Only personal bravery and self-sacrifice will tip the scales when the world needs it most.Read about the heroic act of a long-term prisoner, an RAF squadron leader on the run in France, a Filipino family fleeing their home, a small child finding unexpected friends amidst the cruelty of the concentration camps, a shipwrecked woman captured by the enemy, and a young Jewish girl in a desperate plan to escape the Gestapo.2020 marks 75 years since the world celebrated the end of WWII. These ten books will transport you across countries and continents during the final days, revealing the high price of freedom—and why it is still so necessary to “never forget”.Included books are:Stolen Childhood by Marion KummerowThe Aftermath by Ellie MidwoodToo Many Wolves in the Local Woods by Marina OsipovaLiberation Berlin by JJ TonerMagda’s Mark by Chrystyna Lucyk-BergerBuy now and indulge in stories filled with suspense, danger, heartbreak, and redemption.

    This is a story for everyone who has ever wondered: Are there truly Soul-Mates?Sloan Thornton is the heir to Highcroft Hall, the family seat of the Earl’s of Wessex, in the quaint village of Thornton-on-Sea, on the southeast coast of England. He has always dreamed of finding his soul-mate. However, in a moment of weakness, just before he leaves to fight in World War II, as an RAF pilot, he proposes to his childhood sweetheart, Anne Whitfield. There is no question how deep his devotion is to her, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other.But, one fateful afternoon, Sloan encounters Elise, in a rural farmhouse on a French country road. It is May, 1940, and the Dunkirk Beaches are being evacuated. Sloan is wounded when his plane is shot down by the Luftwaffe. After he meets, Elise, he can never forget her. He carries her memory with him throughout the war. In the meantime, Elise suffers terrifying misfortune.When they meet again for the first time in over five years, the spark is still there. But, there is still Anne, who refuses to be left heartbroken and rejected. Sloan begins to question whether the life he’s living is the one he’s meant to live. Elise wonders the same thing.No Regrets is a powerful story about one woman at the crossroads of true love and real life.

    Now that my life is coming to an end, take your grandmother’s bracelet, unlock the secret of our family history, and discover who you are…Twenty-year-old Annie arrives on the Sicilian island of Galatea carrying nothing but grief for the father she just lost in her heart and the weight of the mystery she just inherited on her shoulders. All she knows about her grandmother is that she died in a concentration camp during World War Two. But when handsome local fisherman Salvo’s sea-blue eyes sparkle at the sight of the delicate gold band around her wrist, Annie knows she’s come to the right place.With Salvo as her guide – taking her hand along the twisting paths up to the cliffside villa her grandmother once called home – Annie doesn’t know if it’s his warm touch or the sun-kissed villa’s vine-covered splendour that takes her breath away. Inside, she finds a beautiful antique gramophone hidden beneath a dusty sheet. Setting the needle, she unlocks the secret of a sacred tradition known only to the women on the island, and with it, the story of her grandmother’s heart-shattering wartime sacrifice.With every day that passes, Annie is drawn deeper into the island’s rich and tragic history, and finally feels herself begin to heal. But as the past crashes into her present – and she realises the significance of the bracelet she wears and the devastating lengths her grandmother went to protect those she loved – will the truth about her grandmother’s identity have her running into Salvo’s strong arms, or getting on the next flight back to America?An absolutely heart-wrenching page-turner about how the catastrophic consequences of war can echo through generations, and the power that true love has to save us all. From the author of million-copy bestseller, Watch Over Me, and Amazon Number 1 bestseller, The Italian Villa, this is the perfect one-sitting read for anyone who adores Fiona Valpy, Victoria Hislop, or The Letter by Kathryn Hughes.What readers are saying about Daniela Sacerdoti:‘Mesmerising! I was totally hooked… absolutely perfect… I really can't praise this OUTSTANDING book enough!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘I fell in love with this book! It was beautiful and captivating from start to finish… Absolutely loved!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘I was hooked. This is a beautifully written story with characters that tug at your heartstrings… You can’t help but fall in love with them and the tiny village in Italy where it takes place… you feel as though you’re really there… I devoured this book in no time… you can’t wait to turn the page to find out what happens next… which is why I finished this book at 3 in the morning!… I was so enthralled from the very first page!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘I really loved it… makes you want to curl up in a chair with a warm drink… It's emotional and empowering and the characters fill your mind completely long after you have finished the story.’ Crossroad Reviews‘Truly amazing. The story had many heart-warming moments and a few heart-wrenching… I was completely charmed and transported… You will be as well if you choose to read it. So read it!’ One Page At A Time, 5 stars

    It’s the summer of 1976, and after nine years in prison, James Minter is home to bury his mother.A history of depression and a series of personal issues has seen her death ruled as suicide.His refusal to accept that conclusion means he must confront his violent stepfather, deal with the gangster who wants his mother’s shop and, of course, face the family of the boy he killed.But will his search for the truth in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small seaside town, and the unpicking of the peculiar relationship his mother had with the Stonemason next door, put his own life in danger?

