'Beautifully written and thought-provoking this illustrates that you don't need to be perfect to be good enough' Katie Fforde 'A pleasure to read' Shelley Harris 'A story of inner strength, fierce love and knowing your worth. Lovely' Jessica Ryn, author of The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside Does your past define your future? When her daughter was born with cystic fibrosis, Kate Micklethwaite vowed that Daisy would never be defined by the illness. Kate is determined that her perfect little girl will be known for her love of butterflies and croissants and nothing else. Kate does all she can to be the perfect mother - whatever that means - and yet, somehow, has started seeing herself the way others see her: single parent, source of small-town scandal, drop-out, former mistress. Half a family. When Daisy starts school, Kate meets her new teacher, the kind and charming Mr Spencer Swanson. Now, with more time on her hands Kate can start thinking about her own future. With her Open University dissertation deadline looming, Kate needs to decide what she wants next. But as she and Spencer get to know each other, Kate notices that people are whispering behind her back once more . . .

The East-End stories that inspired the BBC TV series, CALL THE MIDWIFE, in a gorgeous gift box. London's East End in the 1950s was a tough place: the struggles of post-war life - bombsites, overcrowded tenements, crime, brothels - bred a culture of tight-knit family communities, larger-than-life characters and a lively social scene. It was into this world that Jennifer Worth entered as a trainee midwife. But docklands life was tough, and babies were often born in slum conditions. In funny, disturbing and heartbreaking stories, Jennifer Worth recounts her time among nuns, prostitutes, abortionists, bigamists, gangsters and expectant mothers, portraying East Enders' amazing resilience - and their warmth and humour in the face of hardship. Written with affection and nostalgia, her midwife stories chronicle the lives, traditions and tales of a bygone era.

Volume XXX11

Can love and friendship survive hardship and war?Following the gripping story of the Ryan family in Margaret Dickinson's top ten bestseller The Buffer Girls, Daughters of Courage sees Emily and Trip fight to keep their new life afloat in the turbulent 1930s.Emily Ryan has gone up in the world since her arrival in Sheffield. Brought there by her mother's ambitious schemes for her brother, Josh, she had found work as a buffer girl polishing cutlery in the city's famous trade. With the help of a friend, Nell, Emily eventually set up her own buffing business employing those with whom she had once worked.Married to Thomas Trippet - 'Trip' to his friends - they plan to build a life together, but when Lucy, Nell's daughter, disappears it seems that the menace from the past is never very far away. Trip is now a partner with his half-brother in the Trippet family's cutlery manufacturing business, but their success is threatened by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Can Emily keep their family and friends safe from the shadow of unemployment?And then comes the threat of another war . . .

‘I wondered if I was dying. I wasn’t afraid to die but, such was the pain in my gut, I wished it would happen soon.’ The night before the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket sees the great and the good of the horse-racing community gathered for a prestigious black-tie Gala dinner. It is a fitting testament to the glamour of the occasion that top chef Max Moreton is cooking the evening’s meal. Max is something of a celebrity in Newmarket circles. He is founder of the racing town’s favourite Michelin-starred restaurant, the Hay Net. However, spending the night retching in the throes of agony is the last thing Max expects. But much worse is to come...his food is suspected of putting twenty-four of the dinner guests in hospital. Max’s pride and professionalism tells him all is not as it seems. Within hours, Max’s restaurant is forcibly closed, his reputation teeters on the brink of ruin, and a court case looms. But the day is far from over, and soon Max Moreton finds himself desperately fighting for more than just his livelihood... Dead Heat is the latest searing, intrigue-filled blockbuster from the Grand Master of thriller writing.

