They can spend all day on the beach, or not. Cruise the dusty beach roads, or never leave their deck overlooking Long Island Sound. Fill their itinerary with excursions on the Connecticut shore, or while away the hours in a shingled cottage. Every decision this week is theirs to make.Until it's not. Until life as they know it changes -- and suddenly the Martinellis have to face only each other. Face each other in The Beach Cottage and see what they have, or don't have, between them.

    The Isle of Dogs, heart of London's docklands, suffers the first terrible night of a nine-month Blitz. But for Connie Marsh, the discovery of an orphaned baby boy amongst the rubble brings a glimmer of hope to a time of darkness and suffering. She also finds herself falling in love with handsome Vic Campion, the man who helped her rescue the child they've named Lucky. But Connie's happiness is not to last. When his call-up papers arrive, Vic leaves for the navy - and Connie knows she might never see him again. And when a sinister figure emerges, claiming to be Lucky's grandfather, she is terrified of losing the child, too. Will she turn for comfort to Clint Hershey, the dashing GI who makes no secret of his admiration for her? Will she stay true to Vic, the man she really loves? Previously published with the title Connie of Kettle Street.

    She's lost her home in a bomb attack, and with her husband in the army, her daughters evacuated to Wales, and her mother killed and father injured in the attack, Ruth is left to face the devastation alone. But she finds comfort in the camaraderie of the Civil Defence office where she works and in her friendship with Lucy, a clippie on the buses. Lucy's husband is at sea, and the two women dream of the day when they'll be reunited with their loved ones. But as victory approaches, Ruth finds that the legacy of war is more powerful than even she had imagined...

    Fall head-over-heels...From wedding days to special anniversaries, steamy one-night encounters to everlasting oves, Truly, Madly, Deeply takes you on an unforgettable romantic adventure where love really is all you need.This collection brings together all-new specially selected stories from star authors from the Romantic Novelists' Association, including international bestsellers Adele Parks, Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Miranda Dickinson, and many, many more and is edited by Sue Moorcroft.

    She needed a hero, and quick. But what she had hoped was that at least one person would have answered her plea for help. As the months wore on she had all but given up on finding the husband she so desperately needed, and resigned herself to a lifetime imprisoned by her cruel stepfather. Rancher Wes Roberts couldn’t get the thought of Mary Beth out of his mind, and the desperate nature of the ad she had placed. He figured it wasn’t unusual that he hadn’t received a reply to his letters, given that she had probably already chosen her husband and moved on with her life, but something nagged at him. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t find out for sure that she was safe, even if it wasn’t with him. When Wes arrives, not only is Mary Beth still there, she is more in need than ever. After he rescues her from the desolate life she has been living he realizes that he needs her just as much as she needs him. Please enjoy this sweet, clean, historical western romance novella of 21,128 words (about 90 pages).

    None is wealthier or more generous a benefactor than Harry Watkin Jones. His daughter Sali is about to marry her childhood sweetheart, but tragedy follows tragedy and four years later Sali is a penniless outcast, fleeing from a violent husband and struggling to support herself and her son in a world very different from the one in which she has been brought up. Sali finds work in the home of family of colliers. Here she and her son find the warmth and love missing from their lives for so long. But unrest and violence have come to the valleys. Caught up in the conflict, Sali finds herself denying her roots, her class, and even sacrificing her son's future, for the sake of the people she loves and the cause they are prepared to die for...

    A figure approaches and, dodging aside to avoid him, she falls into the river. Constable Brendan O'Hara, just coming off duty, sees the girl's plight and dives in to rescue her. He is dazzled by her beauty but Sylvie's husband is in prison and the closeness that Brendan soon longs for is impossible. Sylvie has to escape from Liverpool, so Brendan arranges for her to stay with his cousin Caitlin in Dublin until it is safe to return. There she meets Maeve, a crippled girl from the slums, who will change all their lives when a little girl is lost ...

    Having lost their mother at an early age, the girls were brought up by their maiden aunts and, with Connie leaving home, Carrie is desperate to spread her wings. Using her skills as a bookkeeper, Carrie gets an exciting new job but her stunning beauty soon attracts the wrong kind of attention. And romance is the last thing on her mind when her beloved father finds himself caught up in an illegal jewellery business that threatens to destroy them all...

