Secrets in Sicily


Penny Feeny - 2018
     Sun-drenched, touching and inspirational, this is your ultimate summer read for 2018, perfect for fans of Rosanna Ley and Victoria Hislop. Sicily, 1977. Ten-year-old Lily and family arrive for their annual summer holiday in Sicily. Adopted as toddler, Lily's childhood has been idyllic. But a chance encounter with a local woman on the beach changes everything... b>10 years later... Ever since that fateful summer Lily's picture-perfect life, and that of her family, has been in turmoil. The secrets of the baking hot shores of Sicily are calling her back, and Lily knows that the answers she has been so desperately seeking can only be found if she returns to her beloved island once more...

Debutante


Anne Melville - 1999
    Bidding childhood farewell, the debutantes will find themselves thrust into a world of balls, dancing, and young gentlemen, glamorous but fraught with rivalry. Ronnie, Peggy, Isabelle, and Anne could not be more different; four girls from four different worlds. But when their lives crash together, they find themselves relying on each other in ways they could never have imagined. But as war fast approaches, it soon becomes clear that this Season will be unlike any before. The world is changing, and all four girls find their lives irrevocably changed along with it. Love, loss, heartbreak: who will make it out unscathed?

The River


Helen Bryan - 2021
    From the ancestral blood and sweat of its settlers—the immigrants, the slaves, the Cherokee—a new generation strives for prosperity in the united township of Grafton.Across the unfolding decades, childhood friends, mothers and daughters, wives and lovers will have their bonds tested. New hopes and dreams lie beyond the river, and as allegiances are challenged, a harmonious community finds itself grappling with inevitable cultural change—change that creates a vast, opportune, and unpredictable new beginning for generations yet to come.

STORM CLOUDS OVER BYLAND CRESCENT


Bill Kitson - 2022
    Through love and loss, hope and heartbreak, they work hard and face their troubles together, no matter what life throws at them.Yorkshire, 1923.Sonny Cowgill is slowly regaining his memory. He was declared missing in action in the First World War, presumed dead. But Sonny’s beloved wife Rachel found him and brought him home.As he rebuilds his relationship with his wife and learns how to be a father to the son he never knew he had, memories begin to resurface. Sonny remembers something that the Cowgill family thought lost forever — the whereabouts of his eldest brother. James was disowned by their father and never seen again after he ran off with the housemaid. Can the family finally be reunited?Sonny also discovers that the family’s business is in ruins. His cousin Clarence was left in charge after the war, but has just been charged with embezzlement, and even worse, murder.Not for the first time, the Cowgill family must rebuild their reputation — and their business. But before long, tragedy strikes again as Europe is pulled towards another devastating war.

You Can Take Her Home Now


Anna Jefferson - 2019
    Why does everyone else look like they're smashing motherhood when she's barely made it out of her maternity leggings and out of the house? Her other half tries to say all the right things (can't he just keep making her toast?). Her mum is brilliant (but on the other side of the country). Her two new mum-friends seem to feel like misfits too - but there's really just one person she wants to open up to . . . only Emily hasn't spoken to her for fifteen years. Lonely but not alone, Emily's about to discover that when you're starting a family, what you really need are your friends.

Diamond: BEHIND EVERY STRONG WOMAN IS AN EPIC STORY: historical crime fiction at its most gripping


Jessie Keane - 2022
    Now calling herself 'Diamond Dupree', she goes to Paris to become an artist's model but the world there is different to what she had supposed it would be and she soon falls on hard times. When she manages to escape at the end of the First World War, she leaves behind her a mystery - and a dead man.Back home in London, she reluctantly re-joins the Soho family 'firm' she'd once been glad to leave behind. Having grown tougher during her time in Paris, she soon becomes a force to be reckoned with, a feared and respected gangland queen. But then she meets Jacob Dunne, the youngest son of a wealthy aristocratic family, and sparks fly.But can she escape the long arm of the law and the hangman's noose, when the crimes of her past finally catch up with her?For fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers, as well as viewers of Peaky Blinders, this is historical crime fiction at its most compelling.

