When Emira is apprehended at a supermarket for ‘kidnapping’ the white child she’s actually babysitting, it sets off an explosive chain of events. Her employer Alix, a feminist blogger with the best of intentions, resolves to make things right.
But Emira herself is aimless, broke and wary of Alix’s desire to help. When a surprising connection emerges between the two women, it sends them on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know – about themselves, each other, and the messy dynamics of privilege.
Opinión
“I think it would be best… if we went our separate ways? And that those paths never again… connected’.
Esta novela es la propuesta de enero 2020 de Reese’s book club. Tiene muy buenas críticas y, en la sinopsis, podéis comprobar que su argumento es bastante atractivo.
Considerando los antecedentes expuestos, me adentré en el libro con unas expectativas elevadas. Quizás esto ha condicionado mi opinión sobre el mismo.
Nos situamos en 2016, en Filadelfia, cuando en Estados Unidos se vivió el disparo de población negra por parte de la policía.
Emira es una joven negra (25 años) que tiene trabajos precarios y a tiempo parcial, combinando el cuidado de niños con labores de secretaria. Precisamente, cuando se ocupa de Briar, una niña blanca de tres años y de familia bien posicionada, es señalada como secuestradora de esta. Todo se aclara, pero desde esta situación empiezan a desarrollarse hechos peculiares, por definirlos de alguna manera, con dos protagonistas especiales.
La situación desencadenante
Por un lado, tenemos a Alix, madre de Briar, que comienza a experimentar un desmesurado interés por Emira después del incidente. Por otro lado, nos encontramos con Kelley, un hombre que graba la escena en la que Emira es acusada de tentativa de secuestro y que propone a esta volcar el video en internet, algo con lo que ella no está de acuerdo.
Alix y Kelley tienen un pasado en común que puede haber contribuido a que su relación con las personas de raza negra sea anómala. Seguramente esta es la parte del libro que más ha favorecido a que no me haya identificado con él. Posiblemente porque vivo en una sociedad diferente y, sobre todo, porque siempre me han enseñado a valorar a las personas por lo que son, no por su color, ideología, religión, sexo, etc. Y, además, no concibo que nadie se meta tanto en la vida de otro como lo hacen Alix y Kelley con Emira.
El racismo como punto de partida
El libro se centra en el tratamiento del racismo, principalmente, pero de una forma que se hace difícil de entender para las personas que no viven en la sociedad en la que se desarrolla. No involucra al lector en el problema. Creo que se debe a que Alix y Kelley son personajes que, para mí, tienen un elevado grado de inverosimilitud. Tampoco me resultan creíbles otros asuntos que trata, como las diferencias de clase social, la amistad o las preferencias de los padres por alguno de sus hijos.
La forma de escribir de la autora, por otra parte, no es sencilla y se hace algo complicada para los hispanohablantes. Además, es difícil encontrar sentido a una parte importante de los diálogos.
En definitiva, me ha decepcionado y no coincido con la valoración general de este libro. Os animo a que lo leáis y tengáis vuestra propia opinión. Intuyo que esta tendrá mucho que ver, y de forma especial, con gustos personales, expectativas, situación anímica, etc.
2,5/5
Puedes adquirirlo en el siguiente enlace: Such a fun age
Mujeres fuertes y luchadoras con gran capacidad de amar
Sinopsis
Oberlin, Ohio, 1868. Lisbeth Johnson was born into privilege in the antebellum South. Jordan Freedman was born a slave to Mattie, Lisbeth’s beloved nurse. The women have an unlikely bond deeper than friendship. Three years after the Civil War, Lisbeth and Mattie are tending their homes and families while Jordan, an aspiring suffragette, teaches at an integrated school.
When Lisbeth discovers that her father is dying, she’s summoned back to the Virginia plantation where she grew up. There she must face the Confederate family she betrayed by marrying an abolitionist. Jordan and Mattie return to Fair Oaks, too, to save the family they left behind, who still toil in oppression. For Lisbeth, it’s a time for reconciliation. For Jordan and Mattie, it’s time for liberation.
As the Johnsons and Freedmans confront the injustice that binds them, as well as the bitterness and violence that seethes at its heart, the women must find the courage to free their families—and themselves—from the past.
Opinión
“You must remember that liberty is a most precious gift from God. No one has the right to wrest it from you, though many will try.”
Esta novela sigue manteniendo, como personajes principales, los que protagonizaban “Yellow Crocus”. En todo caso, se puede leer de forma independiente. El lector se adentra fácilmente en la historia que se desarrolla sin necesidad de haber leído el libro que narra los años anteriores a los que se tratan en este.
Una segunda parte que puede leerse de forma independiente
En esta obra nos situamos en los años posteriores a la guerra de secesión. Lisbeth viaja con su hijo Sammy, de nueve años, y su hija Sadie, de seis, desde Ohio, donde residen, a Virginia, para visitar a sus progenitores, puesto que su padre se encuentra muy enfermo.
