Seven-year-old Rita has always known she was responsible for the death of her beautiful mother Cassie. Her absent-minded father allows her to run wild in her ramshackle white wooden house by the sea, and surrounded by her army of stray pets, most of the time she can banish her mother’s death to the back of her mind.But then her new stepmother Chandra arrives and the house empties of love and laughter. Rita’s pets are removed, her freedom curtailed, and before long, there’s a new baby sister on the way. There’s no room for Rita anymore.Desperate to fill up the emptiness inside her, Rita begins to talk to the only photo she has of her dead mother, a poor farmer’s daughter from the remote Guyanese rainforest. Determined to find the truth about her mother, Rita travels to find her mother’s family in an unfamiliar land of shimmering creeks and towering vines. She finds comfort in the loving arms of her grandmother among the flowering shrubs and trees groaning with fruit. But when she discovers the terrible bruising secret that her father kept hidden from her, will she ever be able to feel happiness again?A beautiful and inspiring story that will steal your heart and open your eyes. Fans of The Secret Life of Bees, The Vanishing Half and The Other Half of Augusta Hope will be captivated by The Far Away Girl.

    A retired professional baseball player, he returns to his home in Detroit to purchase a major league franchise. Rion has to tackle government corruption and systematic racism in his quest. He didn’t realize that one person held the key to all of his dreams until she knocks him off his feet. Rion becomes completely mesmerized by hazel eyes along with a no nonsense attitude and tough city girl exterior. Tauri Patterson is the city Prosecutor and her job is to fight for the citizens of Detroit. Her strength and intelligence have made her one of the top litigators. Little did she know that when she received Rion Shaw’s case on her desk, her life would never be the same. The six-foot four decadent chocolate dream walks into her office and changes her life. She’s swept off her feet by the confident warrior who knows who he is and what he wants. Together they must overcome the threats against them in order to achieve the task before them. Rion and Tauri find that love and family can overcome every barrier.

    But when it is decided that two of her brothers are to be sold, she is forced to make a decision she never hoped to make. Sam’s greatest desire is to be free. Free from the bonds of slavery, free to choose his own path, free to become the man God created him to be. But when circumstances conspire to lead him only further into slavery, he is pressed to make a choice that will change the course of his life forever. When Laura and Sam cross paths, they find themselves on an unlikely journey to freedom that spans the western United States and leads them on a journey that requires all of their strength.

    Now in one volume, the first and second in Susan Howatch's acclaimed series of novels; compelling, searching, wise and witty, they have gained her a huge following.

     The hedonism of London in the roaring 20's is a world away from Annabel Tarleton's ordinary country existence. Until a chance meeting with the charming Richard Hansen at a society ball changes her life for ever. Swept off her feet by the dashing Richard, and his renowned fortune, Annabel soon realises all that all that glitters isn't gold. Her bid for freedom has come at a terrible price and she finds herself trapped inside a marriage that behind closed doors is cruel and brutal. Annabel has no choice but to flee, and will do everything to save herself, and her unborn baby, from destitution. But the very rich and very powerful expect to get what they want - and Richard wants only one thing - Annabel...

     Leighlin Plantation offers Edward Ketch a new life, an opportunity to forsake his violent, troubled past and become a man worthy of respect and trust. But when a slave named Isabelle arrives, Ketch is drawn into a turbulent relationship that threatens the very peace he has struggled to attain. Isabelle has her own desires for a fresh start, but scurrilous gossip about her past undermines those hopes. She struggles to be accepted by Leighlin’s other slaves and hopes marriage to a popular man will aid her cause. But her situation worsens when her husband becomes abusive. She discovers, however, one unlikely ally—Ketch, who is as much an outcast among Leighlin’s white population as she is among her people. A stranger to love, Ketch cannot recognize the true feelings that draw him to Isabelle. To rescue her from the dangers of her marriage, he risks losing not only his position at Leighlin but the affections of the woman he strives to save. Set against the backdrop of 17th century Carolina, The Driver’s Wife explores the lives and relationships, from Big House to slave settlement, of those who labored upon the wilderness plantations near Charles Town. Rice cultivation and the task system of slavery provide a much different landscape from the aristocratic Old South of cotton plantations and gang labor familiar to most modern-day readers. The Driver’s Wife is a tale of the transcendent power of love.

