Spirited and independent, lady's maid Nan Smithen has ambitions far beyond her station. Marriage to a wealthy businessman enchanted by her youth brings her position, children and a comfortable union. Until her doting husband is killed on an ill-fated trip to revolutionary France.Alone with three young children, Nan faces a bleak future, for there is no money left. But the strength of will that brought her this far drives her on. A newswalk in Mayfair is her first step towards establishing a business empire that will soon stretch throughout London and beyond. Nan's fortune starts to grow.Then Calverly Leigh, a dashing—and dangerous—cavalry officer waltzes into Nan's life and she discovers there is much, much more to life than selling the Tuppenny Times.Tuppenny Times, first published in 1989, is the first book of the Easter Empire trilogy.

It took Henry VIII 28 years, three wives, and a break with Rome before he secured a legitimate male heir. Yet he already had the illegitimate Henry Fitzroy. Fitzroy was born in 1519 after the King's affair with Elizabeth Blount. He was the only illegitimate offspring ever acknowledged by Henry VIII, and Cardinal Wolsey was even one of his Godparents. So just how close did he come to being Henry IX?

Ellen Murphy was born to a world of rotting slums and starving children. Determined to escape from poverty and her drunken Irish father, she takes a job as a shop girl on Shoreditch High Street. David Cheifitz is the only son of devout Jewish parents, David has grown up with his future mapped out. But he is an artist and a rebel. When he falls in love with Ellen Murphy, he turns his back on the old ways. But as time passes, life starts to get in the way: religious differences, rejection by David's parents and domestic strife throw up barriers between the newlyweds. It is only when David is drawn into the Great War do they realise how precious their marriage is and by then it may be too late.

Discovering his secret child! For committed surgeon Max Van Berg, career has always come first. He's only ever risked distraction once—during his whirlwind affair with stunning psychiatrist Evangeline Parker... But now Evie's unexpected reappearance has turned Max's world upside down. Not only is Evie battling illness, but she's been forced to keep an even bigger secret from the surgeon! Against all odds Max is a father, and suddenly his sole focus is fighting for Evie, for baby Imogen and for the family he never knew he wanted until now...

Falling for her husband? Theirs was a marriage of convenience, born out of desperate circumstances, but Thea can't forget the wedding night she spent in Ben Abrams's arms! Only, by dawn it was all over and her army-doctor husband had shipped out - out of the country and her life! Now Ben is badly wounded, and Thea must nurse him back to health. Having lost her heart to her reluctant husband once, she fears getting close to him again. Dare she hope that this time Ben will choose his desire for her over duty?

It is 1936 and the headmistress at Roehampton Secondary School, pioneer and suffragette Octavia Smith, is steering her pupils towards success as her exemplary girls' school moves from strength to strength. But as Europe rumbles towards war, Octavia's drive to change the world burns as bright as ever and she finds herself caught up in covert plans to rescue Jewish families from the Nazi advance in mainland Europe.Meanwhile, talk of an evacuation of schoolchildren is increasing and Octavia will have to uproot if she wants to continue her students' education. Furthermore, Octavia's prize student Lizzie has quite an interesting father – Octavia's old flame Tommy Meriton is back on the scene, and once again Octavia finds herself torn between love and duty...As a new World War strikes closer and closer to home, bringing challenges and tragedies along the way, Octavia's war is only just beginning

Rules of engagement! Army trauma doctor Major Felicity Delaunay likes the rules and regulations that give structure to her life. But the arrival of maverick hotshot Colonel Ash Stirling is about to turn her world upside down! Ash hasn't overcome his troubled past to get where he is without taking risks, but he never crosses the line. Not with a colleague...no matter how gorgeous! Yet Felicity gets under his skin like no other, and he soon finds himself breaking all his—and her—rules.

Gemma Goodeve, a young actress with a promising career, is involved in a terrible train crash in which many lives are lost and many people are injured. Gemma herself has to have her lower leg amputated before she can be freed from the wreckage. When she wakes from the anaesthesia she has to face the difficult truth, deal with a long and painful recovery and accept that she will not be able to act anymore.Her young doctor, Nick Quennell, becomes more than professionally involved in Gemma's care as he tries to protect her from the media circus that surrounds the rail accident and her own mother, who is far from being supportive. But is his care and romantic feeling really what Gemma needs and wants in this terrible moment in her life?In Gemma's Journey, first published in 1997, Beryl Kingston sets the romantic plot against the difficult issues of recovering from a life changing accident and with her characteristic interest in social problems she also explores the...