    It’s a completely different from her quiet old world, but she’s determined to do her part. And the back-breaking work is made bearable with the help from her two new friends - bold, outspoken Fay and quiet, guarded Evie - and the letters that arrive from her childhood friend, Sam Carmichael...To Alice, Sam was always more than just a friend, but as the son of her wealthy employer, she never dared dream he could be more… But at least ever letter brings reassurance that he’s still alive and fighting on the frontline... Because it’s when all goes quiet on the letter front that nothing seems certain and it’s a reminder of how life – and hearts – are so fragile. A tale of true courage and the power of sheer determination, this un-put-downable WWII set saga is filled with warmth, humour and heart-wrenching emotion. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Katie Flynn and Dilly Court.

    1941. Fiona, rich and privileged, is trapped in a loveless marriage to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. Although, at thirty-seven, she is no longer the pretty young thing she used to be, she still secretly clings to the romantic dreams of her youth. The very young and very handsome Flight Lieutenant Matthew Manfred, in the same squadron as her husband, is starting to figure very strongly in those dreams… Out there, meanwhile, in the real world, Great Britain is on its knees, and Germany triumphant. War threatens not just the survival of Great Britain, but also Fiona’s position and wealth. And even her life… You see, murder has raised its ugly head… Someone close to her has been killed. But who is the murderer? And who might be his (or her) next victim? Fiona sets out to investigate, but it’s not going to be easy, because, you see, there are another two mysteries she needs to solve. Firstly, who has been writing love letters to her? Very beautiful letters, but letters of an extremely intimate nature… Then there’s the other mystery, probably the most important, and the most threatening of all. You see, she fears there is a spy in her midst…who is about to strike the most lethal blow of all… She will have to find out who that person is, not just to protect her country, but to protect herself. She must tread carefully, without arousing suspicions. Are the murderer and the spy one and the same person? Or could they possibly be two different people? Who is implicated? Is it dour, dull Squadron Leader Jackson? Or Belinda, his cheeky, promiscuous wife? Is it ladies’ man, Flight Lieutenant George Turnbill? Or Paula Wentworth, his latest, shameless squeeze? What about the moustachioed Group Captain Jenkins? Or Mary Wilkinson, looking far too attractive in her smart blue-grey uniform? And, to Fiona’s annoyance, looking far too young… And what is the role in all this of gorgeous, young Flight Lieutenant Matthew Manfred, who once gave Fiona a soft, lingering kiss she just can’t forget? What secrets are hidden in his beautiful, throbbing breast? And is he the person who has been writing sweet nothings to her? Fiona hopes so, but fears he might turn out to be something a good deal worse, and quite terrifying… And what is young Mary Wilkinson to him? Fiona has to tread warily, as if on eggshells, because, if she makes one false move, it could well turn out to be her last.

    But, while scraping a living as a charwoman in a rundown north London tenement, she continued to long for her home in the Forest of Dean and the cherished relatives she had left behind. Determined to give their children the rural upbringing she had enjoyed, the young couple moved to an isolated, crumbling cottage not far from the Forest. But even in the 1950s they lacked heating or running water, and money was tight. Food was begged, borrowed or home-grown, and their clothes were hand-me-downs. It was a primitive life of hard work on the land, struggling to make ends meet, and finding strength in the embrace of a loving family.

    It is a story about owning the emotions that live inside the heart and the head. It is the cathartic experience of pain and loss but also the bittersweet feelings of joy and the complexity of beauty. Elisabet expresses the unraveling of herself and the complexity of emotions that stemmed from heartache, her own mental health and the struggles of growing up and into a world with no precedence for a first generation child. This is the accumulation of three years of tears and long nights figuring out that chaos isn't always a bad thing.

    There is no mention of my time as a lumberjack, and my career as a double-agent remains a closed book. Anyway, this is the much more exciting story of how I, Ronald Balfour Corbett, the son of a baker in Edinburgh, became convinced that I had to become an actor. It is the story of how I pursued that goal and eventually achieved it, along the way finding fame as one of the Two Ronnies, and encountering an extraordinary cast of characters." - Ronnie Corbett

    Experiences as young children in Europe during World War II later affects a couples marriage and has impact on their friends.

    Critically acclaimed songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews presents her first poetry collection.This poetry collection reads like a transformation, me, the narrator, being the figurative Old Monarch. Documenting this journey, the book is separated into three sections, "Sonoran Milkweed," "Longing In Flight," and "Eucalyptus Tree (My Arrival to Rest)."In the first stage of my journey, I explore my childhood in Arizona, and the naive assumptions of youth. At this stage in my journey, I am impressionable, seeing the world with all its nuances for the first time. Through the landscape of the Sonoran Desert, I explore some dark family dynamics and what a child sees. Several characters turn up in the early poems including my cowboy grandpa, and the single mother who raised me, despite many forthcomings. The early poems also explore my desire to see a brighter world of possibility beyond the dusty desert island, and see humans more clearly within the confounds of discovery.In the second stage, I have left home. I am falling in love for the first time, as I become a young woman.Finally, the last stage is the old monarch's arrival to the garden. There are a lot of metaphysical and philosophical poems in this section. I arrive at the figurative garden, and I finally understand the journey at the edge of my life. There are a lot of poems in the context of a garden here, accepting mortality and the ever-changing world. These are meant to be wise old woman poems.