Lisbeth se distanció de sus padres porque no estaba a favor de la esclavitud, mano de obra que estos utilizaban para trabajar la plantación de tabaco que poseían. De esta forma, Lisbeth se trasladó a Ohio, estado en el que esta práctica se encontraba abolida.
A pesar de que la guerra de secesión, una vez finalizada, lleva a la prohibición de la esclavitud, Lisbeth observará en Virginia que muchos terratenientes mantienen a los negros en condiciones penosas.
Además, los negros libres que buscan un futuro en las poblaciones son apresados, acusados de vagabundos, y serán subastados. En definitiva, todavía queda recorrido para que la población negra obtenga sus derechos con plenitud.
En este marco, Lisbeth se verá envuelta en la lucha de su nodriza Mattie, que está empeñada en recuperar la libertad de su prima. Será un proceso lleno de emoción e intriga, en el que intervendrá el hermano de Lisbeth, Jack, derrochando odio y maldad.
El libro nos adentra en un tiempo histórico muy interesante. A pesar de la abolición de la esclavitud en Estados Unidos, será preciso recorrer un largo camino hasta su pleno desarrollo, rompiendo las inercias de la situación anterior.
Los personajes se describen increíblemente bien. Especialmente, me encantan Mattie, la hija de esta (Jordan) y Lisbeth: son mujeres fuertes, luchadoras, resilientes y con una capacidad enorme de amar.
Nuevamente, Laila Ibrahim nos hace sentir mucho, con un libro escrito con un lenguaje sencillo, que es muy entretenido y en el que el lector avanza con avidez, conociendo sobre un momento histórico importante. He leído tres libros de esta autora y a todos ellos los adoro. Espero que a vosotros os pase lo mismo.
Moments after Lisbeth is born, she’s taken from her mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse, Mattie, a young mother separated from her own infant son in order to care for her tiny charge. Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come. Though Lisbeth leads a life of privilege, she finds nothing but loneliness in the company of her overwhelmed mother and her distant, slave-owning father.
As she grows older, Mattie becomes more like family to Lisbeth than her own kin and the girl’s visits to the slaves’ quarters—and their lively and loving community—bring them closer together than ever. But can two women in such disparate circumstances form a bond like theirs without consequence? This deeply moving tale of unlikely love traces the journey of these very different women as each searches for freedom and dignity.
Opinión
El inicio de la novela nos sitúa en Virginia, año 1837. En una plantación de tabaco, en tiempos de esclavitud.
Mattie es una esclava negra que tiene un bebé, Samuel, de tres meses. Lo tendrá que dejar con sus familiares para criar a Elizabeth, la hija recién nacida de sus amos blancos. A pesar de echar mucho de menos a su hijo, Mattie creará un lazo muy especial con la niña.
Cuando la niña crece, pasará tiempo debajo de un sauce con su nodriza y su hijo, enseñando a este a leer y escribir. Esto, que se ha producido de forma casi espontánea, será elemento clave en el futuro del chico y su familia, será una fuente de esperanza y les ayudará a buscar una vida mejor.
Una relación especial y bonita a pesar de las circunstancias
Cuando Elizabeth pasa de los diez años, será separada de su nodriza. Pero esto no impedirá que las dos sigan manteniendo contacto, pues la joven la visitará en la plantación. Esta situación finalizará cuando Mattie escape a Ohio, donde la esclavitud no existe.
Elizabeth nunca dejará que la normalización de la esclavitud que se vive en su familia arraigue en su concepción de la vida. De hecho, en este ámbito, y ya de adulta, observará y racionalizará algunas situaciones a las que se enfrentará en contra de la opinión de sus progenitores.
Creo que es mejor no extenderme más en el argumento, porque lo ideal es leer el libro.
Los personajes principales son muy especiales. Mattie refleja a una mujer con un sentimiento de la familia muy acusado, sobre todo respecto a sus hijos, y además es de carácter fuerte y decidido. Elizabeth tiene un corazón puro, a pesar de la familia en la que nace, y es una luchadora nata contra el abuso.
Una sociedad cruel y abusadora
El tema principal del libro, la esclavitud, se presenta con la crueldad que el propio hecho implica. Se dibuja una sociedad en la que los hombres amos de explotaciones se abastecen de esclavos, y en la que sus esposas muestran una permisibilidad que abruma, normalizando, incluso, el abuso sexual de las esclavas. Un engranaje perfecto para mantener la situación. En fin, una realidad que se presta a muchos calificativos, y el más suave de ellos es: inaceptable.
Es el segundo libro que leo de esta autora. No deja de sorprenderme su estilo literario. Es sencillo y transparente. Te mete en el escenario plenamente. Además, nuevamente, trata asuntos en los que los sentimientos están a flor de piel. Tiene una sensibilidad desbordante. ¡Me encanta!
