Here\u2019s my pick of this week\u2019s new hardback\/paperback fiction titles. In some cases the eBook might already be available. My source is primarily Th<\/strong><\/em>e Bookseller<\/em><\/strong>, but I\u2019ve started to include other sources to broaden the selection. <\/p>\n Just a reminder, I don\u2019t have access to a complete list of titles being published, and, as I don\u2019t see any advance copies, my choices are based on the cover, blurb, gut instinct and what takes my fancy at the time. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n (NB This post features Affiliate links<\/a> from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases) <\/p>\n Historical<\/a><\/strong> (I tend to take this as pre 1960\u2019s ie not in my lifetime!)<\/p>\n Romance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Homeseeking by Karissa Chen<\/strong><\/p>\n There are moments when a single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen and Suchi are teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai; their childhood friendship has blossomed into young love, and they believe that they are soulmates. But when Haiwen secretly decides to enlist in the army to keep his brother from the draft, their shared future is shattered. Their paths take them far afield from each other, with the exception of one pivotal chance encounter on the Hong Kong ferry in 1966.<\/p>\n Sixty years later, Haiwen, now in his late seventies, is bagging bananas at a 99 Ranch in Los Angeles when he lifts his head to once more see Suchi. As they begin to rekindle their friendship, it feels like they might have a second chance to live the life they were supposed to have together. But the weight of the past lives with them at every moment, and only time will tell if they are able to forge something new.<\/p>\n Told in alternating narratives,\u00a0Homeseeking<\/em>\u00a0spans seven decades, through the most tumultuous period of modern Chinese history up to contemporary times, tracing the separated lovers as they migrate from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and America.<\/p>\n The Portrait Artist by Dani Heywood-Lonsdale<\/strong><\/p>\n In a bid to quiet the gossip and rumours that swirl around the streets of London, the gallery brings in renowned and reluctant art historian Solomon Oak to investigate. Oak is assisted by an unlikely aide: his daughter Alice. A passionate but sheltered student, Alice has worldly desires which eclipse the life she\u2019s expected to lead. Together they discover that exposing Ponden-Hall\u2019s legacy will prove more controversial than they could ever have imagined for their family, and for Victorian society.<\/p>\n Set between London and Oxford,\u00a0The Portrait Artist<\/em>\u00a0is a twisting debut exploring race, fame and long-kept secrets.<\/p>\n The Queen and the Countess by Anne O\u2019Brien<\/strong><\/p>\n KEEP THY FRIENDS CLOSE,<\/strong> England 1450s<\/strong><\/p>\n Queen Margaret<\/strong>\u00a0knows she must protect the crown \u2013 and her son Prince Edward\u2019s claim to it \u2013 at all costs. With her husband, King Henry, increasingly frail, it is up to Margaret to fight for their inheritance. And as the Wars of the Roses rage on, her enemies and their wives lurk close, threatening to unravel everything she is trying to protect.<\/p>\n Anne, Countess of Warwick<\/strong>\u00a0has long striven to be a loyal and accomplished wife to the Earl of Warwick. But when she develops an unlikely alliance with the Lancastrian Queen Margaret, her husband\u2019s adversary, she wonders how much power now lies in her hands to determine the course of history.<\/p>\n Crossing enemy lines, the pair strike up a thorny friendship \u2013 yet in the midst of treachery and the turmoil of battle, can the two women trust each other?<\/p>\n Or is it only a matter of time before war drives a sword between them\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn<\/strong><\/p>\n In the chaos of that terrible night, her secret went down with the Titanic. But secrets have a way of floating to the surface\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Trapped in an unhappy aristocratic marriage, Elinor Coombes sees only lonely days ahead of her. So a present from her father \u2013 tickets for the maiden voyage of a huge, luxurious new ship called the Titanic \u2013 offers a welcome escape from the cold, controlling atmosphere of her husband\u2019s ancestral home, and some precious time with her little son, Teddy.\u00a0<\/p>\n When the ship goes down, Elinor realises the disaster has given her a chance to take Teddy and start a new life \u2013 but only if they can disappear completely, listed as among the dead. Penniless and using another woman\u2019s name, she has to learn to survive in a world that couldn\u2019t be more different from her own, and keep their secret safe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n An uplifting story about grabbing your chances with both hands, and being brave enough to find out who you really are.