    The black mass crashed through the local school. 144 people were killed. 116 were schoolchildren. Gaynor Madgwick was there. She was eight and severely injured. In this book, Gaynor tells her own story and interviews people affected by the day's events. "Gaynor Madgwick was pulled injured from one of the classrooms where her friends died. She was left behind to live out her life. This is her story, sad, sweet, sentimental, and authentic. I commend it to you." - Vincent Kane, Broadcaster "Gaynor Madgwick's sense of injustice is palpable in her clear, riveting account of this scandal and its human cost. Despite everything, however, she is not bitter and retains the quiet dignity that is, perhaps, the true and lasting legacy of Aberfan." - Frank Olding, Planet Magazine "Madgwick does not dwell too much on the politics of Aberfan, and this is left largely to an incisive introduction by the veteran broadcaster, Vincent Kane, who leaves us in no doubt where the responsibility lay for the disaster. Thankfully Madgwick has now found happiness after a troubled life, having had to live with the guilt of the survivor for all her life. And writing so sensitively has helped her to come to terms with what happened in 1966. This is certainly not an easy book to read, but as noted by Lord Snowdon, it should and must be read by all of us in memory of those who died, whilst not forgetting those who also survived this tragic event." - Richard E. Huws, Gwales

     The Spanish Civil War is sometimes seen as merely a precursor to World War II, and it’s easy to understand why. The troops of the extreme right fought against those of the extreme left, and the soldiers and military hardware of Germany, Italy, and Russia faced off on Spanish battlefields many years before they fought each other on the Russian steppes. For the first time, the world would see bombings of civilians to create terror. There were secret police forces on both sides and large numbers of arbitrary executions, and the use of imprisonment without trial and torture as a means of establishing state power became almost routine. But the Spanish Civil War was much more than just an overture to World War II. It was a war born out of schisms in Spanish society between rich and poor, monarchists and Republicans, the right and the left, and between those who supported the church and those who saw it as an instrument of oppression. For all its brutality and horror, the Spanish Civil War was a conflict between ideals often fought by volunteers on each side who truly believed that they were helping to build a better world. Inside you will read about... ✓ Taking Positions ✓ Outside Intervention ✓ The Terror ✓ Nationalists Triumphant in the North ✓ The Republicans Fight Back ✓ The End of the War And much more! This book provides an overview of the causes which led to the war, the significance of outside intervention, and the main events which took place between July 1936 and April 1939. This is not an exhaustive history of the war, but it’s rather a succinct introduction for anyone interested in an overview of this confusing but important European war.

    Each book contains approximately 20,000 words and a complete story. Kindly note that the price throughout the series will be set at the minimum level and that Eve’s story arc will be concluded at the end of the series.Marseille, December 1942“We’re in a fix,” Vincent said. “The Gestapo have captured a British agent, code name Zigzag. They picked him up through his false identity papers, only the thing is they haven’t discovered his true identity, yet. But they will. And he will talk. They all do in the end. And when he talks he will reveal secrets that will destroy the local resistance networks, including our own. But there’s a way out, through a guard. He’s open to bribes. We’d like you to meet the guard, bribe him, spring Zigzag from the Gestapo prison then escort him over the mountain pass into Spain.”“Why me?” I asked.“Because you helped to establish the escape network. And you know the mountain trails like the back of your hand. Furthermore, as the wife of respected industrialist Michel Beringar you are above suspicion.”I glanced at Michel. From the stern look on his face, I could tell that he wasn’t pleased. Was this one risk too many? And as for me being above suspicion...the Gestapo were following me and they were tapping my phone.As a child, I’d run away from home. As a teenager, I’d travelled the world, living on my wits. As a journalist, I’d witnessed atrocities inflicted in the name of fascism. As a member of the Resistance, I’d eyeballed fear and stared it down. For the past thirty years I’d lived a full life. I could do this. However, even as I voiced my agreement I knew that my life in Marseille, my life with Michel, would never be the same.

    Short Haul Engine is one great twist of fate and fury after another. The writing is clear, striking and open to all sorts of possibilities. Even at their most playful, these poems dive much deeper than initially expected. There's a remarkably dark sense of humour at work here, but tempered with a haunting vulnerability that makes even the sharpest lines tremble.from "Signs Taken for Wonders" ... Too delicate for these dog-days, small, clover-blonde, my sister sews indoors. I ask her to fashion me into something nice, ivory silk. I am a big girl, sunburnt skin like raw meat, sweating two pews in front of the Blessed Virgin....