5/5
Puedes comprarlo en el siguiente enlace: Yellow Crocus
You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses.
You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly.
You think your children are safe.
But are they really?
Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
Opinión
Contada desde diferentes puntos de vista, esta novela nos introduce en una comunidad donde todos se conocen muy bien y se protegen mutuamente. Cada familia tiene sus problemas y secretos pero todo se centra en lo que ocurre en el jardín comunitario.
La trama es compleja y se desvela como por capas. The girls es una historia todo fluye de forma natural o al menos eso es lo que parece al principio. Los personajes muy bien creados, se les siente reales y cercanos. Algunos sencillos, otros carismáticos y en busca de complacer a todos por igual. Otros sin embargo, en cuanto aparecen no puedes evitar cierta animadversión hacia ellos.
Lo que más llamó mi atención de esta novela fue la idea de que se desarrollara en Londres en una comunidad cerrada. Un lugar espacioso, con jardines en el que las familias podrían criar a sus hijos en comunidad, libre de peligros, con total seguridad y confianza en los demás.
Y en este lugar que en principio resulta tan idílico, pronto comienzan a suceder cosas inexplicables, con algunos de sus habitantes más jóvenes. Al principio de la novela me hice una idea aproximada de lo que podría pasar, pero a medida que leía todo se complicaba cada vez más y finalmente nada resultó ser como pensaba.
Es la primera novela que leo de Lisa Jewell y me ha gustado mucho. Sabe mantener el ritmo durante toda la historia. Nos da detalles de muchas cosas secundarias, pero los datos que de verdad importan los suelta como a cuentagotas y sin previo aviso. Es directa pero a la vez escurridiza, le gusta dar algún que otro rodeo antes de mostrarnos los hechos tal cual.
Así que no puedes parar de leer para saber qué pasará a continuación y aún así, en todo momento se mantiene esa sensación de que falta algo, una pieza importante del puzzle.
Es una novela entretenida pero además muy interesante por los temas que plantea. ¿Conocemos realmente a las personas que nos rodean? ¿Qué necesitas para sentirte segura? ¿Cómo sabes en quién puedes confiar?
4/5
Puedes comprarlo en el siguiente enlace: The Girls
Can friendship survive in a divided world? Written on the eve of the Holocaust as a series of letters between a Jew in America and his German friend, Kressmann Taylor’s classic novel is a haunting tale of a society poisoned by Nazism.
First published in 1938, Address Unknown met with immediate success in English but was banned in Europe by the Nazis. Tragically prescient about what was to come, it was one of the earliest works of fiction to warn against the growing dangers of fascism and antisemitism in Europe. It became an international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages.
A novel of enduring impact with a memorable sting in its tail, Address Unknown stands as a powerful reminder of the dangers posed by the rhetoric of intolerance.
Opinión
‘[…] Despair overthrown often turns us in mad directions.
[…] Then just before they died a man came and pulled them out. All they now know is, they will not die. They are in hysteria of deliverance, almost they worship him. But whoever the savior was, they would have done the same.’
Año 1932, Martin y Max son muy buenos amigos además tienen un negocio en común en Estados Unidos el cual marcha cada vez mejor.
Martin, de origen alemán ha decidido que ya es el momento de volver junto con su familia a Alemania. Pero el país que lo recibe está irreconocible y no es para menos. Aunque han pasado más de quince años desde que acabara la guerra, les está costando mucho reponerse. Hay mucha escasez y necesidad de hasta lo más básico y los precios son prohibitivos.
Estas circunstancias tan deprimentes a Martin no hacen más que favorecerle. Con las riquezas traídas de América pronto se establece y comienza a codearse con las personalidades más importantes del país de la ciudad.
Al principio, la correspondencia entre los amigos es bastante fluida. En ellas tratan todo tipo de temas y se percibe el gran aprecio que se tienen. Hasta el momento, ni el origen de uno ni la religión del otro nada han tenido que ver en su relación, es un detalle más sin importancia. Y quizás por ello es que resulta tan chocante que pudieran interponerse los ideales Nazis.
Esta es una historia muy breve pero dura e intensa con final impactante. Escrita en forma de cartas, se puede leer en menos de una hora, pero su contenido da para mucho más.
Considerado un clásico Address unknown estuvo prohibida durante muchos años en Alemania. Primero se publicó en una revista y tuvo mayor alcance del previsto por su autora, aunque esta tenía muy claro la calidad de lo que estaba escribiendo, sabía que su contenido era muy revelador e importante sobre todo en ese momento, porque reflejaba una realidad impensable y que muchos en el mundo entero no creían posible a lo que contribuía la campaña de Nazi para ocultar y tapar los horrores que estaban cometiendo y salir impunes. Muy recomendable.
