‘Thank you, Anna, for the pleasure you give in all your books’ – 5 STARS
‘Another brilliant, hard-to-put-down book’ – 5 STARS
‘Can’t wait for the next instalment’ – 5 STARS
‘A real page turner, I can’t wait to read the next one’ – 5 STARS
‘Another triumph for Anna Jacobs’ – 5 STARS
‘BRILLIANT READ’ – 5 STARS
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£6.50£7.20 -
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt: The epic conclusion to the Seven Sisters series
THE INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
The final novel in the Seven Sisters series is here. Spanning a lifetime of love and loss, crossing borders and oceans, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, co-authored by her son Harry Whittaker, draws Lucinda Riley’s saga to its stunning, unforgettable conclusion.
1928, Paris. A boy is found, moments from death, and taken in by a kindly family. Gentle, precocious, talented, he flourishes in his new home, and the family show him a life he hadn’t dreamed possible. But he refuses to speak a word about who he really is.
As he grows into a young man, falling in love and taking classes at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, he can almost forget the terrors of his past, or the promise he has vowed to keep. But across Europe an evil is rising, and no-one’s safety is certain. In his heart, he knows the time will come when he must flee once more.
2008, the Aegean. The seven sisters are gathered together for the first time, on board the Titan, to say a final goodbye to the enigmatic father they loved so dearly.
To the surprise of everyone, it is the missing sister who Pa Salt has chosen to entrust with the clue to their pasts. But for every truth revealed, another question emerges. The sisters must confront the idea that their adored father was someone they barely knew. And even more shockingly: that these long-buried secrets may still have consequences for them today.
In this epic conclusion to the Seven Sisters series, everything will be revealed.
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Christmas at the Wartime Bookshop: Book 3 in the feel-good WWII saga series about a community-run bookshop, from the bestselling author (The Wartime Bookshop, 3)
**Available for pre-order now**
Alice, Kate and Naomi want to keep the magic of Christmas alive in their village of Churchwood but a thief in the area and a new family that shuns the local community are only the first of the problems they face.
Naomi is fighting to free herself from Alexander – the man who married her for her money, then kept a secret family behind her back. But will she be able to achieve the independence she craves?
Alice’s dreams came true when she married sweetheart Daniel. Now he has returned to the fighting, but Alice is delighted to discover that she’s carrying his child. Will the family make it through the war unscathed?
While Kate’s life on Brimbles Farm has never been easy, she now has help from land girls Pearl and Ruby. But what will it mean for them all when Kate’s brother returns from the war with terrible injuries? And why has pilot Leo, the man she loves, stopped writing?
As ever, the Wartime Bookshop is a source of community and comfort. But disaster is about to strike…
Christmas at the Wartime Bookshop is the third novel in the uplifting Wartime Bookshop series, perfect for fans of Donna Douglas and Elaine Everest.
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**Real readers are LOVING The Wartime Bookshop series**
‘BRILLIANT’
‘Oh I loved this book… please carry on the good writing’
‘Wow what a brilliant start to a new series’
‘Outstandingly fabulous, warm and inviting… so glad there is going to be a follow-on’
‘I was only two pages in when I knew this would be a 5 star read… I honestly can’t put my excitement into words at the thought of reading the next one’
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£7.35£7.99 -
In Memoriam: THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2023
It was only because Gaunt knew he might die, that he could be so reckless as to kiss him.
‘Assured, affecting and moving. Alice Winn has written a devastating love story between two young men on the Western Front’ MAGGIE O’FARRELL, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HAMNET
______________________In 1914, war feels far away to Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. They’re too young to enlist, and anyway, Gaunt is fighting his own private battle – an all-consuming infatuation with the dreamy, poetic Ellwood – not having a clue that his best friend is in love with him, always has been.
When Gaunt’s mother asks him to enlist in the British army to protect the family from anti-German attacks, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him into the horrors of trenches. Though Ellwood and Gaunt find fleeting moments of solace in one another, their friends are dying in front of them, and at any moment they could be next.
An epic tale of the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.
THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, March 2023
______________________‘One of the best debuts I’ve read in recent years: immersive, rousing, tender and devastating . . . please rush out and buy it’ ELIZABETH DAY
‘BIRDSONG for a new generation’ JOANNA QUINN, AUTHOR OF THE WHALEBONE THEATRE
‘Like looking at a black and white photograph which has been colourised . . . I was completely absorbed, moved, and transported’ CLAIRE FULLER, AUTHOR OF UNSETTLED GROUND
‘When was the last time characters in a novel seemed so real to me, so cherishable, so alive?’ GARTH GREENWELL, AUTHOR OF CLEANNESS and WHAT BELONGS TO YOU
‘A vivid rendering of love and frontline brutality in the first world war . . . In Memoriam is at once epic and intimate, humorous and profound, a vivid rendering of the madness and legacy of the first world war as seen through the lens of a schoolboy love affair’ Observer
‘A tender, affecting debut . . . Winn strikingly evokes the torment and brutality of life of the front’ The Times
‘Propulsive, visceral and heartrending . . . I can’t remember the last time I was this invested in a love story’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A genuine page-turner’ Sunday Times
‘In Memoriam is gripping, tender, immersive and, most of all, completely unforgettable’ i, Fiction Pick of the Month
‘Alice Winn’s devastating debut will smash your heart to smithereens . . . as thousands of young men die in the most horrific of ways, Gaunt and Ellwood attempt to survive the slaughter and keep their love alive’ Daily Mail
‘IN MEMORIAM is the story of a great tragedy, but it is also a moving portrait of young love, and there is often a lightness to the book, even humor. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one that Winn, who is erudite, fast talking and very funny, pulls off’ New York Times
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£12.30£14.20In Memoriam: THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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The Ball at Versailles: The sparkling new tale of a night to remember from the billion copy bestseller
A special invitation. A night to remember . . .
The Ball at Versailles is a sparkling, captivating tale of four young women and one life-changing night, from the billion copy bestselling author, Danielle Steel.
1958. The Palace of Versailles is hosting an event that will go down in history. It is a glamorous dusk-to-dawn ball, where a select group of debutantes will be presented to international society and royalty. And for four young women, all with something to prove, it is an event they will never forget.
Amelia Alexander is the daughter of a hard-working, single mother who sacrifices everything to ensure that Amelia can take every opportunity for a better life.
Caroline Taylor is pursuing a passionate affair with an up-and-coming movie star ten years her senior. But does he love her, or is his interest because of her famous father?
Nuclear physics student, Felicity Smith, is uninterested in fashion and socializing, but she attends the ball to please her parents and to step out of the shadow of her sister.
And Samantha Walker is the beloved, over-protected daughter of a wealthy businessman, her excitement about the invitation overshadowed by a past tragedy that still haunts her.
An exclusive invitation, a trip to Paris, and one spectacular, show stopping night will change these young women’s lives forever . . .
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£11.00£22.00 -
The Queen’s Governess: The scandalous and unmissable royal story you won’t be able to put down in 2022!
‘Fans of The Crown will enjoy this poignant look behind the royal curtain’ GEORGIE BLALOCK
‘A tantalizing and poignant tale of the young royal princesses’ STEPHANIE BARRON
A crown princess.
Her childhood nanny.
A shocking betrayal…Marion Crawford is just twenty-two years old when she becomes governess to the little Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose in 1931. As their beloved ‘Crawfie’, she is instantly confided in, trusted and immersed in the lives of the royal family.
As World War II finally comes to an end, it’s clear that Princess Elizabeth has fallen in love. Now heiress presumptive to the British throne, no one believes that Prince Philip of Greece is a suitable husband for the future Queen of England. No one, that is, except for Crawfie.
For Crawfie, too, has fallen in love – and has convinced her fiancé George that they must wait for Elizabeth and Philip to receive the King’s blessing before she leaves the service of the Crown. Yet soon she finds herself torn between her loyalty to Princess Elizabeth and losing the man she loves.
But no one ever anticipated the betrayal that will sever her bond with the royal family forever…
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£5.90£7.60 -
The Royal Correspondent
From the bestselling author of The Paris Model comes another breathtaking story of glamour, romance and espionage.
Success would depend on taking a dangerous risk.
When Blaise Hill, a feisty young journalist from one of Sydney’s toughest neighbourhoods, is dispatched to London at the dawn of the swinging sixties to report on Princess Margaret’s controversial marriage to an unconventional photographer, she is drawn into an elite realm of glamour and intrigue.