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Forgotten Child by Katie Flynn<\/strong><\/p>\n Scotland, 1940: Isla Donaghue is just sixteen when her mother dies, and her idyllic life comes to an abrupt end. Unable to cope, Isla\u2019s father sends her to the poorhouse when he joins the merchant navy.<\/p>\n Horrified at the harsh conditions of the poorhouse, Isla is determined to escape. Enlisting the help of her newfound friends Meg and Sophie, she devises a plan to flee to Liverpool.<\/p>\n Despite the difficulties of her new life and the dangers of the Luftwaffe, Isla falls in love for the first time. But her beau is not all that he seems\u2026 Will true love prevail or will secrets from the past put an end to their happiness?<\/p>\n The Great Western Railway Girls by Jane Lark<\/strong><\/p>\n September, 1939.<\/em><\/p>\n When war is declared,\u00a0Lily<\/strong>\u00a0sees an opportunity to escape her domineering father: she will join the Great Western Railway factory to win her financial independence and move out of home.<\/p>\n Maggie<\/strong>\u00a0doesn\u2019t want to simply follow in her sisters\u2019 footsteps and work in the laundries at the GWR. So, when the chance comes to volunteer for men\u2019s work in the machine shop, she\u2019s the first to raise her hand.<\/p>\n Catherine<\/strong>, a clerk in the GWR office, has been helping with London\u2019s evacuation efforts, organising trains to move children out of the city. But when her task is completed, will she defy her family and fianc\u00e9\u2019s wishes and sign up for a more dangerous role?<\/p>\n Taking on demanding new duties, Lily, Maggie and Catherine \u2013 and others \u2013 develop an unexpectedly close bond.<\/p>\n But will friendship be enough to carry them through the ups and downs of life at war?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Last American Heiress by Stephen Greco<\/strong><\/p>\n The press dubs them \u201cthe Gold Dust twins.\u201d Born within a week of one another in Manhattan in 1912, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton both inherit unimaginable fortunes. By the time of their lavish The Lost Diamond by Kathleen McGurl<\/strong><\/p>\n A hidden jewel. A buried past. A secret waiting to break free.<\/em><\/p>\n India, 1947<\/strong>: Celia Fforbes-Whyte remembers little about her beloved mother, but she will never forget how the family\u2019s prized diamond, the\u00a0Chamakta Sitara<\/em>, glistened at her throat. The diamond has been part of the family for as long as she can remember, but growing voices begin to ask whether it should ever have belonged to them at all?<\/p>\n With danger closing in on the eve of Indian independence, Celia\u2019s father makes a drastic choice \u2013 to protect his family, the diamond must disappear without a trace. But in doing so, will he create a curse that lasts a lifetime \u2026<\/p>\n London, 2024:<\/strong>\u00a0Heartbroken and desperate for an escape, Lisa Statton retreats to the comfort of the Alps. But when she stumbles across a sparkling gem and an unopened letter, embedded in a glacier, Lisa finds herself thrust into a mystery more devastating than she could ever imagine \u2026<\/p>\n The Rebel Daughters by Cecil Cameron<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt was the season of the\u00a0beliye nochi<\/em>\u00a0when the sun never set and days slipped effortlessly into pearlescent nights. Tiny stars appeared, clusters of yellow in a paper sky. When you looked again, they were gone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Young Anna Brianski has led a charmed life between St Petersburg and the peace of the Russian countryside, until one terrible day in December 1825. It\u2019s a day that starts with winter sun and ends with blood on the snow. Until now, the only thing Anna has risked has been her na\u00efve heart. But one day \u2013 the Decemberist Revolt \u2013 changes everything. Her family, her freedom and her friends are all in grave danger, as she sees the caprice and cruelty of the Tsar at first hand.<\/p>\n Sweeping from high society to the frozen gulag, from the embrace of a lover to the tears of friends separated friends,\u00a0The Rebel Daughters<\/em>\u00a0tells the story not just of the brave women who defied everyone by following the revolutionaries into the wilds of Siberia, but also how courage comes in many forms, the price we pay for defiance and how love can be greatest rebellion of all.<\/p>\n Our Sweet Violet by Rosie Goodwin<\/strong><\/p>\n Hull, 1905<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n As the much doted-on daughter of the local doctor Violet Stroud had a comfortable, happy childhood \u2013 despite a distinct lack of love from her cold-hearted mother. But when her father unexpectedly dies, Violet\u2019s life is turned upside down. As secrets about the family come to light, Violet finds herself homeless and with no one to turn to apart from Edie, the family\u2019s gentle and loving housekeeper.<\/p>\n Violet and Edie set out on their own to run a caf\u00e9 by the docks and life, while humble, starts to settle down. Perhaps, Violet may find happiness again and even . . . love? But when Violet\u2019s brother, Oliver, comes back on the scene, chaos follows at every turn, and while walking home alone one night, something unthinkable happens. With her contented existence and her chance at true love under threat, Violet must summon all the strength she has to put her life back together. Will she ever find the peace that she so desperately desires?