When Retreat owner Amy offers three lucky competition winners a holiday on the Cote d’Azur, she has no idea that this act of kindness will have life changing repercussions on her own life and those who join her…
Young entrepreneur Chelsea, is still grieving the tragic loss of her mother and has just been subjected to a very public relationship breakup. She needs to get away and lick her wounds.
MP’s wife Victoria is at a crossroads in her life now that the children have left home. Much to her husbands shock, she realises she has ambitions of her own and is desperate to reconnect/find her own identity. She needs some ‘me time’.
Recently widowed Matilda, is assessing life without her beloved husband. Their dream had always been to retire to France. Can she find the courage to follow their dream on her own?
Over the course of the ten days they spend together, the four women, despite their differences, support and bond, making memories and forming friendships that will last for years.
A heart-warming, uplifting novel, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Fern Britton.
Opinión
“Regrets in life are inevitable, but regrets over not doing something and years later wishing you had are avoidable–you simply have to take a deep breath and get on with whatever opportunity presents itself”.
Han pasado 5 años desde que Amy heredara Belle Vue Villa y que esta pasara a convertirse en un retiro para escritores y artistas. La villa tenía ya una clientela fija casi todo el año, debido en parte a su ubicación privilegiada y al trato personalizado que recibían sus huéspedes. Amy era feliz o eso creía, había conseguido mucho en este tiempo, aunque aún le quedaban temas del pasado pendiente de resolver.
Devolverle a la vida algo de lo que le ha dado
Amy estaba contenta y agradecida con la vida por esta oportunidad que le había brindado a través de su tía Tasha, para rehacer su vida. Creía que había llegado el momento de dar ella algo a cambio por todo lo recibido. Y es por ello que surge la idea de regalar a tres desconocidas, diez días de vacaciones en la villa.
Desde el momento en que conoció a sus invitadas todas las dudas que tenía con respecto de su decisión, se disiparon. Estas eran mujeres de diferentes edades y muy diferentes entre sí. Pero todas tenían en común la necesidad de pasar unos días en un lugar diferente en el que poder desconectar de todo para reconectar con ellas mismas y estas vacaciones ofrecidas por Amy eran la solución perfecta.
Chelsea es la más joven de las cuatro. Tiene un negocio de catering y acaba de sufrir un desengaño amoroso el cual puede repercutir de forma negativa en su vida profesional. Además, tiene una carga emocional muy fuerte que no la deja avanzar.
Vicky se está replanteando seriamente su vida desde que sus hijos se independizaran. Siempre soñó con escribir una novela y hacer más cosas en su vida, todo lo cual dejó aparcado al casarse y ser madre. Pero cree que ya ha llegado el momento de retomar su vida y sus sueños.
Mathilda lleva cerca de un año luchando día a día con la pena, porque esta no la venza y la consuma. No consigue superar la muerte de su marido al cual estaba muy unida. Soñaban con retirarse a vivir a un lugar muy parecido a este en el que se encuentra ahora de vacaciones, pero la muerte se les adelantó y rompió sus planes. Quiere un cambio, pero no sabe si será capaz de llevarlo a cabo ella sola.
Por su parte Amy, antes de ser la dueña de esta villa de ensueño, era una bailarina profesional que aparcó todo por realizar su sueño de crear una familia. Y un día, descubrió algo que rompió sus esquemas y en vez de solucionarlo, salió huyendo. Pero el pasado siempre vuelve y cuando menos te lo esperas.
Desde el principio la convivencia en la villa resulta sencilla a pesar de ser todas completas desconocidas. Cada una a su forma y en su momento, se enfrenta a sus miedos y busca solución a sus problemas a la vez que se apoyan en el resto y confiesan lo que les preocupa.
Y así, entre estas cuatro mujeres se va forjando una relación surgida de la nada y basada en la confianza y en la seguridad de que están en el lugar ideal para verlo todo con perspectiva.
La trama nos habla de diferentes temas, problemas muy corrientes y cotidianos, pero no se recrea en ellos y eso es algo que me gusta mucho de esta autora. Es capaz de sacar lo mejor de cada personaje y situación. Además, siempre sitúa sus novelas en lugares hermosos con mucho que ofrecer y a los que a todas nos gustaría ir.
Los personajes muy diferentes entre sí, con sus caracteres y complejidades, consiguen representar a mujeres que se sienten reales, más propias de la vida real que de personajes de ficción. Y aunque la historia no tiene grandes sobresaltos ni giros inesperados, consigue que te sumerjas completamente y te mantiene atrapada hasta el final.
A Riviera retreat es una novela ligera, que te hace sentir bien a la vez que te invita a reflexionar sobre la vida y sus reveses. Es muy entretenida y se lee muy rápido. Para mí Jennifer Bohnet es un valor seguro, sé qué esperar de sus historias y nunca me decepciona. Me ha encantado.