As the nation faces an explosive upheaval, Blaise must grapple with a series of shocking scandals at the pinnacle of British society. Yet, haunted by a threat from her past and torn between two very different men, who can she trust in a world of hidden motives and shifting alliances? If she makes the wrong choice, she will lose everything.
Inspired by real events, The Royal Correspondent is a compelling story of love and betrayal, family secrets and conspiracy that takes you from the gritty life of a daily newspaper to the opulent splendour of Buckingham Palace.
Praise for The Royal Correspondent:
‘Combines romance, a splash of espionage and lots of glamour, inspired by real events’ Australian Women’s Weekly
‘It will sweep you up with its winning combination of historical facts and fabulous fiction’ Herald Sun
‘Vividly brings the swinging ’60s to life’ Who Weekly
‘This engaging read has it all – glamour, intrigue, gossip, espionage, romance and fashion … it’s a gripping read with well-drawn characters … a well woven tale set on the cusp of changing times’ Weekly Times
‘A fabulous story, with an extremely compelling protagonist at its heart … Joel has hit her stride here’ Better Reading
‘A world of glamour, intrigue and scandal’ Woman’s Day
‘Engaging characters and a well-paced story line brimming with social history, romance, and mystery will captivate readers across genres’ Booklist
‘An engrossing story [which] will keep readers turning the pages’ Publishers Weekly
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£8.70£9.00The Royal Correspondent
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The Royal Show: A brand new series from the nation’s favourite entertainer, Anton Du Beke
By Royal invitation, join us to celebrate The Royal Show!
Prodigal son and loyal daughter…
The Forsyth Variety Company has been given the opportunity of a lifetime – to entertain Her Majesty at 1962’s Royal Variety Performance.
Keen to rehearse, the company heads to the Seagate Theatre under the tutelage of the company’s owner, Ed Forsyth. This is Ed’s last hoorah before retiring and he’s keen to leave on a high. But his son, Cal, has absconded, leaving his twin sister, Evie, to help manage the company after their mother’s death. Hoping to display her best trapeze performance ever, she’s also desperate that the entire troupe should succeed. If only her father hadn’t brought in another old-timer… Billy Rich has come all the way from Hollywood, invited to be their main star. Billy is full of bluster and ego and his much younger wife, the mysterious Magdalene, doesn’t help.
Can this troupe of old-time crooners, dancing girls and magicians possibly pull this off? Especially when they must compete with the 1960’s rebellious new bands and revolutionary music? Abandoned by her brother, Evie has no idea if she’ll ever be able to wrestle the troupe into a show fit for a queen.
But as the theatrical group heads towards a royal deadline like no other, Cal returns out of the blue to introduce a song that could change the world. Is he here to help, or are his motivations darker? As the company descends into illicit romance, family intrigue and foul crimes, rehearsals begin to unravel. Can they really do this?
Cal thinks he has the answer, if only the troupe can believe in him.
Because the queen’s show must go on…
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The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
‘Atmospheric, wise and warm . . . comforting and unputdownable . . . an enchanting hug of a novel’ – Cathy Kelly on The Kitchen Front
To have. To hold. To sew. Jennifer Ryan’s The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is ‘A Great British Sewing Bee’ set in the Second World War, and inspired by true events.
After fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both everything she owns in the Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago.
Cressida is at a loss as to how to rebuild her business from a small country village. The answer comes from an unlikely source: the local sewing circle. With clothes rationed, wartime brides are left with no choice but to ‘make do and mend’ and after helping local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, repair her mother’s dress, Cressida finds herself inundated with similar requests.
Before long, the sewing circle find themselves mending wedding dresses for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might also find it for themselves . . .
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£6.80£8.10The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
£6.80£8.10 -
Winter’s Orphan: The brand new emotional historical fiction novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author
London, 1940
When tragedy strikes, Libby Gilbert is left homeless and destitute, fending for herself on the capital’s most dangerous streets.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Libby is on the cusp of making a decision that could jeopardise her future when a local boy saves her from ruin.
The kindness of this stranger sets her on a different path, and Libby heads to Liverpool with a determined mind and hope in her heart.
There, she reconnects with long lost family – but will she be able to uncover the truth that tore them apart all those years ago?
WHY READERS LOVE KATIE FLYNN:
‘Takes you on a journey of heartbreak and joy’
‘Hard to put down’
‘Her characters are like old friends’
‘Heartwarming romance’Read more
£4.30£8.50