'Brilliant, funny and immensely moving' Catherine Isaac, author of You, Me, Everything 'Well, that was a tearjerker! Anna McPartlin's Below the Big Blue Sky is a MORE than worthy follow-up to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes' Marian Keyes *** There's no family quite like the Hayes, and yet they're just like any other - they love each other, they look out for each other and they drive each other mad. When their youngest, Rabbit, dies tragically at just forty, the Hayes are almost torn apart by their grief. Without her beloved mum, twelve-year-old Bunny is adrift; without Rabbit, there can be no Bunny. Her Granny is concerned when Bunny insists on being called by her real name, Juliet. Even surrounded by the noise and chaos of the Hayes, Juliet feels lost and alone. Meanwhile, Rabbit's sister Grace has something else on her mind. She's got the gene that made her sister ill, and she hasn't told anyone yet. All she can think about are the things she's always wanted to do, like fly a plane or climb a mountain, or watch her four children grow up. She doesn't know how to share the news that may break her family, but she knows she needs their support, now more than ever. Despite squabbling over what Rabbit will wear at the wake and their dad burying himself in the past with his diaries, the Hayes family know there's only one way they'll get through this: together. This huge-hearted novel is about grief, family, the messiness of life and finding humour in the most unexpected of places. Below the Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and fill you with joy. Look out for Anna McPartlin's new novel Waiting for the Miracle. ***What readers have been saying about Below the Big Blue Sky*** 'Equally heartbreaking and hilarious' 'You will laugh, you will cry and you will laugh while crying' 'A real, raw, beautiful depiction of life, love and loss' 'The story has us laughing, crying and on the edge of our seats' 'A beautiful story, beautifully written' 'You'll howl laughing and bawl crying, even on the same page' 'A truly wonderful read' 'It is OK to laugh while grieving' 'Fantastically funny and heartbreaking in equal measure' 'Big-hearted, amusing, compassionate, emotional' '#RememberRabbitHayes' 'Moving, heartbreaking and funny' 'I love, love, love the Hayes family' 'Desperately sad, hilariously funny and incredibly moving all at the same time'

The bond between a mother and her child is the strongest in the natural world. So why would a young woman, dreaming of America, throw her newborn baby into the waves of the wild Atlantic ocean? Life in the Scottish Hebrides can be harsh - 'The Edge of the World' some call it. For Kirsty MacLeod, the love of Murdo promises a new life away from the scrape of the land and the repression of the church. But the Great War looms and the villages hold a grand Road Dance to send their young men off to battle. As the dancers swirl and sup, Kirsty is overpowered and raped by an unknown assailant. She hides her dark secret, fearful of what it will mean for her and the baby she is carrying. Only the embittered doctor, a man with a cold wife and a colder bed, suspects. On a fateful day of surging seas and swelling pain Kirsty learns that her love will never be back. Now she must make her choice and it is no choice at all. And the hunt for the baby's mother and his killer become one and the same.

The new science of a lost art

All she wants is to find her family

'Jennie Felton knows how to tell a cracking story and keep the reader gripped... if you enjoy reading books in the style of Catherine Cookson then this one is for you' Books With Wine and Chocolate 'Another superbly woven and character-rich story from a saga author who writes from the heart' Peterborough Telegraph 'Packed full of Jennie's signature strong heroines, this book will keep you guessing' MNR Journal In the grand tradition of Josephine Cox, Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, comes a powerfully heartrending new saga from Jennie Felton, 'one of the nation's favourite saga writers' (Lancashire Post). A Mother's Sacrifice is a story of family secrets, romance, and triumph in adversity. ................................................................................ Will she be able to save her children? Martha Packer is much loved by everyone in the village of Hillsbridge. As the landlady of The Three Feathers, she runs a respectable establishment and is known for her generosity and care for her family and others around her - she even took in two orphan girls to save them from a life of cruelty in the workhouse. So when Martha announces that she has killed her son, Garth, the community is shocked. Garth was undoubtedly a bad seed, but they knew how much Martha adored her first-born. What could have driven her to such extreme actions? Martha refuses to give a reason, but her other children cannot believe their mother is capable of murder. They begin to believe that she is protecting someone - maybe even one of them... ................................................................................ For more heartwrenching, heartwarming saga, look out for The Stolen Child, out now! And don't miss Jennie's Families of Fairley Terrace series, which began with Maggie's story in All The Dark Secrets and continued with Lucy's story in The Miner's Daughter, Edie's story in The Girl Below Stairs, Carina's story in The Widow's Promise and Laurel's story in The Sister's Secret.