    Laugh and cry with Crissa as she escapes her past to find true love.

    The people of Segu, the Bambara, are guided by their griots and priests; their lives are ruled by the elements. But even their soothsayers can only hint at the changes to come, for the battle of the soul of Africa has begun. From the east comes a new religion, Islam, and from the West, the slave trade. Segu follows the life of Dousika Traore, the king’s most trusted advisor, and his four sons, whose fates embody the forces tearing at the fabric of the nation. There is Tiekoro, who renounces his people’s religion and embraces Islam; Siga, who defends tradition, but becomes a merchant; Naba, who is kidnapped by slave traders; and Malobali, who becomes a mercenary and halfhearted Christian.Based on actual events, Segutransports the reader to a fascinating time in history, capturing the earthy spirituality, religious fervor, and violent nature of a people and a growing nation trying to cope with jihads, national rivalries, racism, amid the vagaries of commerce.

    For EmPee, it is love at first sight, but the caged woman is not free to love anyone back: she is the property of Monsieur Duval, proprietor of Duval Ethnological Expositions. And so begins one of Zakes Mda’s most striking stories, one that depicts terrible historical injustices and indignities, while at the same time celebrating the vigour and ingenuity of the creative spirit, and the transformative power of love.In an already-great pantheon of Mda love stories and classic gems, this may be his most powerful work yet.Fourie Botha, publisher of local fiction for Penguin Random House, says: ‘A new novel by Zakes Mda is always a glorious event. We are honoured that Prof. Mda will publish this wonderful and important book with Umuzi.’A recipient of the Order of Ikhamanga, Zakes Mda was born in the Eastern Cape in 1948. He is the author of the famous novels Ways of Dying and The Heart of Redness, among many others, and his work has been translated into 20 languages. He spent his early childhood in Soweto, and finished his school education in Lesotho, where he joined his father in exile. Mda has studied and worked in South Africa, Lesotho, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and is a prolific writer, not only of novels, but also of plays, poems, and articles for academic journals and newspapers. His creative work includes paintings, and theatre and film productions. He is based in Athens, Ohio, in the United States, where he spends his time writing and teaching. His memoir, Sometimes There Is a Void, was published in 2011 and his most recent novel, Little Suns, won the Barry Ronge Fiction Prize.

    

    TWO HUSBANDS. BY ORDER OF THE KING. When young Joan married William de Montecute at Westminster Abbey in 1341, she became the first and only princess in British history to knowingly commit bigamy. It was done at the command of her uncle and king, Edward III.Yet Joan of Kent is no frail English rose. For ten long years she defies her family, her country and her king to keep faith with the man she claims is her true husband.They are all sure she will break in the end.One of the most astonishing and poignant love stories in medieval history from internationally bestselling author Colin Falconer.What readers are saying about A VAIN AND INDECENT WOMAN“I really like all the Falconer books I’ve read… but this one is going to rank as my favourite. It’s one-of-a-kind. “Joan of Woodstock” doesn’t have the historical celebrity status of an Elizabeth I, or Catherine d’Medici; but I’m betting you’ll learn something, and be entertained in the process!” Shari *****“I loved this book… This captivating historical read was filled with complex and memorable characters that brought history to life. Joan of Kent was an absolutely fascinating woman whose life and times were captured so wonderfully in this book… I read it. I loved it. I bought it. It’s an historical read that shouldn’t be missed.” Meg Nyberg *****DISCOVER MORE COLIN FALCONER HISTORICAL FICTION CLASSIC HISTORY: Book 1: SILK ROADBook 2: HAREMBook 3: A VAIN AND INDECENT WOMANBook 4: CLEOPATRA: Daughter of the NileBook 5: AZTECBook 6: STIGMATABook 7: EAST INDIABook 8: A GREAT LOVE OF SMALL PROPORTIONISABELLA: Braveheart of France (published by LAKE UNION) 20TH CENTURY STORIES: Book 1: ANASTASIABook 2: MY BEAUTIFUL SPYBook 3: SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMYBook 4: LIVE FOR METHE UNKILLABLE KITTY O’KANE (published by LAKE UNION)LOVING LIBERTY LEVINE (published by LAKE UNION)COLIN FALCONER CRIME:VENOMLUCIFER FALLS (published by Little, Brown London)INNOCENCE DIES (published by Little, Brown London)