What I learned after last year’s distractions cost my hockey team our entire season? No more screwing up. No more screwing, period. As the new team captain, I need a new philosophy: hockey and school now, women later. Which means that I, Hunter Davenport, am officially going celibate…no matter how hard that makes things.
But there’s nothing in the rulebook that says I can’t be friends with a woman. And I won’t lie—my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she’s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.
Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.
And she’s making a play for me.
Avoiding her is impossible. We’re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I’m confident I can resist her. We’d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren’t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.
Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body—and my heart.
Opinión
“There´s always someone with a shittier life than yours. That doesn´t turn the shit in your life into roses’.
La novela se desarrolla en Massachusetts, en el campus de estudios superiores de Briar.
Los protagonistas son dos jóvenes estudiantes. Por un lado, Hunter, que es jugador de hockey sobre patines. Este tiene decidido que, en el curso que comienza, no va a fallar a su equipo, tal y como sucedió en el anterior, como consecuencia de su afición a las chicas. Por otro, Demi, que está estudiando para especializarse en medicina y tiene un novio desde hace ocho años, con el que ha vivido sus más y sus menos.
A Hunter y Demi les toca formar pareja para realizar un trabajo de psicología. Él pronto siente una atracción por ella, pero se controla, dado que se ha autoimpuesto el celibato durante el nuevo curso por el motivo anteriormente comentado. También ayuda a este propósito el largo noviazgo que mantiene Demi.
A medida que avanzan en el trabajo, entre los dos jóvenes va surgiendo una bonita amistad, favorecida por el carácter sociable de ambos.
Durante una celebración a la que acuden Demi y su novio, ella se dará cuenta de lo confiada que ha sido con él, descubriendo algunos comportamientos poco deseables que la harán sentirse humillada. Contra la opinión de sus padres, Demi dejará la relación.
Una colaboración peligrosa
Los personajes principales se describen muy bien. Hunter es muy divertido, buen amigo y leal. Se conoce muy bien y esto hacer que sea firme en sus decisiones. Este aspecto de su carácter hace que haya abandonado la idea de ser jugador profesional de hockey. No confía en que se pueda mantener alejado de los peligros que se le presentarían asociados a la popularidad y al dinero. Quiere evitar el desenfreno y el libertinaje.
Además del progreso de la relación entre Hunter y Demi, llegando a ser un apoyo muy importante el uno para el otro, el libro nos presenta a las familias de ambos. No pueden ser más distintas entre ellas. El padre de Hunter tiene una buena posición económica y destaca su personalidad narcisista. Tiene dominada a su mujer, persona apocada y que no sabría vivir sin su marido.
La familia de Demi es de origen humilde. Su padre es neurocirujano y apuesta firmemente por el valor del esfuerzo. Está empeñado en que su hija se dedique a la medicina, a pesar de que a esta le gusta más la psicología.
Desde el principio del libro se habla mucho de sexo, un tema en que el que se centra mucho Hunter. Esto puede hacer que el libro sea algo pesado, si bien, en parte, se alivia con el humor con el que se enmarca el asunto.
Hemos creado nuestra propia banda sonora. Música instrumental principalmente y temas de bandas sonoras de películas muy conocidas, basadas en libros.
Tanto si os gusta leer con algún tema musical de fondo, para escribir o simplemente para relajarnos. La podéis encontrar aquí en Spotify o buscándola por su nombre.
Esperamos que os guste y si queréis añadir algún tema no dejéis de decírnoslo.
Enero, el mes de los buenos propósitos por excelencia. Cada vez que comienza el año, nos creamos nuevos retos, nuevas metas por alcanzar, planes por cumplir. Es el momento de hacer borrón y cuenta nueva pues tenemos todo un año por delante para reescribir nuestra historia.
Pero si hay algo que estoy segura de que todos tenemos y vamos arrastrando de un año a otro y que cada vez es más grande e interminable, es la lista de lecturas pendientes.
Así que para no perder la costumbre, aquí os dejamos algunas de las publicaciones que tendrán lugar en este mes de enero.
In the dark days since the sudden death of her surgeon husband, Julia’s main worry has always been Tash. Her student daughter was broken—she worshipped her father. But six months on, Julia thinks the light is returning. She is about to find out that she’s wrong.
When she saves the life of a boy who’s been hanging around her beach cottage, the questions start. All she has to go on is the butterfly tattoo on his wrist, but who is he? What was he doing there? And why was her late husband’s watch in his bag? Julia wants to believe it’s a casual theft, but an ominous arrival in the post confirms her suspicion that there is more to it than meets the eye.
As Tash remembers a string of strange incidents she had previously brushed off, Julia realises they are both being watched. Someone’s been toying with them, trying to frighten them, but why?
Determined to protect her daughter, Julia races to discover the boy’s identity. But what she doesn’t realise is that the truth is right in front of her. Will she see it before it’s too late?
When a killer chooses you, what choice do you have?
