At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared. Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child. Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape... 'Immaculate storytelling, pacy and beautifully written' Sadie Jones 'A beautifully told tale... Madeley is a lively and engaging storyteller. We can't praise this novel highly enough' Bella

    While the guests are brutally murdered by an inhuman enemy, the hero discovers in terror the target may be his love interest, the beautiful Adrianna de Valois, young daughter of the dark chief of Police. Panicked and desperate, Arthur is forced to make an ellusive pact with the most powerful survivers: the viscount of Vincennes, his friend, also a logician an intrigue expert; the beautiful and imoral italian countess Giulianna Sellini, a supposed poisoner and a necromancer; Huguet de Castlenove, an ex-priest, now a dangerous killer and swordsman manipulated by his mysterious lover; the handsome, cruel and violent master of the land, Duke of Chalais; and many other, including the man who is feared by them all - Albert de Guy, from the Holy Inquisition.But who is the mysterious assaillant? A vampire? A werewolf? A serial killer? A mad incubus? Or... maybe all of them?Violence, savagery, beauty, love and passion, logic and mystery - an inquiry in the dark.

    After a devastating discovery, Grace Woods leaves her vast Australian sheep station and travels to tumultuous post-war Paris in order to find her true identity.While working as a glamorous mannequin for Christian Dior, the world's newly acclaimed emperor of fashion, Grace mixes with counts and princesses, authors and artists, diplomats and politicians.But when Grace falls for handsome Philippe Boyer she doesn't know that he is leading a double life, nor that his past might inflict devastating consequences upon her. As she is drawn into Philippe's secret world of international espionage, Grace discovers both the shattering truth of her origins - and that her life is in peril.Based on a true story, The Paris Model is a tale of glamour, family secrets and heartbreak that takes you from the Australian outback to the exclusive salons of Paris.

    . . I feared the culture would capture my kids . . . but I figured if I could find the ultimate model of fatherhood and then emulate that model, I had a fighting chance.”Updated and redesigned for a new generation of dads, Josh McDowell’s ECPA Gold Medallion Award winner The Father Connection looks at ten parenting qualities inspired by the ultimate model of fatherhood. Embracing these godly characteristics will make all the difference in a child, boosting self-esteem and sense of purpose, helping him or her to:• Feel loved and secure• Develop a reputation of integrity• Know their dad keeps his promises• Stand up to unhealthy peer pressure• Avoid drug and alcohol abuse• Save sex until marriage• Desire their father’s counsel• Admit when they’re wrong• Come to their dad in times of trouble or hurt• Admire and respect their father as their parent

    Eminescu (1850-1889) was a complex personality; at once a philosopher, politician, journalist, and prose writer, but above all a poet -- he is 'an expression of the Romanian soul'. The selection in this volume includes English language versions of some of Eminescu's best-known poems and is illustrated with original drawings by the Romanian artist A Bordenache and graphics from the princeps edition of Eminescu's poems published in 1883.

    With perspectives from American and German pilots alike, this gripping thriller will keep you turning pages until the fateful ending.

    From aloof Afghan's to tearaway terriers, Breeds will strike a chord with dog lovers everywhere.Corgi - spirited yet loyal dogs. Unusally large ears, all the better for hearing with. The Queen's favourite and they know it.Dachshund - a long, loving and inquisitive dog. Slightly neurotic - will spend large parts of the day worrying. Make excellent draft excluders.Scottie - elegant and compact. Trot along like a dressage horse. Deeply suspicious of other dogs, all of whom are considered lesser beings.

    Bloc Life collects first hand testimony of the people who lived in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Romania during the Cold War era, and reveals a rich tapestry of experience that goes beyond the headlines of spies and surveillance, secret police and political corruption. In fact, many of the people remember their lives under communism as 'perfectly ordinary' and even hanker for the 'security' that it offered.From political leaders, athletes and pop stars, to cooks, miners and cosmonauts, the stories collected in Bloc Life evoke the moods, preoccupations and experiences of a world that vanished almost overnight.

