At the Habitation, a large and decaying riverside house, the Crawfords were on the verge of bankruptcy - and when Martha Mary was obliged to take on the responsibility for her family, a series of dramatic events occurred that would test her indomitable fortitude.

    But¬† Lucy only knows cruelty from the woman who brought her into the world. Her father, Bob, is the one shining light in her life. He tries to protect her, but he is no match for the devious wife who gives him no peace of mind and has no love for his daughter. The walls of the house are thin and Ruby Mellor's angry attacks on Lucy can be heard by their neighbours. One day, Irene Pollard decides she must do something, and she takes the girl under her wing. And two doors up, Mrs Aggie and her seafaring son, Titch, enrich Lucy's life with their sense of fun. But¬†Lucy she still craves a mother's love...

    Poirot's long memory for past or similar crimes proves useful in resolving the crimes. Reviews when it was published compared Mrs Christie favourably to Arthur Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Remarking on Poirot, still a new character, one reviewer said he was "a pleasant contrast to most of his lurid competitors; and one even suspects a touch of satire in him."

    Ed Smith - the young Cambridge University and Kent batsman - has spent the winters since 1998 in Spring Training with the New York Mets baseball team. It has enabled Ed to contrast and compare arguably the two most iconic of sports from the inside. In fact, baseball had a thriving following in Britain until the Great War: Derby County's former stadium was called the Baseball Ground; Tottenham Hotspur was at first a baseball club. Apart from learning two very different techniques, Ed learned that the sports' ultimate heroes, the Babe and the Don - Babe Ruth and Don Bradman - might as well have come from different planets, whilst baseball's pristine Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is a far cry from the ramshackle cricket museum at Lord's. Ed Smith's PLAYING HARD BALL draws on these intriguing comparisons to paint a two-sided portrait of sports most illustrous 'hitting games'.

    Young, widowed Clare Byrne, is escaping the famine in Ireland. On the coffin ship from Dublin, in the final hours of the journey to England, Clare goes into labour. Weakened and alone, the young, beleaguered mother gives birth near the quayside. Unable to look after the newborn, the child is bought for a single shilling by a curious gentleman, the industrialist Samuel Hudson. What will happen to the young girl? What plans does Mr Hudson have for her? Will the child thrive, or merely survive? Also by Emma Hardwick ----------------------------------- The Urchin of Walton Hall

    Her husband ignores her, her children take her for granted and she feels as glamorous as a dirty dishcloth. She needs a break and she needs one now.Gorgeous schoolteacher Tess is under pressure. Her husband wants a baby now. She wants one never. She needs a break and she needs one now.Mousey housewife Gina has had enough. Her life is a misery and she is living on the edge of her nerves with her bullyboy husband Trevor and his bit on the side. She needs a break and she needs one now.When blast from the past, Ruth Monaghan, comes back to live nearby, the ladies meet up and agree to arrange a girly night out.Just one night away from it all - one night to recharge their batteries, to let down their hair and to discover what it really is they want in life. But throw in a raucous stag party, a handsome policeman and a charming man called Marco and these four desperate housewives get a hangover and a whole lot more in a hilarious night out that they will never forget!

    During an innocent outing, a mean girl who left her stranded and naked, delighted in ruining her reputation. But Sadie refuses to take the ruination of her innocence lightly. Now she wears her bad girl badge with pride. At least until Levi Robinson decides to see just how salacious she really is. It isn’t until the Cattleman’s Ball, that he’s shocked at how the the women of Fort Worth treat her, including his own mother. Yet, the woman is tempting and he can’t seem to walk away from her innocent smile and bewitching eyes. Is she really scandalous or a victim of society? Maybe Levi’s the man to save her

    So she gets a job as a lady’s maid for the Duke’s daughter.Elias Misttalon, Marquess of Richbrow, is no stranger to the shackles of duty. Determined to do what is right for his family, he resolves to make his arranged courtship work. Until he meets his intended’s lady’s maid, that is…Struggling between duty and their hearts’ desires, Elias and Juliet are venturing into deep waters. What Juliet finds out shocks her to the core. One is an accident, two is suspicious. And revenge is a dish best served cold with a dose of decades-old poison.

    North Morgan's third novel moves beyond the confines of fiction to examine how homosexuality's acceptance into society has created a new breed of demons for a generation of men born as outsiders yet living at the forefront of popular culture. Heartbreaking but never far from humour, Love Notes to Men Who Don't Read confirms Morgan's place as the leading interpreter of gay culture on either side of the Atlantic.

    A heritage that Yvaine cannot help but want to explore. So, she must say goodbye to her beloved Scotland and delve into the unknown English society in search of answers. But she will find so much more there…Victor Grant’s main concern is the well-being of his family. His mother may have remarried, but the young Earl cannot help but notice the effect his stepfather has on both his mother and his half-sister. When a beautiful young woman enters their lives, Victor is helpless to resist her charm and wild Scottish spirit…In their attempt to unearth the secrets of the past, Yvaine and Victor can’t deny the attraction growing between them, but they cannot afford to be distracted, as one misstep and they will set in motion a chain of events that will either save their beloved ones or doom them all…

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    At Long Reach farm, Eliza Goodall teaches Poppy all the skills she would have passed on to her own daughter: the skills that would enable a young lady to become the mistress of a farm just like Long Reach. And when the time comes for Eliza's son Richard to choose a wife, it seems only natural that he should choose Poppy. But though she feels nothing but affection for Richard and all her new family, the only man for whom she has ever felt love is an Irish boy, Conn MacConnell. And when he returns unexpectedly, Poppy has to choose between loyalty and love.

    Yet neither her father nor yet the man she loves seem to care enough about her. With her mother gone and a secret lying heavy upon her heart, Mona has no choice but to run away from home and become a Mail-Order Bride to a man she can only hope will at least take her in.Forrest Neihart is a widower who has never moved on from the loss of his wife. His love for his job as a veterinarian keeps him afloat but it’s not enough to fill the void in his heart. As a last resort, he puts up a mail-order bride ad, hesitantly wishing for love to come his way.When Mona and Forrest collide the result is that love and light enter their souls through the cracks. Mona finds love and Forrest finds the will to live again. Yet, Mona’s secret and the man from her past will threaten this newfound happiness. Can Forrest forgive Mona for her lies and fight off her enemies, or is their love doomed to wither and die?

    Ally (older sister of May in Night Waking), is intelligent, studious and engaged in an eternal - and losing - battle to gain her mother's approval and affection. Her mother, Elizabeth, is a religious zealot, keener on feeding the poor and saving prostitutes than on embracing the challenges of motherhood. Even when Ally wins a scholarship and is accepted as one of the first female students to read medicine in London, it still doesn't seem good enough. The first in a two-book sequence, Bodies of Light will propel Sarah Moss into the upper echelons of British novelists. It is a triumphant piece of historical fiction and a profoundly moving master class in characterisation.

    Hundreds of miles away, in London, Queen Victoria is preparing for her wedding. She will wear the most exquisite wedding dress in history, bearing the famous Honiton lace. When Lily is asked to be one of the select few to work on this top-secret commission it is the answer to her prayers.Lily quickly makes an impression, both as an expert seamstress and a natural leader of the women working day and night to ensure their families' survival. But there are others who want to see Lily fail, including Squire Clinsden who issues her with a terrible ultimatum - work for him, and be subject to his unwanted advances, or lose the family home.Torn between her duty and her dreams of a better life, Lily must remember where she came from or risk losing those most important to her.