    Studying hard to please them, she earns a place at Cardiff University. Here she is swept off her feet by handsome Gwyn Roberts, but when she becomes pregnant her parents are devastated and turn her from their door. All Gwyn and Sarah can afford are two squalid rooms in the infamous slums of Cardiff and Sarah soon realises she's made a terrible mistake. Gwyn becomes increasingly distant and when the baby dies in infancy, he leaves Sarah with little choice but to fall on her parents' mercy. But just when Sarah is starting to pull her life back together again, she is drawn to the charms of Stefan Vaughan and finds herself in trouble once more...

    A terrible secret. A shocking murder.Catherine and her husband move from London to a remote farm in Devon, hoping to forget their troubles and make a fresh start, but escaping the past isn't always so easy. When Catherine discovers her husband has been keeping a secret from her, and a friend turns up desperate for help, she is soon regretting ever leaving the bright lights of the city behind.

    She and her brothers, Danny and Sam, run a traditional fair which, so far, has afforded them a good living. But times are changing, and Danny and Sam are keen to expand by investing in more ambitious rides. Nell, more of a traditionalist, loathes the new technology. And she's also having second thoughts about the man to whom she is unofficially engaged. So Nell buys the gallopers secretly and arranges to have them renovated. But what she hadn't realised is that the horses come with their own very sexy restorer ...

    John Delaney, the boy next-door, is her best friend, her first love and the one who breaks her heart. Jodi Tyler is raised on Sydney's northern beaches amidst a loving family, but a terrible secret shadows her teenage years. On her eighteenth birthday, the awful burden she has been living with is finally exposed, with tragic consequences. This is a story of two remarkable women, their illustrious careers, their families, their friends, and the men they love. Sarah and Jodi, from opposite ends of the world, have more in common than they'll ever realise - they have their sights set on the same job. For both, it represents how far they've come to triumph over the tragedies of their pasts - but at what cost to their personal lives?

    But behind Bracken House's impressive façade lies a household steeped in troubles and mystery, with residents above and below stairs battling their own demons and dark secrets.Not everyone is happy about the new arrivals, and soon the orphans' safety is in danger. If they want to stay in the first home any of them have known for years, they must unravel the past and bring hope to the future. Will they succeed? Or will they come to regret ever leaving the mean slum streets they once called home?Emma Hornby's page-turning, absorbing sagas will tug at your heartstrings.---------------------------- Readers love Emma Hornby: 'Similar to Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court, Emma Hornby tells a brilliant story that will keep you guessing with twists and turns. Pure talent.''Emma Hornby's books just keep getting better and better. Honest, gritty, lovely characters.''Keep writing Emma, you are very talented and can't wait for your next book. I've read them all.''Emma is a wonderful storyteller and I can't wait for the next one!''Thank you again Emma Hornby for a captivating read''Another beautifully written story by Emma Hornby'

    When the dowdy reporter is sent to interview a famous fashion designer she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. But Abby finds herself in the middle of a hard news story when her despised stepmother is murdered in the couture house. Even worse, Inspector Henri Deschamps believes she’s the prime suspect.With only high school French to defend herself, Abby’s in despair until a chance meeting with young reporter Ernest Hemingway convinces her to use her skills and clear her name by finding the real murderer.With help from new friends like Hemingway and Coco Chanel, Abby is transformed into a Parisian sensation. Can she enjoy her new bobbed hairstyle before losing her head? Because the French still punish murderers with the guillotine…

    Peer into the lives of four people from the village of Bethany—a harlot, a mistress, a beggar, and a leper—as their worlds interweave and collide. Throughout similar circumstances, they each have unique and personal encounters with Jesus. Along the way, they learn what it means to experience authentic relationships, genuine community, and true faith. These emotionally charged stories reveal people who struggle with the same kinds of life issues that we all encounter today—feelings of loneliness, guilt, inadequacy, betrayal, and despair. Yet their interactions with Jesus bring profound changes to the way that they view their world, each other, and themselves. These four tales use the creative gift of imagination to explore what each of these men and women might have been thinking and feeling, while remaining true to the biblical accounts and consistent with life in first century Israel. So come on a journey that will challenge you, inspire you, and like these characters from Bethany, leave you forever changed.