    Later that day a lawyer, Beth Powell, is assigned to defend her. Susan won't talk to anyone, even to Beth - until both women realise that twenty-nine years earlier they had been childhood friends.Talking about their troubled families and those happy summers they spent together as children rekindles Susan and Beth's friendship. And as the evidence against Susan mounts up, both women share their traumatic secrets about what sent them down such different paths in life. Their friendship grows stronger, but for one of them, there can be no happy ending ...

    Moving toward a fiercely suspenseful climax, it brilliantly transforms the stuff of headlines into heart-wrenching personal truth.From the prizewinning author of the acclaimed Last Orders, The Light of Day, and Waterland, a powerfully moving new novel set in present-day England, but against the background of a global "war on terror" and about things that touch our human core. On an autumn day in 2006, on the Isle of Wight, Jack Luxton - once a farmer, now the proprietor of a seaside caravan park - receives the news that his brother Tom, not seen for years, has been killed in combat in Iraq. The news will have its far-reaching effects for Jack and his wife, Ellie, and compel Jack to make a crucial journey: to receive his brother's remains, but also to return to the land of his past and of his most secret, troubling memories. A gripping, hauntingly intimate, and compassionate story that moves toward a fiercely suspenseful climax, Wish You Were Here translates the stuff of headlines into heartwrenching personal truth.

    Tender, funny, smart and brilliantly observed. The perfect blend of uplifting escapism and social satire, an utter page turner and such a clever, perceptive moving one. I LOVED it!' DAISY BUCHANAN No one's life is as perfect as it looks. Least of all Laura Morrison's. (Although she's not sure how perfect hanging onto your job by a thread and sleeping on an air mattress at your sister's looks, in all honesty.)When Laura gets the chance to trial Cupid - a high-tech new dating service which will draw on everything she's ever done online to find her perfect match - she figures it's got to be worth a try.She can't believe her luck when good-looking, kind considerate Adam turns up for their first date. On paper he's...well...perfect.But when Laura develops feelings for the person who led her to Adam in the first place, familiar doubt creeps in.Maybe for life to start falling into place, Laura has to learn to let go...Sharply-observed and laugh-out-loud funny, NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever wondered if there's a formula for finding love.____________________________'Brimming with wit and razor sharp observations' SOPHIE COUSENS, author of This Time Next Year'A fresh, funny, sexy tale of dating woes, family expectations, technological adventure, and loyal friendships, this book will make your world a brighter place' KATHERINE HEINY'It is so funny (properly laugh-out-loud funny) and smart and full of characters I feel like I know' LAURA KAY'Whip-smart on relationships, especially the trickiest of family dynamics, all so tenderly and charmingly drawn too' ABBIE GREAVES

    Now, a journalist and psychic investigator reveals the secret lives of modern-day vampires. Based on interviews and first-person accounts, this book tell of the bizzare double lives of many men and women.

    It flows through more countries than any other river on Earth—from the Black Forest in Germany to Europe's farthest fringes, where it joins the Black Sea in Romania. Andrew Eames' journey along its length brings us face to face with the continent's bloodiest history and its most pressing issues of race and identity. As he travels—by bicycle, horse, boat, and on foot—Eames finds himself seeking a bed for the night with minor royalty, hitching a ride on a Serbian barge captained by a man called Attila, and getting up close and personal with a bull in rural Romania. He meets would-be kings and walks with gypsies, and finally rows his way beyond the borders of Europe entirely.

    Her quiet life is thrown into turmoil, however, when her prisoner-of-war husband, Donald, makes an outrageous demand for sexual gratification. He wants a dirty letter, by return of post!

    1952, French Indochina. Since her mother's death, eighteen-year-old half-French, half-Vietnamese Nicole has been living in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Sylvie. When Sylvie is handed control of the family silk business, Nicole is given an abandoned silk shop in the Vietnamese quarter of Hanoi. But the area is teeming with militant rebels who want to end French rule, by any means possible. For the first time, Nicole is awakened to the corruption of colonial rule - and her own family's involvement shocks her to the core... Tran, a notorious Vietnamese insurgent, seems to offer the perfect escape from her troubles, while Mark, a charming American trader, is the man she's always dreamed of. But who can she trust in this world where no one is what they seem? The Silk Merchant's Daughter is a captivating tale of dark secrets, sisterly rivalry and love against the odds, enchantingly set in colonial era Vietnam.