Thirty years ago, Elise and Nathaniel shared a horrific trauma that united them in grief. Now, grown up and married with a young family, they feel their worst nightmares are behind them. Until the day their daughter is abducted and murdered.
Both Elise and Nathaniel lost their mothers to a notorious killer who manipulated innocent victims into taking their own lives. Could it be that ‘the Watcher’ has returned for another round of the same sadistic game? Why now? And why are Elise and Nathaniel being targeted again?
When Elise’s family falls under suspicion, her world crashes down around her. Is there anyone she can trust, or is her whole life built on lies?
Only one thing is clear: someone left their cruel game unfinished all those years ago. This time the Watcher intends to win – once and for all.
Everyone expected the king’s daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me. It shouldn’t be possible. I’m Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don’t even get names. Dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care. But there’s no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous than the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don’t?
Family is everything to Willa. Adopted at birth, her loving husband and son are her safe haven, and the ones she has clung to while numbed by the pain of a recent loss. When a letter arrives, it opens a path for Willa to re-engage with life: she has inherited a house halfway across the world, in a town she’s never heard of, from a woman she doesn’t know. Her only guess is that Lillian Brooks could have been her birth mother.
Travelling to the inviting shores of Sisters Cove, Willa in entranced by the dilapidated old house she now owns, perched high on a windy cliff within the Merrivale Estate. But as she begins to look amongst the dusty photos and sealed boxes of papers left to her, it becomes clear that the truth about who Lillian really was is not at all what Willa expected.
At Merrivale, social butterfly Annabelle is intrigued by Willa’s arrival. Unable to have children herself, she feels drawn to this fragile, younger woman and is inspired to help her mend the cracks in her heart. But as a friendship grows between the two, the dark truth that connects them is exposed, and both are forced to make choices about the risks they’ll take for family, love and forgiveness.
The grieving widow. The other woman. Which one is which?
When Cameron Swift is shot and killed outside his family home, DC Beth Chamberlain is appointed Family Liaison Officer. Her role is to support the family – and investigate them.
Monika, Cameron’s partner and mother of two sons, had to be prised off his lifeless body after she discovered him. She has no idea why anyone would target Cameron.
Beth can understand Monika’s confusion. To everyone in their affluent community, Monika and her family seemed just like any other. But then Beth gets a call.
Sara is on holiday with her daughters when she sees the news. She calls the police in the UK, outraged that no one has contacted her to let her know or offer support. After all, she and Cameron had been together for the last seven years.
Until Cameron died, Monika and Sara had no idea each other existed.
As the case unfolds, Beth discovers that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has secrets. Especially the dead…
Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Irish countryside the famed mills have created the finest wool in all of Ireland. Run by the seemingly perfect Corrigan family, but every family has its secrets, and how the mills came to be the Corrigan’s is one of them…
Miranda and her husband were never meant to own the mills, until one fateful day catapults them into a life they never thought they’d lead.
Ada has forever lived her life in her sister’s shadow. Wanting only to please her mother and take her place as the new leader of the mill, Ada might just have to take a look at what her heart really wants.
Callie has a flourishing international career as a top designer and a man who loves her dearly, she appears to have it all. When a secret is revealed and she’s unceremoniously turfed out of the design world, Callie might just get what’s she’s been yearning for. The chance to go home.
Simon has always wanted more. More money, more fame, more notoriety. The problem child. Simon has made more enemies than friends over the years, and when one of his latest schemes falls foul he’ll have to return to the people who always believe in him.
Ballycove isn’t just a town in the Irish countryside. It isn’t just the base of the famous mills. It’s a place to call home.
Best-selling author, Faith Hogan returns with a family tale of love, loss, secrets and finding yourself.
North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Centre. Her dream of a career in the arts is put on hold – until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration but, desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence and a conspiracy of small-town secrets.
North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors and where the price for being different might just end in murder.
What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?
It’s senior year, and Paige Hancock is finally living her best life. She has a fun summer job, great friends, and a super charming boyfriend who totally gets her. But senior year also means big decisions. Feeling the weight of ‘the rest of her life’ Paige starts to panic. Everything is exactly how she always wanted it to be – how can she leave it all behind next year? In her head, she knows there is so much more to life after high school. But in her heart, is it so terrible to want everything to stay the same forever?
Emery Lord’s signature storytelling shines with lovable characters and heartfelt exploration of life’s most important questions. There will be break-ups, make-ups, a road trip, and even a wedding. Through it all, can Paige figure out what happens in the after part of happily ever after?
He was perfect. Denim-blue eyes, a dazzling smile. And he hadn’t sent me a picture of his junk. Which is about as rare, these days, as a Dodo.
When Sloane met Myles, everything fell into place. He loved a Martini almost as much as she did, shared her passion for four-cheese pizzas, and made her laugh harder than any episode of Friends. She’d found The One at last and she could finally delete Tinder, forgetting all those waste-of-space men she’d never have to date again.
