1651 Books
"Electra d'Aplièse is a woman who seems to have it all: as a top model, she has beauty, fame, and wealth. But beneath the glittery veneer, she's cracking under the pressure of it all. The last straw comes when she finds out her father has died and she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain. As friends and colleagues fear for her health, Electra receives a shocking letter from a complete stranger who claims to be her grandmother. In 1939, Cecily Huntley-Morgan arrives fresh from New York to Lake Naivasha in Kenya for the exciting chance to stay with her godmother, the famous socialite Kiki Preston. But after a sheltered upbringing, she's completely astounded by the hedonistic antics of the other ex-pats in the infamous Happy Valley set. Celia soon grows to love her stunning but complicated new home, and she even accepts a proposal of marriage from Bill Forsythe, an enigmatic older cattle farmer. After a shocking discovery and with war looming, Cecily feels isolated and alone. Until she meets a young woman in the woods and makes her a promise that will change the course of her life forever"--
Experience the grandeur of the remote Scottish Highlands and Madrid in this USA TODAY bestselling “beautifully written...magical adventure” (Woman’s World) following two women connected across time and distance as they search for the truth of their place in the world. Tiggy D’Aplièse spends her days reveling in the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands, where she works at a deer sanctuary. But when the sanctuary is forced to close, she decides to take a job as a wildlife consultant on the vast estate of the elusive and troubled Charlie Kinnaird. She has no idea that the move will not only irrevocably alter her future, but also bring her face-to-face with her past. At the estate, she meets Chilly, an elderly Romani man who fled from Spain seventy years earlier. He tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home. Back in 1912, in the poor Romani community outside the city walls of Granada, Lucía Amaya-Albaycin is born. At the tender age of ten, Lucía is whisked away by her ambitious father to dance in the flamenco bars of Barcelona. And while Lucía perfects her skills—eventually becoming the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation—tensions in Spain boil over into civil war, forcing Lucía and her troupe of dancers to flee for their lives. As they travel in search of a safe haven, Lucía’s long-held dream of going to New York may be in grasp. But to pursue it, she must choose between her love for her career and the man she adores. “A breathtaking adventure brimming with cruelty, tragedy, passion, [and] obsession” (Lancashire Evening Post, UK), The Moon Sister follows these two women on their journey to discover their true destinies—but at the risk of potentially losing the men they had hoped to build futures with.
Feel-good chick-lit from international bestseller Jill Mansell, with a chaotic cast who must let go of their grudges and secrets to build the lives they've dreamed of. Thanks to little white lie, Lainey and Kit arrive at their new jobs in blissful, summery Cornwall only to find themselves in the midst of a lovable but overwhelming family—where every family member is having an identity crisis at the same time. Widowed mom Majella has done her best for years, but can't quite grasp why things are falling apart. No one can guess what's causing the chaos because everyone is keeping secrets. In classic Jill Mansell style, Lainey and her friends are drawn through a hilarious multi-generational soap opera. By the end, happily-ever-afters are available to anyone willing to tell the truth about their heart's desire. Romantic fiction with characters you can root for, this is the perfect beach read for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Elin Hilderbrand. Also by Jill Mansell: This Could Change Everything Miranda's Big Mistake Maybe This Time
A heartbreaking and deeply compelling debut, Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase is a compulsive page-turner about thwarted love, dashed hopes, and family secrets—book-club fiction at its best. Roberta, a lonely thirty-four-year-old bibliophile, works at The Old and New Bookshop in England. When she finds a letter inside her centenarian grandmother’s battered old suitcase that hints at a dark secret, her understanding of her family’s history is completely upturned. Running alongside Roberta’s narrative is that of her grandmother, Dorothy, as a forty-year-old childless woman desperate for motherhood during the early years of World War II. After a chance encounter with a Polish war pilot, Dorothy believes she’s finally found happiness, but must instead make an unthinkable decision whose consequences forever change the framework of her family. The parallel stories of Roberta and Dorothy unravel over the course of eighty years as they both make their own ways through secrets, lies, sacrifices, and love. Utterly absorbing, Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase is a spellbinding tale of two worlds, one shattered by secrets and the other by the truth.
'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriott, and every bit as endearing.' - Bestselling author Alan Titchmarsh She was wearing red shoes! With silver heels! Elisabeth Devine causes quite a stir on her arrival in the village. No one can understand why the head of a big inner city school would want to come to sleepy little Barton-in-the-Dale, to a primary with more problems than school dinners. And that's not even counting the challenges the mysterious Elisabeth herself will face: a bitter former head teacher, a grumpy caretaker and a duplicitous chair of governors, to name but a few. Then there's the gossip. After all, a woman who would wear red shoes to an interview is obviously capable of anything . . . Warm, funny and poignant, Gervase Phinn's first novel creates a fictional world that's as real as can be. It will delight all his fans, and win him many more. Readers are loving THE LITTLE VILLAGE SCHOOL! 'A jolly good read.' - 5 STARS 'Superb, easy reading.' - 5 STARS 'I completely fell in love with all the characters in this book.' - 5 STARS 'Will definitely go on to read more of Gervase Phinn's works.' - 5 STARS 'Wonderful storytelling, believable characters.' - 5 STARS