<\/p>\n Back to Index<\/a><\/p>\n Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray\u2019s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.<\/strong> Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam<\/strong><\/p>\n Yesterday they were just exes.<\/strong> When Andie lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she\u2019s ready to take the world of New York publishing by storm.<\/p>\n Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson \u2013 the same Jack who ruined her life in university. Who she hasn\u2019t spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.<\/p>\n To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man who, if she were being totally honest, she\u2019d like to hit with her car.<\/p>\n But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.<\/p>\n Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka<\/strong><\/p>\n Is enemies-to-lovers romance only for books, or can Jennifer and Scott bring that fantasy to life?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Jennifer Worth works in Publishing, but lives to escape into the world of her favourite romantasy series, Elytheum Courts, where the romance is swoony and the men are brave, chivalrous . . . and winged. Newly single and craving connection, she travels to an immersive fan experience, only to see the last face she expected: Scott Daniels, her work nemesis.<\/p>\n Except the Scott she encounters there, in his second hand cosplay outfit, is . . . different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.<\/p>\n Jennifer has no interest in helping the man who vexes her every workday and dismisses her fictional fantasies, but as the convention activities force the unlikely pair together, they\u2019re surprised to discover magic like none Jennifer has ever read about.<\/p>\n On Her Terms by Amy Spalding<\/strong><\/p>\n What if her Hollywood happy ending is right in front of her?<\/em><\/p>\n For bisexual Clementine, dating girls has never really been on the cards. She was loved up with her boyfriend, until she wasn\u2019t. But a chance encounter with the chaotic Chloe Lee makes her wonder if new experiences could be closer than she thought.<\/p>\n However, Chloe isn\u2019t actually interested in Clementine, or at least not for a real relationship. Her friends have recently announced their engagement and she\u2019s now the last single woman. So Chloe proposes a deal: Clem acts as her girlfriend until the wedding is over, and Chloe will help her through her baby gay era so she can start dating for real.<\/p>\n As Chloe and Clem embark on a fake relationship to fool everyone around them, is it possible that they might just be fooling themselves instead\u2026<\/p>\n The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy<\/strong><\/p>\n Welcome back to Briar U!<\/strong><\/p>\n Discover the next generation in this icy-hot spin-off series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!<\/p>\n College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives \u2013 and she\u2019s nailing both of them. By day, she\u2019s the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she\u2019s Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.<\/p>\n Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will\u2019s dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne \u2013 a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache \u2013 sometimes share girls in the bedroom.<\/p>\n When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she\u2019s been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy \u2013 fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.<\/p>\n Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.<\/p>\n No Saint by Donna Alam<\/strong><\/p>\n He steals hearts left and right. Hers is the first one he wants to keep. <\/strong><\/p>\n Did you hear the one about the wedding planner who took the bride\u2019s place? No? Maybe that\u2019s because it\u2019s never happened before.<\/p>\n Until now.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll do a lot of things to keep my business afloat and a roof over my grandmother\u2019s head. So when the bride from my latest gig says she needs a decoy to fool the press\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0offers me a hefty bonus, I jump at the chance.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like she asked me to fake marry the groom, just his best man. Charming, sophisticated, Mr. Sin-in-a-Suit, Fin DeWitt. A man who once kissed away the worst day of my life.<\/p>\n He\u2019s so far out of my league it\u2019s not even funny. And how I wake up next to him\u2014thoroughly<\/em>\u00a0honeymooned\u2014I\u2019ll never understand.<\/p>\n Then I spot the wedding certificate, signed in our own names\u2026<\/p>\n The closer we get, the more the lines blur. So much for fake when we discover some knots are impossible to untie.<\/p>\n Mr Swoony by Piper Rayne<\/strong><\/p>\n Hockey players were never my type.