But then she finds out that Myles has a secret. A very big one.
The fairytale is over. Her heart is blown to smithereens. Drowning her sorrows in Ben & Jerry’s can only get Sloane so far before she has to decide… Can she learn to love herself more than she loved the love of her life? And what if, after everything, she’s got Myles – and his secret – all wrong?
Since Alice’s fiancé walked out on her, she never thought she’d meet ‘The One’. But all that changes when she meets Dominic. Handsome, charming and kind, Alice can’t believe her luck when he proposes a few months later and moves into her West London home.
Three years on, Alice’s catering business is thriving and she is married to a man she adores. So when she sees that little blue line, it should be the happiest moment of her life: they’re going to have a baby. But then the police knock on her door and Alice’s whole world is turned upside down… Dominic is dead.
Distraught, Alice goes to identify the body. There’s no doubt that it’s her husband. Yet when his estranged brother comes to view the coffin, he insists the man lying there is not Dominic. Alice refuses to believe it at first, but when confronted with irrefutable proof she finally has to face the truth:
The man she married is not the person he said he was. And if he lied about that, what else was he hiding from her?
It’s the summer of 1907 and the sun is scorching down on Mary Pearl in the Arizona Territory. Mary Pearl and her sister Esther take their minds off the heat by sneaking banned Jane Austen novels from Aunt Sarah Elliot’s lively bookshelf. Whispered read alouds preoccupy their nights, and reveries of getting hitched to their own Mr. Darcy à la Pride and Prejudice swirl through their day dreams.
In walks old-fashioned old-money suitor Aubrey Hanna, here to whisk seventeen year old Mary Pearl off her feet with a forbidden kiss and hasty engagement. With the promise of high society outings and a rich estate, Aubrey’s lustful courtship quickly creates petty tension among the three generations of Prine women.
As autumn approaches all too quickly, Mary Pearl’s Wheaton College acceptance counters quick marriage preparations. Days of travel by horse and by train carry her deep into a sophisticated new world of Northern girls’ schooling. Seeking friendship but finding foes, Mary Pearl not only learns how to write, read, and draw, but also how to act, dress, and be a woman.
Light Changes Everything is the story of a resilient young feminist a century ahead of her time. Full of gumption and spirit, Mary Pearl’s evocative coming of age tale is destined to be the next American classic.
In the shadow of World War II, one young woman must make an unthinkable sacrifice for those she loves.
Norway, 1940. Nazis pour into Oslo, a shroud of dread looms over the city, and eighteen-year-old Ingrid Solberg fears the worst. Under German rule, harsh rationing and the exorbitant cost of medicine threaten the lives of many, including Ingrid’s mother. And when Ingrid meets a young SS officer, she’s forced to make a desperate choice.
Seventy years later, after the death of Ingrid in her adopted country of Canada, her son, Arnold, finds a disturbing letter in her belongings. Though mired in his own personal problems, Arnold puts his troubled life on hold and embarks on a journey to Oslo to understand his family’s history.
As Arnold confronts the past, he discovers dark secrets and the long-lasting repercussions of decisions his mother made long ago. But as disturbing as his discoveries are, he has come too far to shrink from the ugly truth now…
Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.
Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.
Veronica sees ghosts—more specifically, her mother’s ghost, thanks to the blinding migraines that consume her whole life and keep Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting afterimages make her wonder if there is something more going on….
Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all…including their lives?
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Rosie and Dominic Vega are the perfect couple: high school sweethearts, best friends, madly in love. Well, they used to be anyway. Now Rosie’s lucky to get a caveman grunt from the ex-soldier every time she walks in the door. Dom is faithful and a great provider, but the man she fell in love with ten years ago is nowhere to be found. When her girlfriends encourage Rosie to demand more out of life and pursue her dream of opening a restaurant, she decides to demand more out of love, too. Three words: marriage boot camp.
Never in a million years did Rosie believe her stoic, too-manly-to-emote husband would actually agree to relationship rehab with a weed-smoking hippie. Dom talking about feelings? Sitting on pillows? Communing with nature? Learning love languages? Nope. But to her surprise, he’s all in, and it forces her to admit her own role in their cracked foundation. As they complete one ridiculous—yet surprisingly helpful—assignment after another, their remodeled relationship gets stronger than ever. Except just as they’re getting back on track, Rosie discovers Dom has a secret… and it could demolish everything.
When you lose the love of your life, how do you find yourself again?
For Tabitha, the day that changed everything started like any other.
She woke up, slid her feet into fluffy slippers, wrapped herself in a dressing gown and tiptoed out of her bedroom, leaving her husband Andy sleeping. Downstairs, she boiled the kettle and enjoyed a cup of tea as the sun rose.
Upstairs, Andy’s alarm sounded, and Tabitha took him a freshly brewed coffee, like every other morning. Except today, the incessant beeping rang out and her husband hadn’t stirred. She called his name, she nudged his shoulder. But Andy wouldn’t wake up.