Raising A Thief


Paul Podolsky - 2020
    

The Trouble Boys


E.R. Fallon - 2018
     The Trouble Boys is an historical crime novel about the Irish mob in New York City from the 1920s to the 1950s. The story opens in pre-WWII Europe when young Irish immigrant Colin O’Brien settles with his family in New York City. There Colin befriends a Cuban-American boy named Johnny Garcia. Life in America isn’t what Colin’s family expects and he experiences a shocking tragedy that alters his life. As Johnny and Colin grow into men, their friendship changes. They begin working for different crime syndicates, with Colin joining the ranks of charismatic Tom McPhalen’s Irish mob and Johnny becoming a member of debonair Tito Bernal’s Cuban gang. As Colin’s rise in the ranks of organized crime becomes increasingly more brutal and demeaning and his friendship with Johnny deteriorates, he begins to question his place in the seductive yet violent world he’s found himself in.

The Billionaire's Single Mom (Durand Billionaire Brothers Book 3)


Leslie North - 2022
    

The Seamstress of Ourfa


Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss - 2018
    Khatoun Khouri, a girl of thirteen, meets her future husband, Iskender Agha Boghos. Twice her age, a poet, philosopher and dreamer, he adores her but cannot express it in words. Around them, the Ottoman Empire is crumbling, the world heading towards war and the Armenian minority subjected to increasing repression, culminating in the genocide of 1915. As Iskender retreats into his books and alcohol, losing land, money and business, Khatoun holds their family together by sewing for the wives of the men who persecute them; her creations inciting love, lust and fertility. The family joins the resistance and evades the death marches to the Syrian Desert only to lose everything when exiled by Mustafa Kemal and the birth of the Turkish Republic in 1923. What follows is a tale of love, loss and redemption in the diaspora told by four generations of women, each becoming the guardian angel of the next.

The Nightingales in Mersey Square


Lilly Robbins - 2020
    Desperately in need of kindness, love and a safe place to call home, local trainee nurses Clare and Gaye immediately volunteer, alongside their new friend Diana.While the rest of Britain is under siege, Clare is learning how to be a great nurse under pressure, Diana has found that love can be found in unexpected places and Gaye is hiding a terrible secret. But as the reality of war comes closer, all three girls will face personal challenges or tragedies as life changes in ways they could never have imagined.A heart-warming world war two saga of friendship and hope in the face of adversity, perfect for fans of Maureen Lee and Lyn Andrews.

The Doll Collector


Joanne Stephen-Ward - 2018
    Utterly brilliant." Marjorie Hall-Venmore - reviewer A couple and their young son burn to death in a house fire. A girl dies from a nut allergy. A woman falls under a train during the rush hour. An accountant falls down the steps to his basement.Their deaths appear to be accidents but Gloria knows they were murdered because she murdered them. And every time Gloria kills she buys a doll.But how many dolls will she need to keep her satisfied?When Gloria takes a room as a lodger her behaviour starts to spin out of control. Gloria wants love and happiness and friendship and she will do anything she can to get what she wants... What everyone is saying about The Doll Collector: "Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end." Tracey Shults - reviewer"The ending was a real twist and I did not see it coming" Michelle Debnam - reviewer"OMG. A crime book with a difference." Nicki's Book Blog"The Doll Collector is one hell of a creepy read that is sure to give you goosebumps." Chelle's Book Reviews"I highly recommend this book.... a breath of fresh air and not too graphic." Peggy Beaver - reviewer"OMG I loved this twisty and creepy read which had a couple of twists I just didn't see coming!" Sandra Robinson - reviewer The Doll Collector is a twisty and gripping serial killer thriller. It will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers, as well as fans of authors like Mel Sherratt, Sharon Bolton, Jenny Blackhurst and Rachel Abbott.