A desire they can't resist...A consequence they'll cherish foreverStill reeling from her failed marriage, Archana Coates is ready to rediscover the vibrant, fun-loving woman she once was. So an unexpected encounter with her childhood crush, playboy surgeon Kaspar Athari, leads to temptation she can't resist... Then Archie arrives in LA—pregnant! And when she and Kaspar discover their baby is at risk, Archie will do anything it takes to fight for her new little family.

It is 1852 and Alexander, a young biographer in search of the truth about William Blake, has parted from his new bride and travelled to the village of Felpham. For it was here that the scene of Blake's darkest hour – the mysterious incident that caused him to be tried for Sedition – occurred. But the villagers hereabouts don't have much to say on the subject, and go strangely quiet whenever the trial is mentioned.We travel back to 1800, when William Blake and his faithful wife Catherine have just moved to Felpham to take up the promise of work under a new patron, William Hayley Esquire. This tireless taskmaster soon gives Blake so much work that his own poetry is neglected. Trying to appease his patron and still find time for his masterpiece frays Blake's nerves beyond endurance.Witnessing this exchange are Betsy and Johnnie, two young lovers employed in Mr Hayley's service. In awe of Blake's beautiful engravings and glorious paintings, Betsy enlists Johnnie...

Product DescriptionThe complete collection of all twelve mystery stories set at Claresby Manor. Clues to the whereabouts of treasure lost since the time of Oliver Cromwell, the death of a famous artist and the disappearance of a valuable work of art are all investigated by the amiable Rupert Latimer. Stories include “The Black Widow of Claresby” in which the new vicar is followed by strange rumours from her previous parish. Veronica Dahl is dark, voluptuous and beautiful - but what was the real reason for her younger husband’s mysterious death? Who is the odd, reclusive man who lives in a caravan but visits the vicarage at night? And why do parishioners start to disappear?An intriguing collection of English mystery stories with Rupert and Laura Latimer.The Treasure of Claresby ManorPickled Toad with DiamondsAn Uninvited GuestThe Claresby MysteryThe Black Widow of ClaresbyThe Claresby GhostDeath of a ClarinettistThe Floods MurderRupert Investigates: A Cambridge MysteryThe Coach House MysteryThe Curious LegacyThe Twelve Days of Christmas Mystery

Growing up in the Tower of London under the loving protection of her soldier father, Peggy is proud and content, even if she does have to put up with her mother’s nerves and her whining younger sister, Baby. But when fate moves to rip her away from the security she has known, it is down to her to look after her mother and two sisters. Taking the world’s burdens on to her narrow shoulders is something that comes all too easily to Peggy, often at the expense of her own well-being.For later, when War comes to London, it only seems natural for Peggy to join the ARP and do her bit to protect her beloved city. Watching the skies through long, fear filled nights, fire-fighting and digging victims from the ruins of their homes does not excuse Peggy from her duties to her family, who still expect to be taken care of.But life seems to be looking up when love comes in the shape of neighbour Jim Boxall. Like Peggy, Jim has had to look after his own family from a young age, whilst doing his best to better himself in a world that dismisses his promise and intelligence because of his class. Joining the RAF is his chance to get on in the world, but it also tears him away from his home, and from Peggy.London Pride, first published in 1990, is Beryl Kingston’s tribute to the people of London’s endurance and bravery throughout the terrors of the Blitz, and a testament to how love – like the London Pride flower itself – can blossom and grow from the rubble.

CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT Roxanne Balkner is a successful lawyer in her community. She has plenty of clients and an abundance of friends, and is happy with her life just how it is. But that all changes when Bradley Hunter moves to town. Bradley is a big shot lawyer from the city who's known for being highly successful and a pro at his line of work. A rumor soon travels about him stealing other lawyer's clients, something that Roxanne is confident won't happen when it comes to her clientele. Besides his professional popularity, Bradley is known for something else as well: being insanely attractive. In fact, he's the hottest man in town. When Roxanne and Bradley end up on the opposite sides of a divorce case, Roxanne tries her best to stand up to the intimidating man that he is. But Bradley's success isn't just in family law, he's also successful at wooing his competition into falling for him. And as much as Roxanne tries to fight it, she can't deny the evidence that Bradley is just the man she's been looking for.**