Three years later Tabitha is trying her hardest to get by in the shadow of her grief. She may have lost the love of her life but she won’t give up on the family they dreamed of. Fostering troublesome teenage girls and a newborn baby is a chance to piece together her broken heart.
But being a mother isn’t easy, and neither is healing the heartache she carries around. After losing everything, could saving these three children help Tabitha save herself too?
Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with four books he would like to buy–two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a page-turner; it is a literary achievement; it is filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Jean Angus pours the last of the lukewarm tea into her chipped cup, shivering as she looks outside into the dark night. Her eyes are drawn to a slow movement not far from her cosy farmhouse. She’s not expecting visitors. And as the back door opens with a bang, she doesn’t even have time to shout for help.
On a dark winter night, the bodies of Malcolm and Jean Angus lie cold and still in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Detective Jessie Blake is called in to find out what happened to the reclusive pair.
Searching the couple’s property, Jessie learns about a vicious dispute with a nearby land owner, Rachel Ferguson, and when Jessie looks into Rachel further, she doesn’t expect what comes up. Rachel isn’t the person everyone thinks she is and a previous murder conviction just made her Jessie’s prime suspect.
The small Perthshire town begins to gossip about the double murder and Jessie’s own past comes back to haunt her, when her abusive ex-husband begins to interfere in her new life. As the town starts a witch hunt against Rachel, Jessie is under pressure to find out what really happened in the farmhouse that night. Because if it isn’t Rachel, then who is the murderer living among them, waiting to kill again?
When Retreat owner Amy offers three lucky competition winners a holiday on the Cote d’Azur, she has no idea that this act of kindness will have life changing repercussions on her own life and those who join her…
Young entrepreneur Chelsea, is still grieving the tragic loss of her mother and has just been subjected to a very public relationship breakup. She needs to get away and lick her wounds.
MP’s wife Victoria is at a crossroads in her life now that the children have left home. Much to her husbands shock, she realises she has ambitions of her own and is desperate to reconnect/find her own identity. She needs some ‘me time’.
Recently widowed Matilda, is assessing life without her beloved husband. Their dream had always been to retire to France. Can she find the courage to follow their dream on her own?
Over the course of the ten days they spend together, the four women, despite their differences, support and bond, making memories and forming friendships that will last for years.
Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window.
She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’
It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.
He never sees her again.
Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.
Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them.
Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter. She knows who is responsible. And she knows what they will do if they ever catch up with her and Alice . . .
England, 1937: After a devastating childhood at Blakely Hall Orphanage, fifteen-year-old Sandra is released. She finds work as a housemaid, finally able to put her past behind her. But the start of World War Two throws the country into turmoil, and her brother Alf is sent away to fight, leaving her completely alone.
Germany, 1939: Eleven-year-old Frieda is about to board a ship bound for England with her brother, Kurt. Life at home is perilous, with synagogues set alight and innocent lives lost to the Nazis. They have no choice but to flee, with only their identity cards and a small suitcase. But at the last moment, as Frieda stands on the deck crammed with frightened children, she spots her brother jumping off, back to land.
England, 1943: Joining the Land Army, Sandra is sent to a farm in the remote countryside where she meets evacuee Frieda. The girls are grappling with their own tragedies – Sandra fretting over whether Alf, flying a bomber in the heavens, will see tomorrow, and Frieda distraught that Kurt abandoned her, uncertain whether he is alive.
Sandra and Frieda form a friendship that sees them through the darkest of days, but in times of war heartbreak is always just around the corner. Will the girls ever be reunited with their loved ones? And will the relationships they have fostered amidst the terror of war survive?
Claire is shocked when she receives a message out of the blue from Sophie, a beautiful young woman who tells Claire that she’s their father’s secret child. Having spent years nursing her sweet little daughter Ella through a life-threatening illness whilst dealing with the emotional fall-out of a devastating marriage breakdown, Claire feels tentatively excited to meet Sophie. Perhaps she might finally have someone in the family to lean on…
As Claire welcomes her sister into her life, she’s delighted to see just how much Ella loves her new Aunt Sophie. But as the pair spend more time together, Claire begins to wonder where exactly her perfect new sister came from and what kind of person she really is. With their elderly father’s mind rapidly deteriorating, is it possible that he’s hiding something from Claire about Sophie’s sudden appearance in their lives?
When Sophie suggests a family day at the seaside, little Ella is beyond excited. But as Claire takes an important phone call from her demanding ex-husband, leaving Sophie in charge of Ella, something unthinkable happens. And as Claire rushes into the ice-cold sea towards the small, limp figure of her daughter, she realises that Sophie was watching the whole time. But why would Sophie want to hurt Claire’s precious daughter? Was trusting her new sister with Ella the biggest mistake of Claire’s life?