Mother May I


S.E. Green - 2021
    But she prayed tonight that they’d make this stupid baby he wanted.Meet Nora: Flawless. Enigmatic. Conniving. Ruthless.At seventeen, she escaped the grip of her cold and abusive mama after catching the eye of charismatic Merrell Hodges. His riches and fame became hers. In exchange, she could play the role of doting wife.But she alone was not enough; he wanted a family.With the birth of their perfect daughter, Elizabeth, something foreign and unnerving touches Nora: love. She wants to protect and lavish her child. She would show her mama how a real mother should be. But the sins of nature and nurture run deep. There’s a defiance and manipulation in young Elizabeth that’s all-too-familiar and triggering. Nora can’t shake her mama’s prophetic words: You’re going to hate that kid. Just wait. When Nora’s fortune goes sideways after a tragedy with shocking repercussions, she’s determined to reclaim her relevance. With a cunning plan—and surprising ally—Nora reinvents herself as benevolent icon, good mother, and the powerful, authentic woman she deserves to be.But seeds of the past still fester, haunting Nora’s victory and explosive, contradictory behavior. Caught in a cycle of fate, she’s both the heroine and villain of her own story. And as Elizabeth grows into an equally stubborn and strongminded young woman, Nora may have finally met her match.But if there’s one thing never to do, it’s to underestimate Nora

The Prize


Geoffrey M. Cooper - 2018
    Pam Weller makes the discovery of a lifetime when she finds a drug with the potential for treating Alzheimer’s. But her success threatens the supremacy of Eric Prescott, a leading figure in Alzheimer’s research. Lusting relentlessly for the Nobel Prize, Prescott fears that Pam’s work will derail his ambitions. He seduces one of Pam’s research fellows and enlists her in a plot to brand Pam a fraud and steal her discovery. Leading Pam into a world where nothing is real, except threats to her career, her freedom and even her life.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Fans of Robin Cook-style medical thrillers will relish the interpersonal relationships, drama, and contrast between lab and scientific research special interests…..the result is a thoroughly engrossing science odyssey that touches upon social and research issues alike.” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review“One of the highlights of this book is how comfortably Cooper manages to find a balance in presenting difficult scientific topics in an easy-to-follow narrative….An intense story about ruthlessness in the scientific community.” – Kirkus Reviews “Geoffrey M. Cooper creates stunning antagonists in THE PRIZE, while peeling back the curtain of the scientific community to reveal its humanity. A great read for science lovers and anyone who enjoys a big, juicy scandal.” Ditrie Marie Bowie, IndieReader 4.5 Stars“The Prize is a clever, suspenseful page-turner for seasoned lab-coat wearers and novice geeks alike. The real question here is...what took Geoffrey M. Cooper so long to start writing fiction. If he ever gets tired of test tubes and academic politics in real life, The Prize proves that he has the imagination and literary chops to have a robust second career as a writer.” – Colorado Book Review 4.5 Stars“The book provides a serious account of how scientific investigation can be side-tracked by chicanery…The end spirals to a climax that is only partially predictable.” – San Francisco Book Review 5 Stars“A fast-paced science thriller that would rival Michael Crichton or Patricia Cornwell” – Manhattan Book Review“For readers who enjoy medical thrillers, The Prize is a top-notch entry into the genre…an immensely satisfying read.” – Self-Publishing Review 4.5 Stars“A medical thriller at its best, featuring themes that are real and contemporary and characters that are highly believable. The reader gets sucked into a world of science and medicine, with characters that are driven and rock-solid… Geoffrey M Cooper demonstrates a great gift for conflict and plot, weaving scenes that are emotionally rich and focused, and keeping the reader excited about the plot with well-crafted suspense and red herrings. The Prize is surely a bestseller in the making, a page-turner that is intelligently plotted and accomplished with unusual finesse and mastery.” – Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars

A Shetland Winter Mystery (The Shetland Sailing Mysteries Book 10)


Marsali Taylor - 2021