<\/p>\n At least, that\u2019s what I thought\u2014until I met Conor Nilsen. In truth, I didn\u2019t know he was the goalie for the Chicago Falcons when he struck up a conversation the night of my bachelorette party.<\/p>\n He proved he wasn\u2019t just some hot guy looking to score when he helped me get my drunk bridesmaid safely back to our hotel. That\u2019s when he discovered my 30-before-30 bucket list\u2014a list I hadn\u2019t managed to check a single item off.<\/p>\n What was meant to be a night of stargazing turned into so much more. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and after one innocent night together, I started to question everything\u2014especially my upcoming wedding to a man I wasn\u2019t sure loved me.<\/p>\n Fast forward to my wedding day, and just as I\u2019m standing at the altar, Conor bursts through the church doors to object. And now, somehow, I\u2019m his roommate. Yikes.<\/p>\n One Night at the Chateau by Veronica Henry<\/strong><\/p>\n One night to fall in love.<\/em><\/strong> Over the last few months, Connie\u2019s whole world has fallen apart. Her husband\u2019s run off with an older woman, the magazine she works for has gone bust and she\u2019s having to sell the family home. So when her beloved godmother, Lismay, begs her to help run the beautiful Ch\u00e2teau Villette, it couldn\u2019t come at a better time\u2026<\/p>\n No one knows the ch\u00e2teau quite like Connie. She spent a blissful summer there in her twenties, learning to cook delicious French food for the guests, ironing the lavender-scented sheets \u2013 and trying to resist the very handsome neighbour, Remy.<\/p>\n As soon as she arrives, it\u2019s clear that the ch\u00e2teau is close to crumbling and Connie knows she\u2019s going to have her work cut out. Could it be the fresh start she didn\u2019t even know she needed \u2013 and will she find a way to save the ch\u00e2teau, before it\u2019s too late?<\/p>\n Back to Index<\/a><\/p>\n So that\u2019s all for this week.<\/p>\n Happy Reading!<\/strong><\/p>\nIndex<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Historical<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/strong>One morning in 1890, a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National Gallery and causes a sensation. It\u2019s clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall, whose paintings were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty, but for the rumours behind them: they were believed to immortalise the souls of their subjects. But Ponden-Hall has been thought dead for the last 50 years. . .<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/81nfc1hM+wL._SY342_.jpg\")
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THY ENEMIES CLOSER\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/81hV5ptpe-L._SY342_.jpg\")
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coming-out balls, they are two of the richest women in the world. Barbara, heiress to the Woolworth millions, amasses seven husbands over her lifetime. Doris, meanwhile, has a sophistication and financial savvy that Barbara tries endlessly to emulate.
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When filmmaker Emma Radetsky begins researching her new documentary about prominent women and their jewelry collections, she\u2019s familiar with the lore surrounding both Doris and Barbara\u2014the couture gowns, exotic homes, and romantic interludes\u2014including sequential marriages to the same notorious playboy. And of course, the priceless jewels they acquire as easily as candy.
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Yet delving into their backgrounds with the help of one of Doris\u2019s closest companions, Oliver Wendell Shaw, Emma encounters a deeper story\u2014of a private game to manipulate the media, and a hidden, life-long kinship between two complex women who understood each other as no one else could.
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Amanda<\/strong>\u00a0is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?
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Sky<\/strong>\u00a0works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners\u2019 hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.
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Mel<\/strong>\u00a0has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.
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Erin<\/strong>\u00a0is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?\u00a0
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Astrid<\/strong>\u00a0is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?
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Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/71qa2wsLf9L._SY342_.jpg\")
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Today they\u2019re a writer and a publicist\u2026 on tour in Europe\u2026 for a month.<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/81a55PboaKL._SY342_.jpg\")
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One summer to change everything\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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