Books to look forward to…

These are trying times for us all, and with so much uncertainty we think the best thing for us is to have something bright and exciting to look forward to. And what better than shiny new books?! No matter what happens over the coming weeks, we’ve got some total gems coming your way – whether that’s bringing the summer holiday to you through escapist sun-drenched reads, or offering a sweeping mystery to keep you hooked, we’ve got a bit of something for everyone! See below for our top books to look forward to…

 

 

Tell Me How It Ends by V.B. Grey

(publishing in eBook, audio and hardback on 9th July)

 

A gripping drama of toxic female friendship, manipulation and revenge, for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Tangerine.

 

Delia Maxwell is an international singing sensation, an icon of 1950s glamour who is still riding high on the new 60s scene. Adored by millions, all men want to be with her, all women want to be her. But one woman wants it maybe a little too much…

 

Lily Brooks has watched Delia all her life, studying her music and her on-stage mannerisms. Now she has a dream job as Delia’s assistant – but is there more to her attachment than the admiration of a fan? Private investigator Frank is beginning to wonder.

 

As Lily steps into Delia’s spotlight, and Delia encourages her ambitious protegée, Frank’s suspicions of Lily’s ulterior motives increase. But are his own feelings for Delia clouding his judgement?

 

The truth is something far darker: the shocking result of years of pain and rage, rooted in Europe’s darkest hour. If Delia thought she had put her past behind her, she had better start watching her back.

 

Buy now!

 

 

Ladies in Waiting by Anne Somerset

(publishing in eBook and paperback on 25th June)

Ladies in Waiting chronicles the lives of famous and infamous ladies who served royalty, casting a fresh, intimate angle on four hundred years of monarchy.

 

For centuries, the most beautiful, able and aristocratic women in England competed for positions at court. Some who came to serve were remarkable for their learning and exemplary virtue, but others were notable for promiscuity and lack of scruple, drawn to court by a lust for money and power. Several ladies-in-waiting became royal mistresses, showing few qualms about betraying the queen consorts they ostensibly served. If bedding the King was not an option open to all, many ladies came to court in hope of finding husbands, only to succumb to constant assaults on their virtue or to find themselves denied permission by their sovereign to marry.

Drawing on an enormous variety of sources, Anne Somerset provides an illuminating guide to the character, profligate or pious, of each court.

 

Contained within the stories of the individual women is a consistently entertaining commentary on the manners, morals and shifting mentality of the royal, the rich, and the prominent throughout the centuries, resulting in social history at its most enjoyable and vibrant.

 

‘Provides a wealth of juicy anecdotal material about five centuries of court life’ New York Times

 

‘Naughty Knickers version of our island story’ Daily Mail

 

Buy now!

 

 

 

The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon by Sarah Steele

(publishing in eBook, audio and hardback on 6^th August)

 

Piece together the secrets of an extraordinary long-lost summer…

 

‘The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon is the Dear Mrs Bird of its time. Such a book! Really special’ Katie Fforde

 

‘So moving, hopeful and heartfeltFelicity Hayes-McCoy, author of The Library at the Edge of the World

 

To unravel the story of that long-lost summer, she had to follow the thread…

 

Florence Connelly is broken-hearted; her beloved grandmother has just died and her marriage has collapsed.

 

But things change when she opens a box of vintage 1960s dress patterns, discovered inside her grandmother’s wardrobe. Inside each pattern packet is a fabric swatch, a postcard from Europe and a faded photograph of a young woman wearing the hand-made dress. Why did Flo’s grandmother never speak of this mysterious woman – Nancy Moon?

 

Her life in tatters, Flo decides to remake Nancy’s dresses, and to head across to the Continent to re-create Nancy’s Grand Tour of 1962. As she follows the thread, Flo begins to unravel an untold story of love and loss in her family’s past. And perhaps to stitch the pieces of her own life back together…

 

Early praise for The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon:

 

‘Two captivating stories of love and heartbreak, stitched together by a trail through Europe in 1962. A scattering of clues to the secret of Nancy Moon’ Gill Paul

 

‘Warm and true… I loved reading the entwined stories…pays tribute to the heart and backbone of women who support each other when the world turns its back’ Stephanie Butland

 

Buy now!

 

 

 

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan

(publishing in eBook, audio and hardback on 23^rd July 2020)

 

In Sheila O’Flanagan’s stunning new novel, two women face up to shocking truths about the men they’ve loved – and start to make their own decisions about what to do next…

 

‘One of my favourite authors’ Marian Keyes

Deira isn’t the kind of woman to steal a car. Or drive to France alone with no plan. But then, Deira didn’t expect to be single. Or to suddenly realise that that the only way she can get the one thing she wants most is to start breaking every rule she lives by.

 

Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn’t really want to be on it but she’s following his instructions, as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then – finally – she’ll be able to let him go.

 

Brought together by unexpected circumstances, Grace and Deira find that it’s easier to share secrets with a stranger, especially in the shimmering sunny countryside of Spain and France. But they soon find that there’s no escaping the truth, whether you’re running away from it or racing towards it . . .

 

Buy Now!

 

 

The Sight of You by Holly Miller

(publishing in hardback, ebook and audio on 11th June)

 

The love story of 2020 that will break your heart.

 

‘Unique and breathtaking and painful and broken and perfect . . . just like love. I’m still crying, yet all I want to do is settle down and read it again’
Jodi Picoult

 

‘Exquisitely written, incredibly moving and impossible to put down’
Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare

Joel is afraid of the future.

Since he was a child he’s been haunted by dreams about the people he loves. Visions of what’s going to happen – the good and the bad. And the only way to prevent them is to never let anyone close to him again.

 

Callie can’t let go of the past.

Since her best friend died, Callie’s been lost. She knows she needs to be more spontaneous and live a bigger life. She just doesn’t know how to find a way back to the person who used to have those dreams.

 

Joel and Callie both need a reason to start living for today.

And though they’re not looking for each other, from the moment they meet it feels like the start of something life-changing.

 

Until Joel has a vision of how it’s going to end . . .

 

Buy now!

 

 

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

(publishing in hardback, ebook and audio on 20^th October)

 

Jodi Picoult’s stunning new novel about life, death, and missed opportunities.

 

‘A writer the world should be reading right now.’ Independent

 

Who would you be, if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are now?

 

Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully.

 

But when the plane she’s on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago – when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.

 

Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to – but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain.

 

As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she’s never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?

 

Two possible futures. One impossible choice.

‘It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes.’ Financial Times

‘Her intelligent, meticulously researched novels explore ethical dilemmas through heartrending, headline-grabbing scenarios.’ The Sunday Times

‘A matchless talent for hitting emotional notes.’ Irish Times

 

Buy now!