    It is a highly-rated novel that marked the introduction to the literary world of its independent author, Betty Viamontes, and continues to expand its international reach. Rio and Laura, two people from opposite backgrounds, meet in Havana, Cuba in January, 1961. A single, unselfish decision to help a stranger shatters their lives. The revolution they unwittingly helped solidify creates a powerful and myopic socialist government that tears them apart. Neither one of them is prepared to face the roller-coaster ride their lives become. Neither one of them could have imagined how much their love for each other would be tested, or for how long, or the impact their choices would have on their families. Also check the author's second book: "Candela's Secrets and Other Havana Stories," an anthology of vivid and engaging stories that is captivating readers in the United States and abroad.

    Dympna, the only girl, adores her father Micheál. She does her best to help her English mother and the family rub along by working hard and expecting little.But beneath the smooth-seeming surface there are hidden secrets. Beatrice idolises her clever eldest son, but her attitude to her husband and to Dympna is puzzling. Yet when the family desperately needs money it is Dympna who crosses the water to Liverpool, to send money back for them.Meanwhile, in Liverpool orphaned, half-starved Jimmy Ruddock struggles to escape from his background with little success until he meets Elsie, a tough young slum-dweller who helps him to better himself. Then he starts work abroad a Fleetwood trawler, and meets up with Dympna...Set in the late 1920s and 30s, No Silver Spoon charts the pleasures and pains of life - and love - in the glorious countryside of Connemara and in the fiercely competitive streets of the Liverpool slums. It confirms Katie Flynn as one of the most beloved and bestselling saga writers in Britain.

    Due to the incompetence of Edward II's government, the north is virtually overrun by the Scots, while an invasion fleet is massing across the channel, led by Edward's estranged queen, Isabella, the 'She-Wolf of France'. The first book in the Folville's Law series follows the adventures of Sir John Swale, knight of Cumberland, as he investigates a murder that threatens to bring disaster to Edward's failing kingdom. Along the way he clashes with Eustace Folville and James Coterel, two of the most notorious and brutal outlaws in England. As the death toll mounts, it remains to be seen who will survive and who will perish in the savage game of war and politics. 'Folville's Law (I): Invasion' is a new edition of the first part of the John Swale Chronicles.

    Trudi has already lost her husband to the Nazis, her stepsons are taking the train too. Walking away from the train station with empty arms is the hardest thing she’s ever done.London 1939 – Newly married, Sally Matthews, is alone again. Her husband is away training for war, leaving her days and home empty. She volunteers to help with the children from the Kindertransport, becoming captivated by five-year-old Tom and his baby sister, Liesel. Their elder brother, Heinz, is a different story. His attitude, after a period in Dachau concentration camp, makes him difficult to love. 1945 - Five years of war, with Heinz pulled from her family and sent to an internment camp, Sally has to explain to Tom and Liesel what the end of the war means. Return to Germany for the children, hopefully to a surviving family member. Perhaps Trudi has survived the war. Tortured Sally doesn’t wish Trudi harm, but Sally can’t let go of her children no matter what others say.