The Wild Card


Teresa Crane - 2000
    With them is Mary McCarthy and her volatile son, Liam. All is well until the arrival of Siobhan’s husband George. A man of strong views and even stronger temper, he browbeats his gentle wife, belittles his daughter Christine and treats Liam like a servant…A year later, on a visit to Ireland, Liam unexpectedly comes face to face with the father he has never known. Liam wants nothing to do with him, but when George Clough throws him out, he has little choice but to enter his father’s dangerous world of Irish politics…As the Clough children grow up they each react to their domineering father in different ways, and his daughter Christine finds herself attracted to the man her father would disapprove of above all others, the wild card Liam McCarthy… Perfect for fans of Emily Gunnis, Fiona Valpy and Santa Montefiore, The Wild Card is an intensely gripping and unforgettable read.

Molly's War


Maggie Hope - 2013
         When Molly Mason's father dies in a pit accident, she is left penniless and alone.      The only source of light in her world is her brother, Harry, and his best friend Jackson. But with both boys away in the army, Molly is left to find her own way in the world. She finds work in a local factory and cheap lodgings. However, when Molly rejects her new landlord's advances, his revenge is swift: she finds herself accused of theft and thrown in prison.      As the prospect of war grows ever close, Molly finds herself fighting a more personal battle, trying to find an employer willing to overlook her shameful past.

Viktor


Ava Bloom - 2020
     But I’ll never let him break me. Viktor Orlov, he is the owner of the largest casino here on the Gold Coast. He’s a powerful man who’s family has deep ties to the Russian Mafia. They run this city. The Gold Coast is like Australia’s Las Vegas. Big casinos, huge nightclubs, giant amusement parks, dining, surfing, anything you can imagine.…if you have the money. I first met Viktor when his daughter was rushed into Emergency here at the hospital. I was her doctor, so I got to know them both quite well during her time here. Shortly after her release, my phone rang. It was Viktor. He said that Maria was in trouble again and he pleaded for my help. I had a bad feeling about that call, but my gut instinct told me to go to her anyway. I never should have listened to my gut. By the time I knew something was up, it was already too late. Now I’ve been stuffed in the trunk of a car and am being driven out to god knows where in the middle of the night. What does he plan on doing to me? Is he just going to have his way with me then bury me out in the desert? This couldn’t possibly end well. Story contains mature themes and language, and is intended for 18+ readers only.

Dragon Games: The Legion Academy


Marisa Claire - 2019
    The call is so powerful that no one can resist. The only way to stop the calling is to trek up the treacherous Drakken Peak to confront your destiny.Dima Marren is a simple peasant from the small village of Pithe in the Darkken Empire. Her life was never meant to amount to anything, until she hears the Call of the Dragons. Honor and wealth await, if she can survive what’s to come.If chosen, riders must attend the Legion Academy and take part in the deadly Dragon Games--a brutal competition designed to cull the weak.On her quest, Dima meets Arlen, a gorgeous, but infuriating Noble Rider who reveals the truth about the academy and games. Despite hating one another, they will need each other to survive what's to come.If she can trust him, the truth will change everything.

Verdugo Dawn


Blake Banner - 2019
    You stalk your prey, and you discover it is one special prey you are after, one special prey you want to track down and execute. It’s the guy with the black shades and the beemer, the guy at the club with the two gorillas and the six girls, the guy with soulless eyes they all come to see for their fix. It’s the dealer. The dealers have to die.And when the executions start, they finally give you a name, an identity. They call you, The Verdugo.The Executioner.

The Latchkey Kid


Helen Forrester - 1987
    From the best-selling author of Liverpool Daisy and Three Women of Liverpool.A BOOK WHICH WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, CRY, AND HAVE YOU ABSOLUTELY GRIPPED TILL YOU FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS.CANADA 1960sMeet Mrs Olga Stych, daughter of an immigrant Ukrainian pig farmer. She has finally made it to the top of the social order in Tollemarche, a small town in Canada’s Bible Belt.But to get there, she has not only had to see off her most determined rival, she has neglected her son Hank. He’s a latchkey kid.As a member of the Committee for the Preservation of Morals, Olga mounts a passionate campaign against the latest ‘immoral’ bestseller. But the author of the book turns out to be her own son Hank…Olga’s fall delights her rivals. And throughout the whole affair, Hank continues to draw strength and support from the one woman who has believed in his work and inspired his love…WILL HER RISE AND FALL SHOW HER ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE?

The Doorstep Girls


Valerie Wood - 2002
    Friends since early childhood, they have supported each other in bad times and good. But their families are bound together by more than friendship, and secrets from the past threaten to make their lives even more difficult. The local cotton mill has provided work for Ruby and Grace since they were nine years old, and now years later both girls find themselves the object of attention from the mill owner's sons. As times grow harder, and money ever scarcer, Grace becomes involved in campaigns against poverty and injustice, while Ruby is tempted into prostitution. The two girls are searching for something that could take them far away . . . But what price will they pay to find it?If you like books by Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, you'll love Val's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.

The Walking Dead Collection: Rise of the Governor, The Road to Woodbury, The fall of the Governor, Part I, The Fall of the Governor, Part II, Just Another Day at the Office


Robert Kirkman - 2014
    The first volume, THE WALKING DEAD: RISE OF THE GOVERNOR, explores the heart-wrenching and horrifying origin of the comic world's most infamous villain: Philip Blake, AKA The Governor. Following Blake and his ragtag band of survivors as they carve out a terrifying path through infested subdivisions and rotting cities, RISE OF THE GOVERNOR is a fever dream of a road trip that explores the making of a super-villain, culminating in a mind-bending twist-ending. The second volume in the series, THE WALKING DEAD: THE ROAD TO WOODBURY, delves even deeper into the dark heart of the Governor, taking readers through the fractured looking glass of a small town turned into a deadly dictatorship. As seen through the eyes of a troubled bystander, Lilly Caul, this rotting utopia crumbles under the weight of its own excesses and lurid pastimes.The final installments, THE WALKING DEAD: FALL OF THE GOVERNOR: PARTS ONE and TWO, ties all the narrative strands and back stories together in a roller-coaster finale that spans two books--an epic conclusion that resonates for fans of the comic series in startling ways. Every dark promise made during the Governor's rise to power now pays off in a series of terrifying, dramatic confrontations. When collected as a set, these four installments tell a heart-wrenching and terrifying saga of apocalyptic horror as well as human behavior in the extreme.

Toys In The Dust


N.M. Brown - 2019
    He is sad that he doesn’t have a doll to play with like the girls do, so Suzy hurries home to fetch one. When she returns, Suzy discovers both Tina and the stranger have vanished. A short while later, traffic officer Leighton Jones, who is fighting his own demons, is driving home from the scene of a near-fatal accident. When Leighton sees a young girl race out in front of his car and vanish into the countryside, he reports the sighting. Unfortunately, his superiors, who are increasingly concerned about Leighton’s mental health, doubt the child exists. But after Tina’s mother confirms her daughter’s disappearance, Leighton risks his job by pursuing his own investigation of the case. Meanwhile, in the Californian countryside, a child killer is relentlessly searching for the one who got away. Leighton has his work cut out. But can he prove his sanity and find Tina before the stranger does? Toys in the Dust is a gripping and fast-paced serial killer thriller, which will appeal to fans of authors like Damien Boyd, Keith Houghton, Mark Edwards and Angela Marsons. It is loosely connected to N.M. Brown's previous thrillers, also featuring Leight Jones, The Girl on the Bus and Carpenter Road, and can be read as part of a series or as an unmissable stand-alone.

Righteous Kill


G. Michael Hopf - 2019
    For William Connolly, being a Deputy United States Marshal is more than a job, it’s a calling. Wearing the badge means more than anything in his life, and he would never jeopardize that or his integrity for anything. Then his friend and colleague is murdered by a group of outlaws. When he goes to pursue those responsible, he is told to stand down. Now he’s faced with the toughest decision of his life; he can either disobey orders and risk his career, or live knowing that he allowed the murderers of his best friend to go unpunished.

Wise Moves


Mary Burton - 2006
    The government failed to protect her before the trial against him, so her only chance at survival lay in running as fast as she could...and forgetting about having a normal life.Former FBI agent Dane Cambia wanted revenge, and he needed this special witness to get it. But he hadn't counted on falling for Kristen, the bait to his trap. When the chips were down, would Cambia betray the woman he loved in order to carry out this all-important mission?

The Extractor


Mike Ryan - 2020
    The Extractor.Luke Bridge is a former CIA agent and his clients current last hope. Whether the job is a rescue mission, finding a kidnapped victim, or returning stolen property, he’s got the skills to get the job done. He restores hope to a hopeless situation.

The Beach Cottage


Joanne DeMaio - 2020
    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.

Legacy of Sins


Anne Baker - 1993
    She sinned.' Aunt Maud's cruel words shock Rosie Quest, but they also explain the hostility that surrounds her on the run-down Wirral farm: no wonder her aunt resents having had to take in an illegitimate child. It's quite a relief to escape to her job at Shearing's garment factory, even though Beatrice Shearing is a tough employer. But when Rosie catches the eye of Ben Shearing, Beatrice is having none of it: her son is too good for a factory girl. When she fails to halt the romance by conventional methods, Beatrice resolves to try more drastic tactics, even if that means uncovering secrets best left buried...

A Love that Endures 2


Bella Forrest - 2019
    Continue David and Katy's journey.Book 2 